Iona College
Department of Mass Communication
MCO 230-A, Digital Literacy and Practice
Instructor: Prof. David Cundy Semester/Year: Fall 2014
Office: Murphy Center, Room M219 Phone: 914 633-2364
Office Hours: M, W 12:45-1:45 pm Email Address: dcundy@iona.edu
Class Meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-4:48 pm, Murphy 325
Course Description:
A practical course examining and applying current communications technologies and strategies to enable students to develop and produce effective communications vehicles of the caliber and nature used in the mass communication field. The course will deal with blog and Web site creation, social media, presentation tools, audio and video production and strategy development. Includes software and technical training.
Course Prerequisites:
NA
Recommended Readings:
Anderson, Christopher. The Long Tail. Hyperion, 2006.
Boyle, T.C. “The Relive Box.” New Yorker, March 17, 2014.
Borges, Jorge Luis. “The Book of Sand,” from Ficciones. Editorial Sur, 1944.
Fuller, R. Buckminster. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Simon and Schuster, 1969.
Gleick, James. The Information. Pantheon, 2011.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Chatto & Windus, 1932.
Lessig, Lawrence. Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. Basic Books, 1999.
Linn, Susan, Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood, The New Press, 2004.
Macdonald, Dwight. “A Theory of Mass Culture,” in Mass Culture: The Popular Arts in America, The Free Press, 1957.
Click to access macdonald_theory_of_mass_culture.pdf
McLuhan, Marshall and Fiore, Quentin. The Medium is the Massage. Random House, 1967.
Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker and Warburg, 1948.
Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Penguin, 1985.
Schor, Juliet B. Born to Buy. Scribner, 2004.
Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody. Penguin, 2008.
Tufte, Edward. “PowerPoint is Evil,” Wired magazine, September 2003.
Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Philadelphia: Basic Books, 2011.
Vargas, Jose Antonio. “The Face of Facebook,” The New Yorker, September 20, 2010.
Wells, H.G. World Brain, 1938.
Films:
Alaux, François, de Crécy, Hervé and Houplain, Ludovic. Logorama, 2009. (advertising)
Scorsese, Martin. Public Speaking, 2010. (technology)
Spurlock, Morgan. Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, 2011. (advertising)
Pirate Bay. Steal this Film, 2006, and Steal this Film II, 2007. (media and culture)
Professional Values and Competencies of ACEJMC
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) requires that, irrespective of their particular specialization, all graduates should be aware of certain core values and competencies and be able to:
1. Understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press for the country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located, as well as receive instruction in and understand the range of systems of freedom of expression around the world, including the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and to assemble and petition for redress of grievances;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and as appropriate, other forms of in domestic society in relation to mass communication;
4. Demonstrate and understanding of the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact mass communication in a global society;
5. Understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in the pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;
7. Think critically, creatively, and independently;
8. Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;
9. Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve;
10. Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness;
11. Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts;
12. Apply current tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work, and to understand the digital world.
Competencies most emphasized in this class are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12
Specific Course Objectives:
This course is intended to give students an understanding of digital media, and the skills needed to use digital media tools for mass communication. Specifically, students will learn about digital media history and issues; students will take electronic notes using WordPress, and will learn to use HTML, website procurement tools, trademark procurement tools, PowerPoint and other presentation tools, online research tools beyond Google; and social media tools including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. By the end of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Apply digital technologies to mass communications projects. (This objective will be measured by essays, exams, laboratory projects, homework and class discussions). (PVC 3, 4, 6, 8, 11; Assessment Tools 1-3)
2. Discuss use of digital technologies in mass communications. (This objective will be measured by essays, exams, homework and class discussions). (PVC 4, 6, 8, 9, 11; Assessment Tools 1-5)
3. Be capable of developing strategies to integrate traditional and digital technologies. (This objective will be measured by essays, exams, homework and class discussions). (PVC 3, 4, 6, 8, 11; Assessment Tools 1-3)
4. Analyze and discuss the differences between traditional (print and broadcast media) and digital (Internet-based and mobile media) technologies in approach, editorial style, access and function. (This objective will be measured by essays, exams, homework and class discussions). (PVC 4, 6, 8, 11; Assessment Tools 1-3)
Assessment Tools:
Student Performance will be measured as follows:
1. In-class and online exercises and laboratory projects (75%): These exercises and examples will demonstrate professional applications and current use of technologies in the public relations field. Portions of each class will be devoted to applications of specific technologies.
2. Homework assignments (15%): various exercises will be assigned to help students understand the history, progression and current state of technologies. Students will have a number of essays to write, some of them one page and others longer.
3. Participation/Attendance (10%)
Each assignment will be evaluated on demonstrated writing and thinking skills, adherence to the assignment, satisfactory length, correctly formatted source documentation, and on-time completion.
Grades will be as follows: 90-100 = A; 86-89 = B+; 80-85 = B; 76-79 = C+; 70-75 = C; 65-69 = D; anything less than 65 = F)
Diversity Component:
All courses taught in the Department of Mass Communication at Iona College contain a module integrated into the course that explores the issue of the diversity of groups in relation to the mass communication industry. Examples of diversity and discussion of historical issues in diversity will be integrated into
MCO 230 class content. Specifically, MCO230 provides numerous examples of diversity issues in digital literacy: Androcentricity in Internet innovation (and technological innovation in general) is discussed, with examples including Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, YouTube founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, and others. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg, entrepreneur and journalist Rebecca MacKinnon, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Maureen Dowd will be used to illustrate diversity as it relates to course subject matter. (PVC #3)
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
College Policy: Cheating and plagiarism subvert both the purpose of the College and the experience students derive from being at Iona. They are offenses which harm the offender and the students who do not cheat. The Iona community, therefore, pledges itself to do all in its power to prevent cheating and plagiarism, and to impose impartial sanctions upon those who harm themselves, their fellow students, and the entire community by academic dishonesty. When a case of academic dishonesty surfaces, a report will be filed with the dean of Arts and Sciences. In the case of a second instance, a student may be suspended from the College. Students may appeal first to the professor who discovered the instance; second, to the department chair; and third, to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. The decision of the dean is final. Students may appeal to the Provost if the suspension is five class days or less. The student handbook describes the procedures of adjudication.
The College policy, as applied to this course, is that citations are required for all quotations, paraphrases or concepts derived from third party sources.
General Course Policies:
Attendance and lateness: Because of the participatory nature of this course, you are required to come to class. If you must be absent, please e-mail me with a general reason (please do not provide personal details) in advance. More than three unexcused absences or frequent tardiness displays a lack of interest in the course and will be reflected in your participation/attendance grade. If you miss more than three classes (regardless of whether they are excused or unexcused) you may be given a grade of “FA,” or failure due to excessive absence.
Computers and cellphones: Your successful performance in this class will require concentration. Therefore, cellphones are to be used only during class break periods. Failure to follow this policy will result in a failing grade. Computers are permissible only for note-taking. If you bring a computer to class, you will e-mail your notes from that day to me.
Computer Skills: Computer literacy and facility with the college’s on-line system is essential for this course. Much of the research will be done on-line and significant teacher-student communication will take place using e-mail or the Blackboard system. It is the responsibility of the student to have a working User ID and password and to schedule time in the school’s computer labs if the student does not have at-home access. The student is expected to check his/her e-mail frequently during the week.
Timeliness: Timely submission of assignments is required. Again, e-mail me in advance if you cannot submit an assignment on time. The semester assignment must be submitted on or before the exam date.
Appeal of Assigned Grade: If a student believes that an error has been made in grade assignment, there is a specific procedure to follow. First, discuss with the instructor the basis on which the grade was assigned. If the student is still not satisfied, an appeal may be made to the department chair. Such appeal should be made in writing, stating the basis upon which the grade is questioned and requesting a departmental review. If, following the review, the student is not satisfied with the departmental decision, a final appeal may be made to the academic dean of the department involved. A student has until the tenth day of the new semester to have a grade other than “I” changed.
Course and Teacher Evaluation (CTE) Iona College now uses an on-line CTE system. This system is administered by an outside company and all the data is collected confidentially. No student name or information will be linked to any feedback received by the instructor. The information collected will be compiled in aggregate form by the agency and distributed back to Iona administration and faculty, with select information available to students who complete the CTE. Your feedback in this process is an essential part of improving our course offerings and instructional effectiveness. We want and value your point of view.
Course Outline:
Subject to change as required. Changes will be posted to Blackboard.
Weeks 1-3
NOTE: No class Monday September 1
Week 1, August 27: Overview – The Recent Past and Near Future
Lecture: An overview of media technology innovations.
Week 2, September 3: Technological Utopias
Lecture: Predicting the Internet; Imagining Technology as an Information Age panacea.
Technology: Introduction to WordPress class notes technology; Themes and implementation.
Week 3, September 8: History of the Internet
Lecture: History and development of the Internet and World Wide Web.
Technology: WordPress structure: Pages, Categories and Posts
Assignment 1 due: Write a 250-word essay comparing the ideas presented by Vannevar Bush and Hans Rosling as they relate to digital literacy in mass communication.
Week 3, September 10: Historical and Contemporary Blogs
Lecture: Diaries, correspondence and blogs.
Technology: WordPress Dashboard and Menus
Weeks 4-6
Week 4, September 15: Workshop – Photoshop for Online Applications
Technology: Photoshop basics and Actions; Photoshop image preparation for the web, blogs, social media and presentations
Week 4, September 17: Technology and Its Discontents
Lecture: Early warnings about the unintended consequences of technological developments.
Technology: Inserting media and links into WordPress; YouTube
Week 5, September 22: Media Theory vìs-à-vis technology
Lecture: McLuhan and the theory of Technological Determinism.
Technology: Word count analysis
Week 5, September 24: Convergence of the Media Professions
Lecture: Blurring and blending of the media concentrations (professions) of Advertising, Broadcast, Journalism and Public Relations.
Technology: Constant Contact and Mail Chimp
Week 6, September 29: Advertising and Technology
Lecture: Poet Ginsberg and educators Jhally, Linn and Schor weigh in on advertising and consumer culture.
Technology: SurveyMonkey
Week 6, October 1: Internet I: Principles of HTML
Lecture: Website code introduction; Hypertext Markup Language structure; website architecture.
Technology: HTML coding in WordPress; Dreamweaver and Content Management Systems
Weeks 7-9
NOTE: No class Monday October 13; class meets Tuesday, October 14
Week 7, October 6: Internet II: Website research, design and development processes
Lecture: Benchmarking, wireframes, URL and hosting procurement; QR code generation.
Technology: Nomenclature; ICANN and TLDs; Whois search; green hosting services.
Week 7, October 8: Internet III: Trademarks in the Electronic Age
Lecture: Naming your business.
Technology: Trademark search.
Week 8, October 14: Internet IV: Analytics; e-publications
Lecture: Google and other analytic tools to measure and analyze traffic.
Technology: Analytics implementation; ePub software
Week 8, October 15: Social Media and Other E-Communications
Lecture: Overview of social media and their uses; comparison of Facebook with websites, blogs and interactive communications vehicles
Technology: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter; Google Hangout and Skype
Week 9, October 20: Understanding Google
Lecture: An overview of Google; Google’s self-reporting.
Technology: Google search techniques and features; Google Art Project; Google Maps; Google Scholar;
SEC document search
Week 9, October 22: Online Research Resources (visiting lecture)
Lecture: A guided tour of online research resources by an Iona librarian.
Weeks 10-12
Week 10, October 27: Access to Knowledge
Lecture: Universal access to all knowledge; OLPC (XO) technology.
Technology: US Government Digital Literacy website: http://www.digitalliteracy.gov/
Week 10, October 29: World Brain, Realized: More Sources of Human Knowledge
Lecture: An overview of Wikipedia; Wikipedia entry format.
Technology: Alexa and Archive.org; Congoo; LibraryThing; Wikipedia
Week 11, November 3: Organizing and Presenting Information I
Lecture: Richard Saul Wurman on managing and organizing information.
Technology: TED presentations as digital literacy resource
Week 11, November 5: Organizing and Presenting Information II
Lecture: Evaluating PowerPoint and audiovisual presentation aids.
Technology: Keynote, PowerPoint and Prezi
Week 12, November 10: Workshop – Organizing and Presenting Information III
Technology: In-class Assignment 2: Creation of a PowerPoint presentation
Week 12, November 12: Issues in Digital Literacy I
Lecture: A survey of issues in Digital Literacy: Access, addiction, anonymity, commercialization, the “electronic hallucination,” intellectual property, privacy, professional commoditization, resource consumption, and time management.
Weeks 13-15
NOTE: No class Wednesday, November 26
Week 13, November 17: Issues in Digital Literacy II: Addiction, Resource Consumption and Time Management
Lecture: Personal and societal impacts of media technology.
Technology
Content Advisor (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/block-work-computer-accessing-facebook-28004.html)
StayFocusd (Chrome extension) (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji)
Week 13, November 19: Issues in Digital Literacy III: Privacy and Anonymity
Lecture: The interior dialog; online accountability. Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden of Booz Allen Hamilton.
Technology: Encryption; Ghostery and other privacy-protection tools. Max Schrems Facebook lawsuit.
Assignment 3 due: Write a 250-word essay on Transactionalism and the impact of digital media on empathy.
Week 14, November 24: Issues in Digital Literacy IV: Intellectual Property and Commerce
Lecture: Free vs. no-cost access; the effects of monopoly e-commerce.
Technology: World Intellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html)
Week 15, December 1: Issues in Digital Literacy V: Journalism and Commerce
Lecture: The disruptions caused by a globalized workforce and online access.
Technology: Patch; WikiLeaks (https://wikileaks.org/)
Assignment 4 due: Write a 250-word essay analyzing John Perry Barlow’s assertion that “Information wants to be free.”
Week 15, December 3: Issues in Digital Literacy VI: Time Management; Entertainment
Lecture: The implications of infinite choice and unlimited access; Transactionalism and Occupationalism.
Week 16; Final Exam
Week 16, December 8: The Big Ideas in Digital Literacy
Lecture: Summary of key concepts and acquired skills.
Assignment 5 due: Write a 250-word essay on the Consumer/Entertainment Society and its implications for public relations.
Exam day
The final exam will be an electronic essay demonstrating understanding of key concepts and acquired skills in digital literacy.
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