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Media Literacy

Course Description:

Media Literacy teaches students how to build the critical thinking, writing, and reading skills required in a media-rich and increasingly techno-centric world. In a world saturated with media messages, digital environments, and social networking, concepts of literacy must expand to include all forms of media. Today's students need to be able to read, comprehend, analyze, and respond to non-traditional media with the same skill level they engage with traditional print sources.

A major topic in Media Literacy is non-traditional media reading skills, including how to approach, analyze, and respond to advertisements, blogs, websites, social media, news media, and wikis. Students also engage in a variety of writing activities in non-traditional media genres, such as blogging and podcast scripting.

Students consider their own positions as consumers of media and explore ways to use non-traditional media to become more active and thoughtful citizens. Students learn how to ask critical questions about the intended audience and underlying purpose of media messages, and study factors which can contribute to bias and affect credibility.

The course content is based on The National Association for Media Literacy Education's Core Principles of Media Literacy Education, as well as aggregate state standards and research into best pedagogical practices.

Course Details:

Course Title (District): Media Literacy
Course Title (NCES SCED) : Digital Media Technology
Course Provider : Ann Arbor Public Schools
Content Provided By : Apex Learning Inc.
Online Instructor Provided By : Ann Arbor Public Schools
Standards Addressed : Michigan Merit Curriculum, National Collegiate Athletic Association
Alignment Document : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/klh22tquqp5b8b1/BqtHgyDv4h
Academic Terms : Semester, Trimester, Accelerated
NCES SCED Code : 11151
Subject Area : Communications and Audio/Visual Technology
Course Identifier : Digital Media Technology
Course Level : High School (Secondary)
Available Credit : 0.5
Sequence : 1 of 1

How To Enroll:

Enrollment Website : http://a2virtual.org
Email : [email protected]
Phone : 1-734-997-1208

Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with your school after submitting a registration request.

Start Registration Request

Additional Course Information:

Additional Cost: $0.0

Additional Cost Description: None

Media Literacy Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between the different types of media, explaining the characteristics of each type.

• Develop strategies for "reading" different types of media.

•Recognize the differences between analog and digital media.

• Identify the purposes, contexts, and intended audiences of different types of media.

• Compare historical examples of media and technology with current innovations in media.

• Create strong, persuasive writing and media with use of rhetoric.

• Write a blog post. • Evaluate how consumers make choices about media consumption.

• Write an analysis of personal consumption of media and create a plan for wise use of media.

• Analyze the effects, benefits, and drawbacks of the ways different media present and disseminate knowledge.

• Create a Wikipedia-style entry using personal knowledge and knowledge gathered from at least two other sources, citing media sources appropriately.

• Read stories from different online news outlets and compare the way headlines and stories are presented online.

• Examine how credibility, effectiveness, and tone in news reporting can affect the way news is presented, understood, and spread.

• Discuss how media outlets present news stories and how to best navigate issues of credibility and bias.

• Examine the persuasive techniques that advertisements employ, including use of tone; word choice; and rhetorical appeals to logic, character, and emotion.

• Critique the overt and hidden messages contained in advertisements.

• Compare the effects of ads tailored to specific viewers, product placement in entertainment, paid advertisements that masquerade as articles, and the aggressive use of multimedia techniques.

• Write an advertisement that uses a variety of advertising techniques.

• Identify ways to use surveys, graphs, or schematics to express information.

• Discuss the main characteristics of social media, especially their ability to connect people, exchange information, and influence communication.

• Analyze personal use of social media.

• Discuss the importance of the notion of privacy and the best practices that can be used to preserve it both online and off-line.

• Identify the ways in which people can influence corporations through sharing information and creating secondary exchange systems through online media and networks.

• Analyze how Internet usage affects the ways in which people interact with real (geographic) space.

• Explain the economic, political, social, cultural, and personal consequences of media usage.

• Examine your personal connection to the global community through your use of the Internet.

• Write a review of a media piece, using both text and multimedia components to present a creative and critical response.

• Discuss the responsibilities of citizen journalists and how they affect news coverage.

• Compare examples of multigenre and multimedia creative writing.

• Create a first-person report on a current topic, event, artwork, or person in your community.

• Describe the different forms of digital audio.

• Design an audio piece for a chosen audience.

• Analyze examples of interactive performances, flash mobs, art happenings, and creative curating.

• Discuss approaches to creating a flash mob, including the potential challenges of a public mass art form.

• Analyze the ways media — especially social media — have been used to help create social and political change.

• Design a social cause campaign that uses social media to advocate for an issue that is of personal importance.

• Evaluate your personal

iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses

Academic Content Standards and Assessments Rating Comments
The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. Fully Met
The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. Fully Met
The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. Fully Met
Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. Fully Met
Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. Fully Met
Course Overview and Introduction Rating Comments
Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. Fully Met
Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met
Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. Fully Met
Legal and Acceptable Use Policies Rating Comments
The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. Fully Met
Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. Fully Met
Privacy policies are clearly stated. Fully Met
Instructor Resources Rating Comments
Online instructor resources and notes are included. Fully Met
Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. Fully Met
Instructional and Audience Analysis Rating Comments
Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. Fully Met
Course, Unit and Lesson Design Rating Comments
The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. Fully Met
Instructional Strategies and Activities Rating Comments
The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. Fully Met
The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. Fully Met
The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. Fully Met
The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. Fully Met
Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. Fully Met
Communication and Interaction Rating Comments
The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. Fully Met
The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. Fully Met
The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. Fully Met
Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. Fully Met
Evaluation Strategies Rating Comments
Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met
The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. Fully Met
Feedback Rating Comments
Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. Fully Met
Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. Fully Met
Assessment Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. Fully Met
Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. Fully Met
The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. Fully Met
Course Architecture Rating Comments
The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. Fully Met
The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. Fully Met
User Interface Rating Comments
Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. Fully Met
Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. Fully Met
Technology Requirements and Interoperability Rating Comments
All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. Fully Met
Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. Fully Met
The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. Fully Met
The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. Fully Met
Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. Fully Met
Accessibility Rating Comments
Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). Fully Met
Data Security Rating Comments
Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Fully Met
Accessing Course Effectiveness Rating Comments
The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. Fully Met
The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. Fully Met
Course Updates Rating Comments
The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. Fully Met
Certification Rating Comments
Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. Fully Met
Instructor and Student Support Rating Comments
Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. Fully Met
The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. Fully Met
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. Fully Met
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. Fully Met
The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. Fully Met
Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. Fully Met

Review Conducted By: Apex Learning Inc.
Date of Review: 08/15/2014

UNIT 1: WHAT IS A NETWORKED WORLD?



Lesson 1: Media and the Networked World


Lesson 2: How Did We Get Here?

Lesson 3: Blogs and Comments in the Networked World

Lesson 4: How Do You Network?

Lesson 5: Wrap-Up: What Is a Networked World?

Lesson 6: Diagnostic

UNIT 2: HOW DO YOU READ IN A NETWORKED WORLD?


Lesson 1: Shared Words and Knowledge in a Networked World

Lesson 2: The News Behind the News


Lesson 3: Click Here Now! Reading Advertisements


Lesson 4: New Ways to Read in a Networked World


Lesson 5: Wrap-Up: How Do You Read in a Networked World?

Lesson 6: Diagnostic


UNIT 3: WHO ARE YOU IN A NETWORKED WORLD?

Lesson 1: Social Media


Lesson 2: Privacy and Publicity

Lesson 3: Consumer Identity

Lesson 4: Global Identity

Lesson 5: Wrap-Up: Who Are You in a Networked World?

Lesson 6: Diagnostic



UNIT 4: WHAT DO YOU CREATE IN A NETWORKED WORLD? PART 1


Lesson 1: The Craft of Writing in the 21st Century

Lesson 2: Journalism in a Networked World

Lesson 3: Creative Writing in the Networked World



Lesson 4: Audience in the Networked World

Lesson 5: Wrap-Up: What Do You Create in a Networked World? Part 1


Lesson 6: Diagnostic

UNIT 5: WHAT DO YOU CREATE IN A NETWORKED WORLD? PART 2



Lesson 1: Can You Hear Me? Exploring Sound in a Networked World

Lesson 2: Visual Media and Creative Action in a Networked World

Lesson 3: Connecting to the People

Lesson 4: The Future and the Networked World

Lesson 5: Wrap-Up: What Do You Create in a Networked World? Part 2

Lesson 6: Diagnostic

UNIT 6: MEDIA LITERACY WRAP-UP


Lesson 1: Media Literacy Wrap-Up

Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends Random Draw Date Enrollment Drop Date Course Starts Course Ends # of Seats Course Fee Potential Additional Costs
Drop Policy Completion Policy Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends
Students submit assignments and receive asynchronous feedback via a secure message center and online discussion boards. A2 Virtual+ online teachers respond to student questions within one school day, and grade and return student homework with meaningful formative feedback within three school days. A2 Virtual+ online teachers and guidance staff continually monitor student progress and reach out to students and local mentors if students appear to be struggling or off pace.
School Year Enrollment Count Pass Count Completion Rate Notes
23-24 29 25 86.21%
22-23 21 19 90.48%
21-22 38 31 81.58%
19-20 17 13 76.47%
18-19 9 8 88.89%
17-18 6 5 83.33%