Grades for the course will be based on the following:

• 25% Lesson on Evaluating Resources (group or individual assignment)
• 25% Copyright/Plagiarism Web Page (group assignment)
• 25% Topic Paper (individual assignment)
• 25% Attendance and participation in class and in activities: class discussion board, Best-of-the-Web Debate (amended), Virtual Libraries Tour, Rate-a-Blog.

Copyright/Plagiarism Web Page

The Internet and other electronic resources are traditional means for students to access information. Due to their seemingly free availability and easy access, these resources are easily and frequently plagiarized. As providers and promoters of electronic resources, school and public librarians must remind young users how to use them responsibly for school and personal needs. In this assignment you and one or two of your colleagues will create a Web-based guidepost to student rights and responsibilities in the use of electronic resources.

Assignment | Scoring Rubric | Get free Adobe Reader

DUE DATE: August 4

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Attendance and class participation

In this class we will be learning together, constructing meaning in a social and electronic environment. As such, the active engagement of ALL class members is crucial. The learning of your classmates is, in part, dependent upon you.

Be on time and in class every day that we meet, read the assigned selections, and be prepared to discuss them. There will be occasional quizzes over the readings. Please don't be content to sit and let others do the talking in class. You have ideas from which we can all benefit, and your grade depends on your sharing those ideas in whole and small group sessions. If you miss class, your grade will be affected.

We will engage in four ongoing class projects. The success of these is dependent on each of you:

1. The class discussion board.

This will be the artifact we produce together—the result of our joint exploration of the Web and discussion of the issues surrounding the use of the resources available on the Internet for children and YA. You will need to make contributions to the discussion board regularly.

Your job is to recommend additional readings or web sites for assigned topics and to add your informed and impassioned opinions about them either before or after class discussion.

2. Best-of-the-Web Debate.

In class, we will talk about what makes a good website and regularly nominate sites for our Best-of-the-Web list. On the designated class day, we will engage in an informed conversation about the nominated sites and develop a list of what we think are too good to miss.

Your job is to explore sites, make post nominations to the discussion board, view and consider all nominated sites prior to the debate, and participate in the conversation on debate day. You will choose a subject area then locate the "best of the web" for that subject. You will submit a written evaluation, using the evaluation instrument of your choice.

3. Virtual Libraries Tour.

By the end of the class, we hope to have some understanding of the concept of the virtual library. On the designated class day, we will engage in an informed conversation about what makes a virtual library and what the goals of a virtual library might be. As a class we will examine websites that either fit the label or claim to achieve the goal of virtual library.

Your job is to find a website that you feel is a good example of a virtual library, share this site with the class, and participate in the conversation.

4. Rate-a-Blog.

Web logs, or blogs, have become a popular and sometimes useful means to share and disseminate information.  On the designated class day, we will rate blogs that have been nominated as useful to the library professional to determine what constitutes good blogging.

Your job is to explore library-related blogs and nominate one to be rated, share the blog with the class, and participate in the rating.

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©2004, Barbara A. Jansen; adapted with permission by Don W. Hamerly, 2005.