Main Content
Syllabus
LDT 467: Emerging Web Technologies and Learning
LDT 467 Emerging Web Technologies and Learning (3 credits): This course examines emerging web technologies and explores their application to learning and education.
Overview
Emerging technology tools and social media are becoming an integral part of our daily lives. These include online social networks such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to collaborative platforms such as Reddit, Twitch.tv, and YouTube to technologies that augment human capacity e.g., artificial intelligence including generative AI like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Bard, and CoPilot. These technology tools allow individuals to move from consumers to prosumers of information as they become active participants and creators of content and content dissemination. This unprecedented level of participation and interaction has resulted in the formation of online “communities” or affinity spaces where individuals interact with other like-minded people around specific topics and interests, with an increased and visible use of tools to support knowledge building and sharing. For educators, examining the tools, practices, and communities that form around specific interests can lead to fruitful methods of engaging learners in practices and interactions that are familiar from their everyday engagement with these tools. Additionally, social media tools offer a variety of professional development opportunities to engage learners and educators in building and sharing their expertise.
Learning Objectives
After completion of this course, students should be able to
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engage in various emerging technologies and social media as both observers and participants;
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document and reflect on interesting practices surrounding various social media and emerging technologies that can be turned into educational or personal knowledge development opportunities;
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formulate a personal statement about learning and teaching with emerging social and web technologies; and
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formulate design blueprints and design assessments based on opportunities and challenges of using specific emerging technologies and tools for learning and teaching.
Course Materials
All course materials are freely available online materials. Links will be provided in each week's lesson.
This course requires that you access Penn State library materials specifically reserved for this course. You can access these materials by selecting Library Resources in your course navigation, or by accessing the Library E-Reserves Search and search for your instructor's last name.
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
The information below is for reference only:
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.Technical Requirements
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
|---|---|
| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Course Expectations
Overall, the expectation is that you will be an engaged member of the LDT 467 course community. You are encouraged to log in to the course space frequently (at least once a day) to check on updates and emerging conversations. One characteristic of social media and the ecology of emerging technologies is users' active participation, as well as their transition from consumers to creators of information. You are encouraged to bring your perspectives and resources to the course, and we hope that we can also take advantage of your specific expertise areas to enhance the learning and interaction within the course.
This is an upper level undergraduate/graduate course, so please be aware that the workload is structured per expectations of graduate level work. You should plan to spend between 9 and 12 hours each week on your class work (including reading, interaction, and assignments). The focus of activities will vary each week—for example, some weeks may have more reading, while others have more activities or a combination thereof. In all cases, the work is designed to balance out to about the same number of hours per week.
As adults with active lives and professional obligations, please take time to plan appropriate time each week to engage in this course. Because of how the week is structured in the course (Wednesday to Tuesday), the main activity portions of the week tend to fall on the weekends, when you will likely have more time to interact with your fellow students. Please inform your instructor in advance if there are weeks where you may run into issues with schedules or deadlines.
Use of AI: The assignments and activities in this course are designed to help you think through pedagogical and learning applications and uses of different technologies. Intellectual honesty is vital to a vibrant learning and academic community and for fair evaluation of work. Please make sure all work you submit is your own and represents your voice, experiences, and background. In specific weeks, we will be using ChatGPT or other conversational AI tools to generate ideas and writing and will be reflecting on the use of these tools for learning and teaching. Outside of these specified instances, please do not use AI to generate any content that will be part of work you submit for grading in this course. If you are unsure about any of these guidelines, please contact me before submitting your work.
Assignments
Because this course deals exclusively with emerging technologies, our engagement in this course will closely map the type of engagement and processes that are visible in these environments. Some of these processes include (but are not limited to)
- persistent exploration of and engagement with new technologies (including trouble-shooting);
- active discussion and conversation between participants;
- critical reflection and examination of various technologies and how they affect learning; and
- equal opportunities for demonstrating expertise within the community.
The following lists include specific processes and deliverables that are key to engagement in this course.
Engage with peers and content by
- engaging in active interaction and discussion with peers on Slack,
- writing ongoing reflections on your learning,
- and engaging in Flip and other online platform discussions.
Create artifacts to support professional and personal development such as
- individual design documents,
- personal learning philosophy at the beginning of the semester, and,
- personal learning philosophy and video at the end of the semester.
Further details for the deliverables are presented below.
Ongoing Engagement With Peers and Content
Engaging in Active Interaction and Discussion on Slack
We will be using Slack as our primary space for conversation and interaction. The main task is to share and react to ideas and thoughts in a concise format, with a goal of elaborating and building on ideas. Each week, you’ll be reading a couple of articles or interacting with other resources. By Sunday night (11:59 p.m. (ET)) post one key idea or takeaway from each of the required resources that you thought was important, and one synthesized question you’d like to pose to your peers based on those takeaways. Make these posts succinct and think of them as conversation starters.
Then engage with 2 or more peers around their questions or ideas and think about how to extend these ideas in a way that’s meaningful to the community. In this case, engagement should be focused on sustained, respectful dialog that seeks to build on key ideas and concepts, invites peer reflections and opinions, and offering thoughtful, grounded perspectives and supporting resources. For example, in addition to answering questions, you may offer additional resources or insights, connect an idea to real world applications, seek to constructively question and validate assumptions, or invite peers to offer their perspectives and ideas. While conversations can be ongoing, try to respond to peers within the lesson week (before Tuesday, 11:59 EST) as folks may move on to the next discussion topic. The following three levels will form broad categories for thinking about your engagement on Slack.
- Excellent
- Consistently provides deep insights and thought-provoking questions. Actively and regularly engages in sustained interaction with multiple peers, adding significant value. Responses are mostly clear, concise, well-articulated, and timely.
- Good
- Regularly offers good insights and relevant questions. Regularly engages with peers, adding value to the conversation, although there may be less sustained interaction and more one-off responses to multiple peers. Responses are mostly clear, concise, and timely.
- Developing
- Tends to mostly share basic insights and questions. Engagement with peers is sporadic and not sustained. Responses tend to lack clarity and conciseness and may not always be timely.
Reflection and Synthesis of Discussions
At three points in the semester, you will reflect on the discussions that occurred during the preceding weeks and summarize your engagement during that time. This reflective piece should:
- Discuss how your understanding of emerging technologies and their use for learning evolved. Make sure to cite the provided resources or others that you discovered that helped shape your understanding.
- Highlight specific interactions with peers that were particularly impactful and what insights or learning they engendered. You can copy and paste those into the reflection.
- Connect the discussions to broader course concepts and real-world applications.
- Summarize and reflect on your engagement in the discussions and course overall and describe where you have grown and where you see opportunities for growth. You will also provide your own evaluation and rating of your engagement in Slack for the period, which I will use as a basis for my evaluation.
The reflection and synthesis essays will be evaluated using a holistic scale as shown.
Excellent: Thoroughly synthesizes peer interactions and ideas from multiple weekly resources to provide deep insights into thinking and learning. Personal reflections and connections to course concepts are clearly explained and supported. Well-organized and excellent writing with clear structure and flow.
Good: Synthesizes peer interactions and ideas from some weekly resources to provide good and deep insights into thinking and learning. Offers meaningful reflections and connections that are mostly well explained and supported. Mostly well-organized and good writing with minor issues.
Developing: Summarizes peer interactions and ideas from some weekly resources with superficial or basic insights. Reflections and connections are cursory and do not engage deeply with ideas. Somewhat organized but lacks clear structure and/or writing may contain numerous errors.
Artifacts (Products Produced During the Course)
Personal Learning Philosophy (v. 1)
Reflect on your philosophy of learning. Based on your education and experiences, what is your view about learning and how it occurs? If you are aware of any philosophies/theories of learning, which would you subscribe to? What is the role of the learner and the teacher in a learning environment? How do you know if learning is occurring, and what are visible indicators or signs of learning? What is the role of technology in learning?
Individual Design Document I, II, and III
Based on your specific context and goal, you will create three rapid design documents that use an emerging technology within that specific module. You will list your main teaching or learning goal (or both), which technologies considered, which one you selected and why, and a rough design plan for implementation.
Additional details are provided on the appropriate lesson page.
Personal Learning Philosophy (v. 2)
As we move toward the end of this course, reflect on the texts, experiences, and peer interactions during the course. Look at your learning philosophy (v. 1), and highlight how your philosophy has changed over the semester. What do you now see as the role of the learner and the teacher? What do you see as evidence that learning is happening? How do you consider the role of technology in learning? Write a revised learning philosophy that reflects changes in your thinking based on your work in this course.
Create both a post and a short video based on this philosophy. Please do not use PowerPoint to convey the key elements of your learning philosophy, instead, use the ideas and technologies that you have been introduced to in this course. The length of your video should be somewhere in the range of 3–5 minutes.
Additional details are provided on the appropriate lesson page.
Grading
|
Activity
|
Points
|
|---|---|
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Ongoing engagement within Slack |
22 |
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Reflection and synthesis (3) |
27 |
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Personal learning philosophy v. 1 |
3 |
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Personal learning philosophy v. 2 + video |
8 |
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Individual design documents I, II, III |
30 |
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Feedback + reflection on design documents (2) |
10 |
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Total
|
100 |
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
|
93–100
|
A |
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90–92.9
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A− |
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86–89.9
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B+ |
| 83–85.9 | B |
|
80–82.9
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B− |
| 77–79.9 | C+ |
| 70–76.9 | C |
| 60–69.9 | D |
| 0–59.9 | F |
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
Course Schedule
Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).
The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. Please note that, as this is a course on emerging technologies, the instructor may occasionally change the syllabus if new items of interest come up or if they identify alternate ways to support the learning of the group. Any changes to the syllabus will be communicated to you via email and be marked on the syllabus page. Check the syllabus and lesson pages for each week to make sure you are accessing the most up-to-date information.
| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Optional
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| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore Pick at least one of the following to explore:
Optional
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore Pick at least two of the following to explore:
Optional
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| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore Pick any two of the following to explore:Optional
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Optional
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Optional |
|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore Pick at least two of the tools listed below to explore: Optional |
|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Explore Optional |
|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read, Watch, Listen
Plus pick any two of the following to read
Optional
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
Read
Optional
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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| Engage |
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|---|---|
| Reflect/Create |
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Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please refer to Graduation at the Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
If you have a crisis or safety concern, mental health services are available to you as a Penn State student. Crisis and emergency contacts are available, no matter where you are located:
- Anywhere in the United States: Call the Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400 or text LIONS to 741741. You can also contact your local crisis services or hospital for emergencies.
- Outside the United States: Please contact emergency services in your current location. You can also use the International Crisis and Emergency Services listings.
- At University Park: Assistance is available at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) locations on campus.
- At a Penn State branch campus: You can search for counseling information at your campus.
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
In order to protect your privacy, course access is limited to those individuals who have direct responsibility for the quality of your educational experience. In addition to the instructor, a teaching assistant or college administrator may be provided access in order to ensure optimal faculty availability and access. World Campus technical staff may also be given access in order to resolve technical support issues.- Students are responsible for online course content, taking notes, obtaining other materials provided by the instructor, taking tests (if applicable), and completing assignments as scheduled by the instructor. As a general rule, students should plan on logging into the course at least three times per week and spending at least three hours per course credit per week on the course, e.g., if the course is three credits, the student should plan on spending at least 9-12 hours per week on the course, just as they would in a residence course.
- Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
- Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
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Students must contact their instructor (and teammates when working on any collaborative learning assignments) as soon as possible if they anticipate missing long periods of online time due to events such as chronic illnesses, death in the family, business travel, or other appropriate events. The instructor will determine the minimal log on time and participation required in order to meet course responsibilities. In the event of other unforeseen conflicts, the instructor and student will arrive at a solution together.
- Requests for taking exams or submitting assignments after the due dates require documentation of events such as illness, family emergency, or a business-sanctioned activity.
- Conflicts with dates on which examinations or assignments are scheduled must be discussed with the instructor or TA prior to the date of the examination or assignment.
- Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. For reference, see the Academic Success Kit.
- Behaviors that disrupt other students’ learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
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For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, the following will be applied for resolution:
- Senate Committee on Student Life policy on managing classroom disruptions: Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
- Penn State Values.
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.