LIBR 262A-10
Materials for Children Ages 0-4
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Shirley Lukenbill, Lecturer
Email
Phone: I will send my telephone contact information to students enrolled in the class.
Location: This course is an online course, so all class interactions are conducted via ANGEL.


Greensheet Links
Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
ANGEL
ANGEL Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

I will distribute the enrollment code to the ANGEL course site for this class to all students on the first day of the semester (January 22, 2009) via MySJSU messaging.  You should self-enroll on or shortly after January 22, 2009 and before January 26, 2009. You must be enrolled on MYSJSU to receive the email message with the enrollment code. The course begins on January 22, 2009 and ends on May 13, 2009.  Spring Recess is from March 23-27, 2009. Another SLIS holiday is Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, 2009.

Course Description

This course is a children’s materials collection development course in which students will learn to build library collections for children from birth through age 4, including “toy” books, board books, cloth books, picture books, informational books, as well as non-print media, toys that teach early-learning skills, websites and other technology applications appropriate for this age group, and how these resources meet the developmental and learning needs of this client group and their parents and caretakers. The course will include an introduction to collection development tools and techniques for these materials, as well as professional and parenting resources that provide support and background information about this client group for librarians, parents, caretakers, and teachers who serve this age group.

Course Objectives

At the completion of this course the student should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces which influence children’s choices of recreational and informational sources and materials
  2. Evaluate selection tools, and demonstrate the ability to use appropriate resources to develop a collection of materials for the preschool child, including all appropriate formats
  3. Critically examine representative materials designed for the preschool child, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multi-cultural concerns, and meeting the informational and recreational needs of preschool children
  4. Evaluate children’s television programming and other digital resources to determine the most developmentally appropriate ones to recommend to parents and discover ones that are less appropriate or useful
  5. Create an appropriate materials collection for this age group, including print and non-print materials
  6. Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children

This course supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

  • demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations
  • use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information
  • use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users
  • apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy

Course Requirements

Communicating with the Instructor
I live in Austin, Texas (Central Time Zone). My preference is that students communicate with me first by email. If the student requests a follow-up phone call, the student should provide the following information for me: time zone, preferred time for contact, complete 10-digit phone number. The best time for students to reach me by phone is between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. I will respond to an email message or phone call within 24 hours of the contact. I will also open a dialogue through a ANGEL Discussion forum entitled "FAQ: Ask Any Question about the Course." My goal is to reply to any question posted to this discussion forum within 48 hours. In this way, everyone knows the answers to questions posed by any class member. Class members may also respond to questions posed in this FAQ forum.
Important note: The communication part of this course will be conducted via a distance education program entitled “ANGEL.” I will distribute the enrollment code to the ANGEL course site for this class to all students on the first day of the semester (January 22, 2009) via MySJSU messaging. You should self-enroll on or shortly after January 22, 2009, and before January 26, 2009.   You must be a member of MYSJSU to receive the email message with the enrollment code. The course begins on January 22, 2009 and ends on May 13, 2009. Spring Recess is from March 23-27, 2009.  Another SLIS holiday is Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, 2009.  Be sure you are enrolled in the SLIS listserv “SLISADMIN” so you can get all official messages from the School. Here are the directions: We use an electronic list to keep you informed about important school information. All students are required to be on the list; it is called “slisadmin.” To join: (1) Go into your email program and in the “’To’ box,” enter listproc@listproc.sjsu.edu ; (2) Leave the subject line blank; (3) In the body of the message write “subscribe slisadmin yourfirstname yourlastname.” For example: subscribe slisadmin Shirley Lukenbill; (4) send the message. You should receive a confirmation that you are subscribed. Please note: You cannot post to this list. It is merely a way for the faculty and the staff to distribute school-related information. For more information on all the school's electronic lists, please check out: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/electroniclists.htm

Course Work
It is important that students know that this is a children's materials selection course focusing on materials for children ages 0-4, and NOT a programming course.  In this course, I require that students complete assignments and discussion forums designed to introduce students to the concepts covered in class and in the texts, as well as to practical applications of materials-selection resources and methods. Students will work individually on Assignments and participate with colleagues in discussion forums on ANGEL.   I will hold students responsible for carefully and respectfully following the SJSU guidelines for academic integrity and following the U.S. copyright regulations. See section on Copyright Regulations and Academic Integrity below.

  • Assignments: (Meet Course Objectives A, B, C, D, E, F) 60% of final grade. See below Penalty for Late Assignments.

    All student products (assignments) must be prepared in MS Word and posted to the ANGEL "drop box" by the due date for each assignment. Detailed descriptions of the assignments will be available in ANGEL's CONTENT for each assignment. In each of the assignments, I expect my students to use the full-text SJSU Library databases in order to locate full-text professional research articles for Assignment 1 and the full-text professional reviews of book, media, and other materials for Assignment 2.  Please note: While many students are familiar with using Amazon.com and other book/media vendor sites, as well as the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database for reviews of materials, these sources and others, such as Book Index with Reviews, Books in Print, Children’s Books in Print, and Novelist are useful as “finding aids,” but these sources do not give complete citations for reviews, so you should NOT cite these databases in this course. Therefore, for citations in your project assignments, you should NOT use these and other databases that do not give full bibliographic information and full-text reviews for materials. For example, these resources may not cite the pages on which a review can be found, and sometimes they do not provide other essential bibliographic information. I require that you locate the actual full-text professional articles (not just abstracts) [Assignment 1] and full-text reviews of materials (Assignment 2] in the SJSU Library's online database sources and cite the complete bibliographical information for the articles you are reviewing and the full-text reviews of the materials, as well as the Persistent URLs for the SJSU Library's online database in which you located the article or review. You must learn to cite the Persistent URLs for the reviews or articles you locate on the books and materials you include in your assignments or discussion forum postings. As librarians, we need to know how to locate the actual reviews to support our collection development choices for our libraries. All bibliographies will be prepared using the Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.


    • Assignment 1-- Professional Readings Journal on major course topics. (Meets Course Objectives A, B, C, D, E, F) 20% of course grade. See below Penalty for Late Assignments.
      The professional readings journal is a collection of the student’s original critiques of professional research articles (not news articles, newsletter submissions, or articles in popular magazines) on the major course topics. Students will submit a sample entry by the third week of the semester so that I can check for your understanding of the APA (5th ed.) bibliographical style, the persistent URLs for articles retrieved from SJSU Library’s online databases, and the completeness and quality of your original critiques. I will post the date for submission of the sample entry and the completed project in the Assignment 1 folder under the CONTENT tab in ANGEL. From a list of major topics in the field of study (which I will provide), students will keep a journal of their original critiques of professional readings (students must choose full-text articles--not just abstracts--from professional journals provided on the SJSU Library's online databases that present current research in the field, that follow research design principles, and that have dates no earlier than the year 2000).  Note:  You must choose full-text professional articles (not abstracts) from the SJSU Library's online databases and NOT from personal subscriptions to such journals or from local libraries' databases, as I must be able to retrieve and verify as I must be able to retrieve and verify the articles you review in this assignment.  In ANGEL under the tab CONTENT, I will post an outline of major topics in the course, the format and guidelines for the journal articles and critiques, and the grading rubric for the project. 
       
    • Assignment 2—Thematic Collection Development Project for Materials for Children, Ages 0-4. (Meets Course Objectives A, B, C, D, E, F) 40% of course grade. See below Penalty for Late Assignments.
      The thematic collection development project in this course includes informational and picture books, board books, “toy books,” and fictional/imaginative print and non-print materials and online sources for children ages 0-4, and resources on the theme for parents, caregivers, and teachers of children in this age group. The non-print media can include early learning resources including DVDs, learning games, etc. I will retain a master list of themes for the class. Students will email me their choices of themes for this project, and if I approve them, they will be listed in the folder for Assignment 2 that is available under the CONTENT tab in ANGEL. I will post detailed information and a grading rubric for this project to the Assignment 2 folder under the CONTENT tab in ANGEL. Note: You must choose full-text professional reviews for materials from the SJSU Library's online databases and NOT from personal subscriptions to such journals or from local libraries' databases, as I must be able to retrieve and verify the professional reviews in this assignment. In this assignment, you are expected to use the SJSU Library’s full-text online databases in order to locate the professional book and media reviews of materials in your project. Please note: While many students are familiar with using Amazon.com and other book/media vendor sites, as well as the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database for reviews of materials, this source and others, such as Book Index with Reviews, Books in Print, Children’s Books in Print, and Novelist are useful as “finding aids,” but these sources do not give complete citations for reviews, so you should NOT cite these databases in this course.  Therefore, for citations in Assignment 2, you should NOT use these and other databases that do not give full bibliographic information and full-text reviews for materials. For example, these resources may not cite the pages on which a review can be found, and sometimes they do not provide other essential bibliographic information.  I require that you locate full-text professional reviews from the SJSU Library’s online databases and cite the complete bibliographical information for the materials and for the full-text reviews.  You must cite the Persistent URLs for the full-text reviews you locate on the books and materials you include in this assignment. As librarians, we need to know how to locate the actual full-text reviews to support our collection development choices for our libraries.

      This assignment, which will include your original annotations of the materials (written to appeal to the parents, teachers, and other adults who work with children ages 0-4), must be prepared in MS Word and posted to the ANGEL "drop box" by the due date for the assignment. All bibliographies will be prepared using the Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.  

       
    • Penalty for Late Assignments, LIBR 262A-10: I will accept late work,  but late work will lose 2 points for each day the assignment is late. For example, if an assignment is due on March 1, 2009, but it is submitted to me on March 8, 2009, I will deduct 14 points from the grade earned by the student on the assignment because the assignment was 7 days late. All late projects must be completed by April 22, 2009 to be considered for credit. Students must submit assignments to the ANGEL "Drop Box" by the deadline for each assignment in order to get full credit. If students post an unfinished assignment by the deadline and then send a revision to me later, the date of completion of the assignment will be the date of the revision, not of the original posting. Therefore, to avoid penalties for late submission, students should plan their work in order to post their finished products to the ANGEL "Drop Box" by the Assignment's due date. Students need to communicate with me about personal or other issues that might affect completion of the work on time.
       
  • Participation in ANGEL Discussion Forums. (Meets Course Objectives A, E and F)  40% of course grade. Students will participate in ANGEL discussion forums in order to practice professional discourse on the course topics and materials. I will provide specific guidelines for participation in ANGEL discussion forums under the CONTENT tab on ANGEL, as well as proper etiquette and professional behavior in responding to the work of your colleagues in the course. I expect that you participate in all discussion forums for each lesson, that you post your original contribution early in each forum, and that you respond later in the week to at least two of your colleagues in each discussion forum.  I expect that you participate in all discussion forums for each lesson, that you post your original contribution early in each forum, and that you respond later in the week to at least two of your colleagues in each discussion forum. Therefore, my expectation is that you post a minimum of three (3) times per discussion forum, and that one of your posts include a complete reply to the questions I have posed for Discussion.  I will base your grade for discussion forum participation not only on frequency and timeliness of posting, but also on quality of information in your discussion posts. Discussion forums for the course will include your professional reflections (based on background reading, personal research, and reading of required books and media). As there is a time frame for beginning and ending dates for each forum, late posting of comments will not count toward credit. 

    I will hold students responsible for carefully and respectfully following the SJSU guidelines for academic integrity and following the U.S. copyright regulations. See section on Copyright Regulations and Academic Integrity below.

COPYRIGHT REGULATIONS
Students and faculty are bound by the U.S. copyright regulations and need to cite the sources of the intellectual property of others, including information, images, or ideas that do not belong to us. Follow the regulations located in the Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials policy at http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

Because this is an online class, my students must pay particular attention to the Distance Learning (SJSU), Copyright, and Fair Use, and Plagiarism Guidelines at http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/distance/fac_copyright.htm . Students need to pay special attention to the third bullet item at the above website: Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia, Section 6 at http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/ccmcguid.htm

If my students submit work with words, images, or ideas that are not their original ideas, words, or images, they must cite the sources of those words, images, or ideas. It is important for students in library science courses to develop a respect for the work of others and to be responsible users of the work of others. Although the work of students does have some fair-use protection, you are NEVER safe in using words, images, or ideas of others in a course in which we share our work with one another. Not only will you need to remember this when you are posting to the discussion forums, you must also practice responsible use of resources in your projects that you will be sharing with your colleagues.

Textbooks and Readings



Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

  • "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
    • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
    • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
  • "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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