INFO 263-10
Materials for Children
Spring 2018 Syllabus

Elizabeth (Beth) Wrenn-Estes, Lecturer
E-mail
Cell Phone: 510-410-1959
Office Hours: By Appointment

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 24th unless you are taking an intensive or a one-unit or two-unit class that starts on a different day. In that case, the class will open on the first day that the class meets.

You will be enrolled in the Canvas site automatically.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Survey of materials in a variety of formats including nonfiction, beginning chapter books, fictional genres, paperback series and electronic resources, and how they can help meet developmental needs. Collection development tools and techniques for this material will also be included.

Note: This course will also cover "toy" books, flapbooks, board books, picture books, and various media and technology appropriate for the age group 0-4 years, and how they can meet developmental needs.

The course is focused on ages of 0-9.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Students are responsible to review the Syllabus and the Canvas course site.
• These two important information sources (Syllabus and Canvas Course) site work in tandem to give students directions, requirements, and information needed to be successful in the class materials for children. You need to understand both.
• Each student is expected to check the CANVAS site at least once per day for course updates, additional resources, announcements, and other new information that may be posted by the instructor.
• The student should read the Syllabus carefully and then visit the website and read through everything that is there. Compile questions or clarifications that you need ask and post to Questions and Answers Discussion Thread.
• The instructor makes every effort to proofread the information in both the syllabus and the Canvas course website. However, errors may occur
• Questions should be posted to the instructor through the Concerns and Questions discussion tread on the Canvas site.

Why Group Work?

I am a believer in the value of working in groups in my classes. Every job in youth services will involve working with groups of people some of whom you will know well and others that you won't know well at all.

How well you work in a group or a team is determined by your understanding of group dynamics compounded by the fact that you are working in a distance education program where staying connected to one another and to me as your instructor is critical to success.

Just as in life when you work in a group or "being on a team" you will have weak members of the group/team and you will have strong group members (leaders) of the group/team. I expect each group member work to their fullest capacity on all the group

I will ask from time to time throughout the semester how things are going in each group and I will require outlines on group work that show what each person has been assigned for project/assignment.

I expect that as librarians or librarians to be that you have high ethical standards and that you will participate fully in the group work process, including but not limited to, collaborating with your group mates, researching your given part of the assignment and completing evaluations when asked to.

I hold students to high standards of conduct and hope that the group work you do will be of value to you as you go out into the world of youth services.

Questions, Comments, Concerns- Discussion Thread
Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments on the discussion thread under Modules on the CANVAS class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature send directly to the instructor’s email address (bwestes@mac.com).

E-mail Subject Lines/Naming of Assignment Files – Mandatory

• Format for subject line for all email correspondence
  INFO 263_10_YOUR LAST NAME
• Format the file name for all assignments:
  INFO 263_10_YOUR LAST NAME_KEYWORD OF ASSIGNMENT TITLE

Official school Email Policy

• Instructor will respond to student emails within 24-hours of receipt. The instructor will inform the class if a longer response time is needed (instructor out of town, illness, etc.).
• Students are expected to promptly answer emails from the instructor and fellow students.

Crisis or Emergency:

• Please CALL, TEXT or EMAIL the instructor (in advance if at all possible) if a situation will prevent you from completing assignments or another class activity. You will receive a zero for any coursework missed unless you have received permission from the instructor for an extension. Most extensions are granted for extenuating circumstances only and not for being overwhelmed at work (for example).
• The instructor reserves the right to deduct points (the number of points is determined by the instructor) for any work not submitted on time or lack of participation in any class activities or assignment.

Course Calendar - Subject to change with fair notice.

Technology Requirements You will need a high-speed connection (DSL, cable, etc.) to successfully participate in this class. Please see the Technology Requirements and Instructions for Success handout.

Grading/Grading Rubric

• The instructor uses the rubric inside the Canvas Speedgrader. The instructor grades assignments as quickly as possible but it may take up to three weeks to get an assignment completely graded and returned to the class if class size is large and the instructor has additional classes to teach during the semester.
• The instructor will post grading updates on the announcements page to let students know where in the grading process of a certain assignment the instructor is.
• The instructor may include a separate written evaluation along with the rubric comments and point allocation.

Grading - see scale below
Rounding - The instructor doesn't round points up to the next whole number. If you receive an 89.6 you will get the grade equivalent for those points.

WEEKLY OUTLINES - Modules

Please read through the entire Canvas course site when it opens on January 24th

Weekly outlines (appear on Canvas Course Site under Modules) will have more descriptive content than indicated on the Syllabus including but not limited to links for discussion threads, articles to read, websites to read, URL to readings or links to PDF's on the course site, detailed descriptions of assignments and lecture/overviews and videos to watch.

1. The instructor reserves the right to deduct points for any assignment not turned in on time.
2. ZOOM sessions are MANDATORY to attend. If you miss a ZOOM session you will lose all points for this session (but see extensions for extenuating circumstances above)
3. Groups - students will sign up for groups when the Canvas site opens.

CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY: All assignments, overviews, and lectures, will be provided in written form and in audio and video formats.

DISCUSSION THREADS - Instructor's Role

• The instructor will act as a facilitator for the threads. Instructor may comment from time-to-time but the discussions are student driven.
• The instructor will include questions or prompts with each book discussion thread to get the conversation going but students are charged with keeping the discussion going throughout the week.
  

Discussion Posts

• Do not post before the opening date of the thread.
• For the introduction and reflection threads, you will only post one substantial post and one response to a fellow classmate. For the other threads, students post one substantial post on Tuesday and another substantial post on Thursday of each week and two posts to classmates before Sunday at 11 p.m. Pacific. All students are asked to check the site and read any new posts every day including Sunday.
• Full points will be awarded to students who write in-depth insights and opinions about the weekly topic and meet the required number of posts each thread.
• If students do not post the required number of posts or do not include the level of detail in the substantial posts points will be deducted. For the introduction thread, the substantial post is worth .75 and the response to classmate .25. All other posts the Substantial posts are worth 2.25 points each and the responses to classmates are worth .25 each
• Doing more than the minimum number of posts is greatly encouraged.

General Writing Standards- ALL ASSIGNMENTS

• Students must produce assignments that meet writing and research standards appropriate for students in a Master's program of study. Write clearly!
• It is critical to proofread your work and then proofread again before turning it in.
• Graduate level writing standards do not tolerate grammatical errors of any kind.
• You will lose points so please make sure you pay attention to sentence construction and other grammar.
• Students are encouraged to refer to a style writing handbook of their choice- suggestions are Strunk and White's Elements of Style. APA is mandated for citations included within the text of the paper and reference/bib page(s) BUT no other parts of the assignments

Spelling and Grammar Guidelines
Instructor may not read your entire assignment for spelling and grammar mistakes; if, in the instructor's opinion, your assignment contains too many errors the instructor will reduce your points and stop grading the assignment for grammar and spelling and will go on to content and research, etc.

BLOG FORMATTING GUIDELINES

• Blogs must have a banner on the homepage.
• The following information must appear on the homepage of the blog:
• Name of Student
• Title of assignment
• Class number and title
• Name of Instructor
• University Name
• Date of Assignment

• If you want to make up a name for your Blog, you can do so but the Assignment Name instructor has given must appear first and then your title next.
• You may use an existing blog that you have for assignments from other classes but instructor must have a clear path to the blog for this class and not have to do any un-necessary searching.
• Blogs must look professional and have color themes, font choice, and navigation (live links to all sections of blog for instance from the homepage) picked to enhance the assignment.
• Use the many features that the blog has and thoroughly review the blog you have chosen so that you know it will accommodate the requirements of the assignment.
• Remember pictures create visual breaks for the reader and help clarify points.
• Books covers are especially important to include when appropriate. Use of illustrations, pictures or embedded video is encouraged.
• Pictures should enhance text/narrative but images do not replace written content narratives.
• Blogs do not have a specific page length but must be of sufficient length to adequately cover the assignment.
• Blogs are written in formal style unless otherwise noted on the assignment description.Remember this isn't a blog you are keeping for day-to-day personal reflection but an academic assignment. Think moderate but friendly academic level writing and focus on creating a blog that peers, colleagues, children and their parents would find useful. The blog is still a creative way to present the assignment content instead of creating an electronic document.
• References and citations within narratives must be in APA format. References can be done as one blog posting at the end of the blog or you can put the references at the bottom of each section of your blog.
• All images must have a credit for where you obtained it and that credit can be located under the specific image or at the end of the blog section.
• Any other questions not answered in the points above contact the instructor through the discussion thread "Ask The Professor".  

PAPER FORMATTING GUIDELINES

• Prepare all assignments in MS Word.
• Do not exceed the number of pages specified by the instructor.
• Title Page MUST have:
• Name of Student
• Title of Assignment
• Class number and title
• Name of Instructor
• Name of University
• Date of Assignment

• Papers must be doubled spaced and the font to use is 12 point Arial or Cambria
• Page numbers and the name of the assignment must appear on all pages except the title page
• Reference page(s) must be included and meet APA guidelines - Single Spaced
• Citations within the text must be in accordance with APA guidelines
• All papers are to be written in moderately formal but friendly style unless otherwise noted on the assignment description.
• Remember pictures within the document adds visual breaks for the reader and helps clarify points that you are making. Books covers are especially important to include when appropriate. Cite all sources that you take images from.
  
  Any other questions not answered in the points above contact the instructor through the discussion thread Questions and Concerns.  Any other questions not answered in the points above please contact the instructor for further information or clarification

DETAILED ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS

Inclusion/Diversity and White Privilege Study in Children's Books
15 points
DUE MARCH 17th by 11:59 p.m. PST

BLOG URL to Discussion Thread - LINK

• Diversity and Inclusion and the self- examination of White Privilege is very much in the public eye and the discussion is on the minds of many children's librarians.  It is important for all librarians and especially children's librarians to be aware of the diversity and inclusion issues involved in our collections. Sometimes it is painful to look at the issue of white privilege and white fragility but it is important to do so in our roles as librarians.
   
• "Reading While White" - each of you needs to subscribe to and read this blog from the start of the semester. The URL for "Reading While White" is:http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com
• The Teaching for Change article: https://www.teachingforchange.org/white-privilege-childrens-books 
• Debbie Reese Blog - https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com 
• What’s the Story? Reflections on White Privilege in the Publication of Children’s Books 
• White Privilege Fragility

For the purposes of this assignment, you will be divided into groups of 5 students. You may pick to work with the same people on this and the 100 Books Assignment. Each group will research the topic of White Privilege and Fragility in detail and then create a blog that presents your findings. You all should look at what you want to cover then divide the work into 5. You cannot have one person just be the blog template person. Each student must share equally in the research, writing, and creation of the blog.

You must look at the topic globally and include all types of materials for children both here in the US but also in other countries.

The blog format allows you to use lots of tools that will allow you to put your narratives into but also create visual images including, but not limited to, embedded videos, illustrations, and pictures. A blog should have drop-down menus and easy to see headings that improve navigating.

The goal is to come away with an extensive look at the issues as well as some self-reflection about how white privilege may be affecting you or those around you.

Blog must include:

• Section headers need to be included throughout.
• Introduction
• White Privilege what is it?
• Differences as you see the between diversity and inclusion in children's materials and what do the experts in our field say?
• Examples of white privilege in children's materials (see above)
• Short bibliography of additional resources regarding inclusion/diversity and white privilege in children's materials.
• Conclusion
• References  - Please refer to the Citing Sources document – LINK 

Competencies - F, I     Objectives/CLOs - 1,2,3,4,5 

Top 100 Children's Books Group Assignment 
Due Friday, April 14th
15 points   

Students will be divided into groups of 5. You may choose to work with the same 5 people that you’ll be working with for the White Privilege assignment.  Groups will research and choose 100 top children's books both fiction and non-fiction and then create a blog to showcase them. Do not use any titles that will appear in your Illustrator/Author Blog. 

Follow the blog tips:

•    Choose your blog template wisely since it needs to be able to do all the requirements for the assignment in an efficient and be easy to navigate for the user. Don’t choose a template that has a lot of clutter or graphics that take up a lot of the page. – please choose something attractive but with colors that allow the text and visual images to pop out.

•    Use live links to the various sections so your reader can jump around the site easily rather than having to scroll down all the entries to find what they are looking for.

•    Make sure that you include an alphabetical list of all entries. You can make other lists of your entries like genre or types but I need to see an alphabetical list in a predominant place on the blog homepage 

•    Make sure you include a banner that has all the elements that would be included on a title page. Some students use the “About” feature but that is not intuitive for the reader to locate sometimes.

•    The content must be at least 15 pages of what you’d include in a paper. Watch out that you don’t count pictures or illustrations in your page count - narrative text is what I am talking about when I say 15 pages.

•    I would suggest creating all narratives in Word so you have a copy in case something happens to the blog - you can cut and paste the entries in an order from Introduction to References. This also allows you to do spell and grammar check before you post.

•    Use whatever template platform to find “tips” so that you know what that can do. Here are tips from WordPress - https://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/custom-menus/ (Links to an external site)

•    Illustrations, pictures, and graphics are mandatory for blogs. I have found giving credit right where the picture or illustration appears is the best approach. You can refer to where you retrieved it from.

•    Embedded video is encouraged - give credit to where you found the video.

Each blog must include the following: Include headers for each of the sections

• Introduction
• What criteria did the group develop to help select books to include in the assignment?
• Separate books into different types (each group decides on how the books will be separated - types, age, fiction, non-fiction. Books must cover the spectrum from our age group focus 0 to 8 years of age.
• Why Selected - awards, personal opinions, reviews from credible sources. 
• Trends in Children's Books- what trends did you see as you were researching the project in what is being published? Big publishing houses?  Small publishing houses?
• Conclusion - Include general thoughts about books for children. What did you think of the group process for this assignment? 
• Resources - see this link for help with Citations. LINK

Competencies: F, I                          Objectives/CLOs: 1,2,3,4

NON-PRINT MATERIALS LIST
Due APRIL 28th by 11:59 p.m. Pacific
Format: Paper
10 points

SUBMISSION LINK

•    Create a list of non-print materials for children's ages 0 -8 years old. Include 30 items

•    Divide the materials you have chosen by type and list in alphabetical order under each of the different types. You must include movies, TV shows, Music, e-books, and games. 

Include:

• Title Page
• Introduction - short
• Picture of Cover
• Bibliographic Information – This is an example and an example only from Oakland Public Library Catalog below* - include relevant information from catalog record for each item). Make sure you list your library of choice and how they are describing the information if you use a record.
• Genre
• Description of material
• Conclusion - short
• Resources/References

Example (only) of bib information*- Example Winnie the Pooh [video recording] / Walt Disney Pictures presents; story by Stephen Anderson ... [et al.]; produced by Peter Del Vecho, Clark Spencer; directed by Stephen Anderson, Don Hall

DVD/VCD | Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment | 2011

Details

Illustrator/Author Study (BLOG)
25 pts for blog
5 pts for evaluations 
Due Week 16 - May 12th (Friday)

Choose two illustrators that create fiction or non-fiction books for children between the ages of 0 and 8 years of age. Choose the illustrators carefully because there must enough information about them and enough books/illustrating to meet the requirements of the assignment.

READ CAREFULLY!

ILLUSTRATOR/AUTHOR BLOG STUDY

NOTE: when illustrator/author is used, it does not mean that you chose just authors. This is an illustrator study but some illustrators are also the author so if you chose a person that does both you'd be looking at the illustrations but in the light that the text has also been written by the same person. 

•    Choose your blog template wisely since it needs to be able to do all the requirements for the assignment in an efficient and be easy to navigate for the user. Don’t choose a template that has a lot of clutter or graphics that take up a lot of the page. – please choose something attractive but with colors that allow the text and visual images to pop out.

•    Use live links to the various sections so your reader can jump around the site easily rather than having to scroll down all the entries to find what they are looking for.

•    Make sure that you include an alphabetical list of all entries. You can make other lists of your entries like genre or types but I need to see an alphabetical list in a predominant place on the blog homepage if possible.

•    Make sure you include a banner that has all the elements that would be on a title page. Some students use the “About” feature but that is not intuitive for the reader to locate sometimes.

•    The content must be at least 10 pages of what you’d include in a paper. Watch out that you don’t count pictures or illustrations in your page count - narrative text is what I am talking about when I say 10 pages.

•    I would suggest creating all narratives in Word so you have a copy in case something happens to the blog - you can cut and paste the entries in an order from Introduction to References. This also allows you to do spell and grammar check before you post.

•    Use whatever template platform to find “tips” so that you know what that can do. Here are tips from WordPress - https://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/custom-menus/ (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site)

•    Illustrations, pictures and graphics are mandatory for blogs. I have found giving credit right where the picture or illustration appears is the best approach. You can refer to where you retrieved it from.

•    Embedded video is encouraged - give credit to where you found the video. 

•    Past Blogs –  EXAMPLES ONLY – Parts of the assignment may have changed please use only for example purposes. DO NOT COPY OR USE THE BLOG CONTENT IN ANY WAY.  I want you to look at the formatting and blog features and how the student organized the blog. Make sure you go to the top right to the Menu and look at those features as well. Please don’t read for content examples are to just show the blog formatting I like. 

  Jeff Beavers: http://info26310beaversillustratorsstudy.weebly.com (Links to an external site)
Laura Benn: http://laurabenn.wixsite.com/263illustrators/single-post/2016/04/07/Comparison (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

ORGANIZATION of topic sections:

• Headers are mandatory please include them throughout the blog.
• Make sure that you have cited sources properly. Refer to: CITING SOURCES 
• Blogs must include:

• Introduction
• Answer this question: How does the illustrator/author's background, experiences, and cultural perspective influence his or her illustration technique? You must write in a detailed and critical manner.
• Write a short analysis of the technique that each illustrator/author focuses on in his/her work. Write critically.
• Provide a brief, annotated bibliography of each illustrator/author's works.
• Include photographs and cover art.
• Provide a list of sources that you used to learn about the illustrator/author
• Include a section where you compare and contrast the styles and other difference in illustration drawing techniques. Write Critically
• Conclusion
• Resources - please refer to the Citing Sources link/document above.

EVALUATIONS - The instructor will assign each student to evaluate 3 blogs. The evaluation forms will be on the Canvas site when it opens. Each student evaluates 3 blogs not groups evaluating the blogs. Evaluations are due to the drop box provided on Monday, May 14th by 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Evaluations are worth 5 pts. 

Related competencies: I              Related Course Learning Objectives (CLOs): 1,3

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Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

INFO 200, INFO 260A or INFO 261A. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces that 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 and elementary school-aged children (ages 0-9), including all appropriate formats.
3. Critically examine representative materials designed for the pre-school and elementary school-aged child (ages 0-9), including but not limited to books, television, movies, and the Internet, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multicultural concerns, and creating a collection that meets the informational and recreational needs of this age group.
4. Evaluate children's digital resources to determine the most developmentally appropriate ones to recommend to parents, and identify ones that are less appropriate or useful.
5. Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children 0-9 years old.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 263 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Norton, D., & Norton, S. (2010). Through the eyes of a child (8th ed.). Pearson. Available for purchase or rental through Amazon: 013702875X

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Grading Scale

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

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 or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — 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 if you wish to stay in the program. 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.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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