Digital Civilization: Honors Western Civilization 2 Course Description... a very different sort of Western Civilization class, one that actively blends our digital civilization with the history of western civilization ... This site is part of an Honors Western Civilization 2 course offered during Fall 2010 and Winter 2012 at Brigham Young University. Colloquially called “Digital Civilization,” the class is taught jointly by Dr. Gideon Burton (English) and Dr. Daniel Zappala (Computer Science).Western civilization has been greatly influenced by how we produce and share knowledge. Since the development of the printing press in the 15th century, the printed word has dominated religion, philosophy, science, economics, politics, and education. We are now in the midst of the digital revolution, with online media such as blogs, wikis, social networking, and the web shaping our civilization. In this course we will view western civilization through the lens of the digital revolution, learning both what the past has to say about how we produce and share knowledge, and what our experiences with modern technology lead us to discover about the past. Our readings will pair great works of western civilization with current texts and tools, exploring common themes that include the structure of knowledge, principles of openness and participation, authenticity, identity, privacy, and copyright. Students will become fluent with the concepts and tools needed to be lifelong learners and active participants in a world where technological innovations change rapidly.Brigham Young UniversityBYU_4585c8a2-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aGideon BurtonThe class is taught jointly by Dr. Gideon Burton (English) and Dr. Daniel Zappala (Computer Science).Daniel ZappalaThe class is taught jointly by Dr. Gideon Burton (English) and Dr. Daniel Zappala (Computer Science).Students of HistoryStudents will become fluent with the concepts and tools needed to be lifelong learners and active participants in a world where technological innovations change rapidly._4585ca8c-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aTo view western civilization through the lens of the digital revolution, learning both what the past has to say about how we produce and share knowledge, and what our experiences with modern technology lead us to discover about the past._4585cb36-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aSelf-Directed LearningThe course has a heavy emphasis on self-directed learning. This means that we do not have an extensive assigned reading list. Instead, we introduce core concepts and themes, but expect students to make use of available resources (both online and otherwise) to achieve the learning outcomes.Emerging MediaThe course makes extensive use of emerging media and communication tools. Rather than writing formal papers, each student maintains a blog for the duration of the class. The blog allows students to show what they have consumed, but to also create new content and connect to other students and to people with shared interests throughout the world. Students become conversant with the rich set of digital media tools that are available by completing some digital literacy labs.Communication ToolsComputing ConceptsThe course integrates computing concepts and digital culture into each of the class periods. We do not assume that students have a technical background. We aim to provide students the same level of understanding of computing that they would achieve in an introductory Computer Science class for non-majors, combined with regular experiences in digital culture and social media. Digital CultureOpen Educational ResourcesWe proudly support and encourage Open Educational Resources.HistoryIntelligently and accurately represent periods of western civilization_4585cbcc-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a1Students intelligently and accurately represent periods of western civilization in terms of: * prominent themes and ideas * major events * influential people and works _4585cc76-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aCore ConceptsUnderstand the core concepts of digital civilization and relate them to history and contemporary society_4585cd20-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a2Students understand the core concepts of digital civilization and can relate these to history and contemporary society._4585cdca-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aDigital LiteracyDemonstrate competence in digital literacy_4585d0f4-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a3Students demonstrate competence in digital literacy via the following methods:ConsumptionIndependently and intelligently seek out, gather, filter, and qualify information sources _4585d1bc-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a3.1Consume: Students independently and intelligently seek out, gather, filter, and qualify information sources.CreationUse a variety of media to generate content_4585d2c0-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a3.2Create: Students use a variety of media to generate both informal or provisional content as well as content more formally produced and published.ConnectionShare content_4585d392-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a3.3Connect: Students share what they consume or create, interact with others both in person and online, and use social media seriously. Self-Directed LearningManage one's own learning_4585d45a-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a4Students take control of and manage their own learning._4585d522-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88aCollaborationWork collaboratively to identify and complete meaningful projects _4585d5fe-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a5Students learn to work collaboratively to identify and complete projects that are meaningful to themselves and others._4585d6d0-83ea-11e1-812e-79832abff88a2012-04-11http://digiciv.byu.edu/?page_id=87OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net