(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course. This course is recommended for students in Grades 9-12.
(b) Introduction.
  (1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.
  (2) The Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications Career Cluster focuses on careers in designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, and publishing multimedia content including visual and performing arts and design, journalism, and entertainment services.
  (3) Digital Communications in the 21st Century will prepare students for the societal demands of increased civic literacy, independent working environments, global awareness, and the mastery of a base set of analysis and communication skills. Students will be expected to design and present an effective product based on well-researched issues in order to thoughtfully propose suggested solutions to authoritative stakeholders. The outcome of the process and product approach is to provide students an authentic platform to demonstrate effective application of multimedia tools within the contexts of global communication and collaborative communities and appropriately share their voices to affect change that concerns their future. The six strands include creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking; problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.
  (4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.
  (5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
  (1) Creativity and innovation. The student demonstrates the ability to analyze, evaluate, and adapt during the creative problem-solving process and demonstrates creative thinking in developing solutions to real-world issues using digital tools. The student is expected to:
    (A) generate innovative, sustainable solutions for real-world issues such as global warming, immigration, or the global economy using emerging digital tools;
    (B) gather and evaluate accurate information for feasibility and practicality as a basis for making communication decisions; and
    (C) analyze the ethical and social responsibilities as a project team when communicating with peers, stakeholders, and experts.
  (2) Creativity and innovation. The student uses innovative thinking to develop new ideas and processes for solving real-world issues and conveying those ideas to a global audience through a persuasive digital product. The student is expected to:
    (A) examine real-world issues relating to current topics such as health care, government, business, or aerospace;
    (B) develop innovative solutions to address issues;
    (C) create unique methods and products conveying solutions to audiences beyond the classroom such as school officials, non-profit organizations, higher education officials, government, or other stakeholders;
    (D) demonstrate the effective use and importance of verbal and nonverbal communication skills when presenting ideas and solutions to diverse audiences; and
    (E) use appropriate techniques to manage communication apprehension, build self-confidence, and gain command of information.
  (3) Communication and collaboration. The student develops a process to effectively communicate with peers, experts, and other audiences about current issues and solutions to global problems. The student is expected to:
    (A) demonstrate innovative uses of a wide range of emerging technologies, including online learning, mobile devices, digital content, and Web 2. 0 tools such as podcasting, wikis, and blogs;
    (B) participate within appropriate electronic communities as a learner, initiator, and contributor;
    (C) extend the learning environment beyond the school walls using appropriate digital tools;
    (D) collaborate with a variety of field experts;
    (E) prepare for, organize, and participate in an informative or persuasive group discussion with an audience; and
    (F) participate appropriately in conversations by making clear requests, giving accurate directions, and asking purposeful questions.
  (4) Communication and collaboration. The student uses digital tools to facilitate collaboration and communication in the design, development, and evaluation of products offering solutions to real-world issues. The student is expected to:
    (A) design and organize resources to create an effective collaborative working environment that enables a group to investigate a local, state, national, or global issue;
    (B) analyze and evaluate effective communication;
    (C) demonstrate leadership by managing project activities such as timelines, research, product development, marketing material, and effective communication skills;
    (D) demonstrate effective management of diverse peer-group dynamics such as solving problems, managing conflicts, and building consensus; and
    (E) evaluate original products for accuracy, validity, and compliance with copyright laws.
  (5) Research and information fluency. The student uses a variety of strategies to acquire and evaluate information relating to real-world issues. The student is expected to:
    (A) locate authoritative information from primary and secondary sources such as field experts, online full-text databases, or current news databases;
    (B) make decisions regarding the selection, acquisition, and use of information gathered, taking into consideration its quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and level of interest to society; and
    (C) demonstrate fluency in the use of a variety of electronic sources such as cloud computing, emerging collaboration technologies, data mining strategies, and mobile or other technologies.
  (6) Research and information fluency. The student uses a variety of digital tools to synthesize information related to real-world issues in student-created materials. The student is expected to:
    (A) construct real-world informational materials that inform, persuade, or recommend reform of selected issues;
    (B) identify and employ a method to evaluate the design, functionality, and accuracy of the student-created materials; and
    (C) use effective strategies to organize and outline presentations to support and clarify points.
  (7) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student uses critical-thinking skills to conduct research, manage products, solve problems, and make informed decisions for real-world local, state, national, and global issues. The student is expected to:
    (A) identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation;
    (B) design and implement procedures to track trends, set timelines, and review and evaluate progress for project completion;
    (C) read and use technical documentation, including appropriate help options, to complete tasks; and
    (D) analyze the audience, occasion, and purpose when designing presentations.
  (8) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student creates a product presenting solutions for real-world local, state, national, and global issues. The student is expected to:
    (A) create technology specifications for tasks and rubrics to evaluate products and product quality against established criteria;
    (B) resolve information conflicts and validate information by comparing data;
    (C) represent diverse perspectives in problem solutions; and
    (D) prepare and use visual or auditory aids such as scripts, notes, or digital applications to enhance presentations.
  (9) Digital citizenship. The student examines ethical and legal behavior to demonstrate leadership as a digital citizen. The student is expected to:
    (A) model safe and ethical use of digital information;
    (B) model respect of intellectual property when manipulating, morphing, or editing graphics, video, text, and sound;
    (C) use technology applications in a positive manner that supports productivity, collaboration, and continuing education; and
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