learning activities

Q: for the computer and society question, it would be perfect if you can tell use more directions or examples, the area is too large, i didn't know if i was doing what you were expecting.

The objective was to figure out that the area is large, and to be successful in this course, you need to learn to work with that. There are millions of web articles that satisfy the assignment. Your job was to pick one and say why you thought it was applicable - as described in the Assignment activity instructions.
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Topics, activities and due dates

The course is set up in topics, each based on a textbook chapter. For each there is

• Assignments page - lists all the activities for the topic
• Notes - questions to guide your textbook reading
• discussions, quizzes, assignments - specific descriptions and instructions are included in the Assignment page - you have to follow the instructions provided for full points
• due date - all the activities listed in the topic Assignment page are due on the specified due date for the topic. There is also an entry in the Events list in the right navigation menu for at least one assignment within the topic as a reminder of the due date for the topic

In regular semesters, the topics correspond to weeks. However, in Summer session the topics are due on Thursday and Sunday through the 6 weeks.

So to answer your question, the information for completing the I think 2 assignment is provided in the associated topic activity description in Assignment 2.

The expectation is that most students will be working on the "current" topic for the next due date. You are welcome to work ahead if you wish. However, your discussion participation grade will include points for interaction with other students as they work on the topic up to the due date.
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online orientation and getting started

There is NO on-campus orientation for CIS2 Computers and the Internet in Society

The orientation is online and can be completed at any time. It includes useful information about distance learning and the Catalyst course management system. It is most helpful if completed as soon as possible.
http://deanza.edu/distance/show_orientation.html?class=3554&p=0

The course has started. Students should log in as per information provided in the email that went out to all registered students this morning.

Other important information for getting started is provided in the CIS2 course - Welcome, Syllabus, Getting Started and Assignment 1.

Assignments for topic 1 are due Thursday July 2 at 11:30pm.

Please let me know if you have questions.

college-level reading and writing

Advisory: English Writing 100B and Reading 100 (or Language Arts 100), or English as a Second Language 24 and 72 (or English as a Second Language 4).

There is a lot of writing required for this course. Your work is expected to demonstrate college-level research, analysis, writing and paper formatting and will be graded accordingly.

This is an ONLINE course. There are NO on-campus meetings. The course is based around the textbook which contains a lot of important information that is technical and complex. Because so much of the information is written, it is essential that your reading, as well as writing skills meet or exceed the level acceptable for completion of the writing classes in the advisory.

If your reading and writing are not college-level, your will not be able to complete the assignments. You will not be able to demonstrate your knowledge of course information to pass the course.

real-time communication

Several students were frustrated by the delays in communication.

There is a 1 hour delay from the time you post to the discussion until it is emailed or available to others. This is a "feature" so you can change your post before anyone else sees it. However, it is a big problem for the Final Group project as the deadline approaches.

Other suggestions

• Catalyst chat
• Instant messages (IM)
• Twitter
• Wiki edits
• Google docs
• CCC Confer conferencing

Be sure to try some of these alternatives.

coming to the end

As we are approaching the end of the quarter, I want to thank everyone for their participation. The course works because everyone contributes. I hope that you enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. I encourage you to spend some time thinking about the whole course - Computers and the Internet in Society, and how you learned as well as on what you learned.

All the assignments will be graded in the next few days. Reviewing all the final projects is a BIG job and takes time to ensure that everyone's work is appropriately considered.

If you have outstanding assignments, do them now. Even though late penalties may apply, some points are better than no points. More importantly, you will have a more complete understanding of that portion of the course topics.

Please let me know if you have questions.

When good project teams go bad

When good project teams go bad

It happens. Some teams just don't work out. So long as you make a reasonable effort to identify and resolve the problems - usually through discussion, flexibility and hard work - the team work can get completed satisfactorily.

Some things to remember

• This is a distance learning class. Most students take online classes because they don't have time to get to on-campus classes. It stands to reason that they don't have a whole lot of time for this course work. Some students with a lot of time may expect and unreasonable commitment from other team members. This can lead to conflict and frustration. Be sure that your expectations of other team members and their time are appropriate.
  
  
• Many students tend to wait until the very last minute to complete their work. If this working style is not yours, pick a group with other early contributors. Big differences in work style and time seem to be the leading cause of group project problems.
  
  
• Project grades as structured so that team members get grades appropriate to their contribution. If someone is not doing their part, missing deadlines or otherwise causing problems for other members, the other students can report this in the project summary.
  
  
• Please inform the instructor. This is a learning experience. Too often, students will try to solve the problem themselves or do the work of the problem team member. This is not necessary - just keep me informed. I may be able to help.

I see that you are doing a terrific job on the project. I know that the others have language issues. Please remember, it is about group collaboration. I strongly suggest that you let the others contribute to the best of their ability. Encourage them, but don't do their work. They need to step up and contribute. You can help them by helping them do better. The project grade is based on the team work demonstrated.

You are doing a great job in very difficult circumstances. The assignment is to work as a group to the extent possible. Sometimes this doesn't work out because other problems come up. Do what you can and ensure that the others can contribute too. I would expect to see an outline for the entire project. You should then complete only your part of that. It should be clear to the others what they need to do. If they do it, great. However, as long as you have made an effort on the collaboration, and encouraged the others, you will have done your part. Continue to encourage the others, help them do their work, but they need to do their part, too. If there is an opportunity to do some final editing when all the sections are completed, that would be appropriate.