Sunday, March 29, 2009

Grades - confusion

Q: I was viewing the grades through the catalyst under user report. The "Course total" for this class was showing 328.40 85.52%. I thought that that I did much better.

A: Thanks for telling me where you got the number. That is the average grade of everyone in the class - not YOUR grade.

Several others asked similar questions, so this is a problem for a lot of people.
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Friday, March 27, 2009

Making Contact

Making Contact, produced by National Radio Project, is an award-winning, 29-minute weekly magazine/documentary-style public affairs program heard on over 200 radio stations in the USA, Canada, South Africa and Ireland.

Making Contact is committed to in-depth critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news. Showcasing voices and perspectives rarely heard in mainstream media, Making Contact focuses on the human realities of politics and the connections between local and global events, emphasizing positive and creative ways to solve problems. Making Contact is FREE to noncommercial stations.


ASSIGNMENT

What program did you choose? Why did you select this program? What issues are addressed? Do you think the coverage fairly represents multiple points of view on the subject?


STUDENT RESPONSES -- Winter 2009

Re: National Radio Project
http://music.ibiblio.org/pub/multimedia/nrproject/sound/2005/MakingCon_051221.mp3

I chose this program on clear channel because I had business dalings with them a few years back...it wasn't pleasant.
So Clear Channel is basically evil.

In 1996 the government allowed radio stations congolmerates to own more than 40 individual radio satations. That is when clear channel, whose CEO had very close ties to George W Bush, bought up every radiosation it could/can. Now radio is diluted, and is the megaphone of a media giant, not an indivual public forum which it was meant to be.
The FCC needs to step in a regulate this monoploy and make sure CC is serving the public interest!



War Made Easy
http://radioproject.org/archive/2003/4003.html

This program is about the use of propaganda to mold the public mind to accept certain 'facts' and ways of dealing with them. Specifically, it has to do with the Iraq War, and the fact that the Pentagon payed people to use news networks to disseminate false information. I selected this program because i think the reason our country is in such a dismal state is that the masses are poorly educated and easily gullible. The coverage definitely represents both sides of the spectrum, though it was obvious that one side broke into the mainstream more often.



The First-Half Amendment: Freedom of the Press and War
http://radioproject.org/archive/2002/3202.html

I have chose this topic because it kind of sparked my interest talking about our rights. The issue being addressed was about the freedom of speech, our first amendment, especially at time of "war." The fight against terrorists restricted a part of our rights given by the first amendment. The coverage was very well thought out, it may not have a wide variety of view points but it does have more than one. I would just like to ask the speaker if this is still constitutional? Is it constitutional that our rights are taken away from us and the denial of the first amendment?



Re: National Radio Project

Yes, this information was less bias and more accurate information about
World News. This site represented multiple points of view about our current
economy and the new stimulus package.



http://radioproject.org/archive/2003/4003.html

I choose the program: "Different Kind of Information War". I selected this program because there were many important information that I didn't know before about the Septemeber 11 attack and the invasion of Iraq. I was also interested in how the Bush Administration made such decisions and why. I think what happened on 9/11 is a historic event that no one will ever forget. I still remember waking up that day and my mom telling me what was happening while sounding terribly upset. I still went to school that day and in every class I was in, we just listened to the radio or watched the news. There's no doubt that day affected everyone around the world. The program addressed the fact that the U.S. wanted to invade Iraq way even before the attack but wasn't able to get the aid they needed until after. It even addressed the issue of whether Saddam should continue to use the weapon of mass destruction or not. Overall, I do think the coverage fairly represented multiple points of view on the subject.



Re: National Radio Project

I chose Women Rising XII: International Change Makers - Journalists in the Crosshairs as the program I wanted to listen to because women are not usually classified as international change makers. This program discussed three women journalists from different countries who stood up for things they believed in and how they made a difference. The radio address was of these three women discussing what they went through and the changes that resulted from their experience.

http://radioproject.org/archive/2007/2107.html



Re: National Radio Project

Year in Review 2008 - http://radioproject.org/archive/2008/5208.html

I chose this broadcast because I thought it will have interesting information and reminders on what has happened in the past year because many interesting and important things did indeed happen in 2008. Some issues discussed were, Proposition 8 in California, War in Iraq, The new Obama administration, earthquake in China, the small War in Georgia, Gas Prices, Immigration issues, Mumbai terrorist attacks, and of course the Obama election, plus many more. I think that the coverage showed different points of views and did a decent job of covering the most important news events from 2008 in the short time allocated.



Re: National Radio Project

You are so right! My husband and I have a vegetable garden along with are bee hives; soon we will have are own chickens! We share with are neighbors the fresh produce and honey that we harvest we have started a trend in are neighbor hood in regards to how to take care of yourself by growing and harvesting your food even a little bit helps. A person does not need a big lot to grow a little food. You are only limited to your own imagination.



Re: Politics and Healthcare Re: National Radio Project

I am right with you on concerns for the future health care! It is my opinion that the basic needs for people should always be available, Health care, Food, and Shelter. It is pretty sad when a person can show up at a hospital in this day and age and be ignored to the point that they die in the waiting room, while others who have health care get taken ahead of them simply because they are poor and have no health coverage. Let’s just pray that Obama gets support enough to fix this horrible mess we are in.



http://radioproject.org/archive/2008/4808.html
Food for Thoughts

This program is talking Food. I choose this program is because everyone need to eat and I love to eat so this subject stand out to me. Any issue has to do with food will effect the society one way or the other. Some effects can be price of food, demand for a certain food, or even shortage of food. Any of these issues can impact our society greatly.

The issue is talking about some of the way that we can farm our food. In this program, they talk about farming or growing food on sky scraper, backyard and farm in an urban area. Even though people are able to farm at those area, people are still health conscious, and keeping fresh and good vegetable is hard. The reason is because people are so busy with their everyday life with family, and work, thus leaving no time to take care of the farming.

People are worried about food shortage and food prices going up, so they are taking the matter into their own hands by farming food themselves and feeding themselves anywhere and anyway they can.

I think the program covered multiple point of the issues. They cover from the why they farm to how they farm and the method use for farming in urban area. They also talked about urban area farm will help feed local food banks, and many people in the city. Even though only a few type of vegetable can be grown, it will be enough to feed many people.

This is a great deal to society because we all need food. If the price is going up at an economic recession, many families can't support their family with their situation. Instead of sitting, and waiting for help, I think people are taking measure themselves is the best thing to do. Finding alternative to survive is essential because to human, it's all about survival. Urban farming is a good option and might be the solution to food prices going up or food shortage. It give relief and piece of mind to many



Re:All African Americans Will Be Happy From Now On
Black History Month 2007

On being asked what the implications of Barack Obama being elected the President of the United States will have on the African American community one of my African American classmates said " Now they will say you have an African American President, what else do you want?"
The media showed an overwhelming number of images showing a sense of jubilation and triumph in the African American community after the election of President Obama. The question remains, is the dream achieved? Many will agree, yet there will be others who disagree.
On the brink of Black History Month 2009, I selected the program from this time in 2007. It is more of a documentary rather than being a program that represents views.

http://radioproject.org/archive/2007/0507.html



http://radioproject.org/archive/2000/0002.html
“Hidden Truths: The Mass Media and Poverty”

I chose this program because it is something that has always bothered me! Poverty and hunger in the United States! It is bad enough that we have other countries around the world starving. We need the media and programs like these; to educate and help people understand that we need to help each other and not turn a blind eye to what is happening around use. We need to love and take care of each other! no one should go hungry or homeless! Below is information I took from the front page of the program to give an idea of what the program addresses. And yes I believe that this program fairly represents multiple points of view.

“The mass media under-report or ignore many issues vital to the welfare of the public. Among them: root causes of poverty and hunger in the United States . On this program, we take a look at two independent media projects that are working to change this situation.”



Re: National Radio Project
http://radioproject.org/archive/2007/0407.html

Most of the audio clips seem to have left leaning topics and summaries, but some look to at least try to be unbiased or neutral.
I chose "
Civil War in Burma, Karen Women in Exile"
because the Karen state and in general Myanmar is a major international "issue" (To put it lightly) that needs fixing. So many bad things happen in the Karen state and Myanmar, that the world just sits by and lets happen, it is very saddening. It describes the Karen history, and they're struggle for survival. The coverage I think is fairly accurate, but of course it isn't "balanced" as there is no other points of view shown, from the Burmese government.



Re: War Made Easy
http://radioproject.org/archive/2007/3107.html

This is the topic that I chose because it is interesting to me. This discusses the US going to war in Iraq and some of the reasons why. Since it is intended to stop the war, the viewpoints were not fairly represented. I might ask the author how they would have resolved the conflict in Iraq.



Politics and Healthcare Re: National Radio Project
http://radioproject.org/archive/2008/4308.html

I chose the program "Election '08: Can Politics and Health care Mix?" because I am very concerned about health care in the United States.

The program talks about Obama and talking about his concerns, promises and issues about health care. The speaker has a "belief that extends a promise to recognize and implement the human right". There was arguments about Medicare but Medicare now is established by using politics to provide health care for people.

I think the coverage represents the topic well because he emphasizes the need for health care and the fact parents can't afford it for their children. He also talks about the struggles and how he is encouraging health care for all US citizens. He is PRO for this matter and feels that it is "insanity" that some people think people should not have health care. He does not discuss both sides fairly.

The question I would ask is the speaker is: In the US, if someone was sick and needed 3 doctors 24/7 who would be responsible for the the doctors' salaries and how does the US afford this?

The impact of this topic on society is highly controversial today. Many people can not afford health care and become in debt because of it. Hopefully we can find a affordable solution soon.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Final project submission

The objective for the Final Project is to write collaboratively as a group and publish interesting research and critical thinking on these practices from a students' perspective.

You aren't finished until your final submission is "published" in the space set up for the purpose, and exhibits collaborative writing and editing through the wiki tools provided.

http://www.wikieducator.org/DeAnza_College/CIS2/Students_work/Seven_Principles_for_Good_Practice/

We are building a community space and repository of student work that can be maintained over time. This is different from your personal user account page.

Part of your grade will be based on evidence of collaborative writing - the history and discussion pages associated with your designated project page. If no work is done here, then you are not actually doing one of the tasks within the project requirements. Anyone can write a couple of paragraphs and paste them into a wiki page - this project is about so much more than that.

I strongly suggest that you place any and all content that you have written so far and place it on your assigned wiki space. Then work collaborative - everyone working on developing and improving the shared work.
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Grades - check yours now

This is the time in the semester when I remind everyone to check your Grades. There is a link to Grades in the left navigation menu. You can check your grades at anytime. Do it NOW!

You can submit work late but points may be deducted. Some points are better than no points! If you have submitted late work that hasn't been graded, it will be graded before the end of the semester. I check all assignments during the last week of the semester and grade anything that is submitted and not yet graded.

Be sure that you save and submit quizzes - this is the biggest reason for missed points. If you don't release a quiz for grading, Catalyst prevents a grade from being assigned. This is especially important for the Final Project "quiz" because this accounts for a significant portion of your course grade.

There are several Extra Credit assignments - listed at the very bottom of the course main page. You can earn a few more points here.

Thanks Stefan, for your extra credit submission in X. Catalyst features and guidelines
Grades Section

When I took my first online course last semester I was unaware of the "Grades" section of catalyst until about 3/4ths of the semester was over. It turned out that I had missed a couple of assignments somehow because either some instruction was written uncleanly or I was not able to find the assignment itself. After viewing the Grades section, I was able to see all the assignments and be able to keep track of what I had done and most importantly what had to be done for the class. Since then it is one of the most visited pages for me because I can see exactly what the instructor needs to be turned in and when. For this course I was also able to take advantage of this feature by seeing how assignments needed to be submitted, what assignments in particular and was able to also keep work organized so that there was no confusion about what had to be submitted for grading.
If you have questions or concerns about your grades, ask now.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

your opportunity to change education

As a learner in a flexible higher education course, you have a unique perspective on the principles of good practice. You also use many technologies in your daily life outside class. Most of your education has kept these separate.

Now I want you to really think about how education would work better in the future with more and better use of technology.

We looked at some future developments and how they might impact society. Think about how these might apply to education and learning.

One of the aspects of education that needs to be changed is determining what has been learned. Tests only confirm that you know a little bit of information - usually facts about the topic. Are there other things that can be measured, assessed or evaluated that would be a better indicator that learning is happening?

You have a lot to contribute to the future of education. The final project is one opportunity to get your ideas out to the world. That's a bit scary but it is also really exciting. Make the most of it!
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