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Showing posts with label notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label notes. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, July 12, 2010
chapter notes and study guide
My notes are in the form of questions. This is to get you to think about what you are reading and look for important points - the answers to the questions. These are intended to guide your learning.
Your personal notes can be a summary of the text if that is what works for you.
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Your personal notes can be a summary of the text if that is what works for you.
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Saturday, July 10, 2010
Predicting consequences
There has been lots of discussion and some misunderstanding about predicting consequences. There is a difference between "predicting the future" and "predicting consequences".
Consequences - if this happens, then that might/should happen. It is about thinking ahead. Sometimes simple actions have important and often unintended consequences - good or bad.
In one student's example - predicting a car accident (a future event) is impossible. But if I am in a minor fender-bender car accident (both cars drivable), I need to check that no one was hurt, get to the side of the road safely and exchange driver, car and insurance information, and notify my insurance company. There are serious consequences for failing to do all of these things. All drivers should know this and be able to "predict the consequences" of their actions.
Would this keep you from driving? Probably not, but you understand that it is a possibility - there are consequences. If you never think about being in a car accident, you would have no idea what to do in that situation.
Thinking about the consequences does not mean you won't do something - just that you thought about it and made an informed decision. In fact, you may be encouraged to try new things as you see that the reward outweigh the risks so go ahead and just do it! That's the difference, and that's the point.
Consequences - if this happens, then that might/should happen. It is about thinking ahead. Sometimes simple actions have important and often unintended consequences - good or bad.
In one student's example - predicting a car accident (a future event) is impossible. But if I am in a minor fender-bender car accident (both cars drivable), I need to check that no one was hurt, get to the side of the road safely and exchange driver, car and insurance information, and notify my insurance company. There are serious consequences for failing to do all of these things. All drivers should know this and be able to "predict the consequences" of their actions.
Would this keep you from driving? Probably not, but you understand that it is a possibility - there are consequences. If you never think about being in a car accident, you would have no idea what to do in that situation.
Thinking about the consequences does not mean you won't do something - just that you thought about it and made an informed decision. In fact, you may be encouraged to try new things as you see that the reward outweigh the risks so go ahead and just do it! That's the difference, and that's the point.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
discussion grading
Discussions have morphed from a course add-on to a major component of the course communication. Some discussion topics are "assignments" posted to the discussions so there is more visibility for your work and an opportunity for class discussion about important topics that are highlighted in your work.
There are multiple discussion topics within the Discussion forum for each module in the course. Your discussion participation grade for the week is the sum of the individual topic posting grades.
Each week, there are points for the quantity and quality of your posts. If you have participated in all the discussions as outlined in the Assignments, and your posts are on-time, thoughtful, and expressed in college level writing, your discussion participation grade for the week will be recorded as the maximum for the week's discussion participation.
As there are several ways to gain and deduct points, your total may be greater than the maximum, but you can't get more than the maximum. You will not get full points for any of the following reasons.
There are multiple discussion topics within the Discussion forum for each module in the course. Your discussion participation grade for the week is the sum of the individual topic posting grades.
Each week, there are points for the quantity and quality of your posts. If you have participated in all the discussions as outlined in the Assignments, and your posts are on-time, thoughtful, and expressed in college level writing, your discussion participation grade for the week will be recorded as the maximum for the week's discussion participation.
As there are several ways to gain and deduct points, your total may be greater than the maximum, but you can't get more than the maximum. You will not get full points for any of the following reasons.
- You do not include all the required elements
- There are significant writing problems
- The submissions are late
- For example - if there are 4 topics in the forum and the total for the forum is 10, each discussion topic maximum may be 1-5 depending on the amount of work. If you contribute to all the topics you might have 3/10, 2/10, 4/10, and 3/10, the sum is 12 but your grade total for the forum will be 10/10 - the maximum.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Online teamwork
A student brought up the subject of groups and team work. In CIS2 we have a couple of group projects. As this is an online class with NO on-campus meetings, everyone is encouraged to complete the projects online - yes, this can be more difficult and time consuming. However, that's the point.
The world is changing and being able to work collaboratively online is a big challenge. So it is appropriate that you have an opportunity to learn these important life skills in this class.
The world is changing and being able to work collaboratively online is a big challenge. So it is appropriate that you have an opportunity to learn these important life skills in this class.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wikipedia and Trust
But can we trust other people? Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/ is an online encyclopedia with articles written and edited by site visitors. This experiment in creating an open-source reference "book" hosts millions of articles contributed by thousands of volunteers and is growing daily. Wikipedia receives 60 million visitors a day. Although Wikipedia's success has been tarnished a little by vandalism, some misinformation, and fights over certain controversial topics, the wiki concept of an open site maintained by its users, has been a hit.
Look in Wikipedia for a topic that interests you or read the daily feature on the front page. Look at the history and discussion for the topic you select. Find a contributor with a profile and read their profile. See if there is any controversy in the discussion. Some topics have caused considerable discussion as there are a broad range of views. For some topics, there is even conflicting scientific data to support opposing views. In the Wikipedia and Trust discussion provide the link to page you reviewed and a brief summary of the story behind the story.
Note: The activity requires that you describe your further investigation of how Wikipedia articles are written so that you would understand that there is more oversight, editing and review of Wikipedia articles than many people realize.
Look in Wikipedia for a topic that interests you or read the daily feature on the front page. Look at the history and discussion for the topic you select. Find a contributor with a profile and read their profile. See if there is any controversy in the discussion. Some topics have caused considerable discussion as there are a broad range of views. For some topics, there is even conflicting scientific data to support opposing views. In the Wikipedia and Trust discussion provide the link to page you reviewed and a brief summary of the story behind the story.
Note: The activity requires that you describe your further investigation of how Wikipedia articles are written so that you would understand that there is more oversight, editing and review of Wikipedia articles than many people realize.
Monday, October 26, 2009
students with disabilities
There have been a couple of students with disabilities take this class. The DeAnza Special Ed folks have been very helpful.
For one assignment, Ralph who is deaf, posted a video of someone telling a really funny joke in sign language. Ralph thought this was great - no one else in the class got it. Now we all know how he feels, at least a little. Thanks, Ralph, that was a good joke on us.
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For one assignment, Ralph who is deaf, posted a video of someone telling a really funny joke in sign language. Ralph thought this was great - no one else in the class got it. Now we all know how he feels, at least a little. Thanks, Ralph, that was a good joke on us.
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course format and credit
The whole point of Distance learning classes is to receive the same credit as on-campus classes.
There was some discussion that distance learning should be less demanding because students are too busy to come to campus. Sorry - it doesn't work like that.
If you want the credit, you have to spend the time and do the work. Distance learning allows more flexibility about when and where you do the work.
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There was some discussion that distance learning should be less demanding because students are too busy to come to campus. Sorry - it doesn't work like that.
If you want the credit, you have to spend the time and do the work. Distance learning allows more flexibility about when and where you do the work.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
copyright
Copyright law is complex and really difficult to enforce. This is a good introduction, but any more depth is beyond the scope of this course.
There seems to be some confusion about "open" software (which may be free but that is not the same thing). There are very specific types of copyright for open, sharable, reuseable work.
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/
There were a lot of specific questions. There are many resources that address these concerns. For example, if you want to know about the legal issues associated with uploading concert video to YouTube, consult the YouTube web site. There is a lot of information there if you are interested.
Pictures may be copyright as well. There are lots of sites that offer pictures that you are permitted to copy.
WikiEducator Image Hub
http://www.wikieducator.org/Images#Image_libraries_and_repositories
It is important that everyone understand how copyright infringement has long-term wide-spread consequences.
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There seems to be some confusion about "open" software (which may be free but that is not the same thing). There are very specific types of copyright for open, sharable, reuseable work.
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/
There were a lot of specific questions. There are many resources that address these concerns. For example, if you want to know about the legal issues associated with uploading concert video to YouTube, consult the YouTube web site. There is a lot of information there if you are interested.
Pictures may be copyright as well. There are lots of sites that offer pictures that you are permitted to copy.
WikiEducator Image Hub
http://www.wikieducator.org/Images#Image_libraries_and_repositories
It is important that everyone understand how copyright infringement has long-term wide-spread consequences.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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
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.
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.
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.
Monday, June 8, 2009
late assignments
Be sure to look through your grades and check for missing assignments.
You can still turn them in late for partial points. Some points are better than no points.
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You can still turn them in late for partial points. Some points are better than no points.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
final project progress
It is great to see that some groups are making progress on the final projects.
Using the discussions in Catalyst and writing directly to the wiki usually work best. Creating the presentation in the wiki saves having to copy, reformat and edit the information, and learn to use the wiki all when the pressure of the final due date is near.
This assignment is about working together in a group online and using the technologies available for collaboration. This is most important. Yes, you might write a "better paper" if you worked on your own, but you wouldn't have learned much about the future of communication, strategies for team work or about the group topic.
This assignment is about producing a group project in a limited time with co-workers you don't see in person using the resources available.
Be sure to ask questions if you need help.
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Using the discussions in Catalyst and writing directly to the wiki usually work best. Creating the presentation in the wiki saves having to copy, reformat and edit the information, and learn to use the wiki all when the pressure of the final due date is near.
This assignment is about working together in a group online and using the technologies available for collaboration. This is most important. Yes, you might write a "better paper" if you worked on your own, but you wouldn't have learned much about the future of communication, strategies for team work or about the group topic.
This assignment is about producing a group project in a limited time with co-workers you don't see in person using the resources available.
Be sure to ask questions if you need help.
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Monday, May 18, 2009
Half way
The community service summaries that have been submitted are great! Thanks to everyone for all the effort on behalf of the community partner organizations.
The Global Fellows are really pleased with the contributions made by DeAnza students. The Tech is very appreciative of the volunteering by CIS2 students. I don't have personal contact with Project Gutenberg but they regularly express their thanks for their volunteers in public forums.
So we are at the half-way point in the course. The topics become more theoretical. There are several very interesting activities and discussions coming up that will help you appreciate the impact of computers and the internet on society. I hope that you will enjoy the reading and the coursework about these complex issues.
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The Global Fellows are really pleased with the contributions made by DeAnza students. The Tech is very appreciative of the volunteering by CIS2 students. I don't have personal contact with Project Gutenberg but they regularly express their thanks for their volunteers in public forums.
So we are at the half-way point in the course. The topics become more theoretical. There are several very interesting activities and discussions coming up that will help you appreciate the impact of computers and the internet on society. I hope that you will enjoy the reading and the coursework about these complex issues.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Community service - Summary
The deliverable for the community service project is the "quiz"
Community service SUMMARY QUIZ- instructor graded
Look through the quiz and see what you need to complete your response.
There are a number of questions to answer to summarize and analyze your experience. Your log of your work hours is required and is included as part of this submission.
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Community service SUMMARY QUIZ- instructor graded
Look through the quiz and see what you need to complete your response.
There are a number of questions to answer to summarize and analyze your experience. Your log of your work hours is required and is included as part of this submission.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Community service and work
Thanks to everyone who is making progress on their community service projects. We are starting to see some things happening. I really appreciate the time and effort from several folks who had to struggle with new procedures, instructions needing clarifications, and access restrictions. Things are getting better but they could be better still. So thanks for your questions and suggestions. I really appreciate all your help.
Several students have selected Project Gutenberg. This is a good project that benefits people all over the world. It isn't as creative or collaborative as the Global Fellows of The Tech Virtual projects, but that's ok.
The discussions about the Crime topic last week were very interesting. I hope that you are more aware of the "opportunities" for crimes and criminals as well as for law enforcement.
This week we will be looking at many different aspects of work and jobs that can be impacted by computers and the internet. The book emphasizes the negative effects. Keep a more balanced view and think about all the positive indirect effects as well. It is more difficult to see these secondary benefits, but they are very important when considering the impact on society as a whole.
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Several students have selected Project Gutenberg. This is a good project that benefits people all over the world. It isn't as creative or collaborative as the Global Fellows of The Tech Virtual projects, but that's ok.
The discussions about the Crime topic last week were very interesting. I hope that you are more aware of the "opportunities" for crimes and criminals as well as for law enforcement.
This week we will be looking at many different aspects of work and jobs that can be impacted by computers and the internet. The book emphasizes the negative effects. Keep a more balanced view and think about all the positive indirect effects as well. It is more difficult to see these secondary benefits, but they are very important when considering the impact on society as a whole.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
podcast search
You have been searching for text articles by topic - and everyone is doing a great job finding interesting and relevant information.
There are thousands of audio "articles" or podcasts available on the internet as well. Many are really interesting and address a broad range of issues. Finding podcasts is similar to finding web sites.
Search for podcasts by topic. For this assignment, the topic is "issues of teaching and learning" and select one. Listen to it, and post your comments about it to the discussion.
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There are thousands of audio "articles" or podcasts available on the internet as well. Many are really interesting and address a broad range of issues. Finding podcasts is similar to finding web sites.
Search for podcasts by topic. For this assignment, the topic is "issues of teaching and learning" and select one. Listen to it, and post your comments about it to the discussion.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Politics and the Internet
The articulation agreement for CIS2 as a transfer credit requires that the impact of computers and the internet on politics be addressed in the course material. So we are looking at political web sites.
When you access a political site, what do you see? What information is provided? How is it provided? Images? Media? Interactivity? What information would you expect to find on a political site - contact information? News updates? These are very subjective evaluations. That is precisely the point. What is YOUR impression?
These sites are now part of the political process, as was clearly demonstrated in the last Presidential election. Whether you vote or not, you can be informed and persuaded or not by the messages on these site. These sites provide what organizers think voters should know. By comparing two, you are thinking about many complex issues associated with the evolution of the political process facilitated by the the internet.
Please note that the assignment has been expanded to include some explicit prompt questions to guide the activity.
When you access a political site, what do you see? What information is provided? How is it provided? Images? Media? Interactivity? What information would you expect to find on a political site - contact information? News updates? These are very subjective evaluations. That is precisely the point. What is YOUR impression?
These sites are now part of the political process, as was clearly demonstrated in the last Presidential election. Whether you vote or not, you can be informed and persuaded or not by the messages on these site. These sites provide what organizers think voters should know. By comparing two, you are thinking about many complex issues associated with the evolution of the political process facilitated by the the internet.
Please note that the assignment has been expanded to include some explicit prompt questions to guide the activity.
Search the web for 2 political web sites - political party, candidate, ballot initiative, etc. Does the site provide useful and interesting information? Is the web site design attractive? Does this site contribute to the political process in a way that was not possible without the internet? Rate the effectiveness of each site on a scale of 1-5. Then provide pros and cons (total of 5) to explain your rating. For example, if you rate one of the sites as a 4, then provide 4 reasons why the site works that well and 1 reason why it didn't get 5 out of 5. Do this for both sites you select. Find one effective political site (4-5) and one that isn't very good (2 or less). Provide your rating and reasons for both sites along with the web addresses, and post your evaluations to the Politics and the web discussion forum.
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