CIS 300 Living in the Information Age: Writing Emphasis goes Online

1. CIS 300 Living in the Information Age: Writing Emphasis goes Online David Gibbs Department of Mathematics and Computing University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 54481 dgibbs@uwsp.edu

2. Introduction UW-Stevens Point • Writing Emphasis courses since 1981-82 academic year • Online Courses since 1996 • “Living in the Information Age” combines both E-Learn 2002

3. The Learning Environment Blackboard Courseware • Discussion forums • Document distribution • Online gradebook • Virtual classroom • File exchange E-Learn 2002

4. Blackboard Welcome Screen E-Learn 2002

5. The Course and its Activities Students… • Read and write • Read and respond in peer editing • Read and reply in discussion forums E-Learn 2002

6. The Activities • Reading • books • websites • handouts • e-News posts • “Because-You-Can” (BYC) posts • Web Exercises Each activity requires reading and writing E-Learn 2002

7. Readings: Books • Technopoly by Neil Postman • What Will Be by Michael Dertouzos • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley E-Learn 2002

8. Readings: Web Pages THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html From Big Brother to Electronic Panopticon(David Lyon) http://www.rochester.edu/College/FS/Publications/Lyon.html Digital Angel: The Personal Safety and Location System using GPS http://www.digitalangel.net/consumer.asp E-Learn 2002

9. e-News Posting An e-News post is a current news item of interest that is related to the Information Age. • Two students post each week • All students read and respond E-Learn 2002

10. e-News Posting: example Discussion BoardCurrent Forum: e-News Discussion Date: Sun Nov 11 2001 6:16 pm Author: Subject: Software that puts porn in the trash Many Corporate firms are looking into this new software package that recognizes porn in an email message, and disposes of it in the trash before you can even read it. This software is designed to clean up corporate e-mail, but can also be used to keep certain images with in a company, and remove certain images of say the World Trade Center. http://www.msnbc.com/news/653155.aspShould people have their email checked for porn? Do you think that porn is such a big deal that there needs to be such a software package designed for this purpose? Are the other reasons for this software legitimate? What if UWSP obtained such a package? E-Learn 2002

11. “Because-You-Can” (BYC) • Similar to an e-News posting • Somewhat whimsical • Find an example of a technology for which the only answer to the question “Why would you even create that?” is: “BYC”; E-Learn 2002

12. BYC : example 1 http://www.d-3.com/deadpet/ E-Learn 2002

13. BYC : example 2 http://www.monkeyphonecall.com E-Learn 2002

14. Web Exercises • Involve some exploring of the web • Goal is to lead to a deeper understanding of “Life in the Information Age” E-Learn 2002

15. Web Exercises: example Web Exercise: Subscribe to a list of your choice Learn about lists by following some of the links at PBS' Guide to Understanding the Internet.Then, subscribe to a list of your choice. You may wish to use L-Soft List Search. Find a list that informs an academic interest you may have - perhaps related to your major.Another good source for lists can be found at the Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists Search Form.After finding and subscribing to a list of interest to you, forward (or copy and paste) the (e-mail) confirmation notice to Professor Gibbs and Cc: the entire class using the class list CIS 300 Sec 1 (200210).Use a subject line of "Web Exercise-Lists". Include a brief description of why you chose that list and what you hope to learn from it. E-Learn 2002

16. Web Exercises: example Web Exercise: Information, Disinformation, and LiesThis web exercise continues our examination of the information available on the Internet. It is not surprising there are more sites dedicated to disinformation than we can possibly examine. Be that as it may, we'll focus on a few sites to see if we can separate the wheat from the chaff.First of all, not everything on the 'net need be taken so darn seriously. Some of it is genuinely quaint. Try this!OK! Adequately humbled? Surely some of you have been taken by some 'net hoaxes. I was... early on. Now I assume just about everything is a hoax.What do you do if someone sends you notice of a virus on e-mail? Forward it to everyone - cautiously warning them? NO! Here are some suggestions.The good news about hoaxes is that there is a lot of information about them out there... if you can believe it. (That's bad, I know.) Follow some of the links from the sites listed below. After looking around for a bit, find your "favorite" Internet Hoax or Urban Myth and share it with your classmates by posting it in the discussion forum in Blackboard.   Describe the hoax and provide the url, so others can also check it out! • Favorite Net Hoaxes • About.com: Urban Legends and Folklore • Truth or Fiction E-Learn 2002

17. Web Exercises: example Web Exercise: "Easter Eggs"What is an Easter Egg? In technology circles, it is "any amusing tidbit that creators hid in their creations". Read an article and then check out the website dedicated to Easter Eggs and learn all about them, a Select a computer-based Easter Egg and see if you can "find it" on your system. Then report on it - describing the egg and if/how you found it - providing a link (if possible) - in the discussion forum dedicated to that purpose.Lastly (please address this in a separate paragraph), do you think software companies and programmers should add "Easter Eggs" to their software? Is this a waste of time (and your program space) or is it nothing to get excited about? Defend your answer! E-Learn 2002

18. Writing Assignments Submission techniques • E-mail • Discussion forum • Group file exchange (Blackboard’s “digital dropbox”) E-Learn 2002

19. Writing Assignments Types of Writing • Informal • Somewhat Formal • Formal E-Learn 2002

20. Writing AssignmentsTypes of Writing Informal • e-News posts & responses • BYC posts & responses • Web Exercises E-Learn 2002

21. Writing AssignmentsTypes of Writing Somewhat Formal • Responses to specific questions from readings • Reaction papers • Usually shared in discussion forum (restricted to 10 students or less) E-Learn 2002

22. Writing AssignmentsTypes of Writing Formal • Assigned Papers • Peer editing • Usually shared with peer group (not the entire group) E-Learn 2002

23. Writing Assignments Peer editing • File sharing done via digital dropbox • Edit two others’ papers • Student submits revised paper with peer edited versions • Instructor adds comments, suggestions; returns via dropbox E-Learn 2002

24. Successful Strategies • E-News and BYC • All voices heard (unlike F2F class) • Riposte-like dialog is familiar to students • E-News is like “current events” • BYC is just plain “fun” • Reaction papers • more serious issues prompts more serious dialog • Formal papers • Evaluations reveal dislike for peer editing, but they find it invaluable E-Learn 2002

25. Summary • W.E. courses added to improve writing skills • Online courses added “BYC” (oops – apologies to E-Learn) • This course presents a variety of writing tasks ranging from informal to formal • Net result: increased time-on-task. E-Learn 2002

26. Questions? / Comments? This presentation and paper http://www.uwsp.edu/cis/dgibbs/E-Learn2002/ Web Exercises http://www.uwsp.edu/cis/dgibbs/CIS300/WebXINDEX.htm e-Mail dgibbs@uwsp.edu E-Learn 2002