User:Vtaylor/Computers and Society/1. Introductions

so-ci-e-ty n. pl. so ci e ties


 * 1) The totality of social relationships among humans.
 * 2) A group of humans broadly distinguished from other groups by mutual interests, participation in characteristic relationships, shared institutions, and a common culture.

This module covers the key concepts of Computers and the Internet in Society. What impact have computers had on society in general? Is this good or bad? Who has been affected? Where are computers now?

Learning outcomes


 * introduce yourself and "meet" your classmates
 * explore the course structure and presentation
 * use the discussion forum for module discussions
 * learn about personal learning styles and study tips appropriate to learning styles
 * practice online research

Keywords


 * computers in society - past, present, future, benefits, shortcomings, themes, issues

Study questions

Here are some questions to get you thinking about the important concepts and information as you review the selected media - articles, diagrams, videos, podcasts for this module.


 * Have you used a computer today?
 * Are there issues that concern you? Do you have strong feelings about any of the topics that we will be covering? See course outline listed on the main CIS2 course page.
 * What are some of the benefits of computers to society? Are there some aspects that are not beneficial?
 * Are books and libraries that hold them going to go away? If yes, when might that happen?
 * Are crimes "worse" because of computers? How so?
 * Have you or your family been affected by computers and health care?
 * How computers are helping people with disabilities?
 * Where will we see the biggest impact of computers on society? How will this happen? How long before this happens?

All course materials are open on the first day of class for the quarter, and you are expected to start work immediately. Please read the assignments carefully. There are many parts to the assignments for each module in this course. ALL parts must be completed by the published due date.

== ==

There is no textbook for this course. There a number of Selected Media listed as resources for each module. You don't need to study them all. Browse through SEVERAL and find a couple to review in detail. Or find your own...


 * Science Friday, 1993: The Future of the Internet - trip in the wayback machine, we bring you a 1993 discussion of some newfangled thing called the "Internet." That broadcast streamed live online, an unusual technology at the time. -- 16 December 2010


 * How Technology Evolves (video 19:58) - Kevin Kelly asks "What does technology want?" and discovers that its movement toward ubiquity and complexity is much like the evolution of life. Perspectives on technology and its relevance to history, biology and religion.

other videos from same conference topic Alternative Futures of the Internet (video 5:35) - Introduction. Some questions about possible outcomes. Introduction to following presenters. - Hal Varian, economist (10:49), - Cynthia Dwork, technologist (13:28),
 * Alternative Futures of the Internet (23:38) - Jonathan Zittrain, lawyer - recorded in 2009


 * To Upgrade is Human (video 17:55) - 2003 talk - biotech ethicist Gregory Stock looked forward to new, more meaningful (and controversial) technologies, mostly in biology.


 * Academic Integrity, Copyright, Fair Use and Plagiarism


 * 20 Basic Rules For Digital Citizenship - nice summary of appropriate online behavior in general, and for distance learning courses, specifically.


 * Web Literacy Standard comprises a map of competencies and skills that are important when getting better at reading, writing and participating on the web.

== Assignments==

Your responses to this and all other assignments will be graded for college-level writing. Spelling and grammar errors will result in deductions. Late submissions are accepted but points will be deducted for late submissions, unless you get an extension from the instructor prior to the due date. Complete and thoughtful replies that demonstrate original thinking and personal experience must be demonstrated for full credit. For more information, see Discussion Participation


 * 1) Read the Syllabus - CIS 2 Computers and the Internet in Society. There is a lot of important information in the syllabus.


 * 1) Read Welcome to CIS2 that describes how to get started. This page describes how the class works in detail and answers many questions that you might have.


 * 1) Read the 20 Basic Rules For Digital Citizenship. This is a nice summary of appropriate online behavior in general, and for distance learning courses, specifically.

''Valerie Taylor - Open education. Anywhere. Yours to discover.'' There is more to the story than what you can say in 6 words. Use the "Reply" link to ask questions about other 6 Word Stories.
 * 1) In the Discussions forum, introduce yourself to your classmates. Write a '6 Word Story' about yourself (some examples). Post your introduction in discussion topic Introductions and expectations. Please use the Reply function to post your information. This will add your introduction to the topic discussion thread. For example, here is my introduction.

Write 2-3 sentences describing why you are taking this course and what you hope to learn in the class. Is this "for fun" or do you need to take this class for work or school? Are you enrolled in other DeAnza classes this quarter? Have you taken other distance learning classes? Could you physically get to DeAnza campus in Cupertino? If not, why not - travel, physical limitations, transportation, child care, scheduling? Are you planning to travel during the quarter and keep up with the class remotely? Where will you be?
 * 1) Edit your Introduction, and add 2-3 sentences about your outside interests. Are you interested in art, music, computer games, travel, cooking? Do you have any pets? You can include a small picture. This is an opportunity to meet classmates with similar interests.

The Inner Heroes Personality quiz http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp is included because it addresses how you interact with others. This will be useful information in the discussions and online collaborations in the coming weeks. Take the quiz, then indicate your type - Helper, Thinker, Doer, Planner - in the I'm a... choice. Review the results and post a short note about your learning style and your 'type" to your introduction in the discussion topic Introductions and expectations. What is your Learning Style? What does your type imply about your study habits? Do you think there is any validity to these "tests"? Read the article Howard Gardner: ‘Multiple intelligences’ are not ‘learning styles’ Howard Gardner first wrote about Multiple Intelligences. He makes the point that this is not the same as "learning style" and perhaps we should not be concerned with measures like VARK. What do you think? Include your thoughts in your post.
 * 1) Take the The VARK Questionnaire : How Do I Learn Best? http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire Review the VARK Helpsheets for learning and studying suggestions based on your learning style preferences. http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=helpsheets

''There are more than 400,000 references to Valerie Taylor. There is a romance novelist, a professor of Electrical Engineering, a shark researcher and a woman who works to build hospitals in Bangladesh, and me, just to name a few.''
 * 1) Look up your name in one or more search engines. How about Wikipedia? LinkedIn? How Many of Me? Are you there? How is your name used? Are there other people with the same name listed? Is there a problem for you if people mistake the other person for you? How many links were found that contained references to people with the same name as you? Look at a few of these sites. Are there some interesting people who share your name? List 3-4 people in discussion Interesting People with My Name.


 * 1) Read A Computer Geek's History of the Internet - Not the complete history but just the cool stuff. The Internet history from the perspective of a computer geek. Pick one event that was interesting to you and post a brief note about the event you selected in the Computer Geek's History discussion. Why was this particular event interesting to you? http://web.archive.org/web/20050401033400/http://www.wbglinks.net/pages/history/


 * 1) Review the Keywords and Study questions at the top of this page. These will help you look for important ideas in the rest of assignments for this module.

What questions do you have about the general topic - Computers and the Internet in Society? Include 2-3 of your questions in your post.
 * 1) Read, view, listen to SEVERAL selections in the Selected media list for this module. You don't have to review them all. Browse through several and find 2-3 that are interesting to you personally. What interests you about this selection? What keywords or study questions are addressed? Post a brief summary of ONE item from the Selected media to the Selected media discussion forum.


 * 1) Search the web for sites that discuss computers and society. Find one that you think is particularly interesting. Refer to a web site article you found to get your student-led discussion started. Write a critical-thinking question about the social issues discussed in the web site article that you found. Your question should lead to discussion about the impact on society. Include the web address of the page you selected and post your question in the Forum discussion topic Computers and Society Websites. Then throughout the week, participate in a minimum of three (3) other discussions on this topic.


 * 1) Community Service Learning online - There are many opportunities to do community service via the internet. Many organization have organized volunteer work so it can be done by people from their computers. Some examples include proof reading scanned books for Project Gutenberg. Others ask volunteers to look for unusual formations in pictures taken by space telescopes, or report birds in your backyard or a park near your school or office. Find an example of an online volunteer or community service web site. Post a link to the site and a brief description of the community service opportunity to the Online Community Service discussion.


 * 1) More Catalyst exploration: Change the discussion display format - threaded, flat, newest first, etc. - works best when there are multiple posts and replies in a single discussion topic. Turn the tracking on and off. Edit your posting (within the posting edit time limit only). Also check the Catalyst resource pages for information about the Forum features. Look for the little "?" links throughout Catalyst - they indicate that helpful information is available and will appear in a popup window. Learn to use the features NOW. Post any questions or suggestions in the Questions about CIS2? Ask here... forum as well.

There is a guide online - Introduction to Catalyst. Be sure to review the section on managing emails from discussions.


 * 1) Reflection - Ask yourself these questions about the topic and activities for this week. Think about... What did I see and do? What do I think about that? What does it make me wonder?  Your response should be two or three unanswered questions. Use the I wonder... 1 assignment to submit your reply.

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