Homework for 10/12/10

For your research journal blog post for next time, please write 100 words on the following:

Do a search on the research topic you’re considering for your paper in at least one internet search engine and one library resource (catalog or databases). What words did you use to search? What are the similarities and differences between the results of your two searches?

Also, remember to read the articles by Goodin and Levinson, and be prepared to discuss them in class.

Have a good long weekend!
Prof Smale

Homework for 10/5/10

Beginning next week we will move away from reading response blog posts and into research journal blog posts, which will lead us into the research paper.

I will give you a prompt for all of the research journal blog posts. I’ll bring the prompt to class and post it here on the website.

For next Tuesday 10/5, please write your 100-word blog post about any topic we’ve covered in class so far that you find interesting. What interests you about the topic? Is there anything on this subject you’d like to learn more about?

Also for next time, please write 1 comment on any blog post by one of your classmates, and do the reading (Badke Ch. 4 and the article by Dye, full details on the syllabus).

I’ll post and email about our classroom location on Monday. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!
Prof Smale

Class today + next week

Hi everyone,

Please remember to complete your blogging homework even if you were absent from class today. I also want to clarify that the blogging homework is due by the beginning of each class, just as a printed writing assignment would be due at the beginning of the class period. If you haven’t submitted Tuesday’s blogging homework yet, you can post it today and still get partial credit.

For next week we’ll have two more classes on issues in information: Tuesday’s class on preservation and Thursday’s class on ethics. Please do the reading and bring a copy of the reading to class on *both* days.

These are complex issues and I know that some of this reading is a bit more challenging than what we’ve read before. Here are some strategies you can try:

– Read each article twice. I like to read straight through an article once, then on the second read I underline important or confusing parts and write notes in the margins (including any questions I have).

– If you come across a word you haven’t heard before, don’t hesitate to look it up in the dictionary. One option is http://www.dictionary.com.

– These longer, challenging readings can be difficult to summarize. Try putting the article down after you’ve read it and freewriting a sentence or two describing what the article is about. Sometimes it’s helpful to speak the sentences out loud — if it seems strange to talk to no one, try describing the article to a friend or family member.

– I’m sure you’ve also noticed that the scholarly articles we’re reading are written in a very formal style and use jargon or specialized terms. Often jargon is necessary, but sometimes academics (myself included!) do not write as clearly and simply as we should. Clear and simple writing is an admirable goal — you don’t need to use specialized words in your blog posts if there is another, more common term.

– Ask questions! Be skeptical! None of these issues are simple, and there’s no one right or wrong answer. The issues we’re examining affect all of us — use the blog posts to explore your thoughts and ideas about these topics.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!
–Prof Smale

Class on Thursday 9/23

For class tomorrow please bring your copy of the assigned reading: Martin, Ch. 7. We’ll be doing an activity during which you’ll need to refer to the text.

Please remember that tomorrow we will meet in the library’s projection room again, Rm. A432. To get to Rm 432: enter the library, turn left and walk to the far wall, head up the small flight of stairs and straight through the door, then left into Rm 432.

See you tomorrow,
Prof Smale

Textbook update

I went down to the bookstore to check in on your textbook. They are ordering new copies which should be available on Thursday. We’ll be taking a break from Badke for the next month so I strongly encourage you to pick up the book before we get back to it in early October. You may also want to pick up a used copy from Amazon.com, Half.com or other online bookstores.

I also checked on the PDF version of the book (to purchase for $6) and the link did work for me, so if you had trouble with the link in the past you might want to try it again.

Finally, after class we found the author’s website here: http://acts.twu.ca/Library/textbook.htm. Looking through this more thoroughly I found that the Online Abridged Version of the textbook available here is similar but not the same as the print version. For example, for today’s reading the Preface is identical, Chapter 8 is shortened, and Chapter 1 is not available at all. This website is a great supplement to the book but, again, I encourage you to pick up the complete version either in paper or PDF.

–Prof Smale