Reading

After a few weeks in class developing and doing research to find information that will be use to support my ideas, we are now in the process of developing and supporting the general idea of the paper. Some of the most important parts at the beginning of this process were to keep a strong goal orientation, have a purpose and define the research question. Now we have to start working on building the structure and the bases for our draft paper; it’s recommended to do an outline, to do an introduction, develop and support the idea, and have a conclusion. The paragraphs need to be well organized and always remember where you are going and to keep the balance when you are using your sources to support your ideas

Homework for 11/11/10

Hi everyone, just want to remind you about the homework for Thursday. Please be on time for class on Thursday, because we will begin with a short quiz on the reading:

– Read the Hauptman excerpt that I handed out in class today. If you missed class today and want to pick up a copy of the reading, please email me to arrange a time. The Hauptman book is also on reserve in the library, call number PN171 .F56 H38 2008 (read pages 7-13).

– Read this short article in the Chronicle of Higher Education: A Modern Scholar’s Ailments: Link Rot and Footnote Flight.

Also remember to write one comment on any of your classmates’ blog posts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Conference on archiving social media

Hi everyone,

Given some of our class discussions I thought you might be interested in this short article about a conference last Friday on archiving social media. Sounds like the conference included discussion of issues like privacy and the amount of data being created, among other topics.

The Future of Social-Media Archiving

See you tomorrow,
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

Reading and homework for 9/16/10

As I mentioned in class on Tuesday, I’m adding a short reading for our next class on Thursday 9/16. In addition to the readings listed on the syllabus (Pavlik pp. 79-84, Malitz, Elton), please read:

Frere-Jones, Sasha. (2010, August 16 & 23). The dotted line: What do record labels do now? The New Yorker, 92-93.

Here’s a link to the article from the New Yorker’s website:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2010/08/16/100816crmu_music_frerejones

I passed out the Pavlik reading in class, but if you missed it you can read those pages on Google Books.

(The Maliz and Elton readings are linked from the Readings page on the course website as usual.)

To remind you, for homework please write 1 reading response blog post and 1 comment. And please don’t forget to bring 1 question you have about the reading to class on Thursday.

As I mentioned in class, we will meet in a different classroom next week. I will email you with details early next week, and post the details here as well.