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
 * participate in student-led discussions
 * practice information literacy skills through online research
 * develop a broad understanding for the information to be covered in this class
 * consider the impact of the relationships between computers and society

Keywords


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

== Selected media==

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...

In this video the American Academy of Arts and Sciences hosted a conference featuring leaders from industry and academia addressing the multiple effects—positive and negative, planned and unanticipated—that information technology has had on society.
 * Video: Highlights from "The Public Good: The Impact of Information Technology on Society"

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.

== 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 not accepted unless you get an extension from the instructor prior to the due date. Complete and thoughtful replies that demonstrate original thinking and personal experience will be rewarded with extra points. 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.

''Valerie Taylor - caring, curious, thoughtful. As a mother, wife, teacher and neighbor, I care a lot about my family, my students and my community. I am always interested in learning new things and putting them to good use.''
 * 1) In the Discussions forum, introduce yourself to your classmates. Describe yourself in 3 words. Then write 2-3 sentences describing why you chose these three words. 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) To your Introduction, 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.


 * 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

The Brain Color quiz 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 What Color is you Brain quiz, then indicate your Brain Color in the Brain Color choice. http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp

Review the results and post a short note about your learning style and "your color" to discussion topic Learning Style. What is your Learning Style? Does this seem right? What suggestions do they make for your learning style? What study aids do they suggest that you could use? What does your color imply about your study habits?

''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 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.


 * 1) Read, view, listen to the selections in the Selected media list for this module. You don't have to review them all. Browse through several and find a couple 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, facilitate a discussion based on your question. Also participate in a minimum of three (3) other discussions on this topic.


 * 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 - What was ONE important thing you learned this week? What was ONE point that was not clear? Your response should be two or three paragraphs. Use the I Think... 1 assignment to submit your reply.

== Learning About Learning Styles==

There are a couple of things to consider after you take the Learning Styles survey. There is your Preferred Learning Style - the one that is most comfortable for you and that you will select if you have a choice. However, there are some subjects and concepts that are better learned in another learning style. You just have to memorize poetry and history dates. You have to listen to music for music appreciation and oral presentations for speech class, even if these are not your preferred style.

Because you have been exposed to lots of learning styles throughout your schooling, you are probably pretty good at learning in all learning styles - you would not be taking college courses if you couldn't. Most schools operate in visual/verbal mode - teachers teach and students read, watch and listen. Depending on the school, the subject and the teacher, there may be some effort to providing learning opportunities in other learning styles - hands-on labs, discussion groups, multimedia presentations, self-study, problem sets, research papers.

Distance Learning should be able to provide more different learning styles. It is expensive and time-consuming to create some really interesting materials but lots of great course content is being made available for free. Now, an instructor can choose what to include without having to create it. The other problem is students' ability to view and use some of these courses because they require new computers with high-speed internet access. Everything is moving forward to making Distance Learning a really great learning environment for all students with all learning styles.

== About Assignments==

Every week the Assignments include a number of parts. In an online course it is important to include several activities to help you learn the subject material. Here is how it works.


 * Activation - Read the notes for a high-level overview of the lesson topic. Think about what you already know about the subject. Read the textbook chapter for the lesson using the study notes to guide your reading.


 * Application - Based on your reading, complete the writing assignments and the quizzes that require you to analyze the information presented in the reading and come up with your own observations and explanations for the questions asked in the assignments. Participate in the discussions - small group and/or whole class to share your ideas, read what others in the class think, ask questions and reply. Through assignments and discussions, you are actively using your knowledge, discovering new information and connecting what you already know and think about the lesson topic.


 * Demonstration - Expand your understanding of the topic through research. Search for web sites that have relevance to the topic, select ones that interest you and connect to the lesson topic, understand the material well enough to describe the site and its connection to the topic and its impact on society.


 * Integration - Guided by prompt questions, review what you have read and learned and provide critical analysis of the topic or the learning experience.

Any surprises here? Is this information new? Is it helpful to have this explained? Or is this way too much information?