Fall 2019 Technical Writing ENG2575 E270 with Professor Ellis

Karmoko Sillah’s 500 Word Essay

To:Profesor Ellis

From:Karmoko Sillah

Date:09/17/2019

Subject:500 word summary of Fang’s “A physiological and behavioral feature authentication scheme for medical cloud based on fuzzy-rough core vector machine”.

Liming Fang’s article “A physiological and behavioral feature authentication scheme for medical cloud based on fuzzy-rough core vector machine” on medical cloud computing and its importance on the impact of cloud storage to medical facilities.

`Cloud storage is used all across the globe in order to store important information through technology. It allows for institutions and individuals to securely store information . With cloud data comes security risks such as hacking. Because cloud is an online storage system, hackers tend to try to find ways to break into it and steal very important and valuable information. Medical institutions are the main institutions that are liable to be attacked due to the important information such as hospital records that it stores on its databases. The author states, “Although cloud storage provides convenience for media data sharing, it suffers from potential security attacks. In recent years, cloud storage data theft occurred frequently, so it is necessary to improve the security of cloud data storage” (Fang, 2019 p. 5).

According to the article, the medical system consists of three main categories which are data collection, analysis, and storage. These three things are what collect and hold medical data. ALl three of these things must work together. Without data collection hospitals are unable to collect medical information and then store them in databases. With this data collection, comes security. Computer security is essential to the assurance of data integrity. This article details the fact that doctors and other hospital personnel are liable to be victims of attack because they use simple account logins which can be breached by outside attackers anytime. Data leakage is more liable to happen. The author(s) offer an approach to improving security authentication mechanisms through what is called fuzzy-rough approach.

This fuzzy-rough approach was implemented through a simulated attack environment with real life participants, which uses various tests to see whether an actual employee of a medical institution is trying to access data, or an outside entity is attempting to gain unauthorized access to the system. In order for this approach to be put into place, researchers had started looking into the physiological and behavioral features of doctors that could be used as authentication. According to the article, the fuzzy-rough approach is highly efficient and reliable making it the best option for medical institutions. This fuzzy rough approach would essentially become a means of increasing security while at the same time enhancing authentication methods. This approach basically looks to create new authentication methods for doctors and other hospital personnel to use in order to identify themselves to the cloud system and then gain access. It would basically be much more advanced than biometric and fingerprint tough authentication methods. A machine called the “Fuzzy rough core vector machine” is what is going to be built which bought in gesture based authentication methods increasing and enhancing security. I found this article very persuasive because the author first identified and described the problems surrounding cloud data such as its security risks. Then he talks about he and his team’s research , and the benefits that it could bring.

Reference:

Fang, L. (2019, August 9). A physiological and behavioral feature authentication scheme for medical cloud based on fuzzy-rough core vector machine. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020025519307546?via=ihub

Jing Sheng Zhao’s 500-Word Article Summary

TO: Prof. Jason W. Ellis

FROM: Jing Sheng Zhao

DATE: 9/17/19

SUBJECT: 500-Word summary of Webster’s “Philosophy of Technology Assumptions in Educational Technology Leadership”

Mark David Webster talked about how the philosophy of technology assumptions has impact on technology leader’s decisions on technology, and he argued it with a quality research. Philosophy of technology is a branch of philosophy that involves examining the underlying assumptions of how technologies impact and transform human society in ways that are philosophically relevant (Kaplan, 2009). The research involved 31 participants from Virginia, there are 15 technology directors, and the others are instructional technology specialists.

Participants will be asked some related questions which constructed by a written questionnaire. The purpose of this study was to know what the K-12 technology leaders think of technology in education, and there are three research questions guided which the author focus on. First, Webster wanted to know about was how are the participants view the technology which we are currently using. Result showed three different views from the participants, one is Technology is a tool, they can control it. Another one is Technological change is inevitable, technology is unstoppable. And the last one is Technological optimism, they had positive view on using technology. Also, one category that frequently pointed out by most of the participants was Technology raises questions of human values, which author stated technology was value laden.

The next question Webster focus on was how are participants used the technology, and their opinions about it. Webster pointed out some participant’s ideas, and there were vary. One participant thought we should keep up the technology, and he addressed that we use technology because in order to achieve some objectives, technology is required, he also thought technology can prepare the student to get ahead. Another participant viewed it should consider the reason to use technology, which means we should drive technology rather than technology drive us, he said he wasn’t like technology, but if he uses it, he needs to see good reasons for it. Also, one participant pointed out that we should not pursue technology just because the sake of technology.

As Technology Specialist 8 stated that not all the technology is good, and we can’t stop it growing, but we have to use it properly. However, some participants found out they felt so many stress by keeping up the technology. One participant mentioned the working condition he was in, he said it’s hard to keep up with the technology with the limited resource, but if he don’t, he will have left behind. In another hand, Technology Director 7 stated he will consider ethic while he made the technology decision, he said he has to responsible for it since he will deal with the elementary level. The third points author wanted to know was what technology may change in leader’s thinking or decision making. Author points out some participant’s view, it stated that since technology is inevitable, we have to use it and keep pace with the change of technology. And they gave an example on the rise of using eBook instead of paper textbooks, it’s to emphasized the technological imperative.

This article focuses on presenting the implications of the study for educational technology, while providing only a summary of the grounded theory methods used, as a full treatment of the research methods was previously published (Webster, 2016). In the end, the author concluded that philosophy of technology assumptions did change decision while education leader’s approaches to technology, and when they question about it, they are most likely can make a better decision whether or not to use technology within different situations.

References

Webster, M. D. (2017). Philosophy of Technology Assumptions in Educational Technology Leadership. Educational Technology & Society, 20 (1), 25–36.

Dominick Denis’ 500-Word Article Summary

TO: Prof. Jason W. Ellis

FROM: Dominick Denis

DATE: 9/17/19

SUBJECT: 500-Word Summary of L. Gourdo’s et al “Solar energy storing rock-bed to heat an agricultural greenhouse”

Researchers, such as Gourdo et al, have taken more consideration in the expansion of the boundaries surrounding agricultural production. Based on the article, “Solar energy storing rock-bed to heat an agricultural greenhouse” in Energy, it has been gathered that with the use of renewable energized heating technologies optimal growth for crops can be attained. As the technologies are being implemented within a greenhouse, they will be monitored through the seasons, as well as, the times in a day.

During the coldest periods of the year, maintaining agriculture is important in sustaining good land for a people. The land of Morocco, more specifically, in the region of Souss Massa areas have seen an increase in crops. Unfortunately, this increase was a part of a negative correlation as there had been a significant decrease in quality of production during the season of winter. The research of the Faculty of Science will test the effectiveness of a solar greenhouse heating system in order to make justify it as a viable solution for agricultural purposes.

As the heating systems serve as the best solution, farmers are forced to equip them only to meet the harvested products standards needed for export. The experimental heating systems of the renewable energy kind offer the most beneficial results compared to that of the conventional fossil fueled system. On the aspect of solar energy, several systems were studied but matters of pricing and installation considered obstacles. Researchers would, then, study an underground rock-bed that would be able to heat a 15 m² tunnel greenhouse. As the rocks stored solar energy from the greenhouse during the day, it would also restore it at night. To maintain the inside air temperature of a greenhouse was the goal, especially during extreme nights of winter.

The measurements of climate parameters, like temperature, relative humidity, and soil temperature, between the experimental and conventional greenhouses were taken and studied throughout the year. In order to measure parameters on the outside of the greenhouses a weather station was installed. Measurement on crop parameters weren’t disregarded as both greenhouses were fed by the same ferti-irrigation system. Specifications of rocks and layers of rock were recorded in order to facilitate the circulation of air in the reservoir of the rock-bed. Numerous tests were done on various aspects of this research in order to come to a final conclusion.

As the processes were put in motion, they eventually came to a halt. According to Gourdo et al, “In conclusion, greenhouse solar heating system, using rock-bed, is a profitable system, easy to install…” (Gourdo et al, 2019, 211). Requirements were met, from air temperature to an increase in yield. Ultimately, the efficiency of a solar heating system proved to be optimal.

References

Gourdo, L., Fatnassi, H. et al. (15 February 2019). Solar energy storing rock-bed to heat an agricultural greenhouse. Energy, Volume 169, Pages 206-212. Retrieved from ARTICLE1 solar energy store.pdf or https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/271090/1-s2.0-S0360544218X00267/1-s2.0-

Opportunities: Invitations to Write

As I mentioned in class last week, I started my professional blog at dynamicsubspace.net to help myself improve as a writer. I had read research that showed the more writing that you do, the better your writing becomes automatically. While I could have opted to take more writing classes, taking ownership of my goals and taking intentional action put me in the driver’s seat of improving my writing skills.

Also, writing regularly is a good reflective practice. It gives you time and cognition to think about things you’ve learned, things you’ve experienced, and things that you would like to do in the future. It helps you remember things through the cognitive processes involved.

It is with those things in mind that I wanted to invite you all to write more outside of class in fun and meaningful ways to help you improve in parallel with the things that we are doing in the classroom.

A fun writing activity that I enjoy is sending postcards. My wife and I are members of postcrossing.com. It is an online service that gives your address to other members who send postcards to you while you are given the addresses of different members, who you send postcards to. You can write about anything that you want in your postcards, but some members help you out by asking you to tell them a story or a joke or a secret, etc. The service is free, but you have to purchase your own postcards and stamps.

A free writing activity is blogging. You can easily and quickly create your own blog on wordpress.com or blogger.com. To help you think about what to write about, here are some lists of writing prompts to get you started:

Finally, Freelancewriting.com has a comprehensive list of general writing contests. Writing to a contest prompt or sending work that you have already written might yield a big dividend. However, I would warn you away from contests with entry fees, and I would recommend that you always perform due diligence to investigate the contest and who is offering it.

Project: 500-Word Summary Final Phase

Your first project in our class is due before class next week. This post describes the overall deliverable (finished product) and how to submit your work for credit.

The audience of your summary would be peers–people with a similar education and professional experience. Jargon is allowed, but acronyms should be telescoped in proceeding parentheses, such as RTFM (Read the F—g Manual) or TANSTAAFL (There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch).

The layout for your 500-Word Summary document should be as follows:

TO: Prof. Jason W. Ellis
FROM: Your Name
DATE: Due Date
SUBJECT: 500-Word Summary of Author’s-Last-Name’s “Title of Article”

Begin your 500-word article summary with a paragraph that we can call the executive summary or abstract. This paragraph is, in a sense, the summary of your summary. It should: 1) Identify the author, title of article, and the title of the journal in which it was published, 2) what is the main argument or point of the article, and 3) what are the relevant supporting points or evidence that you will discuss in your summary (think of this last sentence as a road map for the paragraphs that follow).

The paragraphs that follow should elaborate on the details that the author uses to support their argument. This might include background and context-specific information that is needed to understand the argument, examples that support the main point of the article, data that supports the argument, etc. You may use your knowledge to discuss the article’s argument and supporting evidence, but you do not need to cite any outside material. Cite the article being summarized only, please.

In your summary’s discussion section, you need to include at least one quote and parenthetical citation like we used in today’s Daily Writing assignment.

In the concluding paragraph of our summary, you should elaborate on whether you found the article persuasive or not. Explain why or why not the article is convincing. Consider the quality of the examples, counterarguments that you might imagine, counterexamples that you know about, and the authority of the author(s)–if you consider this last point you will need to look them up to learn more about their background and expertise.

Close your 500-word summary with a section titled “References” followed on the next line by an APA-formatted bibliographic citation of the article that you are summarizing. See below for an example of your document’s layout, and then see the end of this post for instructions about submitting your work.

Your completed 500-Word Article Summary should have a layout like this:

ellis-jason-500-word-summary-assignment-example

Instead of asking you to submit your work as a Word docx file as originally described on the syllabus, I would like everyone to create a new Post on our OpenLab site to submit their 500-Word Summary. This puts your work on OpenLab so that it is public-facing and easier for you to assemble into your Portfolio. Follow the steps below for posting your work on our OpenLab site.

On the final step, you will need to click Publish in the upper right corner. OpenLab will ask you to confirm that you are ready to publish by pressing Publish again. After a moment, it will give you a confirmation that your post has been published.

To confirm that your work has been published, click on “Fall 2019 Technical Writing ENG2575 E270 with Professor Ellis” at the top of the page to return to our site. Then, look at the left menu and click “Student Work” to expand that menu item, and then, click “500-Word Article Summary” to view all student-submitted work. Yours should be listed here. If you don’t see it, try submitting again. If you have any questions, email Prof. Ellis (jellis at citytech.cuny.edu).

Submit your summary before arriving to class on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Daily Writing: Magazine Article Summary, Cited Quote, and Bibliographic Citation

Write a memo that gives a brief summary of the article that you read for today’s class, quotes one sentence from the article with a parenthetical citation, and provides an APA-formatted bibliographic citation.

Your imagined audience for this memo is a co-worker who is collaborating on a project with you. You want to share the key information in the article with your co-worker. Make up a name for your co-worker to use in your memo.

First, begin your memo with the memo header information: TO (make up your co-worker’s name), FROM (your name), DATE, SUBJECT (make up a short, to-the-point descriptive subject).

Then, write two or three sentences summarizing the article that you read for today’s class. Among those sentences that you write in your own words, I would like you to include an important quote from the article in the following format:

According to Author’s-Last-Name, “quote” (Author’s-Last-Name, Year, p. Page-Number).

For example: According to Vader, “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force” (Vader, 1977, p. 23).

Or, The author stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199).

Then, conclude your memo with an APA-formatted bibliographic entry.

For example:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages.

Or,

Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April). Making the grade in today’s schools. Time, 135, 28-31.

Your memo should look something like this:

TO: Kylo Ren
FROM: Jason Ellis
DATE: 9/10/2019
SUBJECT: Magazine Article About Lightsabers

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus id urna non magna bibendum placerat. Donec rhoncus maximus nulla id placerat. Nulla dictum ut orci ac dignissim. According to Clarke, “Proin a eros sodales, venenatis felis quis, imperdiet felis” (Clarke, 2012, p. 16). Quisque nec lorem velit. Cras porta sit amet nisi sed feugiat.

Clarke, C. (2012, August). New lightsaber designs are more efficient. Jedi News, 145, 16-20.

NB: I used this Lorem Ipsum generator to create the filler text above.

Project: 500-Word Summary Phase 2

Continuing from the assignment last week, we will begin narrowing down your list of potential scientific or technical journal articles for the 500-word summary project. In that assignment, I asked you to find 5 potential articles and write APA-formatted bibliographic citations for those. We’re going to use those with this assignment.

Of the 5 articles that you found, choose the one with an appropriate length and one that has the most relevant content that you would like to write about.

With this selection made, create a new Word or Google doc. Format it as a memo addressed to Professor Ellis. Write an introductory paragraph stating that this memo includes your selected article, a reverse outline of it, and a list of the four articles that you decided against choosing for this project.

Daily Writing: Magazine Article Summary Memo

For this first magazine-focused daily writing assignment, you will write a short summary of the article that you read and brought to class in the form of a memo.

A memo or memorandum serves many purposes, but fundamentally, a memo serves as a reminder or a memory of something within the workplace.

The format of a memo typically looks like this:

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT:

[Write the memo’s body here.]

When you create a communication or document, there should be an audience in mind. With the memo, it is generally who you are writing the memo to. However, you should keep in mind that others who are the unintended audience might read and react to what you have written.

For today’s assignment, write the memo to an imagined manager who you want to share the content of the article that you read for today’s class. You should communicate this intent in your memo’s introduction.

TO: Your Imagined Manager

FROM: Your Name

DATE: 9/3/2019

SUBJECT: Recommended Magazine Article on THIS TOPIC

First paragraph: The intent of your memo and the main topic that the article is about.

Second paragraph: Write at least 100 words summarizing the article. First sentence, what is the article’s main point? Second-and-following sentences, what are some details in the article that support the main point?

APA Bibliographic Citation. Go here for details. Example below.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages.

Ellis, J. W. (2011). SFRA 2011. Locus, 67(3), 11.

Doctorow, C. (2001). Why should anyone care? Locus, 67(3), 31.

Type up your summary memo in Microsoft Word or Google Docs or another word processor. Save your work. Then, copy-and-paste it into a comment made to this blog post.

Opportunity: Professional Memberships

Most folks in our class probably already know about IEEE, or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. If you aren’t already a member, you should consider joining, because it shows that you are a part of a professional community, it provides you with networking connections, and it can be added to your resume. Student memberships are only $32/year and include these benefits:

Membership includes subscription to IEEE Spectrum magazine which includes The Institute, electronic access to IEEE Potentials, IEEE Collabratec, inclusion in the IEEE Member Directory, members-only IEEE.tv programming, an exclusive ieee.org email account, discounts on products and services, continuing education, philanthropic opportunities, and more. Plus, you are automatically a part of your local IEEE Section and will receive communications about local networking opportunities, meetings, and special events.

Other professional organizations that might fit your interests better include:

Membership in professional organizations increases your network of professional contacts, access to trade magazines and publications, opportunities for awards and scholarships, opportunities for on-going education, invitations to networking events, and more.

Depending on your interests, you may join more than one professional society so that you represent the work that you do across disciplines and keep informed with the goings-on through their different publications, which might only be available to members.

The memberships that you have should be included on your resume and LinkedIn.com profile (which you should create if you don’t already have one).

Opportunity: CUNY Ethics and Morality Writing Contest, Deadline Oct. 21

Throughout the semester, I will share opportunities with you. Some of these might be writing contests like this one, while others might be events around the city that I think would be beneficial for you to attend. Some might include an extra credit assignment.

2019 Dr. K. York & M. Noelle Chynn CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest

Click here for more info.

Funded by the Chynn Family Foundation

Submission Deadline
Monday, October 21, 2019

The CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest is funded by an endowment gift of $100,000 to the City University of New York by Dr. K. York Chynn and his wife Noelle Chynn. This annual award is intended to promote and stimulate thinking by college students at CUNY about the topic of ethics, morality, and virtuous behavior in their lives. More than ever, these issues arise not only in the personal relationships of individuals and family and friends, but also in the context of corporate, government, and social responsibility, whether it is about treating others fairly and honestly, or food safety.

The Asian American / Asian Research Institute will award the top three essays, selected by the Selection Committee, the following prizes at its 18th Annual Gala on November 14, 2019:

Best Essay ($1,000)

First Runner-up ($300)

Second Runner-up ($200)

Submission Guidelines
Click here for Submission Form

Fall 2019 Essay Topic: Virtue

Regardless of where one lives, virtues form the moral foundation of one’s life. Throughout history, moral philosophers in all cultures have striven to answer the question of “What characteristics or virtues distinguish the moral man from the immoral one?” In ancient Greek times, the Four Cardinal Virtues were:

Prudence/Wisdom

Justice

Fortitude/Courage

Temperance/Self-control

There were additionally Three Theological Virtues:

Faith

Hope

Charity

Together, these comprised the Seven Virtues.

At about the same time in ancient China, Confucius formulated what he called the Five Constant Virtues:

Ren (Benevolence, Love)

Yi (Righteousness)

Li (Propriety, Loyalty, Filial Piety, Chastity, Respect)

Zhi (Wisdom)

Xin (Integrity, Honesty, Fidelity)

In today’s modern society however, virtues have slowly begun to lose their importance, or are often forgotten in the daily hustle of people’s daily lives. For example in China, officials recently enacted a new law to foster filial piety among its citizens by compelling adult children to visit their aging parents. Recognizing the importance of virtues in our lives, will lead to better communication, understanding, and acceptance between us and our fellow man.

For your essay, please select one Virtue from the list above to discuss in detail. In discussing the Virtue you have selected, please incorporate all of the following points in your essay:

Tell us about your own experience in practicing the Virtue you have chosen to write about and what personal reward or satisfaction have you gained from it.

Why did you think the Virtue that you chose was an important one to practice in your life?

What obstacles did you encounter in practicing this particular Virtue and how did you, or do you, still strive to overcome the difficulties?

Note: All winning (3) and honorable mention will be posted online for the public to read. If your essay is selected to win a cash prize, it must be posted online or you will forfeit your prize award.

Submission must meet the following requirements:

Applicant must be a currently enrolled CUNY undergraduate or graduate student. Please submit copy of your college ID and current semester program. (No recommendations letters or transcripts are required.)
Cover page containing topic of the essay, name of the student, name of the CUNY college, and date.
Length: 1,000 to 1,500 words
Typed, 12-size Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and double-spaced.
Work-cited: Reference all materials that is not your own. Include at least five sources.
All work must be original material. Attribution and references to quoted materials must be included.
No online submissions. Hard copy of essay can be submitted by postal mail ~~(postmarked by Monday, November 5, 2018, or hand-delivered to AAARI office on Monday, November 5, 2018, by 5PM)~~ see deadline above