Category Archives: Assignments

Notes from today, and blogging & reading for Wednesday and Thursday

Today we reviewed the guidelines for the research paper outline (due Wednesday 4/15) and the research paper draft (due on April 27 – 2 weeks from today!) and played the evaluation game. Two teams (Alessandra, Kelly, Jay; Wil, Jonathan, Adonas) received perfect scores, so we’ll have a tie-breaking round on Wednesday, time permitting. On Wednesday we will discuss writing a research paper. Please read Badke, chapter 10 and Appendix One, pp. 263-286.

Before Break, I overlooked assigning 2 articles that discuss the importance of evaluating information in any format. Please read the following 2 articles: Fister, The Devil in the Details and Grimmelman, The Google Dilemma. Write a 100-word reading response blog post by 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16.

Remember, your research paper outline is due on Wednesday, April 15 by 10 a.m., preferably emailed to me as an attachment, though you may submit a printed copy in class that day. Questions about this assignment? Get in touch!

~Prof. Leonard

Mapping Brooklyn wrap-up, and spring break bonus blogging

Today we visited the Mapping Brooklyn exhibit at BRIC. For one bonus blog post point (due by 10 a.m. on 4/13/15), write a 100-word blog post in response to the following questions:

What map was the most interesting to you and why? How did viewing this exhibit change how you perceive maps in daily life? What information or data in your daily life would you like to visualize on a map? Why would it be helpful or interesting?

I distributed guidelines for the next research-paper-related assignment: the outline, due April 15. I’ll post guidelines for the research paper draft over spring break and distribute them in class on April 13.

Enjoy spring break, and remember, the City Tech library is open Monday-Friday 9-5 if you need a quiet place to study, use a computer, or print.

~Prof. Leonard

 

Wrapping up internet searching & reading/blogging for Wednesday, March 25

Today we spent time searching scholarly resources on the internet and making use of the advanced search strategies we discussed a few weeks ago. On Wednesday, my colleague Prof. Nora Almeida will guest lecture on searching library catalogs and databases. Please read Badke Chapter 5 and review the Library of Congress Classification Outline.

Your research journal blog post prompt is based on today’s class activity. Please write one 100-word research journal blog post in response to this prompt:

In class today you tried out advanced search strategies and scholarly internet resources from the Badke reading to search for sources on your research topic. Describe one advanced strategy or scholarly resource you used. Did you find different information sources than you found doing a regular internet search (just using Google, Bing, etc.), and if so, how are they different? Did you encounter any difficulties that you haven’t encountered in a regular internet search?

Remember that the FINAL version of your topic proposal is due on Monday, March 30 and the Annotated Bibliography is due on Wednesday, April 1. Please get in touch with your questions…

~Prof. Leonard

Wrapping up research topic development, and looking ahead to searching and finding

Today we spent a good bit of time in class developing research questions and using bubbl.us or regular old pen and paper to draw concept maps. Feel free to scan & post your concept map to our blog.

The draft of your research topic proposal is due on Monday, March 23 by the beginning of class. Please email it to me as a MS Word attachment; that way I can grade, it offer comments, and return it to you by email, even if I’m out of town.

On Monday, we’ll talk about — and do some — advanced internet searching. I hope that by the end of class, everyone will have found at least a few potential sources for their annotated bibliographies (due April 1). Please read Badke chapter 6 (all) and chapter 7, pp. 163-172.

~Prof. Leonard

Search engine wrap-up, and reading & blogging assignments for Monday 3/16

Check out this recent New York Times editorial on the global digital divide – very timely! Today we discussed the mechanics of search, how search engines work, and how Boolean operators [AND, OR. NOT], truncation [education*], and nested searching (Teen or adolescent) can help refine your search results. We’ll spend next week assessing research needs, generating search keywords, and developing and refining topics. For Monday, March 16 please read Badke, chapter 2, “Taking Charge,” and chapter 8, “Learning How to Read for Research.” Be sure to read the study guide & practice/assignment sections carefully.

The draft of your research topic proposal is due on Monday, March 23 and the final is due on Monday, March 30. Please get in touch with any questions about your topics.

~Prof. Leonard

Plagiarism wrap-up from today, and reading/blogging for Wednesday, March 4

Today we discussed plagiarism in various contexts, especially in what constitutes plagiarism and academic integrity infractions in higher education. We also discussed the research topic proposal, due 3/23. A pdf of today’s slides is available here. Please get in touch if you want to discuss your ideas for the research paper topic.

On Wednesday, March 4 we will discuss information access: personal access, institutional access, and implications of the so-called digital divide.  Since the FCC recently ruled on Net Neutrality, we’ll review the effects of this ruling on our current and future internet access.
Please read the following: Martin, B. The Politics of Research
Samuelson, Aaron Swartz: Opening Access to Knowledge
Ruiz and Lohr, FCC Approves Net Neutrality Rules

Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post.

~Prof. Leonard

Recap of Monday 2/23, and reading/blogging assignments for Wednesday 2/25

Today we discussed copyright and fair use and used the copyright slider to determine if particular works were protected by copyright or in the public domain. Next time we’ll start with a quick overview of open access. We’ll spend most of our time Wednesday talking about privacy, how the definition is evolving, and challenges presented by networked digital media. Please read the following:
Price, Big Data and Privacy
Rainey & Anderson, The Future of Privacy
Wu, Why Monopolies Make Spying Easier
Your blogging assignment is to comment on at least one and no more than three blog posts. Be sure your comments total at least 100 words. To comment on a classmate’s post, click on the Leave a Reply link at the top of the post, type your comment, and click Post Comment when you’re finished. More help with comments on the OpenLab is available here.

~Prof. Leonard

Wednesday’s a Monday, and reading/blogging assignments for 2/23

Today we discussed participatory media and open data. We ran out of time before we could discuss the differences between open data and big data; this article does a nice job with the concepts. I was hoping to discuss some of the participatory open data projects [Buiilding Inspector, What’s on the Menu?] of NYPL labs in class, so explore those projects on your own time if you like. Remember our collaborative writing on participatory media?

What does participatory media mean to you?

What does participatory media mean to you?

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday, February 23 we will talk about copyright and fair use and the open access movement. Please read and view the following:

Center for Social Media, The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education, sections Code and FAQ only

Jeanty, “US Copyright Office Rules that Monkeys Can’t Copyright their Selfies

Videos: Grey, “Copyright: Forever Less one Day

Lessig, “Laws that Choke Creativity

Faden, “A Fair(y) Use Tale

Your blogging assignment is one reading/viewing response blog post.

~Prof. Leonard

NY times and chapter 1

While reading the NY times article and chapter one of research strategies I couldn’t help but think that these articles are telling nothing but the truth; when it comes to technology which has become people’s life. An essential part of our lives which if we were not to have, we wouldn’t know what to do. I say this because I myself use my phone for everything, whether if it’s for work, checking the weather even though I could watch it on tv, and I even do my homework on it. The article on NY times speaks about how traditional life will be changed because of “teletext” and “videotext”. The fact that we use technology for everything and we cannot even have a Normal conversation face to face but instead we text. Another thing we are so attached to is the social media (facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) “Friends, peer groups and alliances will be determined electronically, creating classes of people based on interests and skills rather than age and social class.” Now a days there are even companies who have their page on one of these social networks which they are constantly updating. This world is now a technology world, technology that nobody can live without.

Reading & blogging assignments for Wednesday, February 4

Hi everyone,

Today we discussed the information cycle [video], reviewed a timeline of information innovations, and discussed concepts from chapter one of Research Strategies by William Badke, especially peer review, open access, and gatekeeping. On Wednesday, we’ll discuss digital text, especially the differences between information that is “born digital” and online versions of print media (are these differences important?)

For Wednesday, please read the following:

Jabr, “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age” and Lepore, “The Cobweb.” Both are somewhat longer than the typical readings I’ll assign, so be sure to give yourself enough time to get through both articles in their entirety.

Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post. Don’t forget to tag your posts with 2-3 relevant and descriptive keywords.

See you Wednesday!

~Prof. Leonard