Final Blog Post due this week (Prompt is up!)

Hi all,

This blog post is due before 11:59 on Saturday. You do not need to worry about word counts, and you do not have to respond to a classmate this week. This is your last blog post, and many of you need these points so I encourage you to be thoughtful with this assignment:

Week 15:

Blog Post:  http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/prep.html

After reviewing the website above and taking into account the feedback you've given and received, create a detailed grading rubric for your panel presentations. A grading rubric is a description of what is being graded and how many points each aspect of the assignment is worth. Review the assignment directions as you put your rubric together: Link to Final Presentation Directions

In your revised grading rubric, think about what makes a good presentation--what kind of presentations do you enjoy watching, and why?

Here is an example of a grading rubric--it is what I’m using to grade your annotated bibliographies:

Grading Rubric:

Overall document format (margins, spacing, heading, sources are alphabetized)	5 points
-formatted correctly in MLA or APA format -all required resources are present	10 points
-Chosen source is credible -Source is appropriate for the topic	15 points
-Annotations are at least four sentences: at least two sentences to summarize, with the summary being an accurate reflection of the source, and in the student’s own words at least two sentences to discuss how resources will be used, a thoughtful discussion of how the resource either confirms or challenges the student’s position. This discussion will not receive points if the student answers too simply, (something to the effect of, “This is a useful source because it will help me make my argument”--HOW specifically will it help you make your argument?)	20 points

This week's blog post

Hi all,

You have one blog post this week, due before class on Wednesday:

Visit the OWL at Purdue's website on Annotated Bibliographies here:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

(While you are at the OWL website, read up on citations!)

In at least 200 words, discuss: 

What is an annotated bibliography? Why do you have to write one for this class?

At the end of class on Monday, you'll be given directions for your Annotated Bibliography, which is also due this week.

Best,
Jessica

No Blog posts this week (2 research portfolios, though!)

Hi all,

Outside of the two research portfolios that you have to post on your blog this week before Presentations on Wednesday, you do not have any blog posts, nor do you have to respond to a classmate this week. Take that time to work on your presentations.

Best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt 10/29 (and a few updates on the research portfolio. Please Read.)

Hi all,

I was sick last week so there were a few things that got by me. One was a blog post whose prompt I did not post here (but did post on CourseDen). This is my fault, and because of that I am going to give it to you as a freebie.

Here is your prompt for Monday, and it is the only blog you'll have this week:


Please listen to this episode of On the Media: "The Facebook Show": http://www.onthemedia.org/2012/feb/03/
As a citizen of the nation of Facebook (or "Facebookistan"), what are your rights and responsibilities? How does this podcast--and a larger discussion of social media, which includes using blogs--fit within this class?

I also forgot to mention that I pushed back your research portfolio entry. You'll have one this coming week (I'll post the prompt on Wednesday, October 31) and another the following week, Monday, November 5th which you will do in class.

Sorry about that! Let me know if you have any questions.

All best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt 10/22

Google and facebook are integral parts of many of our lives--many people in this class have expressed the idea that "Google has everything", and that is a popular belief.

Even though we count on these sites to provide us with information, we often don't understand how they actually function, or, for that matter, the ways they potentially manipulate us.

Watch this video about online "filter bubbles" and answer the questions below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s

--What is a filter bubble?
--What are the potential personal drawbacks of these filter bubbles?
--What are the potential problems these filter bubbles might cause for your academic research?
--What are some filter bubbles that you've noticed in your own life?

Wednesday Blog Post (10/17)

Hi all,

Here is the blog prompt for Wednesday:

Read the two articles (one from NPR, one from New York Times)  and scan through the website that discusses different kinds of plagiarism (these are all posted on CourseDen.) 

With all that in mind, discuss in your own words what you consider to be plagiarism. (If you take a direct definition from the source--cite it! If you don’t cite from here on out, you will not get any points on the offending assignment) You might want to include a discussion of the different kinds of plagiarism. What can you do to prevent plagiarism? Include in your discussion something from one of your readings that surprised you.

Best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt for Wednesday (10/17)

Hello all, 

Here is your blog prompt for Wednesday. Remember to respond to a classmate by Friday!: 

Read the two articles (one from NPR, one from New York Times) and scan through the website that discusses different kinds of plagiarism. With all that in mind, discuss in your own words what you consider to be plagiarism. (If you take a direct definition from the source--cite it! If you don’t from here on out, you will not get any points on that assignment) You might want to include a discussion of the different kinds of plagiarism. What can you do to prevent plagiarism? Include in your discussion something from one of your readings that surprised you.

Best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt for 10/15 (Monday)

Hi all, 

Here is your blog prompt for Monday, October 15th. I'll quickly note here that if you haven't been doing these blogs regularly, you might want to start. Those missing points add up faster than you'd think. Also note that if you turn in a post after I grade on Sunday (and I could grade them at any time!) They will not be counted.


PROMPT: Watch or listen to at least 30 minutes of a news show or something similar--or better yet, of the presidential debate on Tuesday!--and find at least one example of the use of a rhetorical device (choose from the list on your handout.) Discuss how the device was used and what you believe it was trying to do (what was it trying to convince you of?)

If you are having trouble finding something on your news show, feel free to analyze commercials! Anything that is trying to in some way persuade you of something should have rhetorical tricks a plenty.
If you don’t have a tv, use some of your newfound searching skills and find a radio program or podcast or tv show that is online. 

If you lose your handout, you can find these rhetorical devices (also called "logical fallacies" here: http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/
 

Best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt (10/8)

Hi all,

Here is the blog prompt for today. You will have a research portfolio entry on Wednesday. Remember to post your word count and respond to a classmate by Friday. 

Find your major discipline in GALILEO (or a discipline that you are interested in) and search that subject page for a database you’ve never worked in before. Do a search in that database. What do you think of the results you got? What is the difference between searching in a subject specific database and in Discovery (the tool that searches a bunch of databases at once)? When do you think you’d want to use one over the other?

Best,
Jessica

Blog Post (Monday 10/1)

Hi all, 

Here is the prompt for your blog post this week: 

Review the video on GALILEO that is in CourseDen. (You can also view it here) In your own words, what is GALILEO and how does it organize information? What is a database and how does it organize information? 

I will grade these posts on Sunday, so make sure your post is in by then. If you turn your post in after I grade, it is too late.

Make sure you include a word count, and that you respond to a classmate by Friday.

Best,
Jessica

Monday's (9/24) Blog Post

Hi all,

Here's the blog prompt for Monday:

We’ve talked about scholarly information in class (mostly by way of scholarly articles and books.) Most scholarly information has to go through a peer-review process to be published
After reading the relevant articles in this week's folder, and keeping in mind the discussion we’ve had in class about scholarly information, describe the peer-review process. In your response, answer the following questions:
-Why is peer-review important?
-What are some ways that you can tell if an article is peer-reviewed, or scholarly?
-When do you want to use peer-reviewed research in your work?
-Also think about in what ways YOU engage in informal and/or formal peer-review in your personal and researching life

Remember to add a word count!

Best,
Jessica

Blog Prompt--Monday (9/17)

 (Remember that you'll need to respond to a classmate by Friday!)

MONDAY:

Discuss how you would use each of the types of information we discussed in class today (scholarly books, popular magazines, newspapers, government documents, encyclopedia, and scholarly journal articles) in the research project you are working on in our class.

To get full credit for this blog post, your discussion will need to reflect that you have an understanding of what kind of information is contained with each type of source

Wednesday's Blog Prompt (9/12)

Blog Prompt: 


Did you change your research question since Monday? How? (DId you narrow it? Did you make it broader?) Why did you decide to change it this way?
Also, start brainstorming the kinds of resources you might need to answer this research question (books, interviews, statistics, photos, etc)

Remember to respond to a classmate by Friday

Monday's Blog Post (9/10)

Hi all,

Here's your blog post prompt for Monday:

Monday: What is your research question (as of now) and why do you think it is a good research question? What knowledge did you gain about your topic as a result of the research you’ve conducted so far? What specific aspect of your topic do you want to research further?

Best,
Jessica

Week 3 Info

Hi all,

We've got only one day this week, so it is going to be pretty jam packed. A few things:

--You'll get your quizzes back today, and the grades should also be on CourseDen
--Your Library Ethnography responses are due today (Wednesday) by 11:59 pm. Make sure they are thoughtful, thorough, and constructive.
--Your blog prompt is up, and that post is due this evening by 11:59 pm.


As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,,
Jessica

Blog Prompt (9/3)

Hi all,

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend! Here is your blog prompt for this week, due Wednesday by 11:59:

What topic did your group choose? Why do you think I had you choose a topic this way (pulling from news sources)? After doing some presearching, what aspect of this topic is most interesting to you? 

Remember to respond to classmate by Friday. 

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Best,

Jessica

Wednesday (8/29) Blog Prompt

Hi All,

Sorry this is up late, you might have noticed that we've had a few issues with internet on campus this morning.

Here's is your prompt for today:

 Brainstorm possible topics for your group project (This is an individual assignment). Find 3 news stories and post the links to your blog. For each story, identify the Who? What? When? Where? Why? Remember the evaluation criteria we came up with in the Evaluation Carousel in class. Also remember the list of forbidden topics below (this list is also posted in CourseDen).

--

LIBR 1101

Forbidden Topics

Good research requires scholars to think out of the box. Students should come up with topics that interest them and fall beyond the scope of the generic controversial topic. To that end, students may not choose any of the following subjects for their assignments.

Abortion
Animal Cruelty
Cloning/ stem cell research
Death penalty or capital punishment
Global warming, pollution, climate change, etc.
Gun control/ zero tolerance in schools
Homosexuals in the military
Piracy
Poverty/ homelessness
Product Placement
Same sex marriage
School prayer
Steroids and/or drug abuse
Underage drinking
War on terror, Invasion of Iraq, etc.

That's how I (blog)roll!

Hi all,

I hope that as the semester goes along, you'll start to explore different things you can do to customize your blog. You can see that I've added a blogroll--a list of all the blogs I follow (yours!). Feel free to use this to follow your other classmates if that is easier for you.

You should also notice that I've added tags to my blog posts. This will allow you to find other posts similar to the one you are currently reading. You can add tags to your blog post with the 'labels' function (you'll see it to your right when you are writing a post) This is especially useful for blog prompts!

Best,
Jessica

Monday (8/27) Blog Prompt

Hi all,

Here is the blog prompt for Monday, August 27th. This post does not need to be 200 words, just be mindful that you address all of the required parts of the prompt.

Post your group’s new evaluation acronym using some of the criteria we came up with in class. Make sure you discuss what you mean by each one of your words--you won’t get credit for just listing the words.

Today's Blog Prompt/Getting adjusted!

Hi all,

I hope you are all adjusting well to your classes (especially this one!) I know we did a fair amount of logistics stuff on Monday (and we'll do some in class on Wednesday as well) but it is important to make sure the rest of the semester runs smoothly.

This is very important: If you have not posted your gmail email address and your blog web address to our class gmail directory, do so now!  Make sure when you post your information that you post your blog web address correctly.

I am going to make every effort to finish responding to your blog posts by the time class starts today. I am enjoying getting to know you all a little better!

Please note that I've updated your CourseDen with a list of the groups you'll be working in this semester. I more or less put these groups together randomly, and assigned each group a color name. Feel free to change the name of your group to something more exciting and fun.

I've also posted the directions for your first class project (Library Ethnography) on CourseDen as well. Make sure to read these directions thoroughly.

As you might have noticed, my instructor blog is going to be one of the main ways I communicate with you all as a group, so make sure to check this space regularly for reminders and other important class information.


Here is today's blog post prompt, to be completed in no fewer than 200 words after today's class:

What are you still confused about regarding the library space and/or library services? What, if anything, are you still confused about regarding the course? What are you most excited to do or learn this semester? 

--

Remember that you also need to respond to a classmate by 11:59pm on Friday.

Let me know if you have any questions!

All best,
Jessica