Internet: Theory/Practice in Telecommunications
Class Discussions
Interaction is a very important part of learning, and it is especially integral to this course. Notice that 15% of your grade is determined by discussion participation. I'll be looking for you to make significant contributions to the discussion each session. Participation that contributes to positive grade results in this area does the following:
- Ties personal experiences to the concepts we are studying, giving an orderly, brief version of the experience, with a point that is stated clearly.
- Avoids repeating in a different form, points made by others.
- Shows evidence of having completed, understood and applied the readings.
- Incorporates ideas shared by others and the instructor to create a “fuller picture” of the concept under review.
- Poses real-life questions or challenges that spring from the discussion material and attempts to shape an “informed” conclusion.
A copy of the assessment rubric for this activity can be found on the course site under the Course Materials icon.
Mini Research Paper
Create a report on the digital divide. The reviews can be completed individually or in small groups, and are due session 6.
Within the report, give a brief overview of the following:
- an explanation of the digital divide and why it exists;
- an overview of how the divide affects the United States and the world;
- what efforts are underway to eliminate the divide; and
- the pros and cons of these efforts.
There is no minimum or maximum number of pages for this paper. The paper should be considered complete when all of the questions have been thoroughly addressed,
Use your word processing program to prepare a written report and Power Point to develop a class presentation. Include links to at least three Web sites that you or your group used as reference sources.
Final Project
This is the learning lab portion of the course; please select one of the following options as your final project.
Website
If you select this option you will be putting into action what you have learned, in fact, it may even be a project you need for work or the start of a professional portfolio. You may also choose to develop this project in pairs, in small groups or as an entire class. You must, however, obtain approval for your idea before proceeding. Your team (where applicable) and glimmering idea -- Project Plan Approval -- should be presented Week 2 .
A. Project Plan (5%). Due Week 2, this is a simple plan which should identify:
- team members
- target population
- project theme/topic
B. Style Sheet (15%). Due Week 9, this file should include at a minimum the following presentation elements:
- Body rules
- Body text size and color value
- Minimum of 3 header sectors
- 1 paragraph sector
- 1 class sector
- 1 division sector
- Rules for a minimum of three link states (1 with text-decoration and 1 without)
Style Sheet must be validated through the W3C validation site.
C. HTML files (25%). Due Week 11, this website should consist of a minimum or 4 pages; 1 index or home page and 3 child pages. (The minimum number of pages and complexity will vary based on the size of the team developing the product.) All pages must be written in XHTML 1.0, contain no presentation elements or tables, and have at least one image.
D. Site Evaluation (10%). Due Week 13. Assure that your projects are validated through the following validators:
- WC3 CSS Validation
- WC3 HTML Validation
- Bobby 508 Compliance Assessment (sites can be accessed through the TopStyle software)
E. Project Presentation (10%) Due Week 15 . Student who chose this option must present their Web designs the final night of class and be prepared to address audience questions.
Mad Hatter’s Presentation
If you choose this option you will create an online multimedia presentation for the class on a topic related to modern web browsers. This topic can either be chosen from the following list, or if you have a specific topic, you can check with me. I would prefer not to have several people presenting the same topic, so first come, first served.
Please sign up for your presentation topic and time slot Week 2. You will submit drafts of your presentations Weeks 9 & 13. Significant progress is expected between draft submissions.
Your final project must be posted online no later than midnight, Monday, April 18 th. Be prepared to field all questions posted by me and your peers.
The subject of the presentation will involve an area with an overlap with modern browsers and Internet communications. We will want to examine that overlap, and explore the possibilities and implications for Internet designers and users. Some suggested topics:
- Knowledge Management
- E-business/Commerce
- Distance Education
- Multimedia Enhanced Classrooms
- Persons with disabilities (national and international considerations)
- Collaboration and Team Building
- Organizational Structure
- Human Performance Technology
- Intellectual Property
- Creative Destruction
The presentation should be the equivalent of a 6-10-page paper, with a minimum of eight outside references. It will be posted in the course discussion room. We will, however, use a format that is probably a little different from what you may be used to. Edward deBono has developed an approach to expand critical thinking which is both fun and useful. It is called the “Six Thinking Hats”.
Structure your presentation using deBono’s Six Thinking Hats:
- White Hat – The neutral and objective facts, figures and information we know to be true
- Red Hat – The emotions, feelings, and judgments that are pertinent
- Black Hat – The negative assessment. What is wrong or incorrect? Why it won’t work.
- Yellow Hat – Positive and constructive assessment, value and benefit. Why it will work.
- Green Hat – What growth, collaboration, and creativity potential does it have?
- Blue Hat – What type of future thinking needs to be explored. Which way should things go?
See the overview and related links for additional information regarding this method.
Your grade will be based on:
- Understanding and utilization of the Six Thinking Hats framework.
- Presentation (construction, grammar, spelling, etc.).
- Depth of presentation.
- References.
- Presented on time.
You can be creative and playful with this if you choose. In the past, students have taken various approaches. Some like to create their own web pages, one person developed a dialog between the various hats discussing the topic. If you create your presentation using PowerPoint or Word, the files must be converted to Web documents prior to posting.
