CIS2: 1. Introduction - Unwrapping the Gift

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.

• introduce themselves and "meet" their 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 undertanding for the information to be covered in this class
• consider the impact of the relationships between computers and society

• Why is the textbook titled "A Gift of Fire"? Why is this an appropriate title for this book?
• Have you used a computer today?
• What will be the impact of "wearware"? What must happen for that to be possible?
• Are there issues that are a concern for you? Do you have strong feelings about any of the topics that we will be covering, as outlined in the chapter descriptions?
• Do you agree that the benefits listed are actually benefits? Are there some that are not beneficial to society?
• 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?
• Do you know 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?

• 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.

1. Read the Syllabus - CIS 2 Computers and Society There is a lot of important information in the syllabus.

2. 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.

3. 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. Please use the Reply function to post your information. This will add your introduction to the Introduction topic thread.
   For example, here is my introduction. 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. :o)
   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.
   Read your classmates' introductions and respond to two posting. Ask questions if you are interested in finding out more about the person - just like you would if you met someone at a party or at a business conference. Check back to the discussion every 1-2 days this week and respond to questions.

4. 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? Post your introduction in discussion topic Expectations.

5. 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
   Take the What Color is you Brain quiz 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?

6. Look up your name in one or more search engines (Google, Clusty, Ask). 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.
   For example 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.

7. 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 who likes knowing more than what the instructions simply tell us. This will not be a complete list but a work in progress. Enjoy.
   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. http://www.wbglinks.net/pages/history/ 2006.9.20 - this link was not found - please check News for details Try this one http://web.archive.org/web/20050401033400/http://www.wbglinks.net/pages/history/

8. Search the web for sites that discuss computers and society. Find one that you think is particularly interesting. Write a critical-thinking question about the social issues discussed that will 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 two (2) other discussions on this topic.
   Remember: your comments AND the Subject field for your comments will be evaluated.

9. Read the study guide notes for 1. Introduction - Unwrapping the Gift for an overview for the topics that will be covered in this module.

10. Read the textbook - Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

11. Take quiz Chapter 1 review.

12. The primary teaching and learning activity in this class is active participation in Student Led Discussions on each chapter in the textbook. In these discussions, each student poses a "critical thinking" question based on some important issue from the course readings, then facilitates a class discussion on that issue. For each chapter in the textbook, you must facilitate a discussion based upon your question, and also participate in the discussions facilitated by other students. By being an active "discussant" in content-related discussions, you will engage in depth with the content of every chapter.
    Read this short paper on the role of questions and student-led discussions in thinking, teaching and learning. http://www.usm.maine.edu/~rhodes/StdLedDisc.html
    Post a response to the Forum discussion topic Questions and Learning . State your reaction to the way this course uses student-generated questions and student-led discussions in the teaching / learning process. After you have stated your opinion, read and respond to the reaction posted by at least two other students.

13. Read the Assignment for the next module - some activities require ongoing participation. Plan your time so you can do your part.

14. Work through the exercises in the textbook. These will not be graded, but you should think about how you would respond to these questions and situations.

15. Reflection - Does having audio and video in online instruction make a difference for you? Would it help others? Are there other things that could be added to the course - more notes, lectures, reading, that would make this course a better learning experience for you? Please explain why. This should be two or three paragraphs. Use the I Think... 1 assignment to submit your reply.