rrodrigo's Xanga

Done!

Fri, 11 May 2007 01:42:17 GMT

I've finished with all the grading. The gradebook in WebCT is completely updated, including final grades.
Shelley

optional class 5/1

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:48:26 GMT

We are scheduled for an optional class on Tuesday, 5/1. Since attendance has dwindled, I'm assuming you all are busy. If anyone needs to meet with me and/or wants to meet Tuesday evening, please email me. If I don't here from anyone, I will not attend class. Hang in there...you are almost done!

wrapping up the semester

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:57:43 GMT

Thanks for all of your updates. I'll be updating the gradebook with homework from the 4/23 deadline today. Some of you are worried about the 5/1 deadline. In reality...you can take up to another week. So...the ultimate, nothing excepted later than date is 5/8. PLEASE realize this leaves you no time for technical problems. So, if you wait until the last minute and get techno-glitches on 5/8...you will miss out on the entire assignment.

If you have any questions, concerns, etc., please feel free to email me!
Shelley

gradebook & wp#4

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:02:54 GMT

I've graded everyone's homework again. Homework grading is up to date, as is the gradebook in WebCT. Please check and make sure your points jive with mine! If you haven't emailed me your final of wp#3, please do so as soon as possible. You should all have your groupings for wp#4.

As for wp#4...the point of the project is to push beyond what the book includes! To do that, you'll want to personalize your interpretation. What are your personal ethics (and then combined as a group) and how do you understand this scenario?

wp#4--groups

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:31:44 GMT

I've emailed everyone (w/in the Xanga system) with their groups. If you have any questions, email me!
Shelley

Techno-Tip: RSS Aggregators

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:56:07 GMT

How many feel guilty for not working in local, national, and international news into your daily, or at least weekly, life? Do you think you might be more likely to if you were able to easily skim the headlines and then click out to anything you want to know more about? Try using an Real Simply Syndication (RSS) Aggregator to get caught up in the world. With an RSS Aggregator you can subscribe to any electronic source that provides an RSS feed. All blogs provide an RSS feed. Most newspapers and magazines provide RSS feeds from their websites.

For example, I like getting my world news from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/). If you scroll to the bottom of their international edition homepage (the link above), there is a little link called “RSS Feeds.” Once you link on the feeds page, you can find a listing of a variety of types of feeds to which you may subscribe. However, to subscribe you first need an RSS Aggregator (or reader). Popular RSS Aggregators come in many shapes, sizes, and flavors:

Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/) combined internet based RSS aggregator & blogging tool
Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader/) internet based RSS aggregator
Newsgator (http://www.newsgator.com/) internet based RSS aggregator, can also include download on specific computers
Sage (http://sage.mozdev.org/) Mozilla/Firefox based RSS aggregator
Gritwire (http://my.gritwire.com/) internet based RSS aggregator with more social software tools
Sharpreader (http://www.sharpreader.net/) computer based aggregator, you must download software

I suggest you start with Google Reader—it has a lot of feeds for you to initially try and many website give it as a RSS subscription option. Like Google Reader, most RSS aggregators start you off with a few feeds to read. Similarly, you can also subscribe to a bunch of feeds from within the aggregator. However, if you find feeds outside of the aggregator, say your friend’s blog, you’ll need to manually add the subscription by finding the RSS feed ( eb address).
If you want to search for specific blogs about a topic, use these blog search tools:

Blogarama (http://www.blogarama.com/)
Feedster (http://feedster.com/)
Technorati (http://www.technorati.com/)
Google Blog Search (http://blogsearch.google.com/)

If you want some more detailed instructions on how to use RSS feeds, especially searching for specific news topics and Google search hits, check out Will Richardson’s “RSS: A Quick Start Guide for Educators” (http://weblogg-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/RSSFAQ4.pdf)

homework grading

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:11:28 GMT

Ok...I'm caught up grading homework. I'll get through wp#2s by the end of this week. We have an optional course tomorrow night (Tues. 4/3, 7:10, LA4N). We'll talk about proposals, have those in attendance do their peer reviews of wp#3 (part of the homework tomorrow night), and discuss wrapping up the semester.

Please, please, please go check the gradebook in WebCT. If you do not understand how/why your points are calculated, email me.
Thanks for all of your hard work,
Shelley

Cover Memo for WP#3

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:17:13 GMT

Ken asked a great question!

Normally, the cover memo would be to the department (because that is what cover memo's do); however, it is for this class. The cover memo is where I want you to talk about the construction of the document, etc.

I hope that helps! Feel free to ask more, send me drafts, etc.
Shelley

be nice, help the librarians

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:08:26 GMT

Be nice...help the librarians out...the faculty version was really quick to take!

A subcommittee of the Library Instructional Council is considering the creation of a district wide web-based tutorial to help guide students in the research process. Our goal is to promote Information Literacy among our students, and we hope our proposed tutorial will work towards this goal. Your feedback is very valuable to us, and we’d appreciate your response to the following survey.

Student Survey Link

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=317663573582

All results will be compiled anonymously, and the surveys will close on April 10th, 2007. If you have any questions, please contact Cinthya Ippoliti at: cinthya.ippoliti@pvmail.maricopa.edu or x77209. Thank you for your time,

Information Literacy Tutorial Committee

Techno-Tip: Idea Visualization Tools

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:27:50 GMT

There are a variety of clustering, or mind/idea-mapping, types of software available for you to use. You might use these tools to help during the brainstorming process. They might help you to organize the data and other research you have collected. They can be very useful in the organization process as well.

Microsoft Word has a simple diagram or organizational chart tool embedded in the program. Go to “Insert” and then “Diagram” to insert one of the visuals into your document. MS Word allows you to “switch” the type of diagram being used, without changing the text you have entered. Switching up the diagrams with your information might give you different ideas on how to cluster, or organize, your ideas and materials.
Gliffy, a free online diagramming tool (http://www.gliffy.com/), allows you to make more complex cluster maps and diagrams. Gliffy also allows you to export your cluster map as a jpeg image file so that you can easily import it into a document or webpage. With the variety of shapes, colors, fonts, etc., Gliffy allows you to construct rich visual layers to your cluster map. With Gliffy you can try giving different types of evidence (for example, testimonies, numbers/statistics, and examples) different shapes and colors. It would then allow you to not only analyze the amount of evidence you have associated with each reason, but the balance in the types of evidence as well. Gliffy also has tools that help with different types of “mapping” like floorplans and flowcharts.
Cmap Tools is a more robust concept mapping program that you can download for free (http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/). However, it is both more difficult to use and more difficult to export your cluster/concept map products into a usable format.