Lecture 35: Final Day of Classes

Hi everyone!

And here we are, on the very last day of ALES204 - I know you'll miss it! :)

REMINDER: Your E-portfolio is due today by 17:00. Please send the link to your blog to your TA. And, don't forget to include the links to your FIVE comments in your final blog post.


I'd like to thank you all for coming to class and participating both in class and through the class blog, your blogs and twitter. I'd also like to wish you all a lovely festive season. On that note, here is a video from 16 year old Winnipeg student Sean Quigley, who harnessed social media (youtube) and is now famous: a Canadian wintery rendition of The Little Drummer Boy.





On our last day, as mentioned, we will have the exciting Pecha Kucha presentations for the CSL students. They are going to share with us a little bit about what they've been working on this term. Perhaps you'll be so interested, you'll want to enroll in CSL in another term.

After the Pecha Kucha presentations I would like you all to take about 10 minutes to answer a survey I've created. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the course, what you learnt and perhaps what you would still like to learn. I'll use this information in my next course design! I appreciate your input and your participation.

You can fill in the form right here (scroll down a bit) or access the google doc (but of course!) here. Note, feel free to work with a partner.

And finally, we'll conclude our class with a special send-off from three of your classmates, Kelsey MacDonald, Julianna Damer and Annalise Young.

Module 12 Labs

In labs this week you'll have the opportunity to practise the interviewing and podcasting information we're talking about all week. I know you just can't wait!

Some of the things you're going to be doing:

image from audio boo.fm

1. Find a partner
2. Together, read through this handout
3. Choose whether you will ask employment questions, behavioural questions or journalistic questions
4. Take a few minutes to create some questions for each other
5. Conduct your interviews and record it using audioboo (your TA can help you)
6. Remember, you have the choice to announce your real name in the interview or use an alias
7. Think about your voice, breathing and pacing.
8. Share the link to your audioboo recording with your TA.

Read more in the google doc here.

Lecture 24: Online Class

Photo by Jessica Laccetti.

Today is your opportunity to work on your Wikipedia assignment! Take this time to add to your stub. Remember, you need to write 300-600 words AND, since this assignment is also part of your e-portfolio, you need to follow those guidelines.

As a reminder, the Wikipedia assignment is here and the e-portfolio assignment is here and the rubric is here.

Lecture 23: Wikis & Writing

IMPORTANT: Online class on Wednesday so you can work on your Wikipedia assignment!!

Note: As discussed in class, after choosing your stub article, check the revision history to make sure no one is currently (as of today) working on the stub. Then, add an edit (perhaps a quotation or reference) so that anyone can see that the stub article is now being worked on. Also, if you wish, you can add a comment on today's blog post noting (with a link) which stub article you are working on.

Although Wikipedia does use a WYSIWYG editor, you might want to use Wiki MarkUp. You can find out more about Wiki MarkUp Language (in order to add bulleted lists or bold and italicise your work), look here and here.

Read about our Wikipedia assignment here. But here is a short summary:

In this assignment, each student will update one "stub," or incomplete article in Wikipedia, to a complete encyclopedic article. Ideally, we would like your article to qualify for "Good Article" status. For reference, less than 1% of the articles on Wikipedia achieve this status, so this is no small feat!
Here a few caveats to keep in mind for this assignment:

• You will need to learn some basic wiki code. The code is not difficult, and there is a graphical editor with buttons to insert links and the like.
• Others can (and will) alter your contribution. In most cases, other users will add to and occasionally correct your work. But your work could be vandalized or deleted. You can always change the page back to what it was before, but such "revert wars" are frowned upon.
• The entire Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, which means you do not own the articles you work on.
• There is no standard length for a Wikipedia article. For the purposes of this assignment, a reasonable article will contain 300-600 words, which correspond to 1.5-3 pages of standard double-space text.

Part 1: Select a stub (needs to be done BEFORE your lab)

• Read the Wikipedia Getting Started page.
• Create an account .
• Find a "stub" that you would like to complete to a full article. Here is a list of stubs. Particular stub categories that may be of interest include Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease
•  stubs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Endocrine,_nutritional_and_metabolic_disease_stubs) and the Alberta Research Council stub (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Research_Council) . Here are tips for picking a good stub.

Lecture 23 Wikis & Writing

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti

Flickr and Image Citation

After yesterday's lecture (thanks again Diane!!), I've had lots of questions about how to cite Flickr images that you find using a Creative Commons search and how to cite your own images.

Well, please take a look at this very thorough document that Diane made for us. Here is the link to it on google docs.

Remember, this is the format you will use in your e-portfolios when you include images. You will also use this citation method if you include any images in your assignments (such as your science article assignment).

Science Article Assignment

This week in labs you will be given the Science Article Assignment and you will have the duration of the lab to discussion the options with the TA. By the end of the lab, you will let your TA know which option you will be doing.

You can always check the google doc of the assignment too.

Note: Sometimes the google doc seems to have some issues with Option 1. So here is a google doc JUST of Option 1:.

Remember there are four options, you just need to pick one.

Some Requirements:

Due: Friday, November 18th, 17:00;
Length: 750-1250 words;
Format: Memorandum (single-spaced text; double-spaced between headings and paragraphs);
Publication: Via E-mail to Dr. Laccetti (laccettiATualberta.ca) AND to your TA;

Module 3: Facebook for Business

Students, as a comment to this post, leave a link to your blog with your flickr photo of your professional Facebook profile.

In the words of fellow student Jenny Brown, this is what the assignment requires:

1) "Create a page" on my existing Facebook profile that is like an e-Resume 2) Take a 'print screen' picture of the page with the basic information wall showing
3) Save this photo in Flickr and post it on my blog
4) Write 2-4 paragraphs on my blog pertaining to my facebook page
5) Post a link on the class blog that connects you to my blog post with the flickr photo

Remember, this assignment forms PART of the e-portfolio and as such, needs to follow those guidelines:

At the end of the term, you will have written at least five blog posts.  In each blog post (EXCEPT the first Introductory post) you must:

1. Include at least one image
2. Include at least one external link (somewhere out in the WWW)
3. Include at least one reference to a fellow student’s blog post (you must link to the post, i.e. internal link)
4. Be on topic (i.e. related to our class work).
5. Each blog post should be at least two paragraphs but no more than four.

Additionally, throughout the term you must comment on at least five blog posts written by fellow students in this class. You can find links to the students’ blogs on the class blog, under the Module 2 blog post (http://ales-204.blogspot.com/2011/09/module-2-science-journalism-online.html#comments). Comments, like all the writing and interaction in this class, must remain appropriate in level (writing style, mechanics and punctuation) and collegiality.  In your final blog post for this project you will need to include links to the five (or more) comments you made.

Additionally, here is a rubric for the profile itself:

You can also watch this video on how to use the print screen command to take a screen capture of your Facebook  page/profile.


Information on how to upload images to flickr can be found on flickr help but here are the basics for uploading:

How do I upload my photos?

We provide a range of uploading tools for both Windows and Mac that will help you get your photos on Flickr.

You can also email your photos to your Flickr account. You have your own unique email address that you can use to add your photos to your Flickr photostream or to upload photos to your Flickr photostream AND automatically post them to your blog. Configure your email upload settings here.

If you'd rather not install our tools, you can use a web form to upload on the upload page. To use this form, look in the navigation menu at the top of the page under "You."

Facebook Page/Profile Assignment in Angie's Words

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

 This article will be of interest, "12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally"

Note: Image from Gigaom

Lecture 4: Science Journalism

Outline:

• Review of Science Journalism
• Review of Readings
• Science Journalism Activity
• Friday = Online Class

Review:

•  Science communication: explaining the science
• Science popularization: making science popular, promoting science
• Science journalism: critically assessing science and its claim
• Your role: ALL THREE 

Knowing Your Audience and the PLoS Blogs:

• Choose one of the blog posts at PLoS that you read for homework:

• Think about the blogger’s writing style, which is most related: Science communication: explaining the science, Science popularization: making science popular, promoting science, or Science journalism: critically assessing science and its claim

• Who do you think is the intended audience? How does the blogger convey her/his information
• In groups of 5-6, answer these questions in a comment on today’s lecture post (Lecture 5) on the class blog.

Perspective:

nclose to a single person, e.g. a patient or a victim;

n

nhigh above a scene, reporting from a distance, independent and little involved;

n

nclose to an organisation that offers information, such as an NGO or a company;

n

nclose to the scientific community; 

n

nclose to the audience, examining problems in their daily life

Activity on Perspective:

• Choose one article/blog post from Scientopia (http://scientopia.org/blogs/ )  & one from Not Exactly Rocket Science (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/)  
• Compare the writing perspectives: what view does each blogger take? Does their view hamper the “objectivity” of the story? How or why?

• Send your responses to @JessL 

Final Thought

“Some journalists are still stuck in the model: We give you journalism, that’s the way it is. In this world, where we don’t know if there’s going to be a pandemic, or where the next terrorist attack will be, or how bad global warming is going to be, if I’m not engaged in a two-way street with scientifically engaged readers, I’m not responsible.”

Andrew Revkin

Friday's Online Class - By the end of class students must: 

• Complete the social media survey on the Module 2 blog post
• Set up a blog using Blogger and write an introductory post about you and your field of study and what role communication plays in your work (dissemination of results, linking with fellow researchers, etc.…)
• In a comment on the Module 2 blog post, leave a link to your newly started blog (absolutely necessary so the professor and TAs can grade your work) 
• Note: you require a personal blog for your E-Portfolio.

Evaluation

Due	Assignment
Throughout the term	Participation on class blog. Every week, students will be expected to use our class blog to share a core question or thought that emerges from the assigned readings. These questions can be a paragraph or so and informal, but they are intended to help Dr. Laccetti better understand how the students are relating to the class materials and content as well as providing students with an opportunity to reflect and synthesize course content as well as developing an online footprint. Comments should be posted on the Professor’s Lecture Post. Note, if students are asked to complete a particular assignment (such as the Wordle) that will count towards your participation online. (20%)
Friday September 16th, 9:50	Module 2: Write an introductory post (about two paragraphs) about you and your field of study and what role communication plays in your work (dissemination of results, linking with fellow researchers, etc…) Forms part of the E-Portfolio. (5%)
Lab session during Module 5, Week of October 3rd	Poster Presentation.  An impromptu group presentation of a poster will take place in a lab during the week of Module 5, and will be assessed by the TA. (10%)
Lab session during Module 10, Week of October 7th	Update Wikipedia Stub Article. Identify a Wikipedia stub entry that is in your field of expertise. This assignment will require you to add content and references. Forms part of the E-Portfolio. (10%)
Friday, November 18th, 17:00	Science Article Assignment: Students will be given at least two options for this assignment. Potential options include topics on open access publishing, features of academic journals, comparative analysis of journal articles and a translation of an academic scientific article into a web presentation suitable for a general audience. (20%)
Wednesday, December 7, 17:00	E-Portfolio: to be published on student’s own blog. Some in class assignments will form part of your E-Portfolio including: ·       Module 2: Introductory Blog Post ·       Module 3: Embed the Flickr photo of your paper Facebook profile. §   Module 10: Wikipedia stub entry Additional E-Portfolio entries include: §   Embed your Twitter feed in the sidebar of your blog. §   Embed your Delicious tag cloud in the sidebar of your blog. §   Reflective blog post. Total E-Portfolio worth 35%