Final Send Off

Thank you so much everyone for coming today to our final class.

Thank to you the CSL students who bravely gave wonderful presentations (using Prezzie!) about their placements. They all taught us a lot about not-for-profits organizations and what goes on at the University and in the local area.

Thank you also to the three students, Kelsey, Annalise and Julianna, who created a visual and musical wrap-up of the term using social media! Amazing work!

Lecture 33: Online Class

•Online class! By the end of class (9:50) please complete the following exercise:

•As the new editor–in–chief of a significant journal published by Reed Elsevier you would like to modernize the academic publishing process. You are eager to implement “open peer review” See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_peer_review even after Nature’s experiment with this form of peer review failed (see http://www.nature.com/nature/peerreview/debate/nature05535.html). However, a more recent experiment by Noah Wardrip-Fruin on the Grand Text Auto blog was more successful (see http://grandtextauto.org/2009/05/12/blog-based-peer-review-four-surprises/).  Do you try to convince your colleagues to try open peer review or are you daunted by examples such as Nature’s?

•Upload your 3-5-paragraph response to Google docs. Make sure you share your document so it is visible to anyone and add a link to the document as a comment on the Lecture 33 post. Be sure to e-mail the link to your TA and I as well. 

Lecture 32: Open Peer Review

Today we'll be doing some group work using the reading that was assigned for homework:

Lecture 32: Open Peer Review

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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.

Social Media & Student Use

I just want to say how proud I am of all of you and how well you're harnessing social media to further your learning and collaboration.

I thought I would highlight student work when it is brought to my attention. Here is a great example of an ALES204 students (Julianna Damer) using YouTube to broadcast her thoughts and connect with other classmates. Feel free to comment here to start a discussion with Julianna and/or to let me know what you've been up to. Perhaps you've made a video or a google doc that you'd like me to share with the class?

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;

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.

Lecture 3: Blogs & Twitter 101

Lecture 3: Blogs & Twitter 101, Intro to Science Journalism

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

How To Use Twitter Effectively

Homework:

Come to next class having read:

Public Library of Science (PLoS): http://blogs.plos.org/blogosphere/ 

Scientopia: http://scientopia.org/blogs/ 

Not Exactly Rocket Science:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/