This week's SAKAI quiz will close at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 22.  It will open on Tuesday, Sept 16.  There are 18 multiple choice items covering this week's readings.  You get two tries, and you can see which items were wrong after you take it the first time.

Assignment Due September 18:  Updated Table of Contents Page including:     a.  An introductory paragraph describing the general topic and explaining how each of the individual pages contributes to it.  You need to work this out together so your pages complement each other rather than duplicating.     b.  A paragraph by each student describing his or her topic Each student is responsible for preparing the summary paragraph of his or her topic and getting it posted on this jointly published page.  You are collectively responsible for the introductory paragraph.  This is the same page you already produced in class and shared with me.  Make sure the updates get published - you should set the page to republish automatically whenever it is changed.  Then you each need to edit it to  include the new information.  I will access these pages and grade them on Friday, September 19.  You will each get a separate grade; if any student fails to add his or her paragraph, it will not bring down the others' grades.            SAMPLE:  The (incomplete) Table of Contents page for the Internet and Electronic Publishing group. SUBMITTING THE ASSIGNMENT: This is the same page you already prepared on the first day of class.  It just needs to be updated.  I will find them at the addresses listed below (from our Class Roster).      Groups    Internet Piracy    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcvrkwjt_4ddrd8qcp Online Gaming    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhk9q577_4gfbdfzg4 Virtual Worlds    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgjg2bb6_17djtkt4fm Medical Diagnosis    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhpk3x6c_2ckpq5bc3 Social Networking    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df76jcf6_1grkm2ddb Online Education    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dzps8gg_15g974zgct Futurists    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc52b4c9_3gwms7jc5 Websites for Children    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfm3mjg_6nbcngvgz Internet and Electronic Publishing    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df5kj2rw_0fcnj8hdx Political News and Media    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd27sh9z_21grh58z9z Internet Use by Terrorists    http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddctcp5k_13g3jvkchk

We will look at future studies and some visions of the future of the Internet.   The Methods and Approaches of Future Studies reading contrast sseveral different methods that we will be using this semester.  The story by Ben Goertzel and Stephan Bugaj  is an example of scenario writing.  Ben, if you didn't guess, is my son and a well known figure on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence development.  Ray Kurzweil is a much better known writer, famous for his projections of non-linear trends in technology leading to a "singularity".  His work is discussed in reading two and he appears in item three which is a video.   Ben and Stephan's story is a vision of life after the singularity.  We may organize an online chat with Ben and Stephan later in the semester - we did that last semester and students enjoyed it.  But I want you to do the reading first.

For the assignment Due September 18, you need to think a bit more about your topic for the course project.  If you are having trouble thinking this through, you might try the brainstorming and clustering processes described in the powerpoint on Finding Your Focus:  the Writing Process.   If you have trouble downloading it, I've also posted a version on Google Documents, but it doesn't have the powerpoint animations.  This presentation covers the steps of a writing project, a topic you must have already covered in your writing courses. 

Readings:

1. Methods and Approaches of Future Studies. 
   
2. Benjamin Goertzel and Stephan Bugaj, The Big Question.  In Sakai/Resources.
3. Ray Kurzweil, "The Six Epochs," from The Singularity is Near.  In Sakai/Resources.
4. Video:  "Inventor:  Lines are Blurring Between Humans and Machines"
5. Wikipiedia, "The Technological Singularity"
6.  Powerpoint:  Finding Your Focus:  The Writing Process.  Also available in an internet version.