ONLY FOR ( Michelle Malk)

Part One: Pick a topic

Due date: 3/30/19 – Eastern time 9 PM

The first step in completing your project is, of course, to pick a topic! Your topic should examine some way in which technology has changed or been changed by society. You will do some research on your topic throughout the term and give a presentation in the last week of class.

Suggestions for possible topics for this assignment include:

· Digital divide - implications for the widening gap in technology access

· Genetically modified organisms/engineered food

· Impact of biotoxins on health and lifestyle

· Changing conceptions of romance due to technological advancement

· Changing family dynamics due to technological advancement

· Online social networks for older adults

· Identity theft

· Medical advancements and how they have changed society

· Vaccinations and society

· Antibiotics and society

· Changes in the nature of work

· Changes in manufacturing

· Transportation and its impact on society

· Adaptive technology for the aging and why it matters

· Adaptive technology for the disabled and why it matters

· Architectural advances and the impact on society

· Technology and politics

· Changing nature of disease since 1900

· Lifespan changes since 1900

· Longevity and life extension

· Technology and beauty

· Digital natives vs. digital immigrants

· Cumulative advantage and cumulative disadvantage

· Nomophobia

· Impact of gaming addiction in children or adults

· Restricting technology use in young children

· Tracking technology

· Cyberbullying

· Technology and forensic investigation

· Technology and criminology

· Technology and education in the classroom

· Technology and higher education

· Influence of technology on learning ability

· Influence of technology on  intelligence

· Influence of technology on obesity

· Changes in communication patterns due to technology

· Technology and gender roles

· Impact of reproductive technologies on society

· Technology and consumer behavior

· Technology and the concept of intellectual property 

You may pick another topic if you like.

Notice that some of the categories are very broad, so narrowing your focus will help you to complete each component. For example, “Technology and Crime” could refer to the ways in which technology has been used to fight criminal activity, or it could be used to describe how criminals have used technology to carry out crimes and how this has forced society to change its behavior. 

No more than two students may work on the same specific topic. This allows us to learn about a greater diversity of subjects.

By the end of Week 2, you must identify the topic you wish to investigate by posting to the online discussion area. 

 

Part 2: Reference summaries (10 points/ 10% of the final grade)

Due date: April 13th @ 11:59 PM EST in the Assignments area      

Create a reference list of at least 5 scholarly sources that you will use in your presentation. References should use APA format (6th edition). For assistance with APA format, visit the UMUC library site at the following link: http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/apa_examples.cfm

 

Finding scholarly sources 

Being an informed consumer of social research is an important skill. At UMUC, we are fortunate to have access to an extensive collection of journals, periodicals and books, but what do you do when you don’t have an academic library? Google it, of course! Google Scholar is readily available to anyone with access to the Internet. Simply open www.google.com and click the “More” tab at the top of the page, then click on “Google Scholar” and type in your search words. 

For this part of the applied final project, you will use the UMUC library databases or Google Scholar to: 

· Locate 5 scholarly or credible sources on your chosen topic

· Locate at least 1 article that addresses your topic from the perspective of a different country or culture

· Locate at least 1 article related to policy (i.e. what policies exist, are being considered, or are needed to address your issue)

What is a scholarly or credible source? For your project, you should be relying on sources that have credibility. Appropriate sources would be articles written by experts in the field, articles found in peer-reviewed journals, published documents from well-known research groups  (e.g. Pew Research), and reports published by government agencies (e.g. NIH, CDC). Inappropriate sources would include popular websites (e.g. about.com, ehow.com, Wikipedia) or media outlets (e.g. Fox, MSNBC, WSJ, NY Times, Forbes, etc.). These sources do not always accurately report their findings and are sometimes prone to bias. If a website or article fails to report the credentials of the author and does not provide citations for the information contained in the article, chances are it is not a scholarly source and therefore should not be used. 

For more information, the UMUC Library has more information on how to evaluate your sources available at: http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/how_evaluate.cfm 

Submit a summary of each article using the worksheet that follows. In your own words, identify the key findings of the article. Do not simply state what the article was about (e.g. "This article talks about cyberbullying."). What specific information did you learn from your source? (e.g. "Cyberbullying has become a popular means of abuse among teenagers, affecting about half of all young people.") The purpose of this summary is to prove that you have actually read and understood each of your sources. Your summaries should be 2-3 paragraphs in length. Do NOT simply copy and paste the abstract or any other part of your source! This is plagiarism and is a violation of university policy that can result in being reported to the Dean’s office. 

The purpose of this assignment is to 1) ensure that you are using appropriate, scholarly sources, and 2) to make sure you are on track for your final presentation to the class. 

Complete and save the worksheet as a document or .pdf and submit as an attachment in the Assignments area. 

 

Reference Summary Worksheet

 

Reference 1 – Cross-cultural reference
Citation in APA format
Key findings In 2-3 paragraphs, summarize the main findings in your source.
How do you know that this is a credible/scholarly source?
Reference 2 – Policy reference
Citation in APA format
Key findings In 2-3 paragraphs, summarize the main findings in your source.
How do you know that this is a credible/scholarly source?
Reference 3
Citation in APA format
Key findings In 2-3 paragraphs, summarize the main findings in your source.
How do you know that this is a credible/scholarly source?
Reference 4
Citation in APA format
Key findings In 2-3 paragraphs, summarize the main findings in your source.
How do you know that this is a credible/scholarly source?
Reference 5
Citation in APA format
Key findings In 2-3 paragraphs, summarize the main findings in your source.
How do you know that this is a credible/scholarly source?

Your reference summaries will be graded according to the following rubric: 

Criteria 1: Key findings	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Fair	Needs improvement	Poor
Summarize the main findings in each source	6 points	5 points	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
Criteria 2: Citation	Correct APA format	Mostly correct APA format	Citation not in APA format	No citation
Citation in APA format	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
Criteria 1: Source	Strong evidence	Good evidence	Some evidence	Weak or no evidence
How do you know this is a credible/scholarly source	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points

 

Part 3:  Presentation Progress Report (10 points, 10% of the final grade)

Due date: 4/27/19 @ 11:59PM EST in the Assignments area      

At the end of Week 6, you are to submit a progress report that demonstrates that you have been working towards your final presentation. Your progress report should be 1-3 pages in length and include the following: 

A well-written paragraph that states in detail what your topic is. Be sure to clearly link your topic to both technology and society/societal trends.

A well-written paragraph that identifies the type of presentation you plan to give (e.g. slideshow, written materials, podcast, YouTube, etc.). Your presentation should be creative, engaging, and informative. Remember that in the last week of class, YOU become the teachers. Think about your audience and how to present material in an interesting and clear manner.

A preliminary outline that shows what will you address in your presentation. You may provide an actual outline, or describe in words the approach you will take. Use the rubric for the final presentation to help you structure your outline. Your outline and presentation should  include the following components:

· Define your topic, linking it to technology and society

· Trace the history of your topic

· Describe how your topic compares to at least one other culture

· Identify relevant policies related to your topic

· Discuss future trends related to your topic

 

Grading the Progress Report 

Your progress report will be graded according to the following rubric: 

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Fair	Poor
Clear and well-stated topic linked to technology and society	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0.5 points	0 points
Describe the type of presentation and how you plan to make it interesting	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0.5 points	0 points
Provide an actual outline of your final presentation, or describe your approach in words	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0.5 points	0 points
Include clear cross-cultural reference, policy-related reference and future trends	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0.5 points	0 points
Well-written report with no grammatical or composition errors	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0.5 points	0 points

           

 

Part 4: Class Presentation (30 points/30% of the final grade)

Due Date: May 5th Easter TIME @ 11:59 PM

Our last week of class will turn the spotlight on you! Essentially, YOU become the teachers. Based on the research you have done on your individual topics, you are to present your findings to the class in a well-crafted original presentation. Your presentation should cover the components listed in the rubric below.  Your presentation is due the first day of week 8 so that the class has time to review your work. Please post your presentation in the Week 8 discussion area and submit it in your assignments folder.

The presentation 

Your presentation can take any form you choose that is conducive to an online format. This includes narrated slide shows (e.g. Powerpoint, Prezi, Knovio), podcasts or audio recordings, written materials (e.g. brochures, pamphlets, research posters, etc.), YouTube videos, etc.  Your presentation should contain about 10-15 minutes of content. Use the rubric presented below to structure your work. Be sure to touch upon each required component to earn as many points as you can. 

Discussion questions 

In addition to your presentation, you will post a discussion question about your topic for your classmates.  Your question should be open-ended and thought-provoking to ensure a rich discussion. Throughout the week, each student should monitor the comments generated by his/her discussion question and respond to the comments accordingly. 

The Week 8 discussion participation score requires you to post a response to the discussion questions for at least five class presentations. 

Peer evaluations 

In Week 8, you are to view and respond to the presentations of at least five other students, but you are encouraged to view as many presentations as possible.

Your final presentation will be graded according to the following criteria: 

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Fair	Needs improvement	Poor
Overall quality of presentation	Interesting and original presentation that holds audience attention	6 points	5 points	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
Content	Clearly explain topic and why it is important in modern society	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
	Effectively trace history of the topic and its impact on society	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
	Incorporate relevant references to at least 5 scholarly sources	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
	Clear and well-stated comparison of how topic impacts at least one other culture	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
	Clear and well-stated illustration of how policy impacts chosen topic	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
	Excellent and thorough discussion of future trends and impact of technology on society	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
Composition	Correct use of citations and no misspellings or grammatical errors	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points
Discussion leading	Post excellent discussion questions and respond to class comments	3 points	2.5 points	2 points	1.5 points	1 point	0 points