Sarah Debnam

SLM 521/Fall 2004

Course Module Activity

 

 

 

The Internet: For Better or for Worse

 

 

Objective:  Students will explore both the positive and the negative social  

              issues that the Internet has created in our world today. 

 

Objective:  Students will be able to discuss ways in which these issues have  

               impacted the lives of educators and students.

 

Objective:  Students will be able to use the information from this activity

              to participate in the Discussion Board.

 

Introduction:  The Internet is a tool that is here with us to stay. It has

                  become such a large part of our lives as educators, parents and

                  students that it is important for us to be aware of all its

                  impacts, be they for better or for worse.

 

Activity:  Investigate the articles that are listed below. These articles

            contain discussions and examinations of both the positive and

            negative social impacts of the Internet.

 

·        Read Jackie M. Dooley’s review of the book Silicon Snake Oil

Jackie M. Dooley, Head of Special Collections and University Archives

Main Library, Univ.of California, Irvine,

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing=lists/exlibris/1995/04/msg000137.html

 

·        Read the teacher essays that reflect Internet issues

Reflections on Silicon – Essays by several teachers on the issues raised by the book Silicon Snake Oil.

http://ed.tsud.edu/tcubed/reflections/reflect_silicon_snake_oil.htm

 

 

Assignment:    Locate two articles on your own – one that discusses a positive

                  aspect of the Internet and one that discusses a negative issue.

                  Write a 300 word paragraph that best describes how you have

                  been impacted by the Internet as an educator or student. 

                  Be able to discuss and cite the issues in the articles that you

                  read and how these issues have affected you. You may use the

                  articles that you found for your journal article reviews for this

                  class. You will be able to use the information you have learned in

                  this activity to respond to Week 4’s Discussion Board – “No Man

                  is an Island”. 

 

Other Resources:  Krout, Robert; Patterson, Michael; Lundmark, Vicki. (1998).                                             Internet  Paradox: A Social Technology that Reduces Social                      Involvement and Psychological Well-Being? American

                      Psychologist, 53.

                      http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=96504644        

 

                                   Shapiro, Andrew. (1999). The Control Revolution:  How

                     The Internet is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing

                     The World as We know It.                              

                     http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=85925936     

Submission:   E-mail this activity to your instructor. In the e-mail provide a hot

                link to your activity which should be posted on the McDaniel

                Server. Post your assignment on your Index page.

 

Rubric

 

 

Unacceptable

developing

accomplished

 

 

Paragraph is poorly developed. It does not include

citations from the articles.  The

topic is not relevant to assignment.

Paragraph does not meet the 300 word

requirement. Student did not use the information from this activity in their Discussion Board participation.

  Paragraph may include citations, but they do not help develop the topic. The paragraph may meet the 300 word requirement but only briefly develops the topic.  Student may have briefly used the information in this activity in their participation in the Discussion Board.

Paragraph is fully developed. Includes citations and discussion from the articles that the student found and from the articles that were included in the activity. May exceed the required 300 words in order to fully develop the idea.  Student used the information they found in this activity as a basis for their discussion in the Discussion Board.