2.0 Week 2 Details and To-Do

1. Week 2 Welcome and Overview

1. A quick overview reading about the week
2. Videos about accessing and using our readings this week (total: 7 minutes)
3. A to-do list of assignments for the week and an explanation of how what we're doing aligns to our course outcomes

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Weekly Overview

This week, we're continuing our work with last week's readings about Facebook, data, and privacy. This helps us move toward our goal of writing the first Essay, which asks you to consider questions about social media use and online data through your own experience.

After having a look at the forum posts (both Week 1 and the intro posts) that were coming in, I want to cover a few specific ideas about social media use in case you're thinking about talking about that in your paper!

First, if you've decided you want to write about Facebook specifically in your paper, understand that Facebook is both a platform (facebook.com and its apps) and also a gigantic company that owns many other properties, including Instagram and WhatsApp. (There's a comprehensive list of its companies at this Wikipedia page). Most of the major online social media companies own other apps and sites: Google, for instance, owns YouTube (and the Android operating system). This is important to know if you're making an argument about one platform over another: It's very hard to argue that we should all switch to Instagram because Facebook is evil when Facebook actually owns Instagram.

Second, at the end of this week, I've asked you to submit an outline for your first paper. Please note that I'm open to visual outlines in addition to written outlines. If you'd like to make a slideshow of the argument you're considering, or a short video talking through your idea, or a comic, I'd be happy to take a look at that. (I would even accept a meme outline! This old-but-funny American Chopper meme comes to mind). The outline is the first time for you and I to talk through what you're thinking about for the first essay, so if you'd rather meet to talk through your ideas, that's cool, too. Submit as soon as you can, and I'll do my best to get you feedback within 24 hours of your submission.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I have online office hours this week from 11:30-12:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (though I'm available at other times, too); I'll post the instructions to join them in the course.

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2. Videos: Accessing and Using our Readings

One of our readings this week comes through the Linn-Benton library. Let's talk briefly about how to access them, and then about how to get the most from library readings.

First, here's a video about accessing the readings and the tools that the library includes:

Remember! You can click the little square button in the corner of the video to make it go full screen (which makes it so much easier to view/read). 

3. Getting more from digital texts

Please watch this (slightly longer!) video about approaching digital texts:

4. Week 2 To-Do

Please complete these assignments in order (though if you want to get ahead on the readings, that's fine!).

Due on/before Wednesday at 11:30 p.m.:

1. Read this book (yay)
2. Read about The Toulmin Method of argument (23 pages, may take a while; take notes as you go)
3. Use your notes to post 1-2 unfamiliar terms to the glossary
4. Read/abosrb the three pieces (one article, one 15-minute video, and one slightly longer article) on Facebook and data security.
5. Take the quiz over those readings

Due on/before Sunday night at 11:30 p.m.:

1. Read the Strategies for Gathering Reliable Info chapter
2. Post to the 2.6 Reflection forum
3. Outline your first essay and turn it in to me for review
4. Return and reply to 2 (or more) peers in the 2.6 forum

Have a great week!