10
Mar
2021
Mar
2021
The American Civil War
categories: academic library
++++++++++++++
more on history in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=history
Searching for "civil"
04
Jan
2019
Jan
2019
rude vs civil
categories: digital citizenship
21
Nov
2015
Nov
2015
civil disobedience
Encrypted chat app Telegram reverses stance, bans 78 ISIS accounts
http://bgr.com/2015/11/19/encrypted-chat-telegram-isis/
Telegram is an encrypted chat service that lets users create anonymous channels that can be followed by hundreds of users.
In addition to Telegram, Twitter and YouTube have also removed ISIS-affiliated content, with hacker organization Anonymous having taken down more than 6,000 Twitter accounts following the Paris attacks.
Meanwhile, Telegram said it only takes steps against confirmed ISIS channels. “For example, if criticizing the government is illegal in a country, Telegram won’t be a part of such politically motivated censorship,” the company said. “While we do block terrorist (e.g. ISIS-related) bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions.”
More on this topic in this IMS blog:
01
Mar
2022
Mar
2022
critical news literacy session
Critical news literacy session for social policy analysis course
Katie Querna, Thursday, 11AM, Stewart Hall
+++ please cover this information at home and bring your ideas and questions to class +++++
Most students can’t tell fake news from real news, study shows
Read more: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/28/fake-news-3/
Module 1 (video to introduce students to the readings and expected tasks)
- Fake News / Misinformation / Disinformation
- Definitions
- Fake news, alternative facts
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=alternative+facts - Misinformation vs disinformation
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/02/18/fake-news-disinformation-propaganda/- Propaganda
- Conspiracy theories
- Clickbait
Filter bubbles, echo chambers
(8 min) video explains filter bubbles
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter
- Fake news, alternative facts
- Definitions
- Social Media role
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/12/17/russian-trolls-used-meme-warfare/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/10/25/whatsapp-and-fake-news/
+++++ thank you for covering this information at home. Pls don’t forget to bring your q/s and ideas to class +++++
Why we are here today?
We need to look deeper in the current 21stcentury state of information and disinformation and determine how such awareness can help policy analysis.
How do we make up our mind about news and information; where from we get our info; who do we believe, who do we mistrust.
What do you understand under the following three items and their place in our efforts to analyze policies?
“critical thinking,” https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/05/11/the-5-step-model-to-teach-students-critical-thinking-skills/
“media literacy,” “Media Literacy now considers digital citizenship as part of media literacy — not the other way around”
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/07/k12-media-literacy/
“critical [news] literacy”
https://youtu.be/i2WyIkK9IOg
how do these three items assist a better analysis of policies?
Class assignment:
Share a topic which is very much to your heart.
Please feel welcome to use the following resources and/or contribute with your own resources to determine the sources and potential bias
Feel free also to use the following guidelines when establishing the veracity of information:
Here is a short (4 min) video introducing you to the well-known basics for evaluation of academic literature:
https://youtu.be/qUd_gf2ypk4
- ACCURACY
- Does the author cite reliable sources?
- How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
- Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
- Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?
- AUDIENCE
- Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
- Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
- What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
- Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?
- AUTHORITY
- Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
- What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
- Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
- What does that affiliation suggest about the author?
- CURRENCY
- Is the content current?
- Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?
- OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
- What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
- Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
- Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
- If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
- Is the information one-sided?
- Are alternate views represented?
- Does the point of view affect how you view the information?
- PURPOSE
- What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
- Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?
In 2021, however, all suggestions above may not be sufficient to distinguish a reliable source of information, even if the article made it through the peer-reviewed process. In time, you should learn to evaluate the research methods of the authors and decide if they are reliable. Same applies for the research findings and conclusions.
++++++++++++++++++++
Aditional topics and ideas for exploring at home:
civil disobedience
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/30/disruptive-technologies-from-swarming-to-mesh-networking/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2019/08/30/tik-tok-students-and-teachers/
https://news.softpedia.com/news/Venezuela-Blocks-Walkie-Talkie-App-Zello-Amid-Protests-428583.shtml
http://www.businessinsider.com/yo-updates-on-israel-missile-attacks-2014-7
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/11/14/internet-freedom/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/08/31/police-to-block-social-media/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/04/04/technology-and-activism/
06
Aug
2021
Aug
2021
7 Strategies to Change the Norms of Class Discussions
categories: teaching
How to Hold a Better Class Discussion
ADVICE GUIDE
https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion/
7 Strategies to Change the Norms of Class Discussions
Norm No. 1: Civil attention.
nodding their heads, taking notes, chuckling at the instructor’s attempts at humor, or making brief eye contact. And by the things they don’t do: sleeping, texting, whispering to classmates.
Norm No. 2: Consolidation of responsibility.
a few students assume responsibility for most of the discussion
- No. 1: Ask better questions.
- No. 2: Set the stage on the first day.
- No. 3: Use a syllabus quiz to show that you value participation.
- No. 4: Try a discussion about discussion.
- No. 5: Don’t give up on discussion in a large class.
- No. 6: Have students pair up.
- No. 7: Take the conversation online.
How to Keep a Discussion on Track
- Slow down the dominant talkers.
- Quizzes are good for more than just the syllabus.
- Use discussion questions to focus their reading (and the resulting debate).
- Shine a light on the “muddiest” point.
- Encourage comments from students of varied backgrounds.
Should You Grade Class Discussion?
- The argument against:
- The argument in favor:
What If a Student’s Remark Is Wrong or Misguided?
- Affirm, then correct.
- Be respectful when they’ve lost the plot.
How to Handle News Events and Controversial Topics in Class
- When to raise controversial issues.
- Should you stake out a position?
- Be clear about the ground rules.
- Ask students to take sides.
++++++++++++
more on discussions in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=discussion
29
May
2021
May
2021
Apple in China
Censorship, Surveillance and Profits: A Hard Bargain for Apple in China
Apple built the world’s most valuable business on top of China. Now it has to answer to the Chinese government.
Two decades ago, as Apple’s operations chief, Mr. Cook spearheaded the company’s entrance into China, a move that helped make Apple the most valuable company in the world and made him the heir apparent to Steve Jobs. Apple now assembles nearly all of its products and earns a fifth of its revenue in the China region. But just as Mr. Cook figured out how to make China work for Apple, China is making Apple work for the Chinese government.
Mr. Cook often talks about Apple’s commitment to civil liberties and privacy. But to stay on the right side of Chinese regulators, his company has put the data of its Chinese customers at risk
+++++++++++++++
more on Apple in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=apple+
19
May
2021
May
2021
Amazon Ring and surveillance
since Amazon bought Ring in 2018, it has brokered more than 1,800 partnerships with local law enforcement agencies. These partnerships are growing at an alarming rate.
+++++++++++++++
more on surveillance in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=surveillance
03
Nov
2020
Nov
2020
Proctorio
Students Are Rebelling Against Eye-Tracking Exam Surveillance Tools
Algorithmic proctoring software has been around for several years, but its use exploded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to quickly transition to remote learning. Proctoring companies cite studies estimating that between 50 and 70 percent of college students will attempt some form of cheating, and warn that cheating will be rampant if students are left unmonitored in their own homes.
Like many other tech companies, they also balk at the suggestion that they are responsible for how their software is used. While their algorithms flag behavior that the designers have deemed suspicious, these companies argue that the ultimate determination of whether cheating occurred rests in the hands of the class instructor.
As more evidence emerges about how the programs work, and fail to work, critics say the tools are bound to hurt low-income students, students with disabilities, students with children or other dependents, and other groups who already face barriers in higher education.
“Each academic department has almost complete agency to design their curriculum as far as I know, and each professor has the freedom to design their own exams and use whatever monitoring they see fit,” Rohan Singh, a computer engineering student at Michigan State University, told Motherboard.
after students approached faculty members at the University of California Santa Barbara, the faculty association sent a letter to the school’s administration raising concerns about whether ProctorU would share student data with third parties.
In response, a ProctorU attorney threatened to sue the faculty association for defamation and violating copyright law (because the association had used the company’s name and linked to its website). He also accused the faculty association of “directly impacting efforts to mitigate civil disruption across the United States” by interfering with education during a national emergency, and said he was sending his complaint to the state’s Attorney General.
here is a link to a community discussion regarding this and similar software use:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RemakingtheUniversity/permalink/1430416163818409/
+++++++++++++
more on Proctorio in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=proctorio
“Some of the more prominent companies offering these services include Proctorio, Respondus, ProctorU, HonorLock, Kryterion Global Testing Solutions, and Examity.”
23
Sep
2020
Sep
2020
social media circuit breakers
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/22/915676948/can-circuit-breakers-stop-viral-rumors-on-facebook-twitter
Critics of Facebook and Twitter — and even some people inside the companies — say dramatic action is needed to counter the way the platforms supercharge false, and sometimes dangerous, claims.
On social media, it is easy for rumors to go viral, while efforts to fact check or correct those rumors often lag behind.
Part of the reason these claims spread so widely on Facebook, in particular, is that the world’s biggest social network rewards engagement. Posts that get lots of shares, comments and likes get shown to more people, quickly amplifying their reach.
Facebook is well aware of its power to make stories go viral. As the fire rumors proliferated, the company put warnings on some posts its fact checkers had found false and reduced their distribution.
But that wasn’t enough to quell the rumors.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/25/916782712/civil-rights-groups-say-if-facebook-wont-act-on-election-misinformation-they-wil
+++++++++++++
more on social media in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=social+media
08
Jul
2020
Jul
2020
decline of the Roman Empire
categories: information technology
The climate changed again and began to warm, inspiring the rise of the Roman Empire. The warming trend allowed Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) to conquer and civilize Europe.
The climate change resulted in a sharp trend to a colder climate, which inspired the barbarian invasions (migration) into the Roman Empire where they moved south as the north grew severely colder.
the geologists discovered “a gradual drying between about 100 and 700 A.D. , with sharp drops in rainfall at 100 A.D. and 400 A.D.
6 ways climate change and disease helped topple the Roman Empire
The volcano that caused famines in ancient Rome? It was in Alaska
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/an-alaskan-volcano-may-have-hastened-the-fall-of-the-roman-republic/