UMUC WRTG391 WEEK 1 assignments

.umuc.edu/d2l/le/54162/discussions/topics/555902/View”>Critically Thinking in WRTG 391.umuc.edu/d2l/le/54162/discussions/topics/555902/View”>Critically
Thinking in WRTG 391

Assignment:
After watching Dr. Derek Cabrera’s
lecture please write a short paragraph in which you answeroneof
the following questions:
1.
Why
does Dr. Cabrera differentiate between the ability to memorize large chunks of
information and the ability to take knowledge and structure it to solve a novel
problem?
2.
How does Dr. Cabrera define
thinking?
3.
Identify 4 of the major types
of thinking that Dr. Cabrera mentions?
4.
Explain the “Legos” metaphor
that Dr. Cabrera uses.
5.
What is the “bandwidth
solution” to education?
6.
According to Dr. Cabrera, what
are the four universal thinking skills?
After your short paragraph, please
answer the following question to the best of your ability:
How does a course like WRTG 391
ask you to create distinctions in knowledge, to recognize how systems are
structured, to define relationships, or to explore knowledge from multiple
perspectives? Please respond generously to at least two of your fellow
classmates.
Cabrera, Derek. [TedX]. (2011,
December 6) “How Thinking Works.” [Video file]. Retrieved from

2
Choosing a Technological
Transformations Topic
Courses that fulfill the General
Education Requirements (GERs) at UMUC all have a common theme—technological
transformations. In following this theme this semester
in WRTG391, we will have readings on technological transformations in the
Reserved Readings. You will follow this topic throughout the course, using it
to develop a critique essay, to create a critical annotated bibliography, to
synthesize a literature review, and to write a final niches and gaps essay.
You have five choices for your research
topic. Please chooseoneof
the four choices.
1.Review
the literature on the impact of the Internet on information literacy and
library skills.
For example, you might review the
literature on one or more of the following. These are just examples. Many
approaches are possible for this topic.
a. The impact of the Internet on
plagiarism in student papers.
b. The impact of the Internet on
research methods among students.
c. The impact of Wikipedia and other
web 2.0 applications on the use of information.

2.Review the literature on the impact of
technology on the health care field.
For example, you might review the
literature on any one or more of the following. These are just examples. Many
approaches are possible for this topic.
a. The impact of a particular
technological development on health care costs.
b. The implications of maintaining a
nationwide health care electronic database of every patient’s medical records.

3.Review
the literature on the impact of assessment and measurement on education.
For example, you might review the
literature on any one of the following. These are just examples. Many
approaches are possible for this topic.
a. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
and the use of measurement in its assessments.
b. The use of placement exams for
entrance into colleges and universities.
c. The use of placement exams for
enrollment into entry-level writing and mathematics courses in colleges and
universities.
d. The Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) movement in education.

4. Review the literature on the
impact of technology on a field of study or topic of your choice.
This option represents a more general approach
to the assignment.
Some examples might be the following.
These are just examples. Many approaches are possible for this topic.
a. The impact of mobile devices on
cybersecurity
b. The impact of the Internet on the
field of advertising
c. The impact of cloud computing on a
particular business field
d. The impact of the Internet in an
area of communication studies
e. The impact of the Internet on global
marketing strategies
f. The impact of a particular type of
technology on health care
g. The impact of technology on
education in a particular field of study
h. The impact of technology at a
particular time in history for a particular country or region.
Here are some readings that may help
you as you are working on brainstorming, researching, and evaluating your
topics. Please click on the links to access the articles.

.umuc.edu/d2l/common/dialogs/quickLink/quickLink.d2l?ou=54162&type=content&rcode=UMUC-245995″>Chapter 11, Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?
.umuc.edu/d2l/common/dialogs/quickLink/quickLink.d2l?ou=54162&type=content&rcode=UMUC-283183″>Chapter 3, Critical Thinking in College Writing: From the Personal to the
Academic

Assignment:
After choosing a topic to work with
throughout the semester, imagine that you are part of a team of researchers
developing a grant proposal to fund a study on the chosen topic. A Wealthy
Foundation may be willing to write a grant check but you have to convince them
that your research topic is worth funding. Write a short paragraph that answers the
following questions about the research topic:
1. Why
did I choose this research topic?
2. What
problem will this research solve?
3. Who
will be interested in this research? Why?

3
.umuc.edu/d2l/le/54162/discussions/topics/555904/View”>UMUC
Databases and Researching Topics

Your first formal assignment will ask
you to completea critique essayof
an article. This exercise will help you to become
familiar with academic research and the UMUC databases.
Task:
Once you’ve chosen your research topic,
please watch the following video tutorials about the UMUC Library Databases.
Video tutorial #1
.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_01/tutorial_01.html”>http://polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_01/tutorial_01.html

Video tutorial #2
.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_02/tutorial_02.html”>http://polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_02/tutorial_02.html

Video tutorial #3
.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_03/tutorial_03.html”>http://polaris.umuc.edu/de/csi/2012_library_tutorials/tutorial_03/tutorial_03.html

After watching the videos, please find
a scholarly article on your topic. When you have found a scholarly article,
please write a short summary of that source and post it below. You can find
good advice on summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources inModule
1 in Course Resources. You can find
citation advice and examples in .umuc.edu/d2l/common/dialogs/quickLink/quickLink.d2l?ou=54162&type=content&rcode=UMUC-245997″>Chapter 13, APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting.
Please provide 2 of your classmates
with generous responses to their summaries.

4.
.umuc.edu/d2l/le/54162/discussions/topics/555905/View”>Critically
Reading for College
.gif” alt=”https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/img/lp/pixel.gif”>Critically Reading

One of the challenges students face throughout college is how to
manage the information that they encounter. It is often difficult for learners
to understand which readings are important and how to prioritize that
knowledge. Students can struggle to understand the complex arguments that
academics engage in.

Here are some hints to help you as you begin to work on
critically reading for the course.

1.
Prior to reading a complex source deeply, spend some time
skimming the work. Look for headings, graphs, charts, and illustrations as
these can be visual clues that indicate the author’s meaning.
2.
Try to take notes that focus on the author’s argument. It is not
enough to note facts and figures. Try to recognize how the author is
constructing the argument. Put the argument in context.
3.
While reading, keep thinking about the source. Keep asking
questions. Write those questions down.
4.
Spend some time writing reflectively on the reading.

Tou
might also find material at the following link. Southampton Solent University
has developed this material on Reflective
Writing. Please click on the link below and
use it to help you to complete the following assignment.
.solent.ac.uk/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=2732″>Reflective Thinking and Writing

Assignment:
As you think back over the research material, assess your ability
to critically
read it. Spend some time thinking about your progress this week and
your critical reading skills and post a short reflective paragraph below.
Please share your own strategies for improving critical reading skills.
Southampton Solent University (2014). “Reflective Thinking and
Writing.” Retrieved October 7, 2014
at: http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=2732