Time's Harvest Emails
This will be a record of the Times' Harvest Emails that I have sent to the class. They are listed with the newest at the top.
March 8. Updated Agenda for March 3. Where to call for unchat help on March 11. Turning in essay 2.
Time's Harvest, March 8
CONTENTS:
1. Updated notes for Class 3
2. Where to call for unchat problems March 11
3. Turning in Essay 2
1. Updated notes for Class 3
I have updated the Class 3 notes for this coming Friday, March 11. This will be the unchat class session, 6 - 8 PM. I promise not to update them again!
2. Where to call for unchat problems March 11
My problems with my Internet connection at home are continuing, and it now seems more likely that I will be on campus on March 11. If you need my help with unchat, you will need to know where I am then, so that you know which number to use when you call. My assumptionis still that I will be at home; watch the course web site at http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05 for a notice about any change.
3. Turning in Essay 2
I have put up the place to turn in Essay 2 on Moodle.
March 7. unchat, Essay 2, third books, Slow Starters, making up work
This is the Time's Harvest email for Monday, March 7.
Course Web Site is http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05
CONTENTS:
1. unchat coming up
2. Essay 2 coming up
3. Third books
4. Slow Starters
5. Making up missed assignments
1. unchat coming up
Class #3 on Friday, March 11, from 6 - 8 PM, will be online using "unchat." That
is right - do not go to 122 Cohn; no one will be there (except perhaps other
people who forgot)!
We have had three unchat practice sessions. There are unchat directions on the
course web site (see above for URL), as well as links to unchat. Basically, in
unchat, you type messages and send them to me (the Moderator). I pick messages
out of the list or queue, in an order that keeps the online discussion going in
an orderly manner, and then pick replies from the queue, and enter my own
replies. YOU CAN COUNT ON EVERTHING YOU POST IN UNCHAT GETTING USED! If you feel
that the Moderator is ignoring something important, you can SHOUT straight to
the class, but you are limited to three SHOUTS (Going through the moderator is
called SPEAKING; that is unlimited.)
The agenda for Class 3 is also on the course web site (see above for ULR); you
should have this printed out and beside you during the 6 - 8 PM class on March
11.
2. Essay 2 coming up
Essay 2 on The Third Wave is due this Friday, March 11. I will put up a separate
"widget" on Moodle to use in turning in your file.
NOTE: Your essay whould be on one of the assigned topics. Use the "Reading
Questions" link on the course web site (see above), under "Syllabus for ISP
3360" (directly underneath "Online citizenship"). If you want to write on
another topic, get in touch with me beforehand.
3. Third books
The third books for both ISP 3360 and ISP 3340 (Directed Study) are ON THE
SHELVES at the WSU Barnes and Noble campus bookstore. You can also buy these
books elsewhere.
ISP 3360 - Futuring: The Exploration of the Future, by Edward Cornish
ISP 3340 - The Lexus and the Olive Tree, by Thoman Friedman
4. Slow Starters
By "Slow Starters," I mean people who have done essentially NOTHING (ZERO
POSTINGS, ONE OR TWO POISTINGS) in Moodle, for example. The rest of you can stop
reading here. As you Slow Starters let time go by, finishing this course by the
end of the semester is getting harder and harder. I have to ask myself - are you
slow starters really TRYING to fail? I don't want to see that happen, and I hope
you don't either. But what is going on?
5. Making up missed assignments:
* To make up a posting, do a posting
* To make up an Essay, write and turn in the Essay
* To make up a class, write a one-page summary of the notes (see me if you
cannot read PowerPoint files)
* To make up one Weekly Course Progress Report, do one additional posting
February 28. Making up work, using unchat, grades on Moodle
Time's Harvest email for 2/28/05:
CONTENTS
1. Making up missed work
2. The class meeting on Friday March 11 will be online
3. There are three unchat practice sessions before March 11
4. Help with unchat - contacting me
5. Grades in Moodle
1. Making up missed work
In class last Friday February 25 we went over how to make up past work in this
class.
* Essay makeup (Four essays are 60% of grade). Do the Essay and turn it in
(postings help here).
* Posting makeup (34 postings are 20% of grade). Do the posting (get very hard
if you fall behind the group).
* Course information form (10% of grade). Complete your Moodle profile.
* Missed class (four classes are 5% of grade). One-page double-spaced summary of
course notes. PowerPoint notes available on course web site. Contact me if you
need a hard copy (if, for example, you don't have PowerPoint).
* Missed Weekly Progress Report (5% of grade). One extra posting per missed
report.
I do have to turn in a grade for you at the end of the semester. If you are
behind then, you need to think what this grade will be:
* Low regular grade
* I (incomplete) - at least half of work turned in, can be made up after
semester
* X (dropout, bad) - less than half of work in
2. The class meeting on Friday March 11 will be online over the Web, via "unchat"
(not a regular face-to-face meeting). You may need to come to campus, for
example the Undergraduate Library, to access unchat. There is a link to unchat
on the course web site at http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05
There will be an agenda for the class available on the course web site as a Word
file, beforehand. You should print this out and have it beside you during the
unchat seesion.
3. There are three unchat practice sessions before March 11. "Attend" one of
them (they are online). Once you get a feel for how unchat works, that is all
that is required; you can leave.
* Monday 2/28 6 - 7 PM.
* Friday 3/4 6 - 7 PM.
* Saturday 3/5 11 AM - Noon
4. Help with unchat - contacting me. I expect to be unchatting from home for all
of these sessions. Call me if you are having troubles. My home telephone is
248-549-8518. I may have to come to campus instead. My campus telephone is
313-577-1498.
5. Grades in Moodle. The only online grades in Moodle that I think SHOULD be
working now are those for the Weekly Progress Reports. Others should start
working during the semester. All others are most likely missing or incorrect.
February 22. Using unchat, and class meeting this Friday February 25
Time's Harvest, ISP 3360
1. Reminder about face-to-face class meeting This coming Friday, February 25, 6
- 8 PM in 122 Cohn Building.
2. I see from Melissa Small's posting that some are already trying unchat.
Great! Here is your login information for this system:
Your Username is your first name, then a space, then your last name. Example,
for me "david bowen" (without the quotes).
Your Password is your AccessID, the thing with two letters followed by four
numbers, that you use to log in to Pipeline and BlackBoard with. For example,
for me "aa2012" (without the quotes).
As with most logins, your Username is NOT case-sensitive (mix capital and
lower-case letters any way you want), while your Password IS (both letters
lower-case).
You will not be able to chat in unchat without me there as the Moderator, but
you can get an idea of what it will be like as follows:
A. Login as above
B. Click on link "Time's Harvest, practising and March 11"
C. You will see that same link on the next page - click on it there, too.
D. Click on the big "LET'S UNCHAT!! >>>"
E. Two separate screens will open up. The "RULES" screen won't mean too much -
click on "CLOSE WINDOW." That will leave the other new screen, the chat window.
That is where you will be stuck. To leave, click on "X" at the top right of the
separate screen, then click on "LOG OUT."
It will be useful to see that you can see all of the chat window.
I will go over this live, with pictures and everything in the notes, in class
this Friday (February 25).
February 18. Multiple topics.
Time's Harvest Email for Friday 2/18
1. Class Meeting #2 is next Friday 2/25 6 - 8 PM in 122 Cohn Building. I hope to
see everyone there.
2. I am extremely concerned about the many people who are off to a very slow
start (zero to two postings, for example). I am going to try to call those of
you in this situation. But you could also call me, or even reply to this email.
Bottom line for you: it's time to get moving, even today!
3. For those taking the two- and four-credit Directed Study courses, I will be
emailing Quiz 1 tomorrow (Saturday 2/19). It will be a Word file, an open-book
quiz that you should complete and email back to me. If you have any trouble with
the Quiz file, you should both call me and email me as soon as possible.
4. I am well into "Futuring", the third book, getting ready to post Essay
questions for it. I am impressed from what I have read so far. Here is a teaser:
Edward Cornish (the author) compares the journeys of the great explorers in the
15th and 16th centuries, to our journey into a future that will be very
different from what we know today. He looks at what those explorers did - how
they prepared. Here is what he recommends to us:
A. First, read those who have thought about this. Those earlier explorers read
the journals and books of their predecessors. Even "wrong" information - a bad
map, for example - is better than no information at all.
B. Imagine your journey - try to imagine it in detail. For the explorers, try to
imagine what a storm would be like, what a jungle would be like, what a charging
wild beast would be like. This imagining is also an important part of your
preparation. What skills will you need? What situations will you face? What
decisions will you need to make?
February 15. Weekly reports
Time's Harvest Confusion
I was late in putting up Weekly Report 4, and then I extended it, but didn't
extend Weekly Report 5, and this has caused confusion. So in order to cut
through this problem,
1. You only have to do Weekly Report 4 OR Weekly Report 5, but not both.
2. For the people who have done both, they can skip a later one if they want to.
After #5, Weekly Reports will be due (close) each Sunday at 11 PM. The next one,
Weekly Report #6, closes this coming Sunday, February 20, by 11 PM.
February 11. Multiple topics.
This is one of your regular emails for Time's Harvest, ISP 3360.
CONTENTS:
1. The second class meeting
2. My plans for the second class
3. The third class meeting and unchat
4. Moodle grades
5. Some have barely started the class
1. The second class meeting is coming up, on Friday February 25, 6 - 8 PM, in
122 Cohn Building on campus. The Cohn Building is at 5557 Cass avenue, the
Southwest corner of Cass and Plamer, diagonally across the intersection from the
A/AB Building, home to the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and the
Cashier's office.
2. My plans for the second class at this point are (a) pointing out features of
Moodle that you may not be aware of, (b) some benefits and dangers of online
classes, (c) a little bit about unchat, and mostly (d) The Third Wave - the book
and the transition.
I will put up a non-credit forum for suggestions about this class meeting.
3. The third class meeting is Friday March 11, 6- 8 PM. Those who posted in the
unchat Forum were overwhelmingly in favor of using unchat online for a virtual
third class meeting, so that is a go. There will be online practice sessions
beforehand, and everyone is assigned to do one of these. So far, the schedule
for these is:
* Monday February 28, 6 - 7 PM
* Friday March 4, 6 - 7 PM
* Saturday March 5, 11 AM - Noon
You will not have to "be there" the full hour - 15 minutes or less should be
enough. You should also try the link to unchat even before this - there will be
one on the course web site at http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05, Actually,
there will be two - one that should work if your web browser has the Flash
plug-in installed, and another if it does not.
4. There have been a couple of anguished postings about wierd, low or no grades
in Moodle. I am still learning how to get the Moodle grades to work the way I
want, and for some assignments they may not work right this semester at all. The
bottom line is that the grading will be done according to the syllabus, whether
Moodle agrees or not. I do appreciate your pointing problems out, or at least
what seem to be problems. Please continue to do that - I can't fix problems I
don't know about. But I hope you don't get bent out of shape by the grades that
Moodle assigns. You will have separate grades for each component of the course
as listed in the syllabus. If you feel that you deserve different (OK, higher)
grades for any component, we will work that out. I think I have been very good
that way.
5. This is the end of the fifth week of classes, about one-third of the way
through the semester. Roughly, you should have about ten postings by now, in
order to stay on track. Many people are nowhere close to this number. The
postings that count towards the grade, after the first three (Introduce
Yourself, Taking an online course is different because, and Changes I have seen)
are in the one called "Main Online Course Discussion (counts towards grade)" (I
do TRY to put the bottom line right out there in plain sight!).
You would not believe how hard it is to post messages when the discussion has
moved on. HERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO PLAY CATCH-UP.
Jeannine Burrell
Agatha Butts-Dier
Sean Cumming
Kinshasa Hughes
Angela Ireland
Jennifer Levine
JoAnne Lewan
Stacy McAfee
Ryan Partington - Ryan, you not posting: !@$#&?
Brenda Raymond
Mary Smith
Sandra Williams
That's it for now. See you online, and on the 25th.
January 23, 2005. Multiple topics.
This email is about Times' Harvest, ISP 3360. Probably most of them won't be this long.
Contents:
1. Update from class last Friday (1/21)
2. Getting off to a good start
3. Upcoming assignments
4. Watch for web page on possible third books
5. Second class
6. Third class and "unchat"
7. Making up the class (only for those who missed it)
1. Update from class last Friday (1/21)
Going over my notes from Friday's class (1/21), I did not make one important point about the Essays, so here it is: These Essays are NOT research assignments. That is, if you do go outside the assigned readings or your own experience or general knowledge, and look up additional information, that will not affect your grade, either positively or negatively. Instead, these essays are about understanding the assigned readings and keeping up with the class discussion, and applying your own experience and general knowledge.
2. Getting off to a good start
I want to repeat a point that I made in class last Friday - for those who missed the class, this will be new information. Online classes in general have high dropout rates - about half of the people who start out, end up getting X, I or E grades because they turn in almost zero in the way of assignments. I do not find this acceptable - having people pay tuition and end up with nothing to show for it and in fact having a bad transcript.
The group of people that does drop out come almost entirely from the larger group that does very little during the first two or three weeks of the semester. (However, SOME in this larger group of "slow starters" do go on to do well.)
One of the reasons I chose Moodle is that it gives me a good idea of how active people are, including this beginning of the semester. You can check your own progress in Moodle, under "Activities" in the "Administration" block.
Expect to hear from me if you do get off to a slow start. My emphasis will be on getting you to make up your mind about whether you will REALLY do the work, in time to withdraw while you will still get your tuition back, if you decide that your slow start is not an accident.
3. Upcoming assignments
* Essay 1 due in three weeks
* Reading in The Third Wave
* Postings, starting in Class discussion
4. Watch for web page on possible third books
Both classes (ISP 3360 and ISP 3340) will have one additional book assigned. One possibility is that everyone will get to pick from a list (with an option to go outside the list), but I am not leaning in that direction at this point. I am leaning in the direction of specifying a third book, after listening to whatever people have to say on this topic (there is a Moodle Forum set up for this). I am, in fact, leaning towards a particular book ("Futuring: The Exploration of the Future" by Edward Cornish, President or maybe past President of the World Future Society - see link on course web site) but I haven't actually seen it yet - it's on its way from Amazon.com.
I will post a web page with brief descriptions of several possible third books so that you will have some basis for posting an opinion, if you want to.
5. Second class
The second class is coming up on Friday, February 25, 6 - 8 PM in 122 Cohn Building (on the intersection of Cass and Palmer, diagonally across from the IS headquarters in the FAB Building, also known as 5700 Cass, also the location for the Cashier's office).
6. I spoke about my interest in holding the third class meeting online, using "unchat," with which I had a very good experience last semester. In fact everyone in the class liked it, and I had to kick them out (and I believe a few kept on going on their own). Doing this would mean some extra online work for everyone to get ready, so there is a Moodle Forum where you can voice your opinion.
7. Making up the class (only for those who missed it, listed below)
* Kwenda Hodges (see me about your registration)
* Cheryl Lowe
* Stacy Mcafee
* Brenda Raymond
* Mary Smith
* Carmelita Williams (see me about your registration)
The makeup assignment for class meetings is in the web page "Making up a missed class," on the course web site. I have changed the fourth part of that assignment today (1/21) to read "Fourth, you are assigned to turn in a one-page summary of the class content, excluding any material in the notes that was not actually covered, and including any additional material covered that was not in the class notes, to demonstrate that you have the information from the class." That is, you are not going to take a Quiz, but instead write a summary.
January 14, 2005. Reminder about class on January 21, people who still need to get started
Hello from your ISP 3360 Times' Harvest Instructor.
The course web site is http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05
First, a reminder about the first class meeting next Friday, January 21, 6 - 8 PM, in 223 State Hall. Four points about the meeting:
I do need to add the second- and later-week activities on Moodle. I plan to do this tomorrow (Saturday 1/15).
I am still trying to track down people who may not know about how to get started. Here is the list of people I am still waiting to hear from:
January 8, 2005. More time available for first Moodle assignments.
I realize that the list of Moodle assignments that I sent out yesterday (January 7) can seem daunting, although it really is not. However, while the assignments say they are due by next Sunday, January 16, you really have up until the start of the first class, or 6 PM on Friday January 21.
BUT: there will be additional assignments for that second week. Just not so much.
Also, there are two new pages on the course web site:
January 7, 2005. Moodle assignments.
Moodle assignments, for the first week of classes (Monday January 10 - Sunday January 16):
I think these instructions will work well for you, but if you have trouble, CONTACT ME FOR HELP RIGHT AWAY! (Do not let your frustration build up. Phone will be better than email.) This may look like a lot to do, but most of it will go very quickly.
A. Start a web browser and go to http://techtools.culma.wayne.edu/moodle (there is also a link off of the course web site).
B. Scroll down to the very bottom of the screen and click on Login
C. Follow the directions on the right side side of the screen - the ones under "Is this your first time here?" That is, create a new account on Moodle. (When Moodle asks for your "Surname," that is your last or family name.)
D. When you get to step 3 of the instructions on the Moodle web site (reading your email from Moodle), the title of the email message will be "CULMA Open Learning Forums: account confirmation" and it will be from "Bill Warters."
E. When you get to Step 5 of the instructions on the Moodle web site, the course you want to enrol in will be listed as "Times' Harvest."
F. Trust me, you will need this: the enrolment key for this course is "interesting" (without the quotes).
AFTER THIS FIRST TIME, YOU WILL LOGIN ON THE LEFT SIDE UNDER "Returning to this web site?"
G. On the opening screen - it says "CULMA Open Learning Forums" in big letters up at the top - under "People", click on "Edit profile." You can set this as you wish, except I do require an address and TWO telephone numbers (which can be the same) down near the bottom. Phone 1 should be a daytime telephone number, and Phone 2 an evening telephone number.
ON EVERY SCREEN AFTER THE OPENING SCREEN, the "breadcrumbs" separated by ">>" on the top green bar are very important and very helpful for moving around, and are much better than the "Back" button. For example, clicking on the rightmost white breadcrumb works like a "Cancel" for whatever you are in at the time. The "ISP_3360" breadcrumb will always get you back to "Course Central" in Moodle, where there is a link back to the public web site for the course.
H. Under "10 January - 16 January" there are four Forums (online discussions) for the first four assigned messages to post in ISP 3360, and a fifth for the people in ISP 3340. Click on the blue text to respond in each of these during the first week. To post your reply, look for the blue "Reply" link in the lower right corner. For the "First responses" Forums, you need to have done SOME reading in that textbook, even if it is only five or so pages.
I. In the same block, there is also a Weekly Report to complete during the first week. Click on the blue text to complete your report.
J. In the same block, there is a "File Test." Prepare a word processing file The file should contain (a) your name, (b) the name of this assignment ("File Test"), (c) your email address and (d) the date of your file. Your file name should start with your three initials (use "_" if you do not have a middle initial). Then click on the blue File Test link and follow the directions to upload the file. Watch your email for my emailing the file back to you with something new added and a slightly new name, and finally email me to tell me what I added to your test file. This will test that we can read each other's computer files, an important part of this online class.
Enough for now - more later.
January 4, 2005. Greetings.
This is your first email about the Times' Harvest courses, ISP 3360 and ISP 3340, for the Winter 2005 semester.
There is a course web site up and running at http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/thw05. It has syllabi for both courses. There are assignments to be done during the first week of classes, even though the first class meeting will not be until the Friday of the second week of classes. This first meeting will be Friday January 21, 6 - 8 PM, in 223 State Hall on campus.
Textbooks should be available at the Barnes and Noble campus bookstore, although you can buy them at other places also. A warning about buying the first ones online though: the one- to two-week delay could put you seriously behind schedule right at the beginning.
I would appreciate a reply to this email, to let me know that you received it.
I am looking forward to meeting each of you during the first class on January 21. I recognize some of the names, so welcome back.
David Lazarus, I am assuming that you are in here by accident. Is that right?