CS 115 Reading

Modeling and Simulation:
Read CS 115 text p 206-211 starting w/ Scientific Visualization

Hardware and Software Platforms:
Read CS 115 text p. 160-162

Hardware Basics:
Read CS 115 text p. 79-91 starting w/ Bits, Bytes, Buzzwords

Kohlberg's Stages

Lecture audio: part one |part two |part three

Here is a link to Kohlberg's Moral Stages so you can complete the in-class assignment. (If you are having trouble assessing yourself, look at section 3.1 here for some example ratings.)

What do you think of Kohlberg's ideas? Carol Gilligan accuses his theory of being male-centric (details / summary.) Do you score differently on Gilligan's scale?

Great Idea!

Hello 11am class! I was perusing our blog and saw Nicole's post for the 10am class. I thought I would give you my AIM screenname as well, in case you would have any questions/comments/concerns about anything throughout the semester! Anyways, you can contact me at:

sunshines182

I am usually signed on with an away message, but I will be sure to get back to you! Please just let me know who it is when you IM me! Thanks!

See you all in class!

Liberal Asia

Probably many of us get our view of eastern culture through exported cinema (which, likely, shows western themes):



(Here, a subtle hint that you should start the semester out strong.)

Kathryn Mohrman reminds us that even something which seems as sensible as Cronon's ten qualities contains a western bias. She writes:

Cronon's final injunction "only connect" must seem strange to many Asians.

Why does she say this? Read her article, Liberal Education in an Asian Context, available here as a pdf and find out.

Comments? Opinions? Post 'em.

10 am class...

Hey guys, I tried to find the class on facebook, but was only able to find 2 or 3 of you. I was wanting to get a hold of your screen names, (if you have them, and are comfortable giving it out to me). You can IM me at: colieolie86 and then I will be able to add you. Hope to hear from you all soon, and hope you had a good first day of classes!!!!

ASSIGNMENT: Word Processing

In this article from orientation, Mark Edmundson argues that student consumerism has acted to dumb down college courses

I looked for a sound-bite to include here from his article; but it's too meaty to excerpt. Maybe this:

Is it a surprise, then, that this generation of students -- steeped in consumer culture before going off to school, treated as potent customers by the university well before their date of arrival, then pandered to from day one until the morning of the final kiss-off from Kermit or one of his kin -- are inclined to see the books they read as a string of entertainments to be placidly enjoyed or languidly cast down? Given the way universities are now administered (which is more and more to say, given the way that they are currently marketed), is it a shock that the kids don't come to school hot to learn, unable to beat their own ignorance? For some measure of self-dislike, or self-discontent -- which is much different than simple depression -- seems to me to be a prerequisite for getting an education that matters. My students, alas, usually lack the confidence to acknowledge what would be their most precious asset for learning: their ignorance.

.

I'd urge you to read his full article. Compare that, however to the essay on page 457 of our CS 115 text book which claims just the opposite:

Game companies don't rake in $6.9 billion a year by dumbing down the material.

Write a one page essay discussing these opposing views and drawing your own conclusions. If you need help using MS Word, please see me. Include a proper title, your name, etc. Print it out and hand it in at the start of CS 115 Friday afternoon.

Blogger Accounts / Discussion Guidelines

In CS 115 today, you'll make a blogger account, following these directions.

After you've made your account, use it to post your discussion guideline (as discussed this morning in FYF) as a comment to this posting.

ASSIGNMENT: Note Taking

Perhaps the most disturbing thing I see in my classes is lack of note taking.

To combat this, I want to make sure you have the skills needed to take useful notes. As a running assignment, for each of our FYF class sessions in which I predominantly lecture, a student will be assigned to take notes. These notes will be published on this web site and capture much of the content of this course.

Also, to expose you to technology, I will supply a laptop to the designated note-taker during class. I'd like to encourage all students who have a laptop to bring them to class and get into the habit of using them for note-taking. This assignment will let you experience this, even if you do not own a laptop. You'll need a USB flash-drive to remove the first draft of your notes from my computer.

Take notes according to Mortimer Adler's method, outlined in Writing While and After Listening. READ THIS before you try to take notes.

You'll turn in (by e-mail) two MS Word documents - your running notes, taken in class and your second set of revised notes. Only your revised notes will be posted here.

Because I have two sections, for each lecture you will see two sets of notes. It will be exciting to compare them!

Books and Bookstores

The University bookstore is closing in late september and another bookstore will appear downtown.

It is unclear whether you will be able to get ANY textbooks for this semester from the new bookstore; so buy your textbooks NOW.

Our bookstore does not have any copies of one of our textbooks - Unexplained Phenomena. They will not be getting it in. Part of the trouble is that a second edition (right image) is being released October 30th and the first edition (left image) is getting harder to find. You can click on either image to reach its Amazon page.

Unfortunately, we will be using this text on and off, starting as early as Sept 15th. I will make the early readings available for those who do not have a text.

My suggestion: buy the first edition used on Amazon or find someone else who has and arrange to borrow it. You will need access to this text frequently after October 15th.

Psychic Theater Trip Confirmed!

Our class will be going to see a paranormal demonstration and a seance Tuesday October 24th at the Houdini Museum in Scranton.

bus will leave from the student center about 6 PM and return about eleven.

because this is so close to Halloween, thirty tickets have already been purchased - normally $30, students in our FYF section can purchase them for $3 ONLY WHILE THEY LAST. (The rest of the cost and transportation is being paid by Wilkes.)

get your $3 deposit to me ASAP to be added to the list.

Introduction

Welcome to the course blog for FYF 101 Z2 & Z3 and the corresponding CS 115 learning community sections.

The first day of CS 115 I'll discuss how we will use this blog; I'll show you how to create a blogger account for this class so that you can leave comments; and I'll warn you about privacy issues.

During orientation, I'll look at:

• Spayde's essay & discussion prompts as a pdf (what is a pdf?)
• This secret essay on what most college students don't seem to get
• Cronon's ten Qualities of a Liberally Educated Person
• If time permits: On the Uses of a Liberal Education

Follow these links and look at them again later.

ON SUNDAY AUG 27 @ 4-5 PM, Breiseth 107 students should attend the Note Taking Workshop. I'll see you there.