Tuesday, November 29, 2011

CMOD6001 COM Class

Some students used the time to hold meetings. I answered some questions. Quiet enough.

CMOD6001 COM Lab

Students were very busy working on the project.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM

Students were just chilin' and playing games, so I left them at it.

CMOD6001 DWEB Lab

Quiet morning. Most students worked on stuff for other modules.

Monday, November 28, 2011

SOFT7001 Class

Students worked away on their websites.

We learned that if you don't explicitly use the media="screen" when using media="print", the print style sheet will interact with the regular style sheet and you might get things you weren't expecting.

CMOD6001 ITS/M Lab

Students worked away on their projects

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab B

Students worked on the project

CMOD6001 COM1

Students worked away on the project. Good turn out.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

CIT has no power today

CIT has no power for parts of today so some services you are used to having might not be available. Access to some of your cloud based services require authentication from a CIT based server, so that might cause problems for you also.

I have no CIT e-mail today

Thursday, November 24, 2011

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM

Group V gave a presentation

Some students spoke with their IUT group members afterwards

SOFT7001 Class canceled this afternoon

I'm not feeling great so I'm going to head home early today. But if you are stuck for something please e-mail me before 1430.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

One group went next door to record some video.

Others groups met to work on the projects.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

Students seemed to be very busy plotting away. I look forward to seeing the finished works.

Colin M

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Class

I talked about "Christmas Day"

Students worked on their projects and I met with some groups. I had some tough words for one group, but it's members are in a hole numerically and their project needs to be very good for them to pass.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

Group J (Daniele & Allison) gave a presentation on Internet Crime

Group T (Alex & Sean) gave a presentation on Net Neutrality

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Anonymous comments disabled

I have disabled anonymous comments for this blog. I had believed that allowing students to post anonymously would allow for a free-er exchange of ideas, but that turned out not to be the case. I was very disappointed with the tone and character of the comments that were left. I think I may have done students a disservice. In publishing the comments I may have given the impression that that kind of behaviour is acceptable.

Comments can still be added to any post, but the poster will have to log in. Of course fake gmail addresses remain an option.

CMOD6001 Late Papers

The deadline for the papers is noon on Wednesday. Late papers will have the 2 week penalty applied to them. So a paper that might have got 45 if it were on time, would get 25%. If your second draft was half decent, it might be worth more on time, than a better paper is worth late. So if you miss the deadline make sure you make that calculation before submitting.

Once you've missed the deadline there is no rush. So you should probably ask Colin for his opinion of the old paper, before submitting a new one late.

Turnitin overwrites the old paper, so there's no going back.

update: I have changed the settings on turnitin so that students cannot submit after the deadline. Students who have arranged an extension will still be able to submit by contacting Colin. Student will still be permitted to submit late, but only once I am confident they understand the consequences of their choice.

Britain's Greatest Codebreaker

There's an documentary starting on Channel 4. Available for viewing online.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/britains-greatest-codebreaker/4od

SOFT7001 Extension

The deadline for the project is extended to noon on Friday 02 December. Students must e-mail the URL for the website to Colin before then.

SOFT7001 Class

Students worked away on their projects.

We discovered that if the max-width media query doesn't do what need, maybe the max-device-width will do the trick.

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

Questions about turnitin.

Some questions about presentation results.

CMOD6001 COM1 Lab A

Talked some people through essay feedback. Other students ran some project ideas by me. The projects sound interesting, I'm just worried about the time frame.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM

Students worked away on various things. I met with a few to discuss their essays in depth. And some ran a few project ideas by me. Things seem to be taking shape. I almost wish the semester was a few weeks longer. Students could do great things in that time.

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab

Students worked away on various things.

Monday, November 21, 2011

CMOD6001 Project Demonstrations

We will have project demonstrations on Friday morning of week 12 from 0930 to 1300. Students who may be unavailable at this time should let Colin know on advance.

The schedule will vary slightly from class to class. Details to follow.

SOFT7001 Class

Students worked away on their projects.

SOFT7001 Room change Dec 01

On Dec 02 we will be in IT2.2 instead of IT2.3

CMOD6001 ITS/M Lab

Today's lab is canceled.

Student's scheduled to give presentations today will do so on Wednesday at 12 in C170.

Update: 21/11/2011 1615
It will be Thursday at 1300

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab B

Today's lab is canceled.

CMOD6001 COM1 Lab B

Students worked away on whatever they saw fit to work on. I had no particular plan today. There were a few questions on the game project.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

CMOD6001 Essay Feedback

If you were one of the students who did not get feedback in the first wave of corrections you can ask for an extension of up to Friday at noon by sending an e-mail to Colin before Wednesday. However it's a good idea to get the paper in by the regular deadline of noon on Wednesday, so that you can get on with other things.

The Turnitin settings for this assignment have been changed so that students can see their own originality reports. This allows students to see the same report Colin will see. That's probably a mistake, because some  students will spend lots of time trying to game the system, instead of actually writing. For example, one student changed "New York" to "the Big Apple" in an attempt to disguise copied text.

Friday, November 18, 2011

CMOD6001 Assessment Weightings

I have modified the assignment weighting to account for the notable absence of Scandinavians.. See the Assignment Details under Quick Links over ->

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

Only 5 students on class

Met with groups in so far as that was meaningful

Group NB
plot sorted
nothing implemented
time to go with whatever plan there is by the end of today

Group CD
lots of good ideas still floating around
need to pin down the clouds and make some drinking water
time to start doing and start assigning some tasks
start thinking about the player experience

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

I met with the groups for an update


Group B
3/3
plot sorted
just need to implement everything now
an excused absence for 25/11


Group C
4/4
plot done. props organized
working on clues. sounds interesting.
site specific. and someone will need to run it on the day
if it doesn't all go right on the night it won't be for lack of effort


Group D
some group issues that need to be addressed
I am splitting this group into two . I'm not happy about this. But there doesn't seem to be an option at this stage. Group K and Group L. The tossed for the two Finns that came with the old group.

Group K
2 students nos

Group L
2 + 1 now


Group E
4/4


Group F
3/4
ideas a plenty
nothing implemented
plot organized
need to get a move it


Group Y
1/4 in
this student is leaving to join another group
I'm not happy but there doesn't seem to be much choice.

Group W
2/4
plot almost sorted
some implementation started
need more suspects. 2 not enough
I can host pages, but there's a turn around time
Finn on board but not very technical

Group X
1/4
But group seems to be doing OK
Nothing really done yet. running out of time

CMOD6001 DWEB1

Less than half of the class was in. But there seemed to be a few almost complete groups. So some groups got some work done. I met with each group for an update


Group WA
2/2 students in
Planning some sort of board game. I think this is a bit limiting
not maybe time enough to do something more interesting


Group WO
1 student in
nothing new since last week
group doesn't seem to be getting get much done
student who is in probably needs to get moving without the others

Group WB
4/4 in
Finn is in place and working away with the group
need to get a move on
some cool ideas
make decisions today!


Group WM
2/4 in
wanted to use recent actual murders, but I advised against it
sounds very complicated
think about the players' experience and how it works
not much time left for planning. time to execute the plan


Group WN
4/5
plot sorted. sounds a bit elaborate
need to pin things down today and then go execute whatever plan there is


Group WE
3/5 in
scenario well developed. sounds good.
but need to figure how to implement it

CMOD6001 Project Submission Times

Completed projects should be submitted to Colin on 30 November during the following times

ITS/ITM 1200-1230 C170
ITS/ITM 1300-1400 C123c
DWEB1 1400-1430 B219
DCOM1 1300-1400 C123c
DNET1 1300-1400 C123c
COM1 1300-1400 C123c

Details of the project event on Friday 02 December will be finalized soon. All students will be expected to attend this event.

CMOD6001 Essay Feedback

I believe I've given feedback on all of the essays now. If I've missed yours please e-mail me and I'll get to it.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

SOFT7001 Class

Students worked any on their websites. My contribution was minimal.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

Skype sessions with IUT and I met with groups

Group R
Story in progress
Need to get a move on

Group H
Plot sorted
Just need to work on details

Group G
Just 1 student in
Unable to provide update


Group S
Plans not very far advanced but work progressing
Plenty if imagination in evidence, but work needs to be done to deliver

Group Q
Basic plot done


Group V
Plans well advanced


 

How Science Catches Criminals

How Science Catches Criminals

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

I asked student to meet in their groups and work on the project.

I met with groups for an update


Group CB
2 students in
No real story yet
Have been thinking about it but progress is slow

Group CD
2 students in
Using dinner party structure where players take on roles. That takes a lot of set up and planning


Group CE
Only 1 in
He is moving to another group. Be sure to send me the details


Group NA
2 in
Still working in ideas
A but cryptic
No plans to use real world objects
Need to think a bit more
We knocked around a few ideas


Group NB
3 students in
Plot sorted. Sounds good
On track
 

CMOD6001 Game Requirements

We've talk a lot in class about what the game might look like and how it might work. But it's a good idea to write a few things down.

If you are doing the standard kind of game we discussed you'll need at a minimum:
  • a setup clue that explains the scenario and what happened
  • at least 10 individual clues
  • a whodunnit video that explains who did what and why and how the clues add up to that conclusion (probably in a sealed envelope)
  • minimum of 5 suspects
  • a printout of all the QR codes and where they go, just in case there's a problem reading them
  • submit it in a shoe box (if it fits)

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

CMOD6001 DNET/CDOM

Esays

FI

Referencing

Game

CMOD6001 Referencing and Project

We had a good discussion of the referencing handout and the game project in a class during the week. All encore performances weren't as good, so interested students might ant to download it.

cmod6001-com1-20111115.m4a

CMOD6001 DWEB1

Group list

FI

Essay resubmit

presentation absences

referencing and handout

questions about game assignment

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

I gave a handout on referencing and we went through it.

I talked a bit about the essay resubmissions. Some students were genuinely surprised that the plagiarism flag went up on their papers. That's why copying and pasting is so dangerous. You can sometime forget to reference, or not be clear on what was your own and what was borrowed.

We discussed the game project a bit, but there were very few questions.

There will be presentations during next Monday's lab class. Thursday's class will be used for IUT meetings.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Microsoft Academic Alliance

The Microsoft Academic alliance is a programme that gives softwrae free to students. It has the usual developer tools that students use for programming. But there is also some interesting cool stuff.

Microsoft® Expression® Studio takes your creative possibilities to a new level. The professional design tools and innovative technologies in Expression Studio give you the flexibility and freedom to bring your vision to reality—whether you are designing standards-based Web sites, rich user experiences on the desktop, or managing digital assets and content.

Songsmith generates musical accompaniment to match a singer's voice. Just choose a musical style, sing into your PC's microphone, and Songsmith will create backing music for you. Then share your songs with your friends and family, post your songs online, or create your own music videos.

XNA Game Studio 4.0 is a programming environment that allows you to use Visual Studio to create games for Windows Phone, the Xbox 360 console, and Windows-based computers. XNA Game Studio includes the XNA Framework, which is a set of managed libraries designed for game development based on Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.


Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The visual nature of the language allows for rapid design iteration using only an Xbox game controller for input (mouse/keyboard input is also supported).


 

SOFT7001 Class

I arrived a bit late.

I met with students and they showed me what they have done so far.

Some issues that came up.

The requirement not to use too many classes is not a total ban. Obviously the menu list is going to be a different class of list

Yo don't need to specifically check for iPhones. Below a certain width or height we can presume we are in  mobile phone territory

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

Groups

FI

Essay open

References

Game project

audio: cmod6001-com1-20111115.m4a

CMOD6001 COM1 Lab A

Group Y gave a presentation on Internet Crime but only one student was present.

I emailed on URLs for YouTube videos of the presentations but actually most of this group's ones have yet to be uploaded.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM

I told students about the re-submission opportunities for the paper

Students in this group are keen to see the recordings of their presentations, so they said it was OK for me to post the URLs a comments to the group blog. I went back to my office and started uploading some more.

When I cam back I met with the groups to get an update on the game project

Group T
Nothing done yet
Get moving

Group S
Nothing done yet
Get moving

Group Q
Nothing done yet

Group R
ideas. But still thinking about it. Nerds to be pinned down soon

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab A

I asked students to check the information on the group list. I've been having a hard time keeping up with changes in group composition. I offered to send around a list of Metropolia students, but everyone seems to be OK. I told students about the feedback available on turnitin. Not everyone is done yet.

I met with the groups for an update on the game
Group WO
Has done some work in the mechanics
No plot device yet. Need to work on that
No FI guy yet
Need to get cracking


Group WM
Have a FI. Working away
No plot yet


Group WM
Plot nearly done.
No FI yet

Group WL
Just 2 really in the group
Group going to split up

CMOD6001 Essays

I am still working my way through the essays. Since writing is an iterative process, I wanted to give students feedback on their papers. But very few students submitted drafts. I propose to allow students to re-submit their papers so that they can correct any problems I might have identified. The deadline is noon on Wednesday 23 November. Students who don't want to re-submit need not take any action.

26 students got no feedback at all yet. They are all in the second half of the alphabet. I hope to get through those in the next few days.

Students that copied and pasted extensively from the internet got no feedback other than that.

The 10 mark late penalty for submitting in the first week after the deadline will be waived for all students. So students who missed the deadline can still submit, albiet without the benefit of feedback. The 20 mark penalty for submitting in the second week will still apply.

You should be able to see any comments I have on your paper by logging in to turnitin.

I have collected up a lot of the comments so that students can avoid making the same mistakes as others. Some comments are topic specific.

Monday, November 14, 2011

SOFT7001 Class

We firmed up the assignment specification

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Lab

I met with the groups and got an update on the games.

I asked students to make sure to update me of groups that have been revised in light of the presentation experience. All groups will have to be sorted out by Wednesday at 1700.

Group V
Plans seem to be well advanced

Group U
Sports based plot

Group G
Seems to be working away

Group H
Some group issues
No game work done yet

Group I
Some group issues

CMOD6001 DWEBD1 Lab A

If offered to send contact details of Metropolia students to anyone who wanted it. Helsinki students should be in or out by Wednesday.

Eight s students were in. I didn't take attendance because my laptop with in the middle of an upload and I didn't want disconnect it.

I met with the groups to see how plans for the game were progressing

Group WB
Still thinking about game
Need to get a move on

Group WE
Nothing done yet

Group WA
Nothing yet

CMOD6001 COM Lab

I circulated a list of Metropolia students to anyone who wanted in. Metropolia students had been looking at the group blogs for contact details, but I expect that many have given up by now. Groups need to be formed or not by Wednesday. Students should e-mail me the names of the Metropolia students in their groups by 1700.

Friday, November 11, 2011

CMOD6001 DNET/DWEB Class

Group NC gave a presentation on Internet Crime

Group CB gave a presentation on RFID and Privacy

I logged into turnitin so that students could see if their papers were submitted as expected

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Class

Group WE gave a presentation on Internet Crime. This presentation was interrupted by a student who waiting outside to come in.

Group WB gave a presentation on Cloud Computing. One student was missing from this group. The group's presentation was interrupted by a student arriving late and barging in.

Group WA gave a presentation on Geolocation. Only one student was present from this group. He wasn't very keen to present but I sort of insisted. During this presentation  a student was busy and noisily texting, while another was solving a ribik's cube. This degree of discourtesy is not acceptable.

At the end of class I provide an opportunity to apologize to any student who felt they needed it. Two took the opportunity. Two didn't.

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

Group X gave a presentation on Digital Pollution

Group Y was missing a team member. I asked them if they were prepared to go ahead without the missing student, but they were not.

CMOD6001 Papers received to date

These screenshots show what papers had been submitted up to 0906 this morning



Thursday, November 10, 2011

SOFT7001 Class 24

We looked at sprites

Slides: http://atlantis.cit.ie/interaction/notes1/PDFs/css-sprites-11.pdf

I went to each student for an update on the project.  Some still have to decide what they are doing. Some were workng on stuff for other classes.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

Group V was not in a position to present. One student was in  hospoital and another was at a SU meeting.

Group U was not in a position to present. Only one student was present and he was not prepared to give a presentation.

Group T was not in a position to present. Only one student was present and he was not prepared to give a presentation.

Group J was not in a position to give a presentation. One student was missing and they remaining student were not prepared to give a presentation.

Group Q gave a presentation on RFID & Privacy

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM Class

Group CE gave a presentation on Photojournalism in the Digital Age (only 1 student in)

Group NA gave a presentation on Gold Farming

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

CMOD6001 Paper feedback

If you submitted your paper before this evening, there is some feedback waiting for you at turnitin.com

It's a pity more students haven't availed of my offer of feedback. Most of the papers I've seen will be much improved second time out.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM Lab

I  had to insist that a student go seek medical attention, and sent another with him. Both returned within the hour, looking much better.

Group CD gave a presentation on Geolocation

Group CA gave a presentation on Cloud Computing

Group NB gave a presentation on Net Neutrality

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Class

Group WO gave a presentation on RFID and Privacy

Group WN gave a presentation on Open Source Software

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

Group Q was not in a position to present today

Group J was not in a position to present today

Group I gave a presentation on Geolocation

Group S gave a presentation on Cloud Computing

Group R gave a presentation on Photo Editing

Students who were missing today should contact Colin with an explanation. Whatever the reason get in touch with me, and try me. Not contacting me is the only wrong course of action.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

SOFT7001 Class

I completely forgot to go to class. Sorry

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

Group E gave a presentation on Gold Farming

Group F gave a presentation on Prediction Markets

Group Z gave a presentation on Open Source Software

CMOD6001 COM1 Lab

Group B gave a presentation on Virtualization

Group W gave a presentation on Is TV Dead?

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab A

Group WP did not show

Group WL presented

Group WM presented

Monday, November 7, 2011

SOFT7001 Class 22

We discussed the assignment. Students need not spend time worrying about content.  Dummy text can be used for the body of web pages, but the menus and structure must make sense.

I met with students individually to discuss their project plans.

K: games site
S: still thinking about it. might do 2 sites
T: still thinking and experimenting
CP: fan site
CM: sports shop
P: online shop
E: food site
O: planed restaurant site. But I advised against it. Need something about 20 pages


In response to a question  I announced that students need only worry about Firefox and Safari.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Lab

Groups H & G presented.

Group J was unable to give me slides. 1 person was missing from the group.

Group U gave me slides on time. 1 (to 3) person(s) missing from Group U

Group I was unable to give me slides.

Any student who was scheduled to be in class but was missing should contact Colin to provide an explanation.

Any group that spans across both lab groups should advise me of this.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM No Presentations on Tuesday

There are no presentations schedules for Tuesday

CMOD6001 DWEB1 Lab B

Group WD delivered its presentation on Prediction Markets

Group WB will present on Friday

I was disappointed at the level of noise in the classroom and that students did not show their fellow students to courtesy of giving them their full attention

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Presentations

We'll muddle though as best we can this week. I appreciate that some students might be a bit upset and not feel like work.

If groups are available to present, I'll be really grateful to them for doing their presentations. Otherwise we could be at them a long time. I don't expect to be able to stick to the schedule.

But we'll manage

Mind yourselves and each other

CMOD6001 COM Lab B

Groups C and D gave their presentations.

Thank you to Group E for submitting your presentation on time. We didn't get time for you to go today.

Group F will lose a small number of marks for not being ready today and for delaying us.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

CMOD6001 Presentation Preparations

I came in this morning to figure out how to connect my laptop up to the projectors. Some rooms have been acting up lately.

B219
Switch doesn't work
Use PC

B269

Works fine
Only one way to connect up
Can't go wrong

B187

Use chair to reach projector
Bring cable to box on top of PC


C170
Works like you'd expect
Connect laptop to computer socket
Set switch to laptop


Everything will go more smoothly on the day if students let me know in advance if they are using their laptop or mine. All the slides should be sent to me in advance of the presentations. I can take most common formats. If you are using my laptop send a PDF too just to be extra safe.

I have drawn up a schedule for the presentations but I've decided not to share that with students since it would give them the impression that they do not need to be ready on the first day. I plan to do three presentations per class. But I might do four. And if a group doesn't show, another will use its slot.

Just so there's no confusion, the presentations may also take place during the lab classes. And let me re-state that all students must attend their (timetabled) classmates' presentations. If you present on the first day you must still attend all the other presentations.

CMOD6001 Recognition for Prior Learning

A number of students applied for RPL for this module. It's Week 09 and some still have not completed the process. Despite being advised to continue with the module until the RPL was a done deal some students have not done so because they were confident that their RPL application would be successful. It's clear that if the RPL was not completed by Week 09 that that confidence was not well founded.

Students should be aware that failure to attend the presentation with their group will place the students in a bad position numerically, and it will be difficult for them to pass the module by conventional means. It is not generally possible to repeat this module by any means other than attending it in semester 1 of the following year.

Friday, November 4, 2011

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

I asked any groups that had their presentations ready to copy them to my machine. None had. I guess that means the groups won't get much time to practice before the presentation.

I told students they could use my laptop or bring their own. I reminded them again that they must attend all the CIT classes next week. I reminded them that failure to turn up and leave on time to all CMOD6001 classes nest week would result in them getting a very low mark for the presentation and it will affect the mark of the group. Attending other students presentations is a minimum requirement for the presentation assignment.



Wed at 1700 is first possible presentation session. Students need to be good to go by then

Group CA
Only one students in his group. And he wasn't in

Group CB
0/4 students in



Group CD
3/4 students in
presentation:
plan to merge slides on Monday
we discussed what will happen if one student misses any of the presentation sessions and how it will affect the group's mark
game:
we spent a long time discussing the groups plans for the game. I shot down a few ideas and we developed a few others. There are lots of options and possibilities.



Group CE
0/3 students in




Group NA
3/4 students in
presentation:
presentation slides just need to be merged
plan to practice next week
please send me the slides as soon as they are done
game:
gone back to the drawing board. no major developments


Group NB
3/4 students in (3/3)
presentation:
problem with 1 student in the group. He as done nothing yet and not made his intentions clear. I removed him from the group.
research complete
slides still need to be done
game:
still brain storming


Group NC
Nobody in

CMOD6001 COM Class

I asked any groups that had their presentations ready to copy them to my machine. None had. I guess that means the groups won't get much time to practice before the presentation.

I told students they could use my laptop or bring their own. I reminded them again that they must attend all the CIT classes next week. I reminded them that failure to turn up and leave on time to all CMOD6001 classes nest week would result in them getting a very low mark for the presentation and it will affect the mark of the group. Attending other students presentations is a minimum requirement for the presentation assignment.

Lab Group B students may be presenting as early as 0900 on Monday.

Target presentation time is 15 minutes

I met with the groups for updates and just to check that everything is on course for next week.

Group F
no one was in
there are some serious issues with this group, but I can't resolve them with people who aren't here

Group B
3/3 students in
nearly finished putting slides together
might practice on Monday

Group X
1/4 students
research done
plan for meeting on Monday to make slides
I will need to see evidence of specific contributions of all 4 students
probably won't get much time to practice



Group Z
1/1 student in
Only one student left in the group. Student only realized this yesterday. This is not a good sign.
Not sure how much has been done so far


Group D
4/4 students in
Just need to merge slides and touch them up
Not clear on plans for practice

Group C
4/4 students in
Just need to merge slides
Not clear on plans for practice
Once student wanted to know what would happen if they were not present on one of the days. I explained that this would result in a very low individual mark and a lower group mark.

Group W
1/4 students in
Not clear on who has done what
plans seem to be well advanced
will merge slides on Monday

Group E
4/4 students in
still researching and working on slides
small bit behind schedule probably won't get time to practice

Group Y
no one in

CMOD6001 Essay swap

Student AN requested a change of essay topic. I have not allowed students to change their randomly assigned topics. But I made an exception in this case.

CMOD6001 DWEB Class 24

I asked any groups that had their presentations ready to copy them to my machine. None had. I guess that means the groups won't get much time to practice before the presentation.

I told students they could use my laptop or bring their own. I reminded them again that they must attend all the CIT classes next week. I reminded them that failure to turn up and leave on time to all CMOD6001 classes nest week would result in them getting a very low mark for the presentation and it will affect the mark of the group. Attending other students presentations is a minimum requirement for the presentation asssignment.

Target presentation time is 15 minutes



Group WA
1/4 students in class
Appears as if only AN & DA have done any work on the presentation
Doesn't appear to be on schedule for next week. But might happen
Not a lot of teamwork in evidence

Group WO
1/3 students in class
some work has been done but not really on schedule
I doubt there will be time to practice
Not a lot of teamwork in evidence

Group WB
3/5 students in class
information collected. started slides
plan to finish slides today and practice Monday morning
Some people were sick, but they will be better soon

Group WM
3/3 students in class
nearly finished slides
they think they will be OK


Group WD
3/3 students in class
nothing much done yet
working on it today


Group WE
3/4 students in
I had written one student S off, but the student is still in as far as the group is concerned.  This student hasn't done any work on the project so far. I asked to group to establish once and for all if this student was in the group or not. And I will need to see evidence of the specific contribution of this student.
Just started powerpoint


Group WN
4/5 students in
research done. still to make slides
I doubt there will be time to practice

Group WL
2/4 students in
all 4 students have been working away
starting work on slides today
I will want to see details of specific contribution of the two missing students P & G

WP doesn't seem to be still at the races

Thursday, November 3, 2011

SOFT7001 Class 21

I came to class with an idea for the project that would save the students trying to come up with content. But no one was especially inspired. I think people want to do their own thing, which is perfectly fine.

I met with students ask asked about their plans. None have really made a start.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

Groups had Skype meetings with their IUT partners. The technology worked  well today.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM Class

I talked about the structure and tone of the papers.

There were some group adjustments.

I reminded students that they will need to attend all classes next week and that they won't be admitted late and won't be permitted to leave early. Students in the habit of doing one or the other may need to reschedule their other commitments.

CMOD6001 Digital Pollution

This blog might be useful for students working on the Digital Pollution topic.

http://www.greenm3.com/

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

CMOD6001 QR Game Specification

I updated the game spec.

CMOD6001 Paper Drafts

I went through the five draft papers that had been submitted by the deadline.  I was disappointed that there were so few. It took way longer that I thought it would to go through them though. So in the end I was actually grateful there were so few.

Those students should be able to see the comments I made by logging into turnitin.

All students are free to submit drafts to the FINAL folder. But there is no certainty that they will get feedback in time to be any use.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

I gave out the results for Assignment 1. Students who feel they didn't get an appropriate are welcome to ask for a re-check.

I gave out a handout on academic writing. We will discuss this in the next class.

Group CA will probably be disbanded tomorrow morning. There may be some other moves also. Tomorrow morning's class is the last opportunity students will have to reorganize groups before the presentation. People had better be in or out by then.

Once group showed me what they had in mind for the QR Game and I completely shot them down. I did my best to be gentle.

I reminded students that for the presentation they will have to attend all classes in which the presentations are happening, and that they will have to be present for all the presentations. They will not be permitted to leave early.

CMO6001 DWEB1 Class

I gave out the results for assignment 1 (job exercise). Any student that feels they got a mark that was not appropriate me should e-mail me and I will re-check. There is no need to make a case or anything. A simple request will do.

I asked students to check the group list to make sure it is accurate.

I talked about the structure and tone of the papers. I clarified some points on plagiarism.

I gave out a handout on academic writing.

CMOD6001 Update to Assignments Page

I updated the Assignments Page on foot of some questions asked in classes

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

I answered some questions about the presentations.

I gave out the results for assignment 1 (job exercise). Any student that feels they got a mark that was not appropriate me should e-mail me and I will re-check. There is no need to make a case or anything. A simple request will do.

I asked students to check the group list to make sure it is accurate.

I talked about the structure and tone of the papers. I clarified some points on plagiarism.

I gave out a handout on academic writing. There weren't enough to go around. I will put extra copies outside my office.

CMOD6001 Draft Papers

The deadline for submitting draft essays for feedback is today.

After today students should submit their papers to the "final" dropbox. If I get time I might be able to provide feedback on these papers also. Students may re-submit as often as they wish before the deadline.

"Finding Your Academic Voice" booklet

This is a useful booklet with some exercises and tips for writing.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

SOFT7001 A List Apart

If there was a website that was the sponsor of this module it would be alistapart.com

It's full of information about the main issues this module deals with.

There are articles on CSS, fluid layout, and mobile design. Students looking for tips and design ideas for their assignment should definitely check it out.

SOFT7001 Class 20

We discussed the assessment for this module. The website is to be delivered in two part according to the assessment schedule for the module descriptor, but given that it is now week 08 it doesn't make sense for it to be in two deliverables. I will be providing feedback though on a on-going basis.

Students need to make a start on their websites soon.

We looked at the learning outcomes of the module descriptor. Students' websites should demonstrate competence in all of these areas. I also discussed other things that I expect to see in the websites.

  • Fluid design that allows the page to display in at all (reasonable) dimensions
  • Images on the page should reposition and resize as the page dimensions change
  • A mobile phone version of the site that displays well both horizontally and vertically
  • minimum of 15 pages. but 25 would be more like it
  • nested list based CSS menus
  • a style sheet for print

Students are free to show off who much CSS they know

Students will lose marks for over use of classes (users of Dreamweaver beware)

I met with students individually to discuss their plans for their sites

audio: soft7001-20020111101.m4a

CMOD6001 COM Class

We talked about the structure the papers might take and took them topic by topic. I talked about the appropriate tone for science writing and I gave out a handout. I also talked about the importance of paragraph structure.

Some students asked for an extension of the deadline for drafts. I'll consider that. The main worry I have is that I might got get back to students in time if the drafts come too close to the final papers.

I gave out results for the job assignment. Students who feel like they should have done better are free to e-mail me to ask me for a recheck. I might be able to provide some feedback too.

CMOD6001 COM Lab A

I asked students to ensure that there were contact details on their group blogs so that potential partners could find them. I distrubuted e-mail address and asked student to get moving on finding a Metropolia student.

I gave out some results for the job exercise. Some students asked why they didn't get 100%. I didn't really have a satisfactory answer.

Group B

  • 2/3 students in
  • nothing mucgh has happened since last week

Group W

  • 3/3 students in
  • down down to 3 students now
  • work seems to be progressing



Group X
  • 3/4 students in
  • ork finally started
  • group working OK


Group Y
  • 1/4 students in
  • made a start

Group Z
  • 1/2 students in
  • only 2 students in the group as far as those present are concerned. Officially down to 2 now
  • The student in class has not been able to contact the other group member in the past week
  • I advised him to find another group and he did
  • This group now only has one peron in it

CMOD6001 ITS/M Lab Clas canceled

I turned up for two minutes just to explain that I had to leave campus use to a small family emergency.

CMOD6001 DWEB Lab A

I asked students to make sure that there was enough contact information on the group bogs to ensure that potential Finnish partners can find them.

I gave out e-mail addresses of Metropolia students.

I'm a bit worried about the groups in this part of the class. There doesn't seem to be much get up and go in evidence.

Group WL

  • 2/4 students in
  • found Metropolia student

Group WM
  • 3/3 students in class
  • still looking for Metropolia student

Group WN
  • 4/5 students in
  • nothing much happened since last week
  • still looking for a Finn

Group WO

  • 1/4 present
  • set up a google doc
  • but not much else has happened since last week
  • no attempt made to find a Metropolia student