"Finding Your Academic Voice" booklet

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

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

SOFT7001 Class 18

I asked the students to work on media queries and to make different pages for desktops machine and phones. This requires tha pages be hosted somewhere however.

Example

mystyle.css:

@media screen and (orientation: landscape)
{
body {background-color:yellow;}
}

@media screen and (orientation: portrait)
{
body {background-color:gray;}
}

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

There was no one waiting for us online. There are no classes this week at IUT Lannion, so our planned Skype sessions didn't go according to plan. I was told this way back, but I forgot. Some IUT students were online anyway.

A large number of CIT students took the mere possibility that their partner might not be available as a cue to leave. That degree of commitment is shocking.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM

QR mystery demo. I didn't get a feel for whether or not the students were very interested.

CMOD6001 Dropbox

Dropbox is a great way to share files between computers if you use more than one. It might be a useful way to share the files you are using for your group projects. You can signup here

CMOD6001 Withdrawals and RPLs

A number of students have left the course or left the module. Either way they are no longer in their groups. I will update group list as information comes to me.

If you have information that I don't have please get it to me. If there is someone nominally in your group who is long gone, you may need to formally eject them. Otherwise their absence from the presentation could be costly.

CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM Lab

I met with the project groups for an update

Group CA

• 2/2 students in
• nothing on the blog
• because nothing has actually happened yet
• only 2 in this group now
• looking for a Metropolia student

Group BC

• 4/4 students in
• everything seems to be going OK
• group working well
• still looking for a Metropolia student

Group CD

• 3/4 students in
• recent addition to the group
• everything seems to be going OK
• group working well 
• Metropolia student on board

Group CE

• 2/3 students in
• no blog URL sent to me yet
• Nothing much has happened yet
• group working well 
• Metropolia student on board

Group NA

• 4/4 students in
• Seems to be going OK but progress is slow
• group working well 
• Metropolia student on board and contributing to the presentation. If this students contribution to the presentation is demonstrable, this group will get good "international" marks

Group NB

• 3/3 students in
• slow start. but work progressing well now
• group working well
• not clear on Metropolia student.

Group NC

• 2/2 students in
• 1 student recently left this group because of inactivity
• nothing on blog yet. nothing has happened
• this group discussed a merger with Group CA but didn't merge
• suggested group consider a swap with one of the available alternatives
• no Finnish action yet

I asked students to install QR code readers on their phone is possible

I asked students to take a look at the assessment breakdown on the bolg under quick links. But everyone was kind of wrapping up for the day at that stage.

CMOD6001 ITS/ITM Class

QR game demo

video: cmod6001-itm-20111026.m4v

CMOD6001 DWEB Class

QR game demo

News | Tech savvy Irish students headhunted by US company

News | Tech savvy Irish students headhunted by US company

SOFT7001 Class 17

We looked at web safe font, and web fonts.

I asked students to use google fonts to use some strange font on a webpage.

resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-safe_fonts
http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html
http://www.google.com/webfonts

I talked a little bit about the assessment. I don't know if it makes sense to assess students so soon. I don't feel like we have done enough for that to be meaningful.

audio: soft7001-20111025.m4a

CMOD6001 COM1 Class

I set up the European Federal Police crime scene by way of introduction to the QR game project. Students were thoroughly underwhelmed by the whole concept. I'm hoping it will grown in them.

I explained how QR codes worked and how short URL redirects work. I answered questions about the project. Again students very unimpressed.

CMOD6001 COM1 Lab A

I met with the groups for a progress report.


Group B

• 3/3 students in
• down to 3 students
• group working OK. But feels like one person is doing more than the others
• need to get a move on

Group W

• 3/4 students in
• work progressing. well done
• problem with 1 student not pulling his weight. I advised students to sort this soon one way or the other

Group X

• 3/4 students in
• nothing really done yet
• group knows where it's going though
• group working OK

Group Y

• 2/4 students in
• haven't done anything at all yet
• need to make a start
• students confident the group will work out OK. But it seems to me too soon to tell

Group Z

• 2/4 students in
• only 2 students in the group as far as those present are concerned. 1 definitely appears to have done a runner. I will investigate the other
• nothing done yet. need to get a move on

CMOD6001 IST/M Lab

I met with each of the groups for an update on their progress



Group Q

• 4/4 students present
• seems to be going OK. making progress
• IUT students is well integrated into the group
• Group working well

Group R

• 4/4 in
• Not much happening according to the blog
• Not much has happened yet in reality
• IUT student not yet fully integrated into the group
• group needs to sit down and discuss the topic
• Group working well

Group S

• 4/4 in
• plans seem to be well advanced. well done
• outline of presentation all sorted. working on slides next
• IUT students not yet fully integrated into the group. Interaction is limited

Group T

• 2/3 students in
• problem with one student in the group. As far as the group is concerned there are only two members
• This is a tough topic to explain. I gave some examples.
• IUT student working out
• This group would like some more members. There may be a second IUT student joining. I may find another CIT student

Group U

• 1/5 students in
• This group isn't working
• The one student who was in left to join another group
• Remaining students in this group need to get their act together soon