The Annotated Webography

Hi Kids:

Get ready for a rash of Fletcher posts.

1. First of all, this is a simple assignment. It's fun and easy, so don't stress out about it. I noticed that last year, I didn't post this assignment until July 29!
2. It's not due until the first day of class.
3. Follow proper format; study my example; set it up in a Word document; work on it little by little or all at once -- whichever you prefer. You have 44 days to visit six websites, poke around at the website for a while, and write up a paragraph of between 130-150 words for each one...how simple can that be?
4. Why do I assign it? I want you to have a vague familiarity with the annotated bibliography assignment (this is a WEBography (my own little twist), but in college, you'll find the annotated bibliography is assigned regularly), and I want you to know that these resources and thinkers exist.
5. Here's what I want you to think about this: let's say you had a research paper to produce, and you were surfing the internet, collecting sources. IF, for every good source you found, you wrote an annotated entry such as the one I've produced here, at the end of your research day, you would have a document that summarized the quality of the sources that you encountered, what else you could find at that site later, and whether or not you thought the site was of any value. It would make your subsequent work go much more smoothly.
6. You cannot/must not write up every little thing you find. You are leaving breadcrumbs for yourself, so rather than trying to describe every link, simply report what kind of links you find, where they lead, and whether they seem important, useful or trivial.

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The Annotated Webography

Please visit the six websites listed below; your annotated entries are to be produced on your computer, single spaced and complete on TWO SHEETS OF PAPER. Anything longer is too much.

There will be six entries, one for each website; each entry should feature (1) the title of the website, (2) the URL, and (3) a short 120-150 word synopsis of the content of website, what links are there (if any), and a short evaluation of the website — what you thought of the website as a whole.

Set up the heading, write your evaluation (single spaced!), skip a line, repeat.

Here are two sample responses:

Aurora Online with Neil Postman “Stirring Up Trouble About Technology, Language and Education”
http://aurora.icaap.org/index.php/aurora/article/view/62/74

This website features an interview by Eugine Rubin with Neil Postman from 1989; it includes some biographical background information about Postman along with a photo. The interview goes on to explore Postman’s ideas on how television has contributed to the loss of childhood in America, Postman’s complaint about Sesame Street, and Postman’s ideas on how television has contributed to the decline of language. He connects the decline of language with the decrease in thinking, and an increase in stupidity. I found the content to be interesting; I especially like the idea that perhaps we shouldn’t focus on helping students become more intelligent, but instead, to help students become less stupid by “identifying and understanding various forms of stupidity and then working to eliminate as many of those as we could.” (130 words)

The Singularity is Near
http://singularity.com

The website of futurist and inventor and modern day genius, Ray Kurzwell, who theorizes that by as soon as 2030, accelerating technology will lead to a superhuman machine intelligence that will exceed human intelligence. This is called "the singularity." This site is serves as an introduction into the work of Ray Kurzwell, and is organized by four main links that lead deeper into Kurzwell’s work; his book, The Singularity is Near, is reviewed here, as well as a press link that leads to dozens of press appearances and the articles written about him. A link to his AI (Artificial Intelligence) website is also here, and a biographical link. Kurzwell, though optimistic about technology, does admit that the results and consequences of the singularity are unpredictable and unknown. The website is searchable, and there is an opportunity to subscribe to his AI newsletter. (142)


OK, here are your six to write up:

Neil Postman Writings on the Web


Neil Postman Online


The Media Research Center


Media Matters


Orwell Today


A Defence of Paradise-Engineering



OK! That's it! Have fun, and use the comment area for questions...