On this page are the assignments for Monday of Week Six. 

DEADLINES: You should have your assignments completed by Thursday, at 7 p.m. -- the last day of Lehigh first summer session classes.

REMINDER: Your research project is also due 7 p.m., Thursday. See more details at the Grading link at Blackboard.

NO DISCUSSION BOARD: To give you more time to work on your research project, we have no further discussion board.

Government, Business & Health Information Online

We could have entire courses on the three topics for today.

GOVERNMENT: Thick volumes have been written about government information on the Internet. Indeed, often the trouble with researching online government information is how much information there is.

We will work this week to develop strategies for searching this huge storehouse of crucial information.

Of course, another problem with government information is restriction. Yes, there is a lot of government information online. But much information is also denied. We will want to consider again questions of access and censorship as we research government information.

BUSINESS: In business, information often means money. What you don’t know, can cost you.

Before the Internet, information was in the hands of a select few. Online technology has proved to be a great equalizer, making information available to many.

The Internet is an incredible resource for information about business and businesses.

You can track industries in which you’d like to work, like entertainment or news. You can use the Internet to do research on a company or person. You can get investment advice.

As with other subjects, the problem is making your way through the amount of business information available online.

HEALTH: In sickness and in health, the Internet can be a valuable tool. Some studies suggest that more than half the online searches undertaken are health related.

As with many other areas, from business to law, the Internet has put more information into the hands of more people than ever before.

With health information in particular, the online researcher must carefully evaluate and judge Internet sources.

Trusty Google can take you to many sites. Some are well intentioned but wrong. Others can be malicious and dangerous.

It's impossible really to cover the huge amount of online material available for government, business and health. But I'd like you to get an understanding of some important resources and issues.

Please view this presentation. Give yourself enough time to follow some of the links to various sites.

6-Government, Business & Health

This is another big file, best viewed in Explorer. If you have trouble, view this version.

6-Government, Business & Health

Please send me an email detailing what you learned and what sites you went to. You get the most credit, of course, for visiting a lot of sites.

2) EXTRA CREDIT: EDUCATION AND THE INTERNET

I saved our final text readings until the end because they confront the very nature of our class: education and the Internet.

I would like you to think about your own education and the Internet. Certainly, you have used the Internet before this class. But how? Research? Staying in touch with friends via email and IM? Then, how about this class? What are the pros and cons of learning online? Flexibility of time? Learning at your own pace? What are drawbacks?

To help you with your thinking, I would like you to read an early, somewhat prophetic article that anticipated many of the advantages and disadvantages of online learning: "Face to Face vs. Cyberspace."

But, actually, you have more experience on this issue than most people: You've used the Internet for education!

I want you to send me an email message that responds to the reading. What did the author say? Did the article capture your own experience with education and the Internet?

The rest of your time should be spent with your research project. Thanks for all the great work.