Assignment
Description
The objective of this
project is to research THREE different information technologies, predict the future
scientific advancements of these technologies and review the effects of the
changing advancements on society. Project
reports should include the history, current status and specific (not generalized) future predictions
about the information technologies. Students
may choose to research any particular information technology (IT), regardless
of whether or not the topics are discussed in class; however, research must
extend well beyond the course material. The
report should cover the progress of three information technologies THOROUGHLY
and in DETAIL. The evolution of
hardware, software, databases, the Internet, business systems and other IT
developments might be good starting points for research. Brainstorming about the effects of the
greatest IT advancements in certain fields over the last 10-20 years might be another
way of choosing interesting and promising future IT innovations to study.
Project Skill
Self-Assessment
During the process of
researching three information technologies, you need to complete a series of
Self-Assessment Journals to assess the developmental progress of your IT
Futuristic Research Project. Developing
action plans and assessing the skill areas used in brainstorming, planning,
researching and organizing information will help you elevate and improve the
information processing and critical thinking skills you used in completing this
project.
Assessing Learning
Skills
Twenty learning skills
specifically related to information technology are listed on Page S-11. To start this project refer to the Learning
Skills list and record the 4 skills you anticipate using in the first few weeks
of the project. You, of course, will be
using other important to successfully later in completing this project. Your analysis of the skills and project
progress in researching data, information processing and preparing the report
will provide you with the feedback you need for creatively accurately
predicting future developments, uses and impacts of information technologies.
Implementation of
Action Plans
As you progress with your research and information processing, you will find that implementing detailed action plans for appropriate learning skills areas will also help you become more efficient in your research efforts. As you use self-assessment and the Learning Process Methodology for improving your critical thinking skills, you will also apply many general concepts acquired in this course to your chosen information technology topics.
Value of the Project Self-Assessment
The real value of your project self-assessment depends on the effort and thought you put into the preparation and implementation of your short- and long-term action plans between each self-assessment. Therefore, on a periodic basis, you should analyze your strengths, areas of improvement and insights in relation to your project progress, so you can incorporate newly acquired critical thinking skills and research techniques into your project.
Requirements of the
IT Futuristic Research Project Report
Your IT Futuristic Research Project Report
should generally include the following information:
1.
Introduction
points out your general reasons for choosing this project and what you expected
to accomplish.
2.
A detailed
summarization of three IT technologies, including significant historical
points, current trends, predictions of future advancements and the short- and
long-term effects of the changes in technologies.
3.
A description of
the actual learning process you used in developing your IT research and
predictions.
4.
An analysis of
how you applied self-assessment to improve your research and creative thinking
skills.
5.
Identify the most
important skills you developed from doing this project and explain how you can
use these skills to your advantage in the future.
6.
Summary discusses
your ability to self-assess the development of the learning skills you used in
critical thinking, research and information processing.
7.
A Start-Up
Self-Assessment Journal and at least 5 Project Self-Assessment Journals.
8.
A list of
resources used in researching future IT trends and their impacts on society.
Some Critical Thinking Questions
What role did language development and understanding of the information technology terminology play in your research of the information technology trends and developments?
Why did you choose to study the future of information technologies and what learning skills were most helpful in your critical thinking process and information processing approaches?
What Learning Process Methodology steps did you used in recognizing the trends of information technology, predicting future developments in IT and assessing the impact of these trends on people and society as a whole?
What action plans did you incorporate into the development of your research and forecasting, especially when you got frustrated? What insights or discoveries did you learn about yourself during the development process?
Requirements of Your
IT Futuristic Research Project Portfolio
You must use a word
processing application to write your project report. You may also integrate information from some
other applications -- Internet browsers, spreadsheet, database, presentation,
email and your selected applications -- in preparing your report. Since the quality of content of your
report is the most important, no suggested length guideline, requirement
or limit of pages for your IT Futuristic Research Project Report is
provided. However, in many cases the
extra pages for charts, graphs, illustrations, computer-produced results and a
reference (bibliography) page exceed the report. Please use a 12-point type size and
double-space the lines with a half-inch indent at the beginning of the
paragraphs. The use of subheads is
suggested for appropriately separating topics and improving readership.
Special Note: Be sure to include your Self-Assessment Journals as
an appendix with your project report in addition to other references. The evaluation of your IT Futuristic Research
Project Report requires that your graded journals be included in your
Portfolio. Self-Assessment Journals that
are not reviewed and dated by your lab instructor during the assessment process
(weekly) will not receive credit during the grading process. The report grade will be based on the
criteria listed below:
Evaluation of Self-Learning Project Progress Report
|
Outline of development plan |
10 |
|
|
Report on project and skills progress |
10 |
|
|
Research support – results, illustrations, resources and 3Weekly Self-Assessment Journals |
10 |
|
|
Instructor Project Feedback Interview |
5 |
__ |
|
Total Points |
|
35 |
Evaluation of IT Futuristic Research Project Report
Project Criteria
|
Level of thought and
analysis |
10 |
|
|
Overall quality of
content – project planning and implementation |
10 |
|
|
Effort on the Project |
5 |
|
|
Quality of writing the
Project Report |
5 |
|
|
Completeness of the
Project Report |
5 |
|
|
Results, illustrations,
resources and bibliography |
5 |
|
|
|
|
40 |
Self-Assessment Criteria
|
Your level of effort and
diligence throughout the self-assessment process |
10 |
|
|
Your ability to
self-assess project and skills performance |
10 |
|
|
Your commitment to
improving your growth through self-learning |
5 |
|
|
Primary referencing of
information in the Self-Assessment Journals |
5 |
|
|
|
|
30 |
Journals
|
Start-Up
Self-Assessment Journal |
2.5 |
|
|
5 Weekly Self-Assessment
Journals (Each worth 5.5 points) |
27.5 |
|
|
|
|
30 |
|
Total Points |
|
100 |
NOTE: As is the case with ALL of your assignments
in this class, you should keep copies of ALL of your self-assessment
journals. Your copies not only
will serve as backup in case of loss during the evaluation process, but more
importantly you use your Self-Assessment Journals in formulating weekly action plans
in becoming a self-grower learner and
as research resources for writing your IT Futuristic Research Project Report.