CSE120 Sp17 Assignment - Innovation Exploration

Innovation Exploration

Your goal for this assignment is to explore a topic in the broad field of computing and its implications on society. You will write an exploratory post aimed at teaching others about a computing-related innovation that is interesting to you. You will have a large degree of freedom concerning the topic of your post, and you will be posting it publicly for the rest of the class to view and leave comments.

Part 1: Written Innovation Post (Due 5/21)

Picking a Topic

Think of an innovation in computing that has changed the world socially, economically, or culturally. This post will be focused on the impacts this innovation has had, with a strong focus on the technical details of how your chosen innovation works, and how data is used or manipulated. You're welcome to choose any type of innovation which has a significant computing component. The goal of this assignment is for you to learn about something new and cool, and share it with your peers.

Feel free to run your topic by your TA if you are concerned about its relevance. Chances are high that it is good if it is related to technology and falls into one of the categories mentioned above.

Writing Guidelines

This portion consists of three main components:

• Purpose: What is your chosen innovation and its intended purpose (i.e. the problem it solved, the opportunities it created, etc.)?
• Effects and Impacts: What are some benefits and any harmful effects of the innovation you explored? For example, are there any security or privacy concerns of the social implications of your innovation? What is one of the impacts your innovation has had or could have on society, the economy, or culture?
• Technical Aspects: Describe at a high level the technology behind your chosen innovation. This can include levels of abstraction, relevant algorithms, and any relationships to other innovations (i.e. the Internet). Additionally, how is data utilized as input, output, or transformed in relation to your innovation?

Feel free to use diagrams, tables, embedded videos, or any other media if you think that it helps to communicate your point, but the use of media and images are not required. Please cite sources for media used if they are not your own creation.

Spend some time thinking about what you're going to write before you start. Since the length requirement for the post is relatively small (see Requirements), we're looking for quality over quantity in your work. Quality implies that you have well-researched and insightful observations and speak meaningfully about the topic you've chosen to discuss.

Requirements

Your post must be at least four long paragraphs. There's a minimum of 550 words, but feel free to go beyond that. There's also a soft maximum around 750 words, so please try and not go above this number.

You must properly cite at least three (3) different sources. Feel free to use printed texts, readings from class, or textbooks from other classes. You can also use news articles from reputable sources or Wikipedia if it is appropriate for your topic.

• At least ONE source must be from somewhere other than Wikipedia.
• At least TWO sources must have been created since January 2015.
• In your citation, please include the author, title, source, and, if possible, publication date. For online references, also include the URL and date accessed.
• Please consider using websites such as easybib.com for correct citation etiquette.

You have to write the Innovation Blog post yourself. Do not copy and paste someone else's work. Plagiarism is a serious issue and is not tolerated in CSE120. For our policy on academic honesty, please refer to the Policies page.

Part 2: Respond to Posts (Due 5/26)

You will be required to comment on at least three posts written by other students on our Canvas Discussion Forum. The comments should be done as follows:

• Comment on the post below yours on the discussion thread.
• Comment on the post above yours on the discussion thread.
• Comment on a post of your choice on the discussion thread.

If you made the first Innovation post (or the last post) in the discussion thread, please select two (2) Discussion threads of your choice instead of trying to "wrap around."

You're more than welcome (and encouraged!) to comment on additional posts, as long as you meet the requirements for these three comments.

You are not expected to perform any additional research for your comments, but should provide some sort of insightful feedback that shows that you have read and (hopefully) understood the author's post (i.e. "Nice post," "This is really interesting," etc. do not qualify as sufficient comments). Try and add to the discussion of the thread, such as relating it to what you researched and wrote about, or your own personal knowledge. Each comment should be at least one long, healthy paragraph.