Unit 02

Unit 2:
Learning via the Internet
 Unit 2: Assignment #1 (due before 11:59 pm Central on THU JUN 18):

  1. Read Professor Gernsbacher’s (2015) “Why Internet-Based Education?” article.
  2. Of the five fundamental principles of learning on which Internet-based higher education capitalizes, identify the one principle that resonates the most to you.
  3. Go to the Unit 2: Assignment #1 and #3 Discussion Board and make a new Discussion Board post of at least 200 words in which you explain the principle of learning you chose and you explain why that principle resonates the most to you.
    1. Remember the importance of breaking your Discussion Board posts into at least two or three, even four paragraphs (with the rule of thumb of no more than three or four sentences per paragraph).
    2. Remember the importance of deleting extra lines, meaning more than one line, in between paragraphs (for example, if you first draft your post in a Word doc or Google doc, which is in general a good idea, and then you copy and paste your post from a Word doc or a Google doc into the Discussion Board).

Unit 2: Assignment #2 (due before 11:59 pm Central on THU JUN 18):

  1. First, do all of the following:
    1. Read Jeffrey Young’s (2010) “A Self-Appointed Teacher Runs a One-Man ‘Academy’ on YouTube” article.
    2. Read Greg Jarboe’s (2014) “How a DIY YouTube Tutorial Video Saved Me $700” article.
    3. Read the first two pages of Travis Sawchik’s (2017) article about professional baseball player (and Milwaukee Brewer) “Eric Thames and the Transformative Power of Boredom.” If you’re a baseball fan, feel free to read the rest of the article, too. But it’s Thames’s use of YouTube that’s important to learn about for this assignment.
    4. Admire UW-Madison Psychology Professor Paula Niedenthal’s late mother’s ingenuity.
    5. Similarly, admire Stanford Neuroscience Professor Russell Poldrack’s use of YouTube to learn to play the guitar.
    6. Lastly, read an excerpt from the Pew Research Center’s (2018) report “Many Turn to YouTube for … How-To Lessons.”
  2. Next, choose one of the following:
    1. Register for Khan Academy (it’s free) or browse through the Khan Academy videos on YouTube.
    2. Access Lynda.com (now called LinkedIn Learning and also free if you access it with your UW-Madison NetID).
    3. Browse through the DIY (Do It Yourself) YouTube videos or Pinterest boards.
  3. From ANY tutorial available on Khan Academy, Lynda.com, YouTube, or Pinterest:
    1. Learn two new skills.
    2. By learn, we mean learn by doing. It’s hard to really learn how to make Eggs Benedict by only watching a video. It’s best to learn how to make Eggs Benedict by watching (or reading) a tutorial AND by actually making (or trying to make) Eggs Benedict.
    3. In fact, read the abstract of Kardas & O’Brien’s (2018) study, “Easier Seen Than Done: Merely Watching Others Perform Can Foster an Illusion of Skill Acquisition” to appreciate why merely watching YouTube or DIY videos can give the false illusion of knowing how to do something.
    4. Therefore, although you may choose any of the tutorials on these sites, you must select two skills that you can learn to do by doing — and then do those skills!
    5. And you must select two skills that you can learn to do by doing right now (for instance, if it’s a craft project, you will need to have on hand the materials you will need to make that craft).
  4. Go to the Unit 2: Assignment #2 Discussion Board and make a new post of at least 200 words in which you
    1. describe the two new skills you learned, including telling us why you learned those two skills;
    2. draw a parallel between your learning your two new skills and one or more of the articles (or excerpts) you read in a. above (be sure to mention the article/s’ author/s);
    3. embed the YouTube videos you watched (if you learned via YouTube) or embed the links to the non-YouTube tutorials you watched/read (if you learned via Lynda.com or Pinterest); be sure to embed YouTube videos or non-YouTube links using the procedures you learned from the Course How To; and
    4. embed (not “attach” but embed) into your post at least two images (at least one image for each of the two new skills you learned)

      • each image must document your process of learning the new skill, not the final product but the process (i.e., something you did along the way);
      • each image must be embedded following the procedure specified in the Course How To; and
      • remember to re-size each image to be no more than 500 pixels wide and no more than 500 pixels high.
    5. NOTE: For some photos taken on some smartphones, the Canvas Discussion Board automatically rotates photos from up and down (profile) to sideways (landscape) and vice-versa. If this happens to you, see the Course How To for two workarounds.

Unit 2: Assignment #3 (due before 11:59 pm Central on FRI JUN 19):

  1. Read ALL the posts written by all the other students in your section in the Unit 2: Assignment #1 and #3 Discussion Board about principles of learning on which the Internet capitalizes.
  2. Review from the Course Syllabus “the best way to respond to another student’s Discussion Board post.” Remember that your responses to other students should always include at least two of the four recommended components.
  3. On the Unit 2: Assignment #1 and #3 Discussion Board, make a response (a reply) to two students: One response should be to a student who chose the same learning principle as you did, and the other response should be to a student who chose a different learning principle than you did.
    1. Each of your response/reply posts should be at least 200 words long.
    2. If two other students in your section have not yet posted on the Unit 2: Assignment #1 Discussion Board, you will need to wait until they do OR until the due date for Unit 2: Assignment #1 has passed.
    3. You will not be held responsible for responding to two other students’ posts if the Unit 2: Assignment #1 due date has passed, and two other students have not yet posted on Unit 2: Assignment #1 Discussion Board.
    4. If no other student in your section chose the same learning principle as you did, and the due date for Unit 2: Assignment #1 has passed, then you may respond to two students who chose two different learning principles than you did.
    5. Similarly, if no other student in your section chose a different learning principle than you did, and the due date for Unit 2: Assignment #1 has passed, then you may respond to two students who chose the same learning principles than you did.

Unit 2: Assignment #4 (due before 11:59 pm Central on FRI JUN 19):

  1. Read an excerpt from Alex Suskind’s (2014) “15 Years After Napster: How the Music Service Changed the Industry” article (to get background on Napster).
  2. Read (in its entirety) Clay Shirky’s (2012) “Napster, Udacity, and the Academy” article.
  3. Go to the Unit 2: Assignment #4 Discussion Board and make a new post of at least 200 words in which you
    1. identify three points that Shirky made in his article that astounded you the most;
    2. explain why those three points astounded you; and
    3. be sure to include exact quotes for each of the three points.

Unit 2: Assignment #5 (due before 11:59 pm Central on SUN JUN 21):

  1. Starting in the next unit (Unit 3), you will begin having synchronous, text-based Group Chats in small groups of two or three students at the end of each unit. Each Group Chat will last one hour.
  2. Find out which Chat Group you are in by consulting this Chat Group List, which will be available two weeks before the assignment is due; however, because of adds and drops, be sure to frequently refresh the page.
  3. NOTE: This is a password-protected PDF. To read the PDF, you’ll need to type in a password.
    1. The password is the email subject heading you’re supposed to use in this course when you email a question.
    2. Capitalization, punctuation, and spacing matter for this password.
    3. If you’re initially unable to open the PDF, and you’re sure you’re inputting the correct password:
      • Try a different browser. Some browsers are set to a default level of security that interferes with opening password-protected files. Using a different browser (which is a good go-to solution for a lot of Internet-related problems) should help.
      • Or save the PDF onto your own computer, and open the PDF there (using Adobe Reader, Preview, or another PDF reader), rather than trying to open the PDF in your browser.
  4. After you’ve found out which Chat Group you’re in, arrange with the other members of your Chat Group a time when all of you can meet online for one hour to hold your small group text-based Chat for the next Unit (Unit 3: Assignment #5).
    1. You can contact other members of your Chat Group through their wisc.edu email addresses, which you can obtain by hovering over or clicking on any student’s name in the Chat Group List. (Clicking on a student’s name should generate a new email message to that student.)
    2. Or members of your Chat Group may decide to share phone numbers for texting to arrange Chat Group dates and times.
    3. Remember, when you’re emailing (or texting) to arrange Chat Group dates and times to be sure to “Reply All.” By remembering to use “Reply All,” you won’t inadvertently leave anyone off your communications for arranging your meeting date and time
    4. Be sure to look through Unit 3: Assignment #5 before deciding on a date and time to meet for your Unit 3 Group Chat because there are tasks in Unit 3: Assignment #5 that all Chat Group members will need to have completed PRIOR to your Chat Group meeting.
  5. Identify the one member of your Chat Group whose last name comes last alphabetically in your Chat Group.
    1. That member is responsible for setting up the Group Chat room you will use for your Group Chat by following the instructions in the Course How To (under the topic “How To Set Up a Group Chat Room on Your Laptop” or “How To Set up a Group Chat Room on Your Mobile Device.”)
    2. That member of your Chat Group should go ahead and set up the Group Chat room now, to make sure it will be ready for your Group Chat in the next Unit.
  6. ALL members of the Chat Group need to do the following:
    1. Learn from the Course How To the following:
      • “How To Participate in a Group Chat on Your Laptop” OR “How To Participate in a Group Chat on Your Mobile Device”;
      • that at least one member of the Chat Group must participate in the Group Chat using the browser Chrome on their laptop (rather than on their mobile device);
      • what to do if your Chat Group agrees on a date and time for your Chat, but one Chat Group member wants to reschedule or hasn’t joined the Chat within 15 minutes after the agreed upon time; and
      • that all Group Chats are required to last ONE FULL HOUR. During that entire hour, the Group Chat should be the ONLY thing you’re doing. If you finish early, then practice the assignment more or discuss further implications.
    2. Go to the Unit 2: Assignment #5 Discussion Board and make a new post in which you tell us
      • which Chat Group you are in (e.g., The Apps: Group X);
      • who in your Chat Group is responsible for setting up Group Chat room (please tell us this student’s first and last name);
      • who in your Chat Group will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat (again, please tell us this student’s first and last name); and
      • what date AND time your Chat Group will meet for your Unit 3: Assignment #5 chat.

Unit 2: Assignment #6 (due before 11:59 pm Central on SUN JUN 21):

  1. Complete the Unit 2 Review Sheet (which is a fillable PDF).
    1. First, download the unfilled PDF from the Course Website and save the unfilled PDF onto your own computer.
    2. Second, rename the unfilled PDF (that you have saved on your computer) to be YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit02_CourseReview.pdf.
    3. Third, on your computer, open a PDF writer app, such as Preview, Adobe Reader, or the like. Be sure to open your PDF writer app first, before you open the unfilled PDF file.
    4. Fourth, from within your PDF writer app, open the unfilled PDF file.
    5. Fifth, using your PDF writer app, fill in the PDF.
    6. Be sure to save your filled-in PDF on your computer.
  2. You’ll notice that the Unit 2 Review Sheet contains a page for both Unit 1 and Unit 2. That’s because all the Unit Review Sheets in this course are cumulative.
    1. Therefore, whenever you complete a Unit Review Sheet, be sure to fill in ALL pages.
    2. For example, for your Unit 2 Review Sheet, be sure to fill in the page for Unit 1 and fill in the page for Unit 2.
    3. The reason why all the Unit Review Sheets in this course are cumulative is because repetition is an excellent way to ensure contextually broad learning; indeed, William James, who is widely considered the father of U.S. Psychology, wrote that repetition is “the intellectual reason why habits of continuous application should be enforced in educational establishments.”
  3. Next, thoroughly read through the Term Project Instructions. Be sure to read the Term Project Timeline (pp. 4-5) and the Term Project Grading Rubric (pp. 6-8). If you have any initial questions, feel free to email Professor Gernsbacher.
  4. Begin thinking about what you’d like to do for your Term Project. Compose at least 200 words with your initial thoughts and ideas. Save your 200-words as a PDF that is named YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit02_TermProject.pdf.
  5. Go to Unit 2: Assignment #6 (which is an Assignment link, not a Discussion Board) and do the following:
    1. Use the “File Upload” tool to attach/upload your completed Unit 2 Review Sheet (click “Choose File” to attach/upload your filled-in PDF).
    2. Click on the “+ Add Another File” to attach/upload your 200-word initial thoughts on your Term Project (saved in PDF).
    3. Immediately after submitting your assignment, check to make sure that your filled-in PDF is really filled-in (and isn’t empty) and that your PDF with at-least-200-words of thoughts and ideas about your Term Project also appears.

Congratulations; you have finished Unit 2! Onward to Unit 3!