Unit 08

Unit 8:
Motivation and the Internet

IMPORTANT: Both Assignment #4 and #5 will require some advance planning.

Unit 8: Assignment #1 (due before 11:59 pm Central on THU JUL 9):

First, prepare for Unit 8: Assignment #4.
1. Read Huitt’s (2011) definition of motivation and his classification of seven sources of motivation.
2. Read the instructions for the Internet Motivation Diary and decide on a time to record your Internet Motivation Diary.
3. You will not submit your Internet Motivation Diary until Unit 8: Assignment #4, but you should become familiar with the requirements of the diary now so that you can choose when you want to record your diary.
Next, begin Unit 8: Assignment #1, the topic of which is students’ motivation for using and professors’ motivation for banning laptops (and Internet access) in lecture classrooms
Read these two brief article excerpts, which document the existence of student disruptions in lecture classrooms prior to the popularity of the Internet.
1. one page from De Lucia and Iasenza’s (1995) article, “Student Disruption, Disrespect, and Disorder in Class: A Seminar for Faculty”
2. one page from Carbone’s (1999) article, “Students Behaving Badly in Large Classes”
Read these two brief article excerpts, which document the existence of student boredom in lecture classrooms prior to the popularity of the Internet.
1. one page from Fischer (1987) article, “Boredom: Construct, Causes, and Consequences”
2. abstract of Aldridge and DeLucia (1989) article, “Boredom: The Academic Plague of First Year Students”
Read the results of Mottett et al.’s (2004) study, which might explain the motivation of some professors who don’t ban laptops but who stipulate that students who choose to use laptops sit away from the professor’s view.
Lastly, read the entirety of this review paper, which summarizes the results of nearly 100 studies. [NOTE: This is a password-protected file. The password is the same one you have used for previous password-protected files in this course.]
1. After reading the review paper, make sure you understand
  - all three figures in the paper;
  - students’ motivations to use laptops and to not sit in a far away or separate location of the classroom; and
  - how taking attentional breaks (on the Internet) might actually improve, rather than degrade, attention (a topic we’ll return to in the next Unit).
Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #1 and #3 Discussion Board and make a new post, of at least 200 words, in which you discuss, based upon (and referring to) all the articles you read:
1. the history of student disruption in lecture classrooms;
2. the history of student boredom in lecture classrooms;
3. students’ motivations for using laptops for note-taking;
4. students’ motivations for going off task with their laptops;
5. students’ motivations for not wanting to sit in a far away or separate location;
6. professors’ motivations for not wanting to see students with their heads in their laptops (or amusing themselves with YouTube);
7. and you propose a creative solution that satisfies these competing motivations.

Unit 8: Assignment #2 (due before 11:59 pm Central on THU JUL 9):

To learn some of the possible motivations underlying one of our favorite Internet-based past-times:
1. Watch Buzzfeed’s (2014) tongue-in-cheek (meaning “humorous”) video, “What It’s Like To Bingewatch a Show.”
2. Watch Professor Gernsbacher’s lecture video “Why Do We Binge-Watch?” (a transcript is available here).
Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #2 Discussion Board and make a new post, of at least 200 words, in which
1. you discuss one of the motivations for binge-watching that Professor Gernsbacher presented in her video;
2. you must discuss a motivation that no one else in your section has yet discussed; and
3. you should reflect on whether the motivation you selected has ever motivated you (or someone you know) to binge-watch.

Unit 8: Assignment #3 (due before 11:59 pm Central on FRI JUL 10):

Read all the posts written by all the other members of your section in the Unit 8: Assignment #1 and #3 Discussion Board.
Review from the Course Syllabus the “Best Way to Respond to Another Student’s Discussion Board Post” (p. 6). Remember that your responses should always include at least two of the four recommended components.
Then, write TWO response posts:
1. one response post should be to a student whose solution (to the conflicting motivations about laptops in lecture classrooms) was most similar to yours;
2. one response post should be to a student whose solution (to the conflicting motivations about laptops in lecture classrooms) was least similar to yours; and
3. each of your two response posts should be at least 200 words.
4. If two other students have not yet posted to the Unit 8: Assignment #1 Discussion Board, you will need to wait until they do OR until the due date for Unit 8: Assignment #1 has passed (you will not be held responsible for responding to two other students if the Unit 8: Assignment #1 due date has passed, and two other students have not yet posted on the Unit 8: Assignment #1 Discussion Board).

Unit 8: Assignment #4 (due before 11:59 pm Central on FRI JUL 10):

Record and complete your Internet Motivation Diary.
Save your Internet Motivation Diary as a PDF named YourLastname_PSY-532_InternetMotivationDiary.pdf.
Remember that your completed Internet Motivation Diary needs to record each of your 20 consecutive uses of the Internet, and for each use you must record
1. what time it was;
2. what you did on the Internet;
3. what device you were using;
4. where you were; and
5. your major motivations for each Internet use, according to the motivation categorization scheme provided by Huitt (2011).
Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #4 Discussion Board and make a new post in which you
1. attach, as a PDF, your completed Internet Motivation Diary (saved as a PDF named YourLastname_PSY-532_InternetMotivationDiary.pdf.
  - To attach your PDF, look beneath the Discussion Board text box for the link to “Attach.” It is accompanied by a paperclip icon.
2. In your post itself, in at least 200 words, discuss your motivations for using the Internet (during the period you kept the diary).
  - Were your motivations varied or do you see some patterns in your motivations?
  - Do any of your motivations seem more prominent than others?
  - Do any of your motivations seem to be associated with your being in a certain place, your using a certain device, or it being a certain time of day?

Unit 8: Assignment #5 (due before 11:59 pm Central on SUN JUL 12):

At this point in the course you will construct new Chat Groups. Please follow closely the instructions below.
If your last name is LAST alphabetically in your “old” Chat Group, these are your responsibilities for forming a new Chat Group:
1. You’re responsible for recruiting new persons to your new Chat Group. You can contact students via their wisc.edu email (which you can find on the “old” Chat Group List by clicking, or right-clicking, on any student’s name).
2. You may recruit any student to your new Chat Group from your Section (but only from your Section) except
  - you may NOT recruit a student who was a member of your “old” Chat Group (because the goal during the second half of the course is to mix up the Chat Groups a bit); and
  - you may NOT recruit a student whose last name is also last alphabetically in their “old” Chat Group (because those students whose last names are last alphabetically in their old Chat Groups will also be the students responsible for recruiting students to a new Chat Group).
  - If you can’t remember what Section you are in, you might want to return to Unit 1: Assignment #2 (and the part of the assignment that said “From the Course How To, learn how to find out which section you are in and find out which section you are in”).
3. If your “old” Chat Group had three members (including you), then your new Chat Group should also have three members (including you); if your “old” Chat Group had only two members, then your new Chat Group will have only two members (including you).
4. When recruiting new members to your new Chat Group:
  - It does NOT matter if the students you are recruiting were previously in a two-member or three-member “old” Chat Group.
  - It only matters how many members you (the person whose last name comes LAST alphabetically and therefore the person doing the recruiting) had in your “old” Chat Group.
  - Similarly, it does NOT matter if the students you are recruiting previously worked together in their “old” Chat Group; it only matters that none of the students you are recruiting are students with whom you worked in your “old” Chat Group.
5. Appoint one member of your new Chat Group to set up the new Group Chat room.
  - Remind this person that the instructions for setting up a new Group Chat room are below in c.
  - You must NOT be the Chat Group member to set up the new Group Chat room; rather, you must appoint someone else — a member of your new Chat Group — to set up the new Group Chat room.
6. Arrange with your new Chat Group a time when all of you can meet online for one hour to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
7. Decide which Chat Group member will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat.
8. Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #5 Discussion Board and make a new post in which you list
  - the name of your new Chat Group (which will be the name of your “old” Chat Group);
  - the first and last names of all the members of your new Chat Group (including you);
  - the first and last name of the student you appointed to create the new Group Chat room;
  - the first and last name of the student who will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat; and
  - the date and time that your new Chat Group has agreed to meet to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
If you are appointed to set up the new Group Chat room for your new Chat Group, these are your responsibilities:
1. Follow the instructions in the Course How To for “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. Title the Group Chat room the name of your new Chat Group (which will be the name of the old Chat Group of the student who recruited you to the new Chat Group; you are responsible for finding out that name).
3. Take a screenshot of the name of your new Group Chat room (if you don’t know how to take a screenshot, this website will help you).
4. Arrange with your new Chat Group a date and time when all of you can meet online for one hour to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
5. Decide which Chat Group member will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat.
6. NOTE: If the due date for this assignment is approaching, and you haven’t been contacted about being in a new Chat Group, reach out to those students who are responsible for recruiting new Chat Groups.
7. Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #5 Discussion Board and make a post in which you
  - embed (not attach, but embed) the screenshot of your new Group Chat room; remember from the Course How To that you might need to size your image, and
  - list the date and time that your new Chat Group has agreed to meet to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
If you are in a NEW THREE-student Chat Group; if your last name was NOT last alphabetically in your “old” Chat Group; and if you were NOT appointed to set up the new Group Chat room for your NEW Chat Group, these are your responsibilities:
1. Arrange with your new Chat Group a time when all of you can meet online for one hour to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
2. Decide which Chat Group member will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat.
3. NOTE: If the due date for this assignment is approaching, and you haven’t been contacted about being in a new Chat Group, reach out to those students who are responsible for recruiting new Chat Groups.
4. Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #5 Discussion Board and make a new post in which you list
  - the name of your new Chat Group (which will be the name of the “old” Chat Group of the student who recruited you to the new Chat Group);
  - the first and last names of all the members of your new Chat Group (including you);
  - the first and last name of the student who recruited you to the new Chat Group;
  - the first and last name of the student who will be responsible for using the browser Chrome on a laptop (not a mobile device) during your Group Chat; and
  - the date and time that your new Chat Group has agreed to meet to hold your Group Chat for the next Unit (Unit 9: Assignment #5).
Everyone: Because we are a bit over halfway through the course, now is a good time to check in on the goals you set back in Unit 1.
1. Review your Unit 1: Assignment #5 Discussion Board post in which you listed six skills you wanted to develop more proficiently through this course and three strategies you wanted to employ to ensure your success in this course.
2. You previously chose
  - three skills from Ward’s (2017) article, “Google Exec, Mark Cuban Agree that these College [Skills] Are the Most Robot-Resistant,” the excerpt from Coplin’s (2012) book, 10 Things Employers Want You To Learn in College, and Brooklyn College’s handout (summary) of Coplin’s (2012) book;
  - three skills from Karbach’s (no date) infographic, “Learning and Thinking Skills of the 21st Century Students,” the Center for Teaching Quality’s (no date) infographic, “Paths to 21st Century Success,” and the excerpt from the “21st Century Skills Self-Assessment”; and
  - three strategies from the Course Syllabus section on “How Can I Do Well in this Course” and the handout on “Why and How to Pay Attention to Details in this Course.”
3. Assess your progress on these six skills and three strategies.
  - For example, if you chose “Teamwork Skills (works well with others)” as one of the six skills you wanted to develop more proficiently through this course, and you successfully navigated creating your new Chat Groups, you’re well on your way to developing this skill more proficiently.
  - Similarly, if you chose “Using technical and digital media skills in everyday work” as one of the six skills you wanted to develop more proficiently through this course, and you’ve been successfully posting .html files, fluently using the Discussion Board, and filling in fillable PDFs for your Course Review Sheets, you are also well on your to developing this skill more proficiently.
4. You previously told one other person (a roommate, friend, significant other, parent, spouse, neighbor, or classmate) about the six skills and the three strategies you chose. (You can refresh your memory about who this person is by looking back at your Unit 1: Assignment #5 Discussion Board post, where you listed this person’s initials.)
  - Update the person you previously told about your chosen six skills and three strategies with the progress you’ve made on those six skills and three strategies.
5. Go to the Unit 8: Assignment #5 Discussion Board and make a reply post to your previous Discussion Board post (where you provided information about your new Chat Group). In your reply post, of at least 200 words,
  - report your progress on the six skills and three strategies you chose; and
  - report briefly on how the person you updated responded to your progress.

Unit 8: Assignment #6 (due before 11:59 pm Central on SUN JUL 12):

Complete the Unit 8 Review Sheet (which is a fillable PDF; refer to previous Units’ instructions for how to download, save, rename, and fill in a fillable PDF).
1. Rename the unfilled PDF to be YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit08_CourseReview.pdf; then fill it in.
2. Remember that each Review Sheet in this course will be cumulative, so be sure to fill in ALL pages.
Continue to work on your Term Project.
1. Finish mastering (i.e., knowing how to use) your presentation medium.
2. Take a screenshot that demonstrates in some way that you can proficiently use your presentation medium.
3. If you’ve chosen the Whole Course option, overview/journal the current Unit.
4. If you’ve chosen the Deep Dive option, complete wrapping up your research.
5. Compose at least 200 words describing the work you’ve done so far on your Term Project. Remember that you should be allocating about two hours per Unit to your Term Project.
6. Save your 200 words as a PDF that includes your screenshot and that is named YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit08_TermProject.pdf.
Go to Unit 8: Assignment #6 (which is an Assignment link, not a Discussion Board) and
1. use the “File Upload” tool to attach/upload your completed Unit 8 Review Sheet (click “Choose File” to attach/upload your filled-in PDF);
2. click on “+ Add Another File” to attach/upload your 200-word composition about your Term Project (saved in PDF; remember to include your screenshot in your PDF); and
3. immediately after submitting your assignment, check to make sure that your filled-in PDF is really filled-in (isn’t empty) and that your PDF about your Term Project is also attached and complete.

Congratulations, you have finished Unit 8! Onward to Unit 9!