Personal and Cultural Identity
ASSIGNMENT 2: Content Curator
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Learning Target (Curricular Competencies):
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Blog Post – Content Curator
Here is an article on content curation and its effectiveness as a tool for learning and teaching.
When it comes to writing about a specific topic, it is valuable to summarize what people in the field have written about. In this way you will be a true content curator. You won't be creating new content on the topic, however, you will be creating a valuable post that will be an excellent starting point for someone interested in your topic. You will become a "content expert" on the subject and share it with others. Along the way you will practice skills and learn how to access resources to do so selectively and legitimately.
In this unit your task is to selectively share the most valuable resources on your topic from around the web with your audience in a blog post. You will need to evaluate the websites carefully. The next page will provide you with the criteria for critically evaluating websites. Read carefully.
Look at the following blog post for two reasons:
1. As an example of a list post. The title often is something like "Top 10...." and includes numbered examples.
2. As an example of a blog post to generate traffic that isn't necessarily a good source of reliable facts.
IMPORTANT
Before you start your own blog post it is important to consider the topic of plagiarism and copyright. You are essentially summarizing the work of a number of people in your blog post so it is important that you do it correctly. In that way, you are creating new content yourself based on the work of others.
What is plagiarism?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But euphemisms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense.
According to the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary, to "plagiarize" means "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words or another) as one's own"; "to commit literary theft".
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
Source: https://21cif.com/tutorials/micro/mm/plagiarism/page5.htm
Take this cartoon tutorial to find out more about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Copyright and Fair Use
1.Read here carefully to learn about copyright and fair use.
2. Click the links to test your knowledge on copyright and fair use.
Be sure to acknowledge your sources in MLA format. Read the handout on MLA CITATION in Class Handouts at the top of the course. There are also a number of online sites that will generate your citations for you!! Try citationmachine.
Task:
1. First you are going to explore some ideas before you choose a topic on which you will become a "content expert".
a) Google It: Often our first action is to put our question into Google. For specific research there are better options, but for exploring a topic give it a whirl. Type in the question "Is technology a force for good or evil?" Notice your search results. What comes up first? Google will make predictions as you type (called autocomplete). Follow this link to learn about autocomplete. Are Google's suggestions answering your question?
b) There are many websites built for content curation which are a good place to go for topics and sub-topics in an area. Try one of these sites: Type in the word "technology" OR use a more general topic like "good or evil",etc.. See what your search results look like now. Now try these websites built for content curation...
Pinterest Note: account required
You will probably have noticed that your results aren't specific enough for your purpose and that you will need to evaluate the results more critically to create your content list. Make sure you use the website evaluation criteria on the next page.
2. Now you will develop a topic that addresses the question of privacy.
How much privacy do all Canadians have the right to?
3. Your goal is to collect information that will answer that question. Consider online tracking, security cameras usage, data protection, etc.. Whether it's electronic or physical monitoring, do we know who is watching us?
4. Your final assignment - the blog post - should include
- an introduction that introduces your focused topic and how it will affect Canadians' expectations of privacy.
- 5 websites
- proper citation
Assessment: Below you will find the exemplary criteria used to assess the assignment.
Learning Target: (Exemplary 6/6): Exemplary comprehension of the task and clear accomplishment of the objective. Topic is well-developed in a blog post complete with introduction, five websites and proper citation.
Written Expression: Exemplary (6/6): Sentence structure and vocabulary are varied, skillfully written, and carefully chosen. Work has been proofread and there are few or no errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Content contributes to the central idea and makes insightful connections with logical organization.
Submission
Use the "3.2 Content Curator" link on the main page of this section of the course to upload your assignment to your teacher for marking.