Lib100 G & H Spring 2008 Extra Credit Blog

Go to one of the presidential candidates web sites (McCain, Obama or Clinton) and find one fact that they quote there on your broad topic (Global Warming, War on Terror, Immigration, Economy, Healthcare). Use the tools we have learned about in this class to verify that fact. Be sure to put the URL of the page with the fact and the link to the location where you verified the fact. If they cite sources on their page for the information, be sure to go get that source independently to verify the information.

Listen to this piece on Wikipedia from NPR and give us your thoughts on it. Do you think he’s correct in the conclusions he draws about Wikipedia’s relationship to traditional Encyclopedias? How do you use Wikipedia? When do you refer to it, when do you not? Do you think it will ever gain more respect as a source of accurate information, or is it destined to be perpetually ‘unscholarly.’ Should it be accepted as a source for research papers? Why or why not? Does knowing who makes changes to Wikipedia make a difference to you. Read this Article from Wired Magazine and comment on that - how can Wikipedia become a tool of businesses or politicians??? Any thoughts on Wikipedia are welcome!

Watch the following video and respond - some questions to spur thought are below: http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

* How close do you think we are from having this kind of system?
* What would the benefits of such a database of information be?
* What would the drawbacks be?
* Of all the information types accessed (addresses, phone numbers, health information, travel information, library information, shopping, subscriptions, financial) which do you think should stay private and why?
* How concerned are you about the privacy of your own information? Why?
* How much is TMI on someone?
* Who created this video? What do you know about them? What is their interest in privacy?

Discussion topics and materials will be posted here.

Students can review the materials and make comments to earn extra credit.