電気通信大学 AE2Y II: Topic 1 writing & presentation assignment

Hello!

How are you? Here is our 1st writing & presentation topic assignment for the second semester.

Before we begin, here are the board notes for our class from two weeks ago on 10/15: 

Now let's look at the assignment!

Task & topics 

The picture above is a scan of the original ARPANET packet switching network layout, which was the basis for what later became the internet. 

While there is no set theme I have selected for the semester, the internet is an example of a technological achievement that has had a great impact on our social and economic lives, and is shaping human culture in ways that are both positive, and not so positive. In that sense, you could think of this as a loose theme - the impact of scientific & technological achievements on society.

While all of you are free to go with any topic, the goal is to develop one (1) topic that all of you present and write about, with argumentation, step-by-step over the whole semester that will result in a final semester composition, with an abstract, plus the same topic also developed at the same time as a final presentation. 

NEW - because this is a new kind of writing for all of you, and all of you are also developing short presentations on your same topics at the same time, I will allow you to work in pairs or groups throughout the whole semester on a collaborative basis.

If you choose to work in a group, it cannot be more than three (3) members. In groups of more than three members, someone often does more work than the others - so I will ask that you collaborate equally. 

Either way - if you work in pairs or groups, you also have to stay with the same partner or group for the whole semester. 

So here is a list of topics that you can choose from. Choose one (1) of these with your partner or group that you you like and agree on. To help you keep track of these topics, I have numbered each one: 

1. The reliability of Wikipedia as an information source for academic presentation and writing preparation.

2. The reliability of Google and other search engines in helping people stay attentive in learning and studying.

3. Any technology that people can (and perhaps should) live without.

4. Levels of safety and risk in payment systems that require people’s eye or face scans.

5. The ethics of facial recognition or touch ID technology.

6. The ethics of air travel in climate change.

7. The ethics of implanting microchips in animals.

8. The ethics of extending human rights to robots and other highly-developed forms of artificial intelligence.

9. The ethics of robots and other programmed machines to give medical treatment in hospitals.

10. The ethics of robots and other programmed machines to serve as teachers or professors.

11. The purpose of space travel and/or planetary exploration.

12. The purpose of Japanese space exploration and technology.

13. Inventions or discoveries that have been made possible by space technology.

14. Comparing and contrasting the Sputnik versus Apollo space programs and which had the greater impact.

15. The cultural and social impact of marriages with robots or high-tech dolls.

16. The level of safety in military technology and what it means for society in general.

17. Possible connections of science and technological activity to natural disasters.

18. The legality of restricting certain kinds of technology.

19. The ability of humans to contact and understand possible other forms of life in different galaxies.
20. Advantages or disadvantages in technology that allow people to feel and touch objects in virtual reality.

Abstract writing
For this Topic 1 assignment, write a short abstract of between 200-250 words showing a one-sided position - one that your pair or group will make an argument for, or one that your pair or group will make an argument against.  

This is a new kind of writing for all of you, so I have made this short. But it is important that you aim for a one-sided argument from your reactions to the issues you will write about this time with your partner(s). So you can state an opinion – but you have to go beyond only saying what you believe, to develop as much of a methodology as you can to support the position you take, with researched proof to support your argument. 

For example, if your pair or group believes that the internet does not need to be regulated by local or national governments, state an opinion about it – but do not stop there. Exactly why, in you and your partners' views, does it not need to be regulated? Are things about the web fine the way they are? Or is self-regulation by the general public, where people simply make promises not to post fake news or spread misinformation, good enough to keep the internet a safe area? What evidence is there to support your position that the internet is still socially safe? 




Short presentation
Along with the written abstract, develop a short, 3-4-minute presentation with your partner(s) based on the abstract about the same topic – not a reading in front of others, but a separately developed presentation of you and your partner('s) topic. 

Guidelines

I would like the abstract typed up. For the presentation, you have a choice of making an A3-sized poster or short Power Point display, as those of you who have taken AE2Y I from me have done before. We will also use the same guidelines as we have done before.

Deadline (締め切り) 

NEW - there will be two (2) different deadlines for this assignment: 
11/19 - first mini-presentations on pair/group topics for semester 
11/26 - first drafts of abstracts of same pair/group topics 

Good luck! I look forward to reading about, and seeing, your arguments to your choices of topics.

Image: By ARPANET - The Computer History Museum ([1]), en:File:Arpnet-map-march-1977.png, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9990864

東京理科大学 技術英語: Short presentations・発表

Hello!

How are you? Today, here is our short presentation assignment. 

First, here are the board notes for our class on 10/1 (my apologies for the shot being a little out of focus!): 

Now let's look at the short presentation task!

Theme & task

Depending on your major, select a technical aspect to present about based on either of the following themes (choose one):

Mechanical technicalities of a piece of equipment, a vehicle, or an aircraft – in this theme, any piece of equipment relevant to tasks, problems, issues, or situations that mechanical engineers have to deal with is good.

Showing how something works mechanically is especially encouraged – for example, in the case of vehicles, how a combustion engine (or battery power) for an automobile operates, or for aircraft, how a jet engine works. This should also include some background to the development of the equipment, vehicle, or aircraft (with some research of your own such as (a) reading(s) from the web, and/or from the readings in class on the timeline of the automobile, or about BEVs). 

Technicalities of hardware, operating system, or software development key to the evolution of the internet or creation of the World Wide Web – in this theme, any technicalities that systems engineers or software developers have to deal with is good.

Showing how something works that was (or is) crucial systematically is especially encouraged – for example, in the case of the development of the internet, a technical issue about network connection in the early history of development, or how Tim Berners-Lee developed the technical connectivity to realize the World Wide Web (with some research of your own such as (a) reading(s) from the web, and/or from the readings in class of the early history, and further development, of the internet and WWW).  

Guidelines

Develop a short, 3-4 minute presentation about your topic – not a reading in front of others of a script, but a developed spoken presentation of your topic with Power Point or Keynote.

You will also write, and hand in, an original summary (要約) in your own words of your presentation topic. 

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will do the presentations on November 5th (11/5), so you have almost one (1) month to research, develop summaries, practice presenting, and finally presenting your topics based on the theme of your choice. 

NEW - now here are the board notes for our class on 10/8:

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your choices of topics as well as your presentations. 

See you next time!

Image: By Tim Fields from England - Focus stacked Circuit Board 1Uploaded by ComputerHotline, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23248869/Board notes - personal photograph. All rights reserved. 

東京理科大学 情報工学科技術英語: Final presentations・期末発表

Hello!

How are you? Here is our final presentation assignment. 

Once again, I am very sorry to post this later than what I had planned! While we still have a lot of time left in our course this semester, I had intended to post this on the day of the class this week. Please accept my apologies once again on posting this late!

Topic & task

Select an area or issue of AI (artificial intelligence), IT, the internet or the World Wide Web – for example: 

• a technical area of AI or IT – for example, how AI or IT can play a role in different areas of society and culture, such as medical care, or education, or even the arts – or –

• a general issue about the pros and cons of regulating the internet by governments or public or private organizations – or –

• a specific issue on the internet/WWW – for example, how to regulate fake news and spread of misinformation, or whether or not governments should intervene wherever there is any publicly harmful content on the internet

Along with this, develop a short, 5-6 minute presentation about your topic, including methodologies and results, and also your opinions and suggestions, on implications and directions of what your topic subject is about.  

As one example – on the issue of regulation of the internet: If you believe that the internet does not need to be regulated by local or national governments, state your opinion about it – but do not stop there. Exactly why, in your view, does it not need to be regulated? What research and studies, or journalistic investigations, can you find about the dangers of outside organizations regulating the internet?

Or by contrast – is regulation by bodies such as government organizations, or even through governmental law-making itself, necessary to keep the internet and WWW a safe area? What actions of internet regulation on such public levels have been taken in some countries?




Guidelines

You have a choice of making a Power Point or other digital display, as we have done before, with a summary that shows some background to the area or issue with any research or investigative reports about the area or issue, plus a statement on what you will focus on in your presentation. In addition, you will also develop an outline for your topic showing main and supporting ideas, and points of details of the topic.

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will turn in the summaries and outlines, and do the presentations, on January 22nd (1/22), so you have more than one month to do these. 

During our planning and preparation time, I will allow you to bring in your devices (laptops and/or tablets) and work in class, with my guidance and some supporting paper material and blogposts, to develop your summaries, outlines, and spoken presentation delivery. 

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your choices of topics, and helping you to develop them. 

Image: By Kevin Jarrett - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/8295289152/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24031884

電気通信大学 AE2Y II: Topic 3 writing & presentation assignment

Hello!

How are you? Today, here is our 3rd writing & presentation assignment.

While I have already given you the handout about this assignment, I am posting it here as well as another way to help remind you on what you can do.

Topic & task

The picture above is a scan of the original ARPANET packet switching network layout, which was the basis for what later became the internet. This illustrates, in part, what we will focus on in this assignment.

Select an issue about the governance of the internet or World Wide Web – for example, a general issue about the pros and cons of regulating the internet, or pros and cons about how Tim Berners-Lee thought of the WWW – or a specific issue about the internet or WWW – for example, how to regulate fake news and the spread of misinformation, or whether or not governments should have net neutrality.

Abstract writing
About your topic, write a short abstract of between 200-250 words about your opinions, suggestions, and methodology on what you believe should and can be done about the internet or WWW.  

Because this is a new kind of writing for all of you, we will aim for a one-sided argument from our reactions to the issues you will write about this time. So you can state an opinion – but you have to go beyond only saying what you believe, to develop as much of a methodology as you can to support the position you take. 

For example, if you believe the internet does not need to be regulated by local or national governments, state your opinion about it – but do not stop there. Exactly why, in your view, does it not need to be regulated? Are things about the web fine the way they are? Or is self-regulation by the general public, where people simply make promises not to post fake news or spread misinformation, good enough to keep the internet a safe area? 




Short presentation
Along with your written abstract, develop a short, five (5) -minute presentation based on your abstract about the same topic – not a reading in front of others of your paper, but a separate, developed presentation of your topic.

Guidelines

I would like you to type up your abstract. For the presentation, you have a choice of making an A3-sized poster or short Power Point display, as we have done before. We will also use the same guidelines as we have done before.

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will turn in the abstracts and do the presentations on November 20th (11/20), so you have two (2) weeks to do these. 

Good luck! I look forward to reading about, and seeing, your reactions and arguments to your choices of topics.

Image:  By ARPANET - The Computer History Museum ([1]), en:File:Arpnet-map-march-1977.png, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9990864

東京理科大学 情報学科技術英語: Short presentations・発表

Hello!

How are you? Today, here is our short presentation assignment.

Topic & task

Select a technical aspect about the internet or World Wide Web – for example, a technical issue about network connection in the early history of internet development, or how Tim Berners-Lee developed the technical connectivity to realize the World Wide Web.  

Develop a short, 5-6 minute presentation about your topic – not a reading in front of others of a script, but a developed spoken presentation of your topic.

Guidelines

For the presentation, you have a choice of making an A3-sized poster or short Power Point display, with a summary of what your topic is.

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will do the presentations on November 13th (11/13), so you have three (3) weeks to research, develop summaries, practice presenting, and finally presenting these. 

(I have pushed the presentations back one week to give us all more time for preparation and practice!)

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your choices of topics as well as your presentations. 

See you next time!

Image: Copyright-free image from Apple.