Final class – Build a story

let’s build a story using at least one of the following words in your sentence. Go around the class:

Day of the week                                     Verbs

Monday                                                          ran, run, running
Tuesday                                                         swim, swam, swimming
Wednesday                                                   ride, rode, riding
Thursday                                                       dance, danced, dancing
Friday                                                             play, played, playing
Saturday                                                        study, studied, studying
Sunday                                                            mediate, meditated, meditating
Weekend, weekends
holidaysterm time

Building a group story

Activity

This activity is to encourage sentence construction. We will go arond the class at least two times. Each person is to use at least one of the words from the list below in their sentence. Other adjectives, adverbs, verbs, nouns etc can also be used. Words from the list can be used by more than one student.

Adjectives           Adverbs         Verbs

sunny                       sunnily                run, ran, running
windy                       windily               walk, walking
rainy                         rainy                   fly, flying                       
quick                         quickly
heavy                        heavily

Using databases

Databases are collections of journal articles, chapters in books and patents. Part of your fees at CQUniversity are used by the Library to subscribe to 162 databases. EbscoHost is the largest database the Library subcribes to.

• Go to Library home page
• Pull down the menu Database quicklinks
• Select EbscoHost then click on Go
• Select the sub group of databases Performing Arts
• Select all, Continue
• Type in the word circus*     Note the * on the end of the word allows for alternative spelling eg circus, circuses
• Use the Subject Thesaurus Terms to narrow your search, in this case let’s limit to Circus Performers
• Limit once a gain to Clowns
• Finally give the details on one article using Harvard Author/Date style
• email your document to j.wilson@mel.cqu.edu.au

How gullible are we?

H2O: Gullible Survey

What does the word “gullible” mean?

A student at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, April 26. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practising junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “di-hydrogen monoxide.” And for plenty of good reasons, since:

1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
2. it is a major component in acid rain
3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
4. accidental inhalation can kill you
5. it contributes to erosion
6. it decreases effectiveness of auto mobile brakes
7. it has been found in tumours of terminal cancer patients

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three (86%) said yes, six (12%) were undecided, and only one (4%) knew that the name of the chemical.

The title of his prize winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?” He feels the conclusion is obvious. (Center for Media Literacy, 2002-2011)

What is the common name of the chemical?
Discuss why we have done this exercise and what it teaches us.
How does critical thinking help us approach this situation?

Referencing

In the western academic tradition referencing or acknowledging the academic source of your quotes, arguments or data is essential. You must reference all your work at CQUniversity in a Reference List at the end of your assignment using the Harvard Author/Date style and by using in-text references. If you use another person’s ideas without appropriate acknowledgement may be regarded as a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Referencing also enhances your writing and assists your readers by:

• Showing the breadth of your research
• Strengthening your academic argument
• Demonstrating your understanding of academic requirements
• Acknowledging and rewarding others for their contribution
• Showing the readers the sources of your information
• Allowing your readers to consult your sources independently
• Allowing readers to verify your information.

Adapted from CQUniveristy referencing site  ‘Why is referencing important?’

“Plagiarism means taking and using the thoughts, writings, inventions etc. of another person and using them as your own without acknowledging their source. In your academic writing, you will often need and be expected to draw on the ideas of others and sometimes to quote their exact words or copy their graphics.”

From CQU referencing site  ‘What is plagiarism?’

Exercise
Using one of the journals supplied in the class, find an article with at least two authors, make a Microsoft Word document giving the correct reference for the article and email it to Jane as an attachment.

In the HOT SEAT – Concept Review Game

Rules and Guidelines

The HOT SEAT is a chair at the front of the class. Students take it in turns to be in the HOT SEAT! and sit with their back to the whiteboard.

All students are given a prompt sheet of possible information literacy terms.
One of the library /information literacy terms is written on the whiteboard.

The students facing the blackboard have to explain what the term means to the person in the HOT SEAT without using any of the words in the term,
person in the HOT SEAT then guesses which term is being described.

To indicate that they wish to provide the answer, students facing the whiteboard ‘press their buzzer’ (ie. hit the table!)

The first student to hit the table is given a chance to explain the term. If the person in the HOT SEAT guesses correctly, a prize is award to a. the person in the HOT SEAT and b. the student attempting the answer. If the person in the hot seat guesses incorrectly, another student can press their buzzer and the game goes on.

One of the students may act as adjudicator to tell the group who pressed their buzzer first. The game usually starts slowly and quickly picks up pace. How log does the list of terms need to be?  It is acceptable for the same term to be used twice.  This allows students to consolidate what terms mean.

Except for the student in the HOT SEAT looking up terms on the internet via PC or mobile phone is OK.

The can even send the student in the HOT SEAT an SMS!!

Adapted from the Hot Seat / Concept Review Game
Birks, J., & Hunt, F. (2003). Hands-on information literacy activities. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. pp. 9-11.

Terms for 15 August 2011

Prescribed textbook list          Library catalogue          Call number          Circulation desk

Information desk          Library collection          Group study room          Returns chute

Renew          Place a hold          Reserve book / closed reserve book

Journal          Journal article          Journal database

Highlights from MIFF 2011 – Documentary

At MIFF I choose documentaries, short films and animated films. As my festival highlight, I  find it difficult to choose between the documentary of the life of choreographer,  Tanja Liedtke Life in Movement and the documentary of the life of film maker Paul Cox On Borrowed Time.

Tanja’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 29, 3 months before she was to take up her new role of Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. Her body of work included two full length ballets and four short ballets. The documentary had begun production some time before her untimely death and was completed posthumously.

When On Borrowed Time was produced, Paul was near the end of his life, having a very rare blood group and waiting for a liver transplant. He emigrated to Australia at the age of 25 and began making his first feature film 3 years later. Paul went on to make 25 feature films between 1968 – 2008. He had been the producer as well as the film maker on many of them.

Highlights from MIFF 2011

The screenings of Accelerator Program 1 and 2 were the highlight for me. I love short films and those chosen for Accelerator represent emerging young film makers mostly from Australia and New Zealand.

The Stranger directed by Rodd Rathjen P Rodd Rathjen and Nicolette Freeman “A peculiar young man, seemingly without any awareness of social conventions, crashes a party. Is he looking for trouble, or just lonely?” (MIFF 2011 Program online),

The Palace  was a power full film dealing with the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Based on a true story and directed by Anthony Maras, a Turkish conscript faces a dilemma when confronted with a mother and her three children who have taken refuge in a cupboard.

Set in New Zealand, Ebony boys is the story of ”Two young thieves unexpectedly discover their Christmas spirit and re-evaluate their lives during a break-in” (MIFF 2011 Program online) , directorial debut by Outrageous Fortune actor Tammy Davis.

“Road rage, nicotine withdrawal and generational conflict feature in this animated journey along Australia’s longest and straightest stretch of desert road.” (MIFF 2011 Program online) were the themes of Nullabor directed by Alister Lockhart http://www.nullarborshortfilm.com

What is Fact? What is Opinion?

• Can you tell the difference between fact and opinion?

• A fact is defined as something that’s always true no matter what anyone thinks. 
  A fact can be proven to be true.

• An opinion is something some people believe but others don’t. 
  It is impossible to provethat an opinion is true.ACTIVITY
• Go round the class and tell one fact about either your home country or Austrlia.
• Go round the class and tell me one opinion about your home country or Australia.

• Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a statement is a fact or an opinion.

• Example: science How do scientists testing whether something is true, and getting closer and closer to fact?

• Some things are believed to be facts but we can’t be 100% sure…  Sometimes fact and opinion are on a continuum.

• Sometimes facts are used to support or ‘prove’ an opinion, eg. in books or journals that you might read for study, or in your own assignments and essays:

Library catalogue

Here is a link to the CQUniversity Library Homepage.