Gov 2306 Webliography

Webliography

• Webliography

  GOV 2306  Webliography Assignment

  If you send the assignment by way of email attachment, you must include your name and section number in the subject line of your email.  Otherwise, points will be deducted.  You do not have to include this information if you choose to upload the assignment through BlackBoard.

  During the course of this semester you will complete a Webliography Assignment.  It's my favorite assignment because it allows the student to explore the web and select the sites they wish to review.  It will help develop critical thinking by allowing you to analyze, compare, and evaluate the reliability and usefulness of websites that contain political information.To earn full credit for this assignment, complete and submit it by MS Word attachment.  Please be sure to follow the instructions on this page.  Email me should you have any questions.Get started early, because this is not an assignment you can do in just a few hours.  I have provided an example of what I consider to be a "perfect" webliography. Do not plagiarize!  I run all submissions through anti-plagiarism software and violators are dropped from the course. 

  The Assignment:

  Here is the assignment:  Locate at least six ways in which political information is available on the Web. You may use political party websites, interest group websites, government websites, media outlets, etc. Provide the link and a review of the website, including your assessment as to why the website may be useful and what you learned from the website.  The assignment requires complete and comprenesive reviews of six different websites.  No partial credit is given to submissions with fewer than six. 

  Three or four paragraphs for each website is generally sufficient. This assignment is worth up to 50 points, and a thorough review of the sites is expected.  Your assessment of these sites should include, but not be limited to, these points: Is the content biased, and if so, why? Is the content credible or otherwise useful for scholastic research? Is the content timely and relevant?

  A majority of students do very well in this assignment.  Students earning the highest grades generally turn in their work early, and they provide thorough reviews of the websites.  Some students wait until the last day or two before starting, only to realize there is no way to get a passing grade without spending ample time.

  Here is good advice:

  Be sure you are aware of the due date.  I do not accept late work.  A popular excuse is, “I didn't know how to send an attachment," or, "my computer got a virus, or broke, or ran out of coal, or my power went out, or ...."  Of course, I'll be glad to hear your excuse, but only because I enjoy reading new ones.

  I cannot accept any excuse for late work.  Such is Distance Learning: A great opportunity for those of us who stay ahead of the game, and a cruel monster for those of you who wait until the last minute or have always gotten away with blaming your inability to meet an important deadline on your work schedule or someone or something else.

  If you get the assignment to me early enough, say, within one week of the due date, I will grade it.  If you don't like your grade, you can do something about it.  You can re-submit the assignment for a better grade, provided you send the second one in by or before the due date.  Yes, I know that is a very kind and generous action, but I really do have a great deal of respect for most Distance Learning students and I happen to know they are hard-working individuals who take responsibility and do great work.  Please do not consider this an offer to "proofread" your work, because it is not.  It is simply an opportunity for you, if you are willing to work ahead, to ensure yourself a good grade on an important assignment.  I do hope you take advantage of this opportunity.

  Remember, refine and polish your work to college-level standards.  Anything less equals points off.

  The work must be original.  No copying/pasting from the Internet or any other source.  I run all suspicious work  through anti-plagiarism software.   If it is plagiarized, you fail the course!

  If you do not see a grade posted in the gradebook within 48 hours, send it again.

  Enjoy the assignment!

  An Example:

  Here is an example of an ideal website review, submitted last semester:

  Greetings,

  Sometimes students ask, "What does an exemplary webliography look like?"

  I decided to provide an example of what I consider to be a model assignment.   It was sent by a student in this class, and the student has graciously permitted me to share it. Please note that every one of the questions on the assignment is answered fully, and the review is full of the student's own analysis and thoughts. There is no doubt as to the student's assessment of the website, and the assessment is backed by thoughtful, polished, and convincing text.

    Website:     http://bensguide.gpo.gov

  Another very interesting government website I was led to via the   www.usa.gov   website is   http://bensguide.gpogov. Bens Guide to U. S. Government is a complete, comprehensive website designed for kids of all ages ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade including a section for parents and teachers. Ben’s Guide serves as the educational component of the Government Printing Office Access (which is the GPO’s service to provide the official online version of legislative and regulatory information.) Age appropriate material is located under colorful “kite” tabs including sections on Our Nation, Historical Documents, Branches of Government, How Laws are Made, National versus State, Election Process, Citizenship, Games and Activities and a listing of U.S. Government Web Sites for Kids. My youngest child is an 8th grader, so I navigated through the 6-8th grade section just to see what he will be learning this year, etc., and I was surprised to see that much of the information listed is what I am currently learning/reviewing in our on-line Government course!   I am also a little embarrassed to say that I am not as familiar as I should be with Government facts, so maybe I will be visiting this website for my own personal use in this class!!

  Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government is definitely timely and relevant as it contains facts that all children, ages K-12, must learn as they progress through their school years.   In fact, I would call most of the information “timeless” because it is always useful, informative, and interesting to learn and revisit at any time, for anyone (at any age) interested in government and how government processes work. Websites containing historical facts have always been and will continue to be extremely useful for scholastic research on all levels. This website is easy to navigate, interesting, and colorful for children of all ages. Games and activities definitely draw the attention of kids and certainly make learning fun. Ben’s Guide is an excellent resource for educators as all information is considered public domain and is not restricted, but does need to be referenced for use. Teachers may order activity books and access a link to the U.S. Government Bookstore. The “ Curriculum Links” tab contains an A-Z listing of resources ranging from the Smithsonian, NASA, and a link to Federal Resources for Educational Excellence which includes 40+ agencies and the Education Department.

  As I also researched what makes websites credible, Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government would definitely fall into the highly credible category as it contains .gov in the url address which means that it is produced by a government affiliated website.   Another example of credibility for this website is the fact that many websites are linked to this website, and in turn, this website links to many other credible websites. The purpose of this website is not to generate revenue in some way and is not filled with numerous, irritating ads, so that also lets the viewers feel that this website is credible. In addition, the bottom of the Home Page states, “A service of the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office as well as a fairly recent updated date – both of which are also indications of credibility.