Project Description
One requirement of CSC 110 is that students perform at least 15 hours in a computer-centered service learning project. A list of possible projects can be found on the service learning web site. You may also arrange a different project, for example, you might want to volunteer at a school or other organization with which you have an association, or you may be interested in working with the SUNY Buffalo MedicalSTEP program (you must talk to Professor Burhans if you are interested in this option). You need to move quickly to find a site that sounds interesting; the first step is to select a site, start making arrangements with the site coordinator, and create a blog where you will keep track of your project. For some information on creating a new blog, check out a blog I just created for this class at: http://classproj08.blogspot.com/
You can complete your 15 hours in as many (or as few) visits as you would like. After each visit, you must write your experiences down on your blog or in a new web page. These records do not have to be fancy or include everything you did, but they should record topics you think are important. Details you probably want to include are what you did, what you learned, how you felt, and with whom you worked. You can also include other things you think are important to remember: links to pages you used, pictures you drew, or mp3s of the songs you sung. Past students have found these pages help them reflect on their experiences, both good and bad, and write better service learning report at the end of the semester.
It is important that you keep up with your hours. Around the middle of most months, you will need to submit your experience pages as evidence that you are making progress towards (or have completed) the required 15 hours. Showing that you have made continued progress at all of these interim deadlines is worth 10 points towards the final report grade.
At the end of the semester, you will use these experience pages and to write a web-based report. The report should discuss the important of computer literacy and computer access. Is it important to know how to use and have access to a computer? Do we place too much, too little, or the right amount of emphasis on this issue? What challenges do people without computer access face? You should refer to your experiences (and include links to the appropriate records) when answering these questions.
Timeline Including Points (20 pts. total for the project)