Overview:
In this lab you will be given the opportunity to put all of your
powerpoint knowledge to use. You will put together an innovative MS
powerpoint presentation on some aspect of computers in society. You
will then present your powerpoint presentation to your instructor and
classmates at a pre-arrainged time in class.
Part 1:
Todo: Send email to
your instructor choosing a topic for the presentation. The topic must
be on some aspect of the use of computers and society. Each student
must have a unique topic. A few possible topics will be suggested
below, but most people will have to come up with a topic of their own.
Topics will be awarded to students on a first ask, first granted basis,
so if you have a topic in mind immediately, send email quickly.
Due: Monday Oct 31st by 5pm.
Part 2:
Create a powerpoint presentation about your topic. The presentation should be
about 6 minutes long at use at least 8 slides. You should make your presentation
by interesting and attractive. By the end of this class you should have all
the tools that you need to make an engaging powerpoint presentation. Creativity
and originality is encouraged and will count in the grade. Those of you who
are feeling like you know powerpoint already and are sitting with your eyes
glazed in class, this is your time to shine. I will expect more from those
of you who are experts than from those who are less adept.
Part 3:
You will give an in class presentation to demo your presentation for me (and the
rest of the class). The first demo sections will be Thursday. If these take
too long, the rest will come in the following week. Demo sign up is first
come first served, with a system of "military volunteers" if nobody
wants to go early.
Some Possible topics:
Keep in mind that these are by no means a complete list of possible
topics. Rather they are a good starting point for a few of you who
can't think of things on your own
- Computer voting machines: Given the controversy in 2000 over such a
small percentage of uncountable votes in Florida, one would think that
the new machines, which showed an uncountable vote in the last election
of count close to 10 times greater would get more press. Are touch screen
voting machines anything like realiable and safe?
- On-line retail vs Brick and morter retail, the effects on jobs and the
pricing for the consumer
- Computer privacy in the workplace, your rights and your employers rights.
- Spam today, laws around the world have various restrictions on spam,
but there is nothing like a do not spam list. Why? what are the issues
in spam control?
- Computer worms: Most widespread sucessful wormss target Windows based
computers. Why? is windows so much less secure than other systems or are
there other reasons?
- The psychology of on-line chat rooms. What are the effects of anonymity
and communication between people who never have to see each other.
- Intellectual property and the computer age: George Lucas claims that
he put out the Star Wars trilogy early because he was afraid people would
be able to steal it in a few years. What are the prospects for a use of
technology that is both fair to consumers and allows artists to make a
profit/living at the same time.
- computer games and society: There has long been controversy over some
video games and their effects on children. Studies have linked heavy play
of some video games to both obesity and aggression. Are these evidence
of a wider trend or an anomoly.
- Computers as interactive aids: Since seeing eye dogs, people with physical
impearments have had options to help live independant lives. What new
technology promises more aid.
- The use of technology to litterally control humans. On Tuesday, in the
Boston globe (and in many other news outlets) you can read about a technology
that can be used to force people to go where a joystick controller points
them. The technology is being developed to support immersive virtual reality
video games, but the implications for prisonor control or worse are clear.
discuss the pros and cons of these devices and their potential ramifications.
- RFid tags in passports: The government is following the lead of a few
foriegn governments and adding RDid tags to passports. These tags eletronically
broadcast all of the personal information in the passport to the range
of the RFid tag. The idea is that these tags will make it more difficult
to forge a passport because you'd need to forge the RFid tag too. The
downside is that these tags can be read at a range of 200 feet by someone
with the right equipment. Consider the pros, cons and ramifications of
this proposal.