Sunday, August 28, 2011

Welcome!

This is the course blog for our section of BIS 390. I will mainly use it to make announcements and adjustments to our schedule. You will mainly use it to post your research log entries and to extend the classroom discussion.

Click here to preview the Monday 4:30 course syllabus and here to preview the Wednesday 7:20 course syllabus.

Please write a test post in the reply below so I can make sure the blog is working for everyone.You can either use an existing Google/Gmail I.D. or make a Blogger I.D. Let me know if you have any difficulty and I can help. It would be best if your test post was some kind of question or comment about the syllabus. Read it carefully!  

Late Breaking Update: 

This is a fuller explanation of the various stages/parts of the 390 proposal you are developing. This is the same document, but written for creative projects (which only applies to a small number of you). And this is the really important one, which is a grid (Mon ~ Wed) of all the class assignments. You will get a printed copy of all of these documents in the first class meeting. 

It was great getting to know the Monday group today. Such interesting backgrounds and projects... lots of fuel in the tank, so to speak. Looking forward to meeting the rest of you on Wednesday.

33 comments:

  1. Is this yours, Larry? Is this your homework, Larry?

    - Walter Sobchak

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  2. I think the syllabus is clear and straight to the point. It's a lot of information so I will go back to it often to make sure I'm on the right track. I really enjoyed our class on Monday...this sould be a great semester!

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  3. I enjoyed meeting everyone on Monday. The potential projects are very interesting and I look forward to learning more about all of you and your projects as class progresses. Question: Are the bulleted items for the dates on the schedule due on that day or are they assigned for that week?

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  4. Naomi... if you mean the schedule in the syllabus, then the bullets are assignments due on that day, unless otherwise specified. (Not one week later.) Other bullets describe things that will happen in class that day.

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  5. Really enjoying the walk through after alot of on line classes

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  6. i used my gmu email to access this blog but i don't know what email to use to access it the next time.

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  7. This is Maggie
    Testing

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  8. Hello. This is Jamie. I like to eat peanut butter and take long, long walks in the rain; sometimes I enjoy both at the same time.

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  9. All right- I am feeling pretty on top of things right now. I have a sneaky feeling this might be the last time I feel this way. Can't wait to get to know all of you over the course of the year.

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  10. Emma I think is will be a very busy semester.

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  11. Do you also believe that a gap exist between IT professionals and business professionals in an organizations?

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  12. Mark, maybe ask Jamie for some of her peanut butter to fill the gap.

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  13. I'm typing this from the GMU library on a Saturday night. :(

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  14. Jeremy... in the first week of classes too! That is hardcore.

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  15. Research Log #1

    I have started brainstorming topics that I am most interested in researching in my areas of study. I reached out to my mentor with a list of potential ideas, and he has helped me work through them and narrow them down. I am currently considering researching the following topic: “Will cloud computing lead to individual business units in organizations setting up their own IT and the end of a centralized IT department?” I am going to continue to work with my mentor to further refine this topic, but I feel like this is definitely in the ballpark of where I want to be.

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  16. Research Log #1- Kathy Milburn

    I have been greatly encouraged by our reading homework. It has changed my attitude from "should I even be here" to "oh, this guy is writing about me!". I like the guidance both you and the books are giving us. Until now the whole BIS experience has felt like a solo adventure. This class feels like it will develop into something tight knit and supportive and that makes me feel MUCH better- about the class and myself.
    I am also wondering how much I should be involving my advisor about the development of my project ideas. Should I work up a couple with you(Aaron), then run those by her, or vice versa? I don't want to disillusion her by looking like an unfocused twit, but also don't want to slight her. Advice?

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  17. Kathy,

    In general it's better to have brainstorming type sessions with me and your classmates, then to meet with the faculty mentor when you have something specific to discuss/ask. Just because their time is less available. But then again we have had many BIS students who had more of a brainstorming type relationship with the mentors, so you will need to play your individual situation by ear.

    -Aaron

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  18. Research Log#1-Tom Ritchie

    I am interested in creating a human intelligence (HUMINT) training course that would be marketed to the United States government and its allies. This course would teach a skill set that would help fill a capabilities void existing between the United States and its foreign partners relating to surveillance and counter surveillance operations. Future access to the trained personnel would primarily benefit human intelligence operators outside the U.S., but it would also be very useful inside the U.S. when an operations involve targets living in or using segregated communities.

    I’ve enjoyed the reading so far, and it’s already clarified some planning and structuring concerns I’ve had regarding end product.

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  19. Organizations are constantly looking for more effective and efficient ways of achieving more growth with less resources, but one of the means that could be helpful in achieving this objective is to make communication an integral part of corporate goals. In today's corporate environment, IT professionals and business professionals are the key drivers but there is a huge gap between these two key professionals.

    Upon this conviction, my research topic would focus on bridging this gap by integrating communication into IT and business professionals. My topic among others would be, "how would communication influence IT and business professional in achieving corporate goals and objectives."

    I am still brainstorming and your comments are welcome.

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  20. Stacy Light
    Research Log #1

    I'm lost. There, I said it. I have no idea what to write my paper on. That's not usually the kind of thing I like to admit in class, but this seems like the kind of class where if it's true you had better admit to it! I handed in the assignment in the first class and I had a couple of paper topics on the back, but I can't say I was really thrilled with any of them.

    My degree has to do with business, consumer marketing, and just a pinch of psychology for fun. So it seems like there are 2 main criteria for picking a research topic. First, it needs to be something where there is ample related raw data and studies available that can be combined in a new way. Second, it seems like it would be prudent to pick a topic that interests me enough that I could see myself working on it for the next year. That's a pretty tall order!

    I've always been interested in false advertising. So I'm trying to figure out if there is some way I can make that work. But I'm not sure if that actually works well with my degree.

    Any thoughts or suggestions?

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  21. Fluffy Bunny, come see Fuzzy Bear and his friends in the magical forest for a couple of weeks and I bet you get some new insights.

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  22. Erin, are you in Wednesday's class? I am in Monday's class and have no idea what you're talking about. Thanks in advance for clarifying.

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  23. Naomi,

    This is an assignment you haven't had yet because the Wednesday class is one week ahead. But just FYI to everyone else, this was just an extra torture I inflicted rather than an official research log post.

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  24. Does that mean research log #1 doesn't count towards the homework/research log grade? It was just practice using the blog?

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  25. I'm so excited that everything here with the blog is working. I won't be in class this evening. Last class I was talking to my peer about wanting to reseach about trauma and addiction. I'm thinking about our wounded warriors, head injury victims, how they re-intergrate after their trauma, deal with changed lives, losses they experience and how they cope with a new life. Still thinking...what do you think?

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  26. Aaron, I need to schedule a time so we can talk about the googles doc.

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  27. Hello testing,

    Finally I found it "again". Well I am very interested in my research I actually went on and wrote the 25 questions though I am not sure I did it the right way, but it sure helped me figure out what I am trying to bring to the table with this research. I am looking forward to the semester ahead a bit worried about all the writing and reading, but they have been helpful so far so I think will be great.

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  28. Hello testing,

    Finally I found it "again". Well I am very interested in my research I actually went on and wrote the 25 questions though I am not sure I did it the right way, but it sure helped me figure out what I am trying to bring to the table with this research. I am looking forward to the semester ahead a bit worried about all the writing and reading, but they have been helpful so far so I think will be great.

    (found it and "rescued" it from the Wednesday's blog. This was the homework blog right?

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  29. This is Raffaela, right? If so you're in the right place.

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