IM 355 Interactive Media Theories, Concepts, and Practices

Spring 2022

Your organization of sets of points

This assignment is Reading Summary (11)

At the bottom of this page, note that this assignment is different than the initial assignment about organization. First, a reminder about organizing main and subpoints.

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Being able to identify the main points and subpoints is useful. Being able to identify the relationship(s) among sets of points is even better. As a writer, you should use sets of points that have clear relationships among them. This helps you write more effectively and helps readers follow your train of thought/content coverage.

This assignment asks you to identify sets of points (main & subpoints) and their relationships as used by our author. What are the relationships among sets of points that lead the reader to “follow along” in a predictable way? For example, a series of points can be organized via relationships such as:

Problem, solution, outcome
Cause, effects, outcome
Advantages, Disadvantages
Past, present, future. (time)
Big, medium, small (size)
Extreme, average, minimized (percentage)
West, central, east (space/geographic)
Hot, medium, cold (temperature)
Known categories (for example: Executive, Judicial, Legislative). [If you make categories up, they have to be very easily recognizable/understandable to a reader who is not generally familiar with the subject]
Active, stuck, passive (action orientation)

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This assignment is Reading Summary (11)

When your reading summary is targeted at an analysis your ability to organize sets of points using a variety of predictable organizational patterns, you should:

1) summarize the reading.

2) Indicate your thesis for that reading.

3) Select and organize 3 main points in the reading using three (different) organizational patterns (from those listed above). Use the same thesis.

An Example

1) summarize the reading (not provided here).
2) Thesis: The Internet was originally under control of the military, but it later was given control to civilians, helping to expand it to a global scale.

NOTE: you do not have to use these three patterns. You may use any 3 of the patterns presented in the learning, above.

A) Organized by Time (past to Present)

1. The military needed to solve the command and control problem brought about by Russia's successes in outer space.

2. The R&D needed to develop distributed networks that connected a wide variety of network types was beyond the military's ability; they need commercial/private contractors.

3. Eventually, through government-and-industry collaboration, the Internet was developed.

B) Organized by Problem, Solution, Result/Outcome

1. The military needed to solve the command and control problem brought about by Sputnik.

2. Eventually, through government-and-industry collaboration, the Internet was developed.

3. The resultant network distributed packet-switched messages such that damage to one geographic location would not destroy the ability to communicate with various parts of the country.

C) Organized by Advantages/Disadvantages

1. The Internet distributes packet-switched messages such that damage to one geographic location would not destroy the ability to communicate with various parts of the country.

2. The Internet's popularity increased it's size exponentially. Handling the increased traffic required huge data centers.

3. Huge data centers means that the Internet is no longer de-centralized, thereby once again leaving it's functions open to attack.

(A) Concept Exams

(B) Text Reading
Summaries/Analyses

(C) Concept Application
Notes & Discussions
(D) 3-part-Research Writing Project
(E) Extra Credit Grading Special Considerations
Concepts Schedule IM 355 Homepage
© Ed Lamoureux, 2022