Research Portfolio Paper Assignment

Introduction

Your first assignment for the research portfolio is to write a paper. The topic has been assigned to you: Cell phone texting technology.

You will need to research the origins of cell phone texting, trace its development, and highlight the social and ethical impact and implications the introduction of this technology has had on the world.

Before you do this, I’ve given you two assignments which will get you acquainted with the Library catalog/databases and evaluating the sources you find in your research. These are designed to help you improve your search and evaluation skills.

You will also have the opportunity to submit an assignment that requires you to “check in” with me about what you’ve done so far in order to get feedback on your work so far.

Before you submit your paper you need to upload it to the SafeAssign tool. This tool is designed to prevent plagiairism. So take care to use reputable sources and to clearly cite your work.

This will not be graded but if you do not first submit a copy of your paper to SafeAssign your final draft will not be accepted.

If your SafeAssign report indicates plagiarism or improper citation, make those changes before you submit the final draft.

Origins

Every technology starts somewhere. Where did texting as a discrete technology “start”? Don’t go too far back. Yes, communication over long distances can be traced to the use of smoke signals and mirrors. And, yes, the telegraph and the phone were giant leaps forward in that regard. But that’s too far back.

For the purposes of this assignment, assume that the cell phone exists and try to identify the point at which texting was introduced to that technology. You do NOT need to discuss the origins of the cell phone itself, though you are free to mention them briefly.

This is the hardest part of the assignment. So hard, in fact, that I’m actually helping out a bit by pointing you to some resources that will help with this section of the assignment. DONOT select “Add to my bookshelf” or “download” on any of these resources! That will eliminate access to them for others. If you do this, you will tracked and will receive a “0” on the assignment. Simply view them in the browser. As soon as you’re done viewing the resource, exit the browser, and it will be available to someone else.

Resources for cell phone “origins” 

 

1- 

Short message service (SMS) [electronic resource] : the creation of personal global text messaging

2- 
Txtng [electronic resource] : the Gr8 Db8

3- 
Mobile world [electronic resource] : past, present, and future

4- 
 [electronic resource] : a global history of the mobile phone

Development

Did the texting change over time? Did it’s capabilities change? Was there any innovation that allowed people to do new things with the technology? These are the kinds of questions you should address in the “development” section.

Social Impact and Ethical Implications

Has the introduction of this technology changed the social and moral landscape of our society? It is changing the way we have to legislate behavior? What are some implications of the new technology of us as a local community? As a nation? As a globalized world?

If you think about it, there are probably a lot of impacts and ethical implications. Give us a brief overview of the ones you think are the most significant. Then zero in and go into a bit more detail about one that interests you more.

Conclusion

This assignment is designed to get you thinking about where a technology “comes from” how it develops and ultimately has impacted our world.

As you write you may find it helpful to think of the paper as an informative encyclopedia article entitled “Cell Phone Texting.” Conduct the research about each element and summarize it for your reader, drawing conclusions from the information you find.

Please read the assignment instructions for the specific requirements.

 

7-8 pages