LP11.2 Assignment: Technical Journal

The Linux Technical Journal: A Creative Template?

The Technical Journal assignment for the Linux class is not
a typical assignment and this document is certainly not a typical “template” to
facilitate the assignment. It will not afford many, if any, simple or immediate
opportunities to merely plug in information, answers, terms, Web addresses,
etc. Success in this assignment will start with a steady routine of disciplined
note-taking throughout the term. The student is encouraged to make written
record (notes) of anything and everything pertaining to Linux, including both
those things directly related to specific course objectives as well as those
things that are connected in a more indirect fashion, useful tangents if you
will. The primary course competencies, objectives, the various (Journal
Alerts)found in different sections of each learning plan, and any
other courses of study or inquiry prompted by this course or in any other
context relevant to the student’s experience with Linux, are all starting
points and may provide the top-level structure for the journal. Ideas
pertaining to structure and order and/or format and layout of the journal may
include, but are certainly not limited to the following:

In General

Structure and Order

1. Same
   order as course competencies/textbook chapters
2. Chronological
   sequence, evolution of Linux
3. Alphabetical,
   an A to Z presentation
4. Least
   to most complex
5. Most
   to least interesting/appealing
6. Pseudo-random

Format and Layout

1. Tabular,
   primarily text, including descriptive summaries
2. Tabular,
   including text and graphics
3. Tiled
   graphics
4. Newsletter
5. Encyclopedic

Specifics

Keyword Brainstorming
(useful in Web site design/marketing, VERY useful here)

Build a list of keywords for each area

1. Vertical:
   keywords/phrases that include the term(s) you begin with, or derivatives
   (verticalbecause they are like nodes on the main trunk of a
   tree)
2. Horizontal
   (lateral): “other” keywords related to the term(s) you begin with; they
   start you off on other searches, take you down tangents, often narrowing
   or broadening the topic
   (horizontalbecause they are like the lateral branches of a
   tree)
3. Refer
   to this Web site for more on Keyword Brainstorming:http://www.keywordbrainstorming.com/vertical-horizontal.htm
4. Take
   terms list(s) and Google, Google, and more Google to expand and clarify
   lists of terms, topics, ideas; keep intermediate lists that you copy your
   Web addresses into, each with a few words to describe (don’t depend on Web
   address to jog your memory later)
5. Remember,
   the goal is to end up with the ultimate reference guide, pertaining to
   Linux, but in whatever context you choose

Refinement

1. If the
   journal is to have a specific theme, assemble things with that theme in
   mind
2. By
   this point, you should have more than you can use, keep what is useful,
   get rid of what isn’t.
3. Be
   mindful of redundancies
1. Many
   Web sources with identical information
2. Overlap
   is OK as long as differences are defined
3. URL
   Shortening is OK, use sparingly
4. Watch
   out for time-killing useless tangents. If you’ve ever played with DIGG or
   StumbleUpon, you know what that’s about…J

Some final thoughts… Unlike a typical research paper, where
format is specified down to the nitty gritty, the sky is the limit in nearly
all aspects of this assignment, with utility being the ultimate goal. In fact,
the primary reason for imposing a given college-paper format such as APA, is to
give credit where credit is due. This assignment should be even easier than the
typical research project exercise, since you’re being asked to accumulate and
cite only the references; kind of a reverse-synthesis. The quantity and scope
of those references should make some sense, however, along whatever lines you
decide. This course covers a lot of material in 11 short weeks, so between that
and your own natural courses of inquiry, you should be able to produce a fairly
comprehensive product. Suitable document formats would be DOC, PDF, and/or HTML
and obviously hyperlinks are a must. Make sure to check your links after
insertion…

Submit this assignment to your instructor via the dropbox “LP11.2
Assignment: Technical Journal.