Assignment
Two Innovations You would Like to See
Answer the following two questions. Here is your opportunity to be creative and invent:
1. Innovation is nothing more than finding a better way to do something. Choose an everyday job that you dislike, but must perform, and be innovative in discovering a new way to accomplish the same task.
2. If you had the resources and the time, what innovation, invention (technology) or gadget would you create? Why?
This assignment is in the Short Essay Format. Be sure to include reasons and facts as required to support your answer (they must be cited), but also make sure that you incorporate your opinion. Total length of this assignment needs to be a minimum of 2 full pages; maximum of 4 pages. Use MS Word or its equivalent and convert to Adobe Acrobat (pdf) and submit it via Canvas.
Background:
Historically when we talk about the effects of technology upon society, we speak of the golden spike, Kitty Hawk, UNIVAC, the horseless carriage, The Bomb - events somewhat removed from our personal knowledge and experience. But during the 19th century and early 20th century important interactions between technology and society took place closer to home, indeed in the home, at play, and where we work. This technological revolution, transformed our daily lives in a myriad of ways, new ideas led to new inventions, new technologies and to new products and gadgets.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented," proclaimed Charles Duell, director of the U.S. Patent office, arguing in 1899 for the closure of his department. It seems he was wrong. The U.S. Patent Office is still busy, in fact busier than ever. (There still seems to be plenty of new ideas.)
Formatting:
Text Size: All of the text in this assignment needs to be set in 12-point size. Please resist the temptation to mix and match point sizes. If you doubt your applications intentions, just select all of your text and insure that it is in 12-point size.
Double Spacing: For this class select all of your text and set it for double spacing. This includes the name block, title and body of your work. This allows space for marking up or making notes while I am reviewing what you have written.
Margins: One-inch margins mean one (1") on all sides. The only text that ends up on the outside of the one-inch margin is the page number.
Name Block: Place the name block in the upper right corner of the page. In this class, the name block should only be on the first page. Put your name first, then the class title and then the date. Please see the example on the next page.
Title: All homework assignments have a title. Please place the title just below the name block. The title for thisassignment is "Project 3". You may add to the title be more descriptive of your topic, i.e. "Project 3 - Automated Flossing and Teleportation"
Spelling/Grammar Checking: Remember to do your spelling and grammar checking before turning in your assignments. When doing the spelling/grammar checking keep in mind that some words such as mush and must, woods and words, or there and their, will not be caught by either check. To correct these problems, you will need to proofread your work. I proofread a hardcopy as my last step.
Paragraphs: The first word of the first sentence in a paragraph needs to be indented. At the end of a paragraph, do notinsert an extra blank line. The indentation serves as the visual clue that there is a new paragraph.
Page Numbers: Any homework that has more than one page, needs to have page numbers on it. Please place your page numbers on the bottom of the page. In MS Word, use the footer selection and place the page number in the bottomcenter or at the bottom right of the page.
Short Essay Format
Short essay format is a format that requires at least two paragraphs for each answer. Remember that a paragraph is not just one, two, or three sentences in length.