PHASE 1
In chapter 1 we learned information technology is hardware, software and services people use to manage, communicate and share information. Determine the subject area for your research related to information technology. You are able to choose from a wide variety of different types of technology, but choosing a hardware or particular software topic seems to work best. Once you decide, you must present your recommendation to the instructor for approval. You should consider an area of technology that can be compared and contrasted.
Create and submit an outline for your paper by the due date on the course Detailed Schedule. Cite your sources and remember URLs are not sufficient. You should be building a reference page, in APA format.
PHASE 2
First, based on the criteria or rating factors you used in Phase 1 of your Research Project, decide what weight or importance each criterion should have, given your particular needs and purposes. Enter the criteria and their weights into an Excel workbook. The only requirement is that all the criteria weights must add up to 100%, and the weights should reflect the importance or ranking criteria you are assigning to each specific criterion. We are starting to create an evaluation matrix in this phase. An evaluation matrix is a general decision making tool. Your initial workbook should look something like this with Overall Ratings using the SUM function:
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Report Produced by: put your name here |
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Criteria |
Weight |
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Criteria 1 |
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Criteria 2 |
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Criteria 3 |
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Criteria 4 |
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Criteria 5 |
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Overall Ratings |
100% |
PHASE 3
First, using the criteria or rating factors you used in Phases 1 and 2 of your Research Project, collect specific information on related technologies. Visit several different web sites where you can gather specific information about each of your choices. Keep track of these sources for your annotated bibliography reference page.
For example, if you were researching digital cameras, and deciding on the criteria listed in column 1 then your data might resemble:
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Criteria |
Weight |
Canon EOS |
Canon EOS |
Nikon D3S |
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Sensor |
15% |
18.0mp CMOS |
22.3 megapizel CMOS |
12.1mp FX-format CMOS |
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Cost |
10% |
$599.00 |
$ 3,399.00 |
$ 6,499.99 |
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LCD Monitor |
9% |
3.2 inch |
3.0 inch |
3.0 inch |
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Pixel |
15% |
22.3 megapixels |
12.1 megapixels |
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User Interface |
11% |
User friendly |
Slightly difficult |
User friendly |
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ISO Range |
15% |
100- 6400 |
200-12800 |
100-25600 |
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Weight |
10% |
1.9 pounds |
2.7 pounds |
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Video Capability |
15% |
25 fps |
30 fps |
24 fps |
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Total |
100% |
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Second, create an annotate bibliography for this phase and submit it into the Blackboard assignment by the due date on the course schedule.
Here are two resources related to annotated bibliographies:
PHASE 4
First, in an Excel Worksheet, evaluate the technologies based upon the specifications used in the criteria. You will create a weighted total in your matrix. A sample is provided here if you were researching digital cameras:
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Canon EOS Rebel T3i |
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Canon EOS 5D Mark iii |
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Nikon D3S |
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Criteria |
Weight |
Rate |
Weighed total |
Rate |
Weighed |
Rate |
Weighed |
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Sensor |
15% |
8 |
1.2 |
10 |
1.5 |
7 |
1.05 |
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Cost |
10% |
9 |
0.9 |
7 |
0.7 |
3 |
0.3 |
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LCD Monitor |
9% |
10 |
0.9 |
6 |
0.54 |
6 |
0.54 |
|
Pixel |
15% |
8 |
1.2 |
10 |
1.5 |
6 |
0.9 |
|
User Interface |
11% |
5 |
0.55 |
9 |
0.99 |
5 |
0.55 |
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ISO Range |
15% |
7 |
1.05 |
8 |
1.2 |
10 |
1.5 |
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Weight |
10% |
8 |
0.8 |
6 |
0.6 |
3 |
0.3 |
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Video Capability |
15% |
7 |
1.05 |
10 |
1.5 |
6 |
0.9 |
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Total |
100% |
62 |
7.65 |
66 |
8.53 |
46 |
6.04 |
Be sure to use formulas and functions for the calculations. Your weighted score should use a mixed cell address.
Second, in a Word document, present detailed explanations for technology(ies) you chose to research and a detailed evaluation of which product/service was best and why. The ratings you assigned based on your research for each technology should reflect your final decision. For example, I would not expect you to choose the technology with the lowest rating! In the “Final Phase” you should discuss the choice you selected, the rating criteria selected and the rational for the ranking of the selected technology. Much of the material should already be in your document. You are presenting your final decision here and explaining all of the background for arriving at that decision. At the end of your project, include a works cited page.
Third, submit your Research Paper in APA format including a Word Document with works cited page and an Excel Worksheet with your evaluation matrix into the Blackboard assignment by the due date on the course schedule.
PHASE 5
In PowerPoint you will create a presentation based on your research and present it to the class. You must follow the 10-20-30 rules.
Grading Rubric:
Ideas for Research Paper: