How to Access Library Databases When Off-Campus

• To access York's licensed databases off-campus, you must be a currently enrolled student or a faculty/staff member with an active ID in the York library system. Check at the York Library circulation desk to make sure your ID is active. See CUNY's FAQ for more information about remote access to licensed resources.
• You then need to enter the 14-digit Library I.D. (barcode) number from the back of your York I.D. card.
• Users can also access all of the licensed resources after logging into York's VPN (Virtual Private Network): use these links to connect to the Faculty/Staff VPN or the Student VPN. Contact Academic Computing's helpdesk (ext. 5300) for more information about VPN.
• AOL users may need to launch Internet Explorer in order to access online databases.
• Several New York State Library databases now offer remote access using your New York State DMV Driver License or Non-Driver Photo ID Number.
• You can also access CUNY-wide E-journals and Reference Databases off campus by logging into the CUNY Portal. Logon to the Portal and click on: E-Journals and Reference Databases.
• See information on using Find It!

Still have problems/questions connecting to the library databases remotely? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Include your name, barcode number (i.e., Library I.D. #), name of the database you were trying to access, and the time of day you attempted access. Also include the error message, if any.  You can also try calling the CUNY Computing Center Help Desk elp Desk at 212.541.0981 or 212.541.0982.

Have problems/questions concerning the York College Library website? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Guernsey's Article, First Reading in Hacker's Text, and Our "Spy" Games (HW#3 for 9/16)

Over the weekend I would like all of you to read the following pages in Hacker's text The Bedford Reader: p.67-75.

I would also like you to review both the Rowe and Guernsey articles. Print the former if you haven't already so that you can bring it to class on Thursday 9/16, our next class meeting. Annotate these texts as you are reading them. Attempt to locate his and her thesis statements and the supporting points and evidence they utilize to make their arguments. Also, highlight or mark any passages that you deem to be important, significant, outlandish, etc.

Consider how Guernsey's article compares and contrasts to Rowe's text. Remember that a contrast seeks only differences, while a comparison seeks both similarities and differences. We will be performing this activity in our next class.

For your journal writing I would like you to do the following... and remember do not do anything overzealous! I want you to be detectives, yes, but responsible, courteous ones at that!

Thus, the prompt:

Observe people in a public space such as a shopping center, a subway station or platform, a park, or a busy street. Spend one-half to one-full hour taking notes on those individuals that use cellphones. Describe the users' appearance, gestures, tones of voice, volume of speaking, and anything else that seems interesting and important about their use of their phone.

I would like you to observe two (2) people during this activity, providing a paragraph-length description of each. Post your observations below and have fun with this activity. 

Mercury Reader and the Rowe Article (HW#2 for 9/7)

It has come to my attention that the Mercury Reader is out of stock at the College Bookstore. Therefore, some students in the class have been unable to read this article and thus been unable to complete the homework.

I have also been informed that this Friday (9/4) there should be more copies of this text coming into stock. So please check the bookstore ASAP so that you can purchase this text. Beginning this upcoming week each student in the class will be responsible for owning a copy of the Mercury Reader. 


For those of you who have not yet obtained the book, the Rowe article can be found here. Please read it.


I would like every one to post their responses to the Rowe article below as a comment. Here are the two questions I would like you to answer, with a full paragraph devoted to each:

1)How do you feel when you hear other people's cellphone conversations in public spaces? Why?

2) In your view, what is Rowe's strongest argument against cell phones? What is his weakest? Why?

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. Have a safe Labor Day!

First Day's Response (HW#1 for 8/31)

After reading the post titled "Introduction: How to Join and Contribute", please comment below by posting your first writing assignment for this class. Recall that you responded to the following prompt:

Describe one time when your beliefs/ideals were challenged. What was the experience like? How did you react? What was the outcome? 

This will be your first trial run at using this site. My advice to you is to simply copy and paste your response paper into the comment box. First changing the double spacing to single is preferable because it will save space on the webpage and it will also allow us to read the responses with greater ease.

Introduction: How to Join and Contribute

As a member of our ENG 125 course it is your responsibility to join this e-journal blog and, crucially, to participate throughout the semester. You will do this in three ways: (a) by submitting your journal entries as comments to posts of at least 150 words, (b) by following the prompt's directions, and (c) by turning-in these assignments before the class period in which they are due.

Importantly, this site will also serve as a message board from me to you and you to me. I will most likely have to pass on important information regarding class meeting times, assignment deadlines, changes in the syllabus, etc. throughout the term. Therefore, be sure to check this site frequently, especially on days before and after we meet for class, to be sure you are current with the goings-on of the course.


Okay, so what's next?
Below I am going to detail how to join this blog and how to contribute. If you are unfamiliar with using blogs have no fear, Blogger is quite user-friendly and you should catch on quick. Remember, you can always email me with questions. What you should do is email me immediately if you are having trouble with the site, for journal entries may be submitted via email and handed in hard copy the day they are due if such internet hiccups arise.


How to Join
Via email you'll receive a link allowing you to gain authorial access to this blog. Follow the link and you'll have the opportunity to create a new Google username and password and officially join Blogger and the course e-journal. If you already use Gmail, you can use your existing account log-in information without having to create anything new. Please use your last name as your username!

From now on you'll use that username and password you select or create to log into this blog before you add a comment or a post. So write it down or email it to yourself so you do not forget this information!


How to Comment and Post
First, you must log in.

To comment to any post click on the post's title or on the "## comment" link at the bottom of the post. You can also click on the post's title found under the archived posts on the right side of the site. At the bottom of the post you'll find an editable text box. Remember to write at least 150 words! You can offer something in response to the main post thread, or you can reply to a comment written by another student. If the debate gets intense enough then you, or I for that matter, may decide to move the discussion into a new thread (i.e., post) all its own.

To post a new topic or thread once logged in, go to the top of the site and at the right of your email address/username on the navbar you'll see a link titled "new post". This is your ticket. Once you've arrived at the post-editing screen you'll notice it's a bit more complicated than the comment box; yet, think of it like a word document screen and you'll catch on quickly.


More Editing and a Vital Disclaimer
If you happen to know html and/or java scripts you can use these to edit your posts to a greater degree---adding images, video, links, and more.

If a you should choose to add media to a post, keep in mind that inappropriate material and language will be subject to immediate removal. Depending on the level and degree of inappropriateness, the student faces disciplinary action such as receiving a zero on the assignment (minimum) or being reported to the Dean of Student Affairs (maximum). Please see the CUNY Computer User Responsibilities webpage for information concerning such disciplinary processes.


In Closing...
Be sure to bookmark this site on your personal computer so that you can check the blog frequently. As I recommended above, nearly once a day you should be visiting our e-journal. While you are required to only submit one writing per e-journal assignment, you may write as much at you wish on this blog. Contributing more with extra effort certainly weighs positively on your overall class participation!

Remember, the point of this blog is not only for me to impart important class announcement nor for you to just submit a weekly journal entry; rather, it serves as a birthplace for written ideas. The things discussed and argued here will undoubtedly come up in class, and should, so feel free to verbally reference the blog's content while we are in the classroom. Paper topics and sites of argumentation will also present themselves here. This is a vital component and goal of this site: for as we test and share ideas with one another, we further understanding of specific subject matter, thereby developing and deepening our ability to discuss the course's texts and topics to a greater degree.

I hope you join as soon as possible so that you can begin adding to your classroom e-community by contributing commentary and content to what is now our new ENG125 course blog!