Procedure:

Visit your local library (any Union or Middlesex County town library is supposed to respect the library card of another Union County town).  Try Westfield, which is close by campus on East Broad St.  Check out a Juvenile book from section 004 juvenile section. (001.64 has some older computer books.)

Select a general computer literacy book.  Remember what you are trying to do is read a book that has a table of contents similar to a text for this course. It should contain chapters such as:

Make sure the copyright is 1996 or after. Do NOT get a book that teaches the BASIC language only.  Avoid books that discuss only a single facet of computers such as its history or building a web page.

Pick a book that will take you over one hour, but under two hours, to read completely.

Write a one page review (about 10 to 15 sentences). In the first paragraph introduce the book, the title, author, copyright date, where you got it, what age level it is for, how many pages, etc. In the second paragraph describe the highlights (the 5 most important concepts you learned).  Be specific!  Don't say "the book discussed hardware", that could be any book.  Say something like "The book compared floppy disk, which are slow, unreliable and low capacity, to hard disks, which are fast, high capacity and quite reliable.  In the last paragraph give your impression of the book and the assignment.  Is it worth your time?  Who else could benefit from the book?  If you wish, you may give a brief oral presentation.  

Show off your word processing skills, 

Make sure you use proper English so check the word processing hints and have a classmate proofread your paper.

Here are a few children's computer books that past students have read and found useful, but there are others:

There are many books on computers in the children's sections that are excellent but ARE NOT WHAT IS NEEDED for this assignment.  For example they are too old or are on specific topics like the Internet or How to Program.    For example, you'll learn much from The Internet, Inside and Out by Michael Eck, ©2002, 48 big pages,  BUT that is not an acceptable book for this assignment.

Assessment