P3 – Writing & Digital Media–Spring 2015

Project 3 Reflection

traci — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 02:44:46 +0000

This is the post for the Friday, March 27, 2015 class meeting.

Today we finish the presentations for Project 3 and work on the reflection memo for the project. Project 3 is due by 11:55 PM today, Wednesday, 4/1. The grace period for Project 3 ends at 11:55 PM on Wednesday, 4/8.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Write Your Project Reflection Memo and Submit Your Web Essay

Whether you turn in your project today or after the grace period, you still need to write this reflection memo to tell me about your project.

Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
Choose P3: Interrogate the Interface.
Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
- Address your memo to me (Traci) and from you (use your name).
- Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
- Add the current date.
Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:
Introduce your project and tell me the following information:
1. What is the link to first page of your web essay?
2. What is the link to your presentation? (Use the embedding instructions to add the presentation to your site.)
3. Talk about your goals for the web essay and the presentation. You can talk about the content, the layout and design, and any screenshots you included.
4. Tell me anything else you want me to know about your project that you want me to know before I grade it.
5. Add a concluding section that sums things up and tells me how well you think you met your goals.
Review and proofread the information in your memo.
Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
You’ve finished the third project!

Schedule for the Week

On Friday, we will begin Project 4, which will focus on remixing an existing story (fiction or nonfiction). We will look at several examples in class and think about how we might use some of the tools from Project 3 to remix a story.

Day 3 of Project 3 Presentations

traci — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 03:54:09 +0000

This is the post for the Monday, March 30, 2015 class meeting.

Today we continue the presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Today’s Blog Post

After the presentations, choose the tool you saw today that you are most interested in trying out (other than your own if you presented). State what tool it was, why you found it interesting, and how you might use it.

Homework

For Wednesday, 4/1:
- If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 31 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
- We will work on the reflection memo in class.
For Friday, 4/3:
- We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.

Day 2 of Project 3 Presentations

traci — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 03:55:57 +0000

This is the post for the Friday, March 27, 2015 class meeting.

Today we continue the presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Today’s Blog Post

Homework

For Monday, 3/30:
- If you are presenting Monday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Sunday, March 26 so that I can set up Monday’s post.
- Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
For Wednesday, 4/1:
- If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 31 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
- Project 3 due by 11:55 PM. We will work on the reflection memo in class. Grace period ends at 11:55 PM on April 8.
For Friday, 4/3:
- We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.

Day 1 of Project 3 Presentations

traci — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 04:02:09 +0000

This is the post for the Monday, March 23, 2015 class meeting.

Today we begin the five-minute presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

11:20 Lauren R. on PlayFic
11:25 Trent B. on Digital Vaults
11:30 Jackson S. on Clyp.it
11:35 Matt E. on Coggle
11:40 Samuel J. on Meograph
11:45 Doug B. on VideoNot.es
11:50 Brian L. on Audioboom
11:55 Tiffany S. on Audiopal

Today’s Blog Post

Homework

For Wednesday, 3/25:

Check your email by 10 AM on Tuesday, 3/24 to see the status of the water line maintenance for Shanks.

If class will meet:

If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 24 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.

Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.

If class will not meet:

You will work on your web essays independently and write a blog post.

I will post alternative instructions for the day on the class website by 7 PM on Tuesday.

For Friday, 3/27:
- If you are presenting Friday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Thursday, March 26 so that I can set up Friday’s post.
- Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
For Monday, 3/30 and Wednesday, 4/1:
- The schedule may change based on the maintenace in Shanks Hall. Details will be posted by 10 AM on 3/24. Currently the schedule is as follows:
  - Monday, 3/30: Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  - Wednesday, 4/1: We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.

No Boring Presentations

traci — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 07:15:32 +0000

This is the post for the Wednesday, March 4, 2015 class meeting.

Today, we’ll talk about screenshots, Project 3 presentations, and plans for Friday’s session.

Taking Screenshots

Find options for Mac or Windows in the new FAQ: How do I take a screenshot?

Details on the Five-Minute Presentations

Why? The goal of these presentations is to share details about the tool you are analyzing with the class. By the end of the presentations, everyone in class should know enough about all 22 tools to be able to decide whether the tools will would work for other projects.

How Long? Five minutes, strictly enforced. Please practice at home to make sure that you fill the time without going over.

How? You can use a Google Drive Presentation, PowerPoint, or some other readily available presentation tool. No matter what tool you choose, it has to be available online to everyone in the class. You can embed it or upload it to your WordPress site. Remember to send me the link to your presentation by 9 PM on the day before you present so that I can set up the presentation links for the session.

What? Review the information in the assignment on the content for the presentation. Generally speaking, I expect your slideshow to include the following:

A title slide with your name, the name of the tool, and the URL to the tool site.
Overview slides that show what the tool is, who would use it, and what it does.
Analysis slides that demonstrate the affordances and constraints and that offer general recommendations on using the tool.
A concluding slide that pulls your thoughts together.
Image credits and other bibliographic information as needed. Credit slides are not limited to 5 words. Screenshots from the tool you are reviewing do not need to be cited.

If you are working toward an exemplary presentation, remember that your presentation needs to use the 1/1/5 organizational strategy (using no more than 15 slides) to present the information to the class.

How many? I’m leaving the exact length up to you; however, you may not have more than 15 slides. Plan to spend no more than 20 seconds per slide (15 slides * 20 seconds each = 300 seconds/5 mins) to avoid exceeding your allotted five minutes.

What to wear? You need to wear clothes for your presentation, but you do not need to wear your job interview clothes. The regular clothes you wear to class are fine. Just use common sense, and avoid anything that may be distracting or somehow undercut your credibility.

How about an example? Here’s a slideshow for Pixlr that fits the 1/1/5 strategy. Here’s a slideshow for Storify that doesn’t fit the 1/1/5 strategy.

Today’s Blog Post

Create a schedule with projected dates for yourself that outlines everything you need to do to have a rough draft on Friday, March 20 (and a presentation for the next week). You can set up your schedule to fit however you work. My hunch is that you will need to do the following things, but adjust this list to fit your workflow:

Create a login for the tool (if necessary)
Research what the tool does and how it works
Fill in the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions
Outline your web essay (think though the different parts)
Take screenshots to support your analysis
Draft your web essay
Draft your slideshow

The goal is to leave class today with a plan for what you need to do and when you will do it. Ideally, you’ll head off to Spring Break confident that you will be able to get everything done by the 20th.

Independent Work for Friday, March 6

Please spend at least 50 additional minutes of your time after our session ends on today working on your project in lieu of attending class in person on Friday. You can work on whatever pieces of your project you need to.Use the schedule you created for today’s blog post to guide your work.

As part of your work for Friday, I would like you to write a blog post about what you did and why you did it along with some concrete, visual evidence that you were working on your project even though you were not in the classroom. Your evidence can take many forms, such as the following:

a selfie of you with your project in the background
a photo someone else takes of you working on your project
screenshots of a section of your project before you worked on it and then after

Be creative and use what you know about multimodal composing to demonstrate that you used your 50 minutes wisely. Be sure that your blog post is published by 11:55 PM on Sunday, March 15.

Homework

For Friday, 3/6:
- Class will work online. You will provide a summary and related evidence of working at least 50 minutes on Project 3 (see above). No office hours on Friday.
For Monday, 3/9 through Friday, 3/13:
- Celebrate. You will be on Spring Break!
For Monday, 3/16 and Wednesday, 3/18:
- Be prepared to work on your third project in class. I’ll share some additional resources, and have a quick conference with each of you to answer any questions.
- Presentation time slot sign-up will take place in class on Wednesday, 3/18.
- Please be sure to check email before class on Sunday evening just in case there are additional instructions.
For Friday, 3/20:
- Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.
For Monday, 3/23 through Friday, 3/27:
- Presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. There will be blog posts to write for each class day.

Examples for Project 3

traci — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 09:30:56 +0000

This is the post for the Monday, March 2, 2015 class meeting.

Today we will look at some resources for Project 3, assessment guidelines for the project, and some examples for the web essay portion of Project 3.

Choosing Your Interface

If you have not yet done so, go to the Project 3 Sign-Up and choose one of the remaining tools for your project. Remember you are governed by the Honor Code (so don’t remove someone else’s name to add your own).

Examples for Project 3

These example web essays included in the Project 3 assignment demonstrate how some students worked on the assignment in the past:

Web Essay Topic	Notes for 10:10	Notes for 11:15
The Video Star Verdict	10:10 class notes	11:15 class notes
Haiku Deck	10:10 class notes	11:15 class notes
Editorially	10:10 class notes	11:15 class notes
PowToon	10:10 class notes	11:15 class notes

We will explore the sites in groups. Each group will answer the following questions for the essay and prepare to share their findings with the class as a whole at the end of the session:

What are three good things about the project? What should not be changed? Why is it good?
What three suggestions do you have to improve the site?
What three lessons can you take away from the example as you work on your own project?

After all the group have gathered their notes, a spokesperson for each group will present the findings.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a post for today that explains at least one specific thing you found in one of the example essays that you will apply to your own Interrogate the Interface project.

Alternately, you could look at the blog post from the opposite perspective and write about something specific you will do in your Interrogate the Interface project that was missing from one of the example essays or would be an improvement on one of the example essays.

Homework

For Wednesday, 3/4:
- We’ll talk about the expectations for the oral presentation (and how to avoid bad PowerPoint presentations), and talk about working with screenshots. Read the ProfHacker article on the 1/1/5 organizational strategy.
For Friday, 3/6:
- Class will work online. You will provide a summary and related evidence of working at least 50 minutes on Project 3. No office hours on Friday.
For Monday, 3/9 through Friday, 3/13:
- Celebrate. You will be on Spring Break!
For Monday, 3/16 and Wednesday, 3/18:
- Be prepared to work on your third project in class. I’ll share some additional resources, and have a quick conference with each of you to answer any questions. Please be sure to check email before class on Sunday evening just in case there are additional instructions.
For Friday, 3/20:
- Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.

Project 3 Sign-Up and Analysis Techniques

traci — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 06:51:40 +0000

This is the post for the Wednesday, February 27, 2015 class meeting.

You will sign up for your interface for Project 2, and then we will talk about analytical techniques and analyze WordPress.com

Choosing Your Interface

Once everyone appears to have settled in, I will ask you to log into your VT Gmail account. Doing so will mean you’re signed into Google Drive too and can view the sign up sheet. Once everyone is logged in, I will open up the Project 2 Sign-Up, and you will add your names. Remember you are governed by the Honor Code.

Analysis of WordPress.com

You all have experience with WordPress.com. For our purposes today, you need to think of WordPress.com’s interface and how the site works. Remember that you are looking at the WordPress site, and not at your particular blog. As you think about WordPress.com, try to separate what the overall site does and what the particular theme you chose does. They are different things.

We will consider these ideas:

Think through the rhetorical situation for WordPress.com: Audience, Purpose, Context, Author, and Genre.
Analyze the design choices for the tool: Emphasis, Contrast, Organization, Alignment, and Proximity.
Identify the modes of communication that WordPress.com uses as part of its interface: Linguistic, Visual, Spatial, Aural, and Gestural. You can also identify modes that WordPress.com enables you to use.
Determine the affordances and constraints of WordPress.com.

To simplify data gathering, I have created a form that you can use to gather ideas and make sure you cover everything. We will collaborate, in groups, in one document today.

I have a slideshow that includes short definitions of the major components of your evaluation that you can use as you work. There is also a blank copy of the form for you to copy and use as you analyze your tool. Use the FAQ instructions if you are unsure how to make a copy.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a post for today that talks about the tool you will focus on for Project 3. Explain what tool you will work on, and why you chose it.

Please focus on why it was one of your choices, what drew you to it, and why you want to explore it. Please do NOT spend this post whining about how it wasn’t your first choice or similiar misfortunes.

Homework

For Monday, 3/2:
- Read all of the example web essays included in the Project 3 assignment. Be ready to talk about how they work, what they do well, and lessons you can take away as you work on your own project.
For Wednesday, 3/4:
- We’ll talk about the expectations for the oral presentation (and how to avoid bad PowerPoint presentations), and talk about working with screenshots.
For Friday, 3/6:
- Class will work online. You will provide a summary and related evidence of working at least 50 minutes on Project 3.
For Monday, 3/9 through Friday, 3/13:
- Celebrate. You will be on Spring Break!
For Monday, 3/16 and Wednesday, 3/18:
- Be prepared to work on your third project in class. I’ll share some additional resources, and have a quick conference with each of you to answer any questions. Please be sure to check email before class on Sunday evening just in case there are additional instructions.
For Friday, 3/20:
- Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.

Choosing Your Interface

traci — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 09:00:50 +0000

This is the post for the Wednesday, February 25, 2015 class meeting.

Plans have changed for today. Instead of talking about Chapter 2, I’m going to give you the bulk of the class session to explore the various tools you can choose for the assignment.

As You Look at the Options…

Keep these tips in mind:

It’s easier to analyze a tool that you have never used before.
Look for a tool that you might be able to use on your Remix project or elsewhere.
Keep an open mind.

No Blog Post

You get a free day today! If you want to write about Project 3 and your process of searching for the right tool to analyze, you may, but it’s optional.

Homework

For Friday, 2/27:
- Go through the options for Project 3 and have at least three choices ready for the beginning of the session on Friday. The selection is first come, and only one person per tool.
- Read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer. We will analyze a text in class using the information from Chapters 1 and 2.

Getting Started on Project 3

traci — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 05:34:21 +0000

This is the post for the Monday, February 23, 2015 class meeting.

Project 3 Overview

Today we’ll begin work on Project 3. You will be looking at an web-based tool as an example of a digital, multimodal text in a web essay that analyzes how the tool works.

Affordances and Constraints

We will get started with a discussion of autocorrect, autocomplete, and an article about Grandmaster Flash and Grandmas. We’ll use these questions and gather our ideas on Padlet—10:10 class OR 11:15 class.

What are the affordances of autocorrect and autocomplete?
In other words, what do autocorrect and autocomplete allow or encourage you to do? What does they make easy for you?
What are the constraints of autocorrect and autocomplete?
In other words, how do autocorrect and autocomplete limit your ability to do things you want to do? What do they make difficult for you? Think about which features of autocorrect and autocomplete are intuitive and which features are “hidden” or only available to advanced users. What shortcomings are there to autocorrect and autocomplete?

Overview of Project 3

We’ll read through Project 3. You’ll use information from chapters 1 and 2 of Writer/Designer to help you write your analysis.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a post about a specific experience with autocomplete or autocorrect. You can talk about your phone, Gmail, a word processor, or another tool. Include discussion of affordances and constraints.

Homework

For Wednesday, 2/25:
- Read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer. We will analyze a text in class using the information from Chapters 1 and 2.
For Friday, 2/27:
- Go through the options for Project 3 and have at least three choices ready for the beginning of the session on Friday. The selection is first come, and only one person per tool.