Weblog – (20%)
The first day of class everyone will set up individual weblogs. For class we
will be using the free site Motime. If you
already know how to set up a blog and want to use a different site, you may. If
you already have a blog, you can use it for this class but you may want to set
up one specifically for this class so you don't clutter up your personal blog.
Once the blog is established, you will be expected to post all of your class
work and relevant web resources to your blog. With the blog, you should begin to
think about the kind of web identity you want to develop. One goal for the class is
to think about what kind of identity or identities you construct on the web and
how your various web projects integrate, connect, or differentiate your identities.
These may be personal, professional, or public.
For homework each class, you will be expected to do the assigned reading.
In class, I will give some kind of brief writing assignment that will be posted
to your blog. This could include anything from writing a brief entry on a key
term from the reading to producing an image- or video-based response to the
reading. In class you will be asked to comment on each other's blog posts or
discuss the issues as a class. Other posts outside of class should include
notes for your projects, links to other sites of interest, postings of (links to)
images, video clips, or mp3 files along with commentary. The goal is to develop
a more open, inventive blog writing style in the context of the class as a public
community of learners as one layer of your audience and identity.
Right before we start work on the second projects, I'll grade your
blog on its basic design, technical skill, and identity contructions. Afterward,
You'll continue to post class assignments to your blog, and at the end of the
semester I'll include those in your participation grade.
Website – (30%)
The second project is a basic website. We will discuss basic design and
navigation principles in addition to larger rhetorical and theoretical issues.
In class we'll set up your Mason web space and do basic html, NVU, Dreamweaver,
and/or CSS tutorials that will help you build the site. If you already have server
space outside of the university or want to acquire outside space, feel free to do so,
especially if you think you will continue to use the site outside of this class.
For more detailed help students should seek out relevant IT workshops and online
tutorials outside of class.
The focus of the site will be your individual web portfolio or resume, which could
be creative, professional, or academic. You will be asked to develop and expand your
web identity in conjunction with your weblog (the website will be linked from your
brief bio on your blog and vice versa). While the blog will focus on material for
class, it will still be a public "document" and should address audiences beyond the
class as well. These audiences might be more public or more professional depending
on your chosen purpose. The website should lend detail and specificity to this more
specific identity.
In addition to the website, students will do a small usability study as part
of the assignment. In class we will develop short user tests, invite 2-3 students
to navigate the site for ease of use, and write a short report on your findings.
Your final grade on the project will include your exhibition of design skills, your
effort to learn needed technologies, your ability to integrate or connect web
identities, and the quality of your user test and use of its feedback.
Video – (40%)
The end of the semester will be devoted to a video project. With the emergence of
Youtube as a dominant public forum for entertainment, politics, and even education,
learning to write with video will be essential for any web author. We will do some
initial tutorials in class and then students will be expected to seek out the
relevant IT workshops and online tutorials outside of class.
The content of the video can be almost anything: a user-generated video for a pop
song, a remixed advertisement critique, a how-to tech video, a community documentary,
or a series of interviews. The chosen topic should, again, extend the web identity
you are developing and achieve a particular rhetorical purpose. It could include
music, voice overs, still images, brief text, video cuts found online, and/or video
shot on your own. The final video will be posted to Youtube and then embedded on
your blog.
The project will include a proposal, class presentation on your progress,
and an artist statement that explains the piece. The proposal will establish
the rhetorical context and purpose for your project. The presentation will show a
draft of the project designed to get feedback for revision. The artist statement
will be a more formal document that explains the goals of the piece and reflects
on its rhetorical or aesthetic attributes that achieve those goals. Again, the grade
will be based on its technical merit to a certain degree, but will emphasize the
rhetorical goals and how the piece fits into your overall web presence in relation to
various audiences.
