Archives for September 2015

by on September 30, 2015

Affordances and Constraints

This is the post for the Wednesday, September 30, 2015 class meeting.

Important Dates

  • October 1: Registration for Career Connections 2015 begins
  • October 2: Last day to drop classes
  • October 2: Portfolio Deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:59 PM)
  • October 16: Fall Break (no class meeting)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review (tentative)
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

Affordances and Constraints

Example of Autocorrect FailWe will get started with a discussion of autocorrect, autocomplete, and an article about Grandmaster Flash and Grandmas (the linked Tumblr site mentioned in the article is dated).

We’ll use these questions and gather our ideas on Padlet—10:10 class OR 11:15 class. You can use the slideshow for definitions.

  1. 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?
  2. 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?

Group Exploration of Affordances and Constraints

You will consider the affordances and constraints of the way a text is published when you analyze your story source for Project 3. For some practice, we will analyze these four text, in small groups, using the Collaborations tool in Canvas (a shortcut for working on Google Docs together):

After you work through the questions as a group, be ready to share your findings with the class in a short summary.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you are an English major, explore the info on English Career Connections 2015 and fill out the registration form if you’re at the point where you need to think about internships or jobs after college. There are only 50 slots available.

For Friday’s session (10/2), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer and be ready to apply what you read about rhetorical and design choices.

 
Last updated on 30th September, 2015, 3:02 PM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: , ,
by on September 28, 2015

Multimodal Dig

This is the post for the Monday, September 28, 2015 class meeting.

Ninja Mode (not one of the 5 modes of communication)Important Dates

  • October 2: Portfolio Deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:59 PM)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review (tentative)
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

Projects 3 and 4

The next projects that we will work on are connected. Project 3 will be an in-depth analysis of a source text that you will use as you create Project 4. I will provide a full description of the two projects later this week (or Monday, if we run out of time). Meanwhile, you can rely on the short descriptions on the Assignment page if you want to begin thinking ahead.

Five Modes of Communication

Today’s activity explores multimodal texts that you interact with every day. I have a slideshow that includes short definitions of the major concepts we will explore as we read Writer/Designer. To get started, we will examine the five modes of communication:

Five Modes of Communication

Image from page 4 of Writer/Designer

Multimodal Dig

To practice identifying the modes of communication, we are going on a multimodal dig, a sort of personal inventory of multimodal texts.

  1. Begin by digging through your backpack or bag to locate all the multimodal texts that you have with you. Think broadly and creatively. One item may have more than one way that it is (or contains) a text. For instance, your smartphone could be a multimodal text, but Candy Crush Saga is a multimodal text that might be on that device. So you have multiple texts there.

  2. Go to the "Multimodal Dig" Discussion in Canvas for your class time, and create a Reply that lists the multimodal texts you have with you (or on you). It doesn’t have to be an exhaustive list. Aim for at least 10 texts, and look for the unusual.

  3. Once you have your list, label the items with the modes they include. You can use the first letters (e.g., L=Linguistic, V=Visual). See the image above or page 4 of Writer/Designer if you need a refresher.

  4. Once everyone has posted, I will ask you to share your most unusual text with the class and how modes are used by writers as they create texts.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Multimodal Dig" Discussion Reply in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 11:59 PM Tuesday (9/29).

For Wednesday’s session (9/30), do the following before class:

  • Review the information on affordances and constraints in Chapter 1 (starting on page 14).

For Friday’s session (10/2), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer and be ready to apply what you read about rhetorical and design choices.

 
Last updated on 28th September, 2015, 10:57 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: ,
by on September 25, 2015

Submitting Project 2

This is the post for the Friday, September 25, 2015 class meeting.

Meme: Kitten proclaiming, Your project is awesomeImportant Dates

  • September 25: Portfolio Due Today
  • October 2: Portfolio Deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:59 PM)

Canvas Documentation

Submitting Your Project

Follow these instructions to upload your work, add the reflection comments, and submit your work.

  1. Go to our course in Canvas.
  2. Choose Assignments from the left sidebar.
  3. Choose "Project 2: Build a Portfolio."
  4. Click the big Submit Assignment button on the upper right. You’ll see this submission form:
    URL submission in Canvas
  5. Paste the URL to the front page of your portfolio in the Website URL box.
  6. Type your reflection comments in the Comments… box (indicated by the orange arrow):
    • Tell me what kind of portfolio you are working on (e.g. professional writer, sportscaster).
    • Tell me what grade you aimed for (e.g., I aimed for a B+ by including headings and …..).
    • Tell me anything else you want me to know before I grade your project.
  7. Click the Submit Assignment button, and your work will beturned in.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • Turn in Project 2 by 11:59PM, if possible. Otherwise, take advantage of the grace period.
  • Have a fun weekend!

For Monday’s session (9/28), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer and be ready to apply what you read about the modes of communication in class.

 
Last updated on 22nd September, 2015, 2:16 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: ,
by on September 23, 2015

Peer Review for Project 2

This is the post for the Wednesday, September 23, 2015 class meeting.

Meme: Condescending dog asks, What do you mean I'm not perfect?!Important Dates

  • Today: Peer review in class
  • September 25: Portfolio Due Date
  • October 2: Portfolio Deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:59 PM)

Canvas Documentation

Peer Review Activity

Respond to the two drafts you have been assigned for Peer Feedback, following these instructions:

  • Follow the Canvas Documentation to find the drafts you have been assigned. Note that you must have turned in your draft on time to be assigned peer review partners.
  • Write a response to each of the two drafts (Canvas Documentation) that includes the following information:
    • Check the title of the site, and tell your partner if it is appropriate and professional.
    • Check the site for the required content, and let the author know if anything is missing. You should find the following:
      • Two blog posts
      • An about page
      • A site information page
      • Working menus
      • Professional sidebar(s)
      • Two fully-developed writing sample pages
    • Add comments on the content of the site. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on.
    • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, you can mention them in your comments, but please focus more on the content than editing and proofreading.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • Revise your site based on the peer feedback you received, using the Canvas Documentation to find your peers’ feedback.
  • If you didn’t complete feedback for the classmates assigned to you, please do so immediately. Your classmates are waiting to hear from you.

For Friday’s session (9/25), do the following before class:

  • Be ready to turn in your portfolio if possible.
  • We’ll go over how to turn in your Project, and you will have additional time in class to work on your portfolios.

For Monday’s session (9/28), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer and be ready to apply what you read about the modes of communication in class.

 
Last updated on 22nd September, 2015, 12:39 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts
by on September 21, 2015

Portfolio Pages

This is the post for the Monday, September 21, 2015 class meeting.

Spider meme: Mom says I spend too much time on the webI will use the 3844 Portfolio Demo site on Blogs@VT to provide examples.

Portfolio Rubric

The rubric for the assignment is available in Canvas on the Project 2 Assignment page.

Designing Pages for Your Work

  • Review the Ten Design Tips, which you should apply as you build the pages (and other resources) for your site. Alexis’s Identity Statement demonstrates the value of emphasizing only a few words in your text.

  • Add short descriptions of what your work is about and link to it, like this example on Melody Warnick’s site. Avoid using links only, as the content no longer stands out (see Tom Johnson’s Podcast page).

  • Add clear captions if you have a photo gallery page. Once you have your images uploaded, here’s how to add a gallery:

    1. Go to the backend page where you want it to appear.
    2. Choose the Add Media button (above the toolbar).
    3. Choose Create Gallery in the left sidebar.
    4. Click the images you want to add (a checkbox will appear as you choose them).
    5. Add captions that tell readers what they are looking at.
    6. Click the Create a New Gallery button in the lower right corner.
    7. Change any setting you like in the right sidebar.
    8. Click Insert Gallery to add your gallery to your page.

  • Add thumbnail images with short descriptions for any highly visual work you want to share. Look at Dave Zirin’s books page and Will DeBoer’s Writing Samples page for examples. You can take a screenshot of a web page or article to create thumbnails.

  • Use headings to organize your examples and make the page easy to navigate, like in this example from Hannah Carlson’s portfolio.

  • Use a Works Cited/Bibliography style for your sample if you are working on an academic portfolio, like this example from Rebecca K. Miller’s portfolio. Note is visual thumbnails can also work for an academic portfolio. Think about your audience as you decide.

In-Class Work

Use the content that you brought today to work on the page(s) for your portfolio. Alternately, you can work on some other part of your portfolio.

In-Class Writing

Submit your site link and related information to the "Project 2 Peer Review" Discussion in Canvas. Choose the discussion group for your class section, and follow the instructions in Canvas.

You can continue working on your site after you have posted your link for the peer review. You can also edit your post later if something changes.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Project 2 Peer Review" Discussion Reply in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 11:59 PM Tuesday (9/22). If you do not submit your draft by the end of the grace period, you will not receive peer feedback.

For Wednesday’s session (9/23), do the following before class:

  • Continue working on your site. Have as much of the content and design ready to share in class for peer review. We will use the Peer Review tools in the Discussions Canvas.

For Friday’s session (9/24), do the following before class:

  • We’ll go over how to turn in your Project, and you will have additional time in class to work on your portfolios.

 
Last updated on 21st September, 2015, 2:55 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: ,
by on September 18, 2015

Portfolio Contents and Plugins

This is the post for the Friday, September 18, 2015 class meeting.

Blogging kitten, with a very photoshopped iBookI will use the 3844 Portfolio Demo site on Blogs@VT to provide examples.

Required Portfolio Contents

  • Posts: You will write at least two posts on topics related to your career goals and portfolio topic. You can choose relevant topics of your own, but there are some blog post topics if you need some ideas.
  • Pages: You will write the following:
    • an about page, where you tell visitors about yourself. You can revise your identity statement for this page.
    • a site information page (like a colophon in a book), where you tell us about the tools you used and the design decisions you made. Be sure that you give credit for any resources (like an image) that you use.
    • pages necessary for your portfolio, such as pages for your creative works or essays you have written.

Questions to Address

  • Will we be uploading documents (pdf) to showcase previous projects/accomplishments or will those be links? (Both? Depends upon your goals. Framing the materials in your portfolio is a good idea.)

  • How do you get a social media link in the social media link section? Like at the top corner, the kind that has an icon of the social media to click on and link to the site? (The exact solution depends upon your theme. Jetpack or other social media plugins can help.)

  • How do you remove pages from sidebar? (Appearances –> Widgets, and drag it out)

  • How do you get rid of the “Leave a Reply” option taking up the bottom of my page? (Turn off comments. Check Settings –> Discussions, and also turn off comments by Quick Editing the page.)

  • My menus aren’t showing up the way I set them. (You probably need to check a box on the Appearances –> Menus page that says either Main Navigation or Primary Menu.)

Using Plugins

  • Go to the Plugins tab on the left to see the tools that are available.
    • Browse the list and try any that are interesting to you.
    • Try the Visit plugin site link for more information on them.
    • Avoid any that require a premium ($$$) upgrade.
  • Consider adding the JetPack plugin if you want to include a Contact Form on your site. It requires a little work to set up, but offers some useful options.

In-Class Writing

Go to Quizzes in Canvas and choose the "Portfolio Plugins" quiz to let me know what you have done so far and outline what you still have to do.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Portfolio Plugins" quiz in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 5 PM Sunday (9/20).
  • Look for your name in the "List of Authors" in the left sidebar of the class megablog. Click it and then click on the Read More link (if there is one). If your name is missing or the links don’t work, please email me the link to your portfolio and tell me what’s broken.

For Monday’s session (9/21), do the following before class:

  • Moving this to 9/30 Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer so that you are familiar with the terms we’re using in class as we discuss multimodal projects and how the modes of communication apply to your portfolio site.
  • Have some content that you want to include in your portfolios, like PDFs of essays, videos you’ve made, poems you’ve written, etc.
  • Review the Ten Design Tips, which we will apply as we talk about building pages and resources for your site.

For Wednesday’s session (9/23), do the following before class:

  • Be ready to share your portfolio in class for peer review. We will use the Peer Review tools in Canvas.

 
Last updated on 18th September, 2015, 2:06 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: , , ,
by on September 16, 2015

Portfolio Layout and Appearance

This is the post for the Wednesday, September 16, 2015 class meeting.

Doge Meme with WordPress phrasesFor extra help with the features we are covering today, watch the lynda.com videos on “Changing the Appearance of Your Site” (39m 36s), which covers themes, menus, and widgets.

I will use the 3844 Portfolio Demo site on Blogs@VT to provide examples.

Adding Images

We’ll make a temporary change to your Site Info page. You can remove the image after you test how the process works.

  • Go to the Pages tab on the left and then choose All Pages.
  • Find your Site Information page, and click Edit.
  • Click the Add Media button at the top (between the title and the toolbar).
  • Click Upload Files.
  • Navigate to your image (or drag it into the window), and click Open to upload it.
  • Click the Insert into Page button to add it to your Site Information page.
  • Click on the image to bring up buttons to change how it appears on your page.
  • Be sure to Update the page to save the changes.

Creating Some Placeholder Pages

Use the outline that you created for homework to create some basic pages for your site.

  • Go to the Pages tab on the left and then choose Add New.
  • Use the titles you have on your outline. You will be able to change these later if necessary.
  • In the body, add some temporary text. You will update the page later.
  • Click the Publish button in the right sidebar to save your page and make it live.
  • Repeat this process so that you have several pages to work with in the following steps.

Setting Up Menus

  • Go to the Appearances tab on the left, and choose Menus.
  • Give your menu a name. PrimaryMenu is a good choice.
  • Click the Create Menu button.
  • Change the Settings at the bottom if you like. I recommend clicking "Primary Menu" for Theme Location.
  • Select all the Pages on the left (these are the placeholders you made).
  • Click the Add to Menu button.
  • If desired, add any links as menu items (e.g., if you want your LinkedIn page as a menu item).
  • Customize your menu:
    • Drag the menu items around to get the order you would like. You can change these later.
    • Click on the downward-pointing triangle to change the text of the menu item or add a title attribute (pop-up text).
  • Click Save Menu button at the bottom right when you are happy with your arrangement.
  • Check the menu on your homepage. Made any adjustments that you like.

Choosing a Theme

  • Go to the Appearance tab on the left, and choose Themes.
  • Try the Live Preview to see test out a theme.
    • Use the available tools to try changes you’d like to make. Options will vary. Look for Widgets to change sidebars.
    • Use the Static Front Page option if you want to place a welcome page (rather than blog posts) on your homepage.
  • Choose the Save & Activate to apply the Theme and any changes you have made to your site.

Using Plugins

  • Go to the Plugins tab on the left to see the tools that are available.
    • Browse the list and try any that are interesting to you.
    • Try the Visit plugin site link for more information on them.
    • Avoid any that require a premium ($$$) upgrade.
  • Consider adding the JetPack plugin if you want to include a Contact Form on your site. It requires a little work to set up, but offers some useful options.

In-Class Writing

Go to Quizzes in Canvas and choose the "WordPress Appearances" quiz to let me know what you have done so far and ask any questions. I will address the questions in class on Friday.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "WordPress Site Address" quiz in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 5 PM Thursday (9/17).
  • If you need help with your site, try the WordPress Documentation and FAQs. Try contacting 4Help if you need additional help outside of class. Also remember that you can use the step-by-step WordPress Tutorials & Training at Lynda.com.

For Friday’s session (9/18), do the following before class:

  • Begin adding content to the pages on your site.
  • Have whatever you need with you to spend most of the class period working on your blog.

For Monday’s session (9/21), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer so that you are familiar with the terms we’re using in class as we discuss multimodal projects and how the modes of communication apply to your portfolio site.

For Wednesday’s session (9/23), do the following before class:

  • Be ready to share your portfolio in class for peer review. We will use the Peer Review tools in Canvas.

 
Last updated on 16th September, 2015, 1:27 PM
Filed Under: Class Posts
by on September 13, 2015

Getting Started on Portfolios

This is the post for the Monday, September 14, 2015 class meeting.

Frog Meme, with caption, I find your WordPress site ribbiting.Today we’re diving into WordPress and learning about some of the features built into the publishing tools. By the end of today’s session, you should have created a WordPress site.

Creating Your Site

If you want to create a blog on a site other than Blogs@VT, hop to it. You are free to work at your own pace. Otherwise, follow along as we complete these tasks:

  1. Remember that your blog will be public, so think of a URL and a professional name that you can share with the world.
  2. Choose one of the following options, depending upon whether you have used WordPress.com before:
    • If you have never used Blogs@VT before, sign up for your own blog.
      • Enter a Username and Email address. Leave "Gimme a site" marked. Click the Next button.
      • Choose the Site Name (which cannot be changed) and Site Title. Leave everything else at the defaults. Click the Signup button.
      • Go to your vt.edu email address, find the activation email, and click the link inside to finish setting up your blog.
    • If you have used Blogs@VT before, log in.
      • Click My Sites at the top left side of the page.
      • Click the "Create a New Site" link.
      • Choose the Site Name (which cannot be changed) and Site Title. Leave everything else at the defaults. Click the Signup button.

Setting Up the Basics for Your Site

  • Go to the Users tab on the left and then choose My Profile to update your profile and login information. You can change the way that your name is listed with each post, for instance. You can also change your password on this page.
  • Go through the Settings tab and update the information. In particular, be sure that you
    • Go to the General setting and fix the timezone. You can also change the Tagline here.
    • Go to the Discussion setting and decide when you want the site to email you.
  • Don’t worry about the appearance of your site for now. We’ll work on that Wednesday.

Creating Your First Page

  • Temporarily change the sidebar so you can get to your page easily later:
    • Go to the Appearances tab on the left and then choose Widgets.
    • Under Available Widgets (on the left), find Pages and drag it into the Widget Area.
    • Click the Save button. Now your Pages will show up in the sidebar. We’ll remove this later and create Menus.
  • Create your Site Information Page:
    • Go to the Pages tab on the left and then choose Add New.
    • For the "Enter title here" field, use the title "Site Information." You will be able to change it later.
    • Click on the Text tab if you want to code your own HTML.
    • In the body, tell readers about the name and tagline you have chosen for your blog, any other decisions you made, and anything you are considering or hoping to do. This is just a first draft. You will update the page later.
    • Click the Publish button in the right sidebar to save your page and make it live.
    • Go to your blog’s homepage, and click the link to your Site Information page in the sidebar to check your work.

In-Class Writing

Go to Quizzes in Canvas and choose the "WordPress Site Address" quiz to post the address of your WordPress site. I will use the link to check that you have your blog created, and to set up a megablog (sometimes called a motherblog) that includes everyone’s updates.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "WordPress Site Address" quiz in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 5 PM Tuesday (9/15).

For Wednesday’s session (9/16), do the following before class:

  • Outline your site, either on paper or using something like Word. Account for the following in your outline:
    • The menus you want to have, and what kinds of information will go under them.
    • What will appear on your homepage (Will it be static or changing? Lots of images or lots of words?)
    • What artifacts of your work/qualifications do you want to include?
    • Features you saw on the sites you gathered as examples.
  • Continue taking (or finding) photos you can use to illustrate your blog. We’ll go over how to upload and insert images on Wednesday.
  • If you need help, try the WordPress Documentation and FAQs. Try contacting 4Help if you need additional help outside of class. Also remember that you can use the step-by-step WordPress Tutorials & Training at Lynda.com.

For Friday’s session (9/18), do the following before class:

  • Have whatever you need with you to spend most of the class period working on your blog.

For Monday’s session (9/21), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer so that you are familiar with the terms we’re using in class as we discuss multimodal projects and how the modes of communication apply to your portfolio site.

 
Last updated on 14th September, 2015, 2:58 PM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: , ,
by on September 11, 2015

Project 2 Overview

This is the post for the Friday, September 11, 2015 class meeting.

Project 2 Assignment

Dog at laptop keyboard, with the caption, I have no idea what i'm doing.We will go over the assignment for the second project, Building a Portfolio, and talk about the tools that are available for the assignment: a Blogs@VT site (recommended), a WordPress.com blog, or a self-hosted WordPress blog.

Portfolio Examples

We’ll get back into the same groups we used on Wednesday and look at one site from each of these collections:

As a group, analyze the positives and negatives, reflecting on the information we collected about good websites on Wednesday:

Be prepared to share three things you like about the portfolio your group examines and one thing you would change.

In-Class Writing

Go to Discussions in Canvas and choose the "Portfolios to Emulate" discussion. Follow the instructions to share the three sites you found for homework. You will make one post with your three site and then at least one reply to someone else.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Portfolios to Emulate" discussion posts in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 5 PM Sunday (9/13). Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Sunday. If your holiday preparations will be in conflict, please talk to me before you leave the classroom today.

For Monday’s session (9/14), do the following before class:

  • Read through the assignment for the second project so that you understand the requirements.
  • We will work on setting up the WordPress sites on Monday, so begin thinking about a name and the kind of design you would like for your site. Think about what will be appropriate for your career goals.
  • Begin taking (or finding) photos you can use to illustrate your blog.
    • You can use your identity image for your About page, but you will need more images.
    • Take some photos (or identify photos you have already taken) that will work with the name and design you are thinking of and upload them to some place like Flickr or Instagram so you can get to them in the classroom.
    • If you find images that you did not take, ensure that they are licensed for your use and keep track of where you found them.
  • Note that by the end of Monday’s session, you should have a blog set up.

 
Last updated on 11th September, 2015, 1:14 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: ,
by on September 9, 2015

What Makes a Website Good?

This is the post for the Wednesday, September 9, 2015 class meeting.

Willy Wonka meme, with caption 'I love how your website is impossible to read on my smartphone.'Today we’ll begin work on Project 2, which means we’ll be talking about effective websites. I’m still grading your first projects.

Discussing What Makes a Website Good

To get started, let’s brainstorm about what makes a website “good” using Padlet:

Based on the information from the lynda.com videos you watched for homework and your own experience, post one or two things about how websites work.

After everyone posts on Padlet, we’ll establish some guidelines for the web portals that you will make, and apply the criteria to some example websites (found via WebsitesThatSuck.com):

Homework

  • Find three portfolio-style sites that you like and want to emulate. Find sites where they show their work and/or their qualifications in their field. Some examples:
    • If you are a creative writer, look for the websites of some writers you admire. Be sure you admire the website. Admiring the writer is optional.
    • If you are a journalist, look for the homepage of some journalists.
    • If you are a teacher, look for the websites of some teachers.
  • One rule: Don’t choose any site of mine. I want to avoid any awkward strangeness.
  • Be ready to post your links and say what you want to emulate on Friday.

 
Last updated on 9th September, 2015, 9:37 AM
Filed Under: Class Posts Tagged With: ,