by on October 12, 2015

Web Essay Work Day 1

This is the post for the Monday, October 12, 2015 class meeting.

Panda on a rocking horse, with the caption: Some of us are trying to workImportant Dates

  • October 16: Fall Break (no class meeting)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

A Simple Way to Think of P3

The reading for today (pp. 40–45 of Writer/Designer) talks about the what and the how:

  • the what is the content of your text
  • the how is the form your text takes

If you read the text closely, you will see that they also discuss why (the reasons that the text takes the form it does).

Project 3 asks you to look at these same ideas. You will write about how the text is constructed and then consider why the text has been constructed that way. We looked at Web Design for Babies, as an example.

  • For the What
    We discussed that the book was meant for web designer family members to share their work with their children. While the book outlines some facts about web design, we discussed that the baby readers would be unlikely to learn the information from the book.
  • For the How
    We talked about how it was made as a board book with bright colors and simple drawings.
  • For the Why
    We talked about how the book’s audience was babies, who would do less damage to the thick, cardboard pages and would have an easier time turning the pages. Further, we talked about how babies would be attracted to the bright colors and simple cartoon characters.

Your analysis will be more complex, as you need to cover the rhetorical situation, the design choices, the modes of communication, and the affordances and constraints.

A Possible Process to Follow

  1. Begin by familiarizing yourself with the source, if you haven’t looked at it in while. You might want to reread it or at least skim through the text.
  2. Use the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions worksheet to gather information on how your story source works. Aim for good, strong details about your text.
  3. Review your information and think about why the text has been made the way it has been.
    • Why the particular design choices?
    • Why the particular modes of communication?
    • How do affordances and constraints figure into the reasons why?
  4. Write your web essay based on all the information you have gathered.
  5. Add navigational structures to help a reader move through your essay.
  6. Add documentation to the web essay by citing your story source (and any other resources you quoted from). These tools can help:

Examples

Here are examples of web essays written for a similar assignment. Rather than analyzing how a story source works, students were analyzing how an online tool works:

  1. WhenInTime
  2. TimelineJS
  3. Text 2 Mind Map
  4. Inklewriter
  5. Thinklink
  6. MindMup

As you look at the examples, notice how they created navigation among the pages and how they incorporate examples from the sites they were analyzing. All the web essays are comprised of multiple pages, but you may have to look around to find the additional pages. Think about which are the most effective as you make decisions for your own web essay.

In-Class Writing

You will work on your project in class, but you do not need to complete any quiz or post.

Homework

For Wednesday’s session (10/12), do the following before class:

  • Watch the Lynda.com video "Stock images are a waste of space" (3m 15s). Be ready to brainstorm about how you can use images in your web essay in class. We’ll spend 10 to 15 minutes on discussion.
  • Bring whatever you need with you to work in class. You will have the remaining 35 to 40 minutes to work in class while I check on everyone’s progress.

For Friday, have a nice day off. Enjoy your break weekend.

For Monday’s session (10/19), do the following before class:

  • Review the examples posted above, and be ready to discuss how their navigation works in class.
  • Bring whatever you need with you to work in class.

 
Last updated on 14th October, 2015, 2:14 AM
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by on October 9, 2015

Sources and Assets

This is the post for the Friday, October 9, 2015 class meeting.

Important Dates

  • October 16: Fall Break (no class meeting)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

What to Track and How

For Projects 3 and 4, you will need to find sources and assets, like sound clips, video clips, photographs, cartoons, and so forth to include in your project.

  1. sources and assetsTo start, we’ll talk about sources and assets.
  2. Be sure to consult Chapter 4 of Writer/Designer, which has lots of information on gathering resources, permissions and fair use, and tracking what you find.
  3. Make a copy of the Project 4 Source List Template and track your sources there. See the assignment on pp. 62–63 (“A Multimodal Annotated Source List, Part 1”) for the information to include in your annotations.
  4. Alternately, you can use your own system, like the Winnie the Pooh Sources blog entries. You might also clip info to Evernote (tutorials: web, win, mac) or pin resources with Pinterest (tutorial). Whatever works for you, but have a system and start tracking things now. You can use the working comparison notes to help decide if Evernote or Pinterest is right for you.

NOTE: Finding assets is not a requirement for Project 3, but you will find it pays to keep track of possible assets that you find. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing that you saw something you could use and then not being able to find it again.

Choosing and Using Assets

I have posted tips for finding assets for your projects on the FAQ site. Here’s the short version: Unless you take the photo, record the audio, or film an event yourself, you need to be sure that it’s okay to use it in your writing.

If you are using traditional documentation, these tools can help:

Make the documentation system you choose fit the genre that you are using. For instance, videos do not use MLA citations. We’ll talk more about this when we get to Project 4.

Remember that assets you make yourself can be simple. Take advantage of your own creativity. Anything you make, you can use freely. Consider the approaches of The Christmas Snake or Don Quixote and the Giants.

For sources and assets that you have acquired, rather than created. Work through these FAQs for details and resources, including places to find assets that you can use freely (as long as you credit your source):

In-Class Writing

There are two things for you to submit:

  1. Go to Quizzes in Canvas.
  2. Choose the "What’s Your Story?" quiz.
  3. Answer the questions, and submit your quiz.
  4. Go back to the Quizzes page.
  5. Choose "November Class Survey" under the Surveys heading.
  6. Answer the questions and submit your anonymous survey.

Homework

For today’s session (10/09), please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "What’s Your Story?" quiz in Canvas and/or your "November Class Survey" in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 5:30 PM Sunday (10/11).

For Monday’s session (10/12), do the following before class:

  • Read pp. 40–45 of Writer/Designer (in Chapter 3). We’ll review the techniques for analyzing the what, how, and why of your texts.
  • You will have time to work on you projects in class on Monday. Bring whatever you need with you to work (e.g., the source you are analyzing)

For Wednesday’s session (10/12), do the following before class:

  • I’ll address any questions that come up as you worked on Monday.
  • You will have time to work on you projects in class on Wednesday. Bring whatever you need with you to work (e.g., the source you are analyzing)

For Friday, have a nice day off. Enjoy your break weekend.


 
Last updated on 9th October, 2015, 9:49 AM
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by on October 7, 2015

Writer/Designer Choices

This is the post for the Wednesday, October 7, 2015 class meeting.

Important Dates

  • Woman wearing orange and yellow netting dress: Bad design... is sometimes best left in a Dr. Seuss bookOctober 16: Fall Break (no class meeting)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

Moving from How to Why

We have done several activities where you determined how a text works (using the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions). Today we will practice identifying why it works the way it does.

Why is a harder question to answer, because it depends upon the complex interplay of all the ways the text works. You can guess certain things easily about the choices someone has made, but some details will be more nuanced.

Remember too that the text may fail. They author or publisher may have made certain choices to reach a particular audience. You may be able to determine why they made the choices, but it’s legitimate to note when those choices do not achieve the intended goal.

Board Book Example

We’ll take a look at Web Design for Babies (Codebabies Books, 2012), and talk about why it was made the way it has been and whether it’s successful.

Group Analysis Activity

We’ll arrange into groups of two or three. Each group will take a different text from the list and analyze it. You will report back to the whole class. Be ready to tell us why the text has been made the way it has been.

  1. Halloween entry in Wikipedia
  2. History of Halloween (History.com)
  3. The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows
  4. Where Does Halloween Come From?
  5. History of Halloween (5-Minute English)
  6. What the hell is Halloween? (Over 9 mins—don’t watch all of it!)
  7. Halloween
  8. Halloween Report
  9. Where Did Halloween Come From?
  10. Halloween History
  11. Halloween Traditions
  12. 13 Strange Facts On Why We Celebrate Halloween

Warning: I did not review every detail on every site. If you run into something problematic (like cultural misappropriation costumes), you can either just skip that detail OR you can make it part of your analysis by thinking about why it’s there and what it communicates.

Reward

If we have time, you will see something you may not do for Project 3 & 4.

Homework

For Friday’s session (10/9), do the following before class:

  • Read Chapter 4 of Writer/Designer. We’ll talk about sources and assets in class.
  • Be ready to tell me the story you have chosen in the in-class writing. You need the story only, not the way you plan to remix it.
  • If you are considering a project that you need feedback on, ask me on Wednesday (or email me before then).

For Monday’s session (10/12), do the following before class:

  • Read pp. 40–45 of Writer/Designer (in Chapter 3). We’ll review the techniques for analyzing the what, how, and why of your texts.
  • You will have time to work on you projects in class on Monday. Bring whatever you need with you to work (e.g., the source you are analyzing)

For Wednesday’s session (10/12), do the following before class:

  • I’ll address any questions that come up as you worked on Monday.
  • You will have time to work on you projects in class on Wednesday. Bring whatever you need with you to work (e.g., the source you are analyzing)

For Friday, have a nice day off. Enjoy your break weekend.


 
Last updated on 7th October, 2015, 2:03 AM
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by on October 5, 2015

Project 3 and 4 Overviews

This is the post for the Monday, October 5, 2015 class meeting.

Important Dates

  • Cat, reading To Kill a Mockingbird says, WTF...this book has absolutely no information on killing birdsOctober 16: Fall Break (no class meeting)
  • October 21: Project 3 Peer Review
  • October 26: Project 3: Interrogate a Story Source due by 11:59 PM

Analysis Feedback

I’m still working through your quizzes from Friday. You will use the same form as you work on Project 3, so I need to look through them carefully.

Project Assignments

Today we will go over:

Homework

For Wednesday’s session (10/7), do the following before class:

  • Review all the options for Project 3 and 4, and begin thinking about the story that you want to explore for these assignments. I will ask you to tell me the story you have chosen on Friday.
  • Be ready to analyze some example story sources in class.
  • If you are considering a project that you need feedback on, ask me on Wednesday (or email me before then).

 
Last updated on 5th October, 2015, 3:20 AM
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by on October 1, 2015

Rhetorical Analysis and Design Choices

This is the post for the Friday, October 2, 2015 class meeting.

Today will be an online class session.

Two cats under an umbrella with the caption, I Hate RainWe will not meet in Shanks. See the Announcement and your email for details.

Important Dates

  • 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

Analysis of a Virginia Tech Webpage

You all have experience examining and using webpages. For today’s class, you will choose one Virginia Tech webpage and gather notes on how the page functions as a multimodal text. This is the same process you will follow to gather information for Project 3, so it’s great practice.

Choosing a Page: Choose the page of a Virginia Tech program, center, club, organization or department. Nearly any page with a VT.EDU link is fine, but please avoid personal pages. If you want you may choose the page for your chapter of a sorority or fraternity (or other organization) even if it doesn’t have a VT.EDU link. Look for a webpage, not a PDF.

Analyzing the Webpage:

  1. Download the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions form.
  2. Fill out the form for the VT webpage that you have chosen.
    • You do not have to use full sentences.
    • Skip a question for one of the rows if it doesn’t apply to your page.
    • You don’t have to be perfect, but have enough information that I can tell put in the effort.
  3. Use the textbook and the slideshow if you need help as you work.

Submitting Your Quiz:

  1. Go to Quizzes in Canvas.
  2. Choose the "Analysis of a Virginia Tech Webpage" quiz.
  3. Upload your completed analysis form (as a *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf file).
  4. Submit your quiz, and have a great weekend.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Analysis of a Virginia Tech Webpage" quiz in Canvas today, please use the grace period to finish by 5 PM Sunday (10/4).
  • If you are an English major and are interested, explore the info on English Career Connections 2015 and register by filling out the registration form. There are only 50 slots available.

For Monday’s session (10/5), do the following before class:

  • Take a look at the examples for Project 4 from the post for the first day of class and begin thinking about options for your own projects. We’ll go over the assignments for Projects 3 and 4 in class.

 
Last updated on 1st October, 2015, 10:59 PM
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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