Class Notes

Tools & Timelines

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This is the post for the November 5, 2014 class meeting.

I will point out some key points from the textbook, but you will spend most of your time planning a timeline for your project today. We also have one pitch to listen to today.

Lynda.com Resources

kkkkkkkkkkLook for support for the tools you are using on the Lynda.com site, which is free with your vt.edu login. Here are some examples, based on tools you mentioned in your pitches:

Key Points from Chapter 5

As you read and use information from Chapter 5 of Writer/Designer, pay particular attention to these details:

  1. Table of Technology Choices on page 78.

  2. The book explains that a multimodal project doesn’t have to be digital; however, what you make for Project 3 does have to be digital.

  3. As you firm up your decision on what tool(s) to use, keep in mind the same questions you used to evaluate an interface in Project 2. There’s also a case study that starts on page 79 and a technology review on page 81.

  4. Pay attention to the tips on organizing and naming your files on pages 88–89.

  5. Consider making a short style guide for your work to ensure consistency, following the suggestions on page 89.

Dates for Your Timeline

As part of your work in the next 24 hours, sketch out a timeline (page 91) for yourself so that you get all your work done. Please incorporate these dates into your timeline:

  • M, 11/10: Mock-up, Storyboard, and/or Outline.
  • M, 11/17: Presentation Sign-up.
  • W, 11/19: Rough Cut for Peer Feedback; Project 3 Revision Plan.
  • F, 11/21: Selfie showing yourself at work.
  • W, F, M, W, 12/3–12/10: In-class Presentations.
  • W, 12/10: Project Due by 11:55 PM.

Writing Schedule and Homework

  • Wednesday, 11/5: Create a timeline for your project and link it or post it as part of your blog post for today. As usual, summarize what you’ve done and why you’ve done it as well.

  • Friday, 11/7: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 6, looking at mock-ups and storyboards. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project. I will ask you to declare the primary technologies you will use in a blog post.

  • Monday, 11/10: We will talk about rough cuts and revision plans, covered in Chapter 7.

  • Wednesday, 11/12: We will talk about publishing your project and your presentations, using information from Chapter 8.

  • Friday, 11/14: Lots of independent work.


 
Last updated on 5th November, 2014, 9:51 AM

Class Notes

Pitching Your Project

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This is the post for the November 3, 2014 class meeting.

pitch-pleaseToday we will listen to pitches from everyone in class. We’ll probably need every class minute for presentations, so be ready to go!

Project 3 Pitch

Today, you will share your pitch with the rest of the class, following the list of questions on p. 56 of Writer/Designer. Remember this is just an informal chat with your classmates. No reason to be nervous. Just talk loudly enough for everyone in the classroom to hear you.

Remember that the goals for this project include participating excellently. To that end, as your classmates pitch their ideas, please listen politely. Your attention should primarily be on your classmates, and not on your computer screen. As appropriate, you may ask questions about another student’s project, make suggestions, and offer support.

Writing and Homework

  • Wednesday, 11/5: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 5. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project.

  • Friday, 11/7: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 6, looking at mock-ups and storyboards. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project. I will ask you to declare the primary technologies you will use in a blog post.


 
Last updated on 31st October, 2014, 11:58 AM

Class Notes

Pitches and Selfies

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This is the post for the October 31, 2014 class meeting.

dickinson-halloweenToday, we will talk about your pitch (due on Monday), discuss selfies, and have some Halloween treats. Get started by going to the Multimodal Character Selfies questions on Padlet please.

Halloween Party

Remember that the 2015 English Undergraduate Research Conference’s Halloween Party takes place on October 31, from noon to 2 PM in Shanks 370/380.

Take a selfie of yourself at the party, post it on your blog, and email me the link for your blog entry by midnight Saturday. We’ll use a wide definition of selfies and allow photos you take of yourself or that you ask someone else at the party to take. They have to be definite portraits however. If you hate self-portraits, be creative and imaginative.

If you complete this activity, you will earn extra credit for the Participation, forum posts, and blog posts portion of your grade, which works out to 1% of your grade (or 6.67% of that portion of your grade, according to Scholar).

Prepare Your Pitch

You will pitch your project to the class on Monday, November 3. As Writer/Designer defines it, “A pitch is a short presentation that explains how the what and the how of your idea might come together in the final project. . . . Pitches are sometimes called elevator speeches, drawing on the idea of a writer who is on an elevator with a publisher and has only four floors to convince the publisher to accept his or her book proposal” (55).

You will have about two minutes to tell the class the story you have chosen, how you are remixing it, what form/genre you are using, what tools you will use, and how are you incorporating risk.

To prepare for your pitch, send me an email that informally pitches your project. I’ll reply by the end of the weekend and let you know if there are any changes you might want to make.

Selfies

The sources I asked you to explore before class today talked about selfies generally (Wikipedia entry on Selfies) and compared how self-portraits and the role of the artist to selfies (TEDx video).

  1. We will talk a bit about how the modes of communication are used in selfies, and general trends in selfies:
    Evolution of the Selfie Infographic

  2. We will look at your responses to the Multimodal Character Selfies questions. If you think you may want to use a character selfie in your project, copy your ideas into a blog post so you can find them later.

  3. We will have some fun with selfies.

Writing and Homework

  • Today: Send me an informal proposal for Project 3 by midnight. If you go to the departmental Halloween Party, email me the URL to the blog post with your selfie by midnight Saturday.

  • Monday, 11/3: Be ready to give your pitch to the class.

  • Wednesday, 11/5: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 5. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project.

  • Friday, 11/7: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 6, looking at mock-ups and storyboards. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project. I will ask you to declare the primary technologies you will use in a blog post.


 
Last updated on 31st October, 2014, 12:38 AM

Class Notes

Finding Assets for Project 3

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This is the post for the October 29, 2014 class meeting.

HalloweenPartyToday, we will talk about choosing your form and genre as well as gathering assets for your project

Halloween Party

Remember that the 2015 English Undergraduate Research Conference’s Halloween Party takes place on October 31, from noon to 2 PM in Shanks 370/380. During Friday’s class, I will talk about the extra credit option for people who attend.

Choosing Your Form and Genre

As you look over the remix possibilities, think about the questions you considered as you worked on Project 2 to narrow in on the best options for what you want to say:

  • What modes of communication do the forms and genres enable?
  • What are the affordances and constraints of the forms and genres you are considering?
  • What design choices do the forms and genres support?

Hunting and Gathering

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

  1. To 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. sources and assetsMake a copy of the Project 3 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 or use a bookmarking service like Diigo.

NOTE: Finding assets is not a requirement for this week, 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:

Most importantly, know that 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. 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.

You will probably also incorporate 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):

Writing and Homework

  • Today: Be sure to write a blog post for today that talks about what you have accomplished since Monday and why you did what you did.

  • Friday, 10/31: We’ll talk about pitches, and you’ll send me an informal proposal for Project 3. We’ll spend some time talking about selfies as multimodal texts. Bring your cell phone so you can take selfies in class. Read the Wikipedia entry on Selfies and watch this TEDx video.

  • Monday, 11/3: Be ready to give your pitch to the class.

  • Wednesday, 11/5: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 5. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project.

  • Friday, 11/7: We’ll go over the highlights of Chapter 6, looking at mock-ups and storyboards. Most of the class time will be spent working on the project. I will ask you to declare the primary technologies you will use in a blog post.


 
Last updated on 29th October, 2014, 12:18 AM

Class Notes

Overview of Project 3

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This is the post for the October 27, 2014 class meeting.

Poe-halloweenToday we will go over the assignment and schedule for Project 3. At the end of the session, you will write a blog post on the story you have chosen and the research you did for Friday’s class.

Course Request Reminder

Please sign up for the courses you want to take during the Spring term.

Halloween Party

Remember that the 2015 English Undergraduate Research Conference’s Halloween Party takes place on October 31, from noon to 2 PM in Shanks 370/380. During Friday’s class, I will talk about the extra credit option for people who attend.

Details on Project 3

There are three documents to consider today:

I will also talk about what class sessions will generally look like for the rest of the term.

Blog Post

Write a blog post that informally proposes the story you will focus on for your remix, or in the language of Chapter 3 of Writer/Designer, “the what” you will focus on. Include the following information:

  • Tell us the story you have chosen.
  • Explain what portion of the story, if relevant.
  • Give us the bibliographic citations and/or links to at least three sources that you will use as you work on your project. You can use any bibliographic format you like, but be sure there’s enough information for me to confirm the sources.

Be sure your post is live by 5 PM Tuesday please.

Homework

Wednesday, 10/29: Read Chapter 4 of Writer/Designer. We will talk about Chapter 3 and 4 in more detail on Wednesday, and we will go over the expectations for your pitch.

Friday, 10/31: We’ll spend some time talking about selfies as multimodal texts. Bring your cell phone so you can take selfies in class. Read the Wikipedia entry on Selfies and watch this TEDx video.


 
Last updated on 27th October, 2014, 2:13 AM

Class Notes

Exploring Remix Examples

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This is the post for the October 22 and 24, 2014 class meetings.

I will provide a brief overview of Project 3, and we will spend the class looking at examples.

Course Request Reminder

Please be sure to see your advisor and sign up for the courses that you want to take in the spring. Class availability depends upon whether people sign up to take the course. Check the course descriptions for more information on what each teacher plans for the spring. I am teaching English 3844 (this class) and English 3764 (Technical Writing, online sections) in the spring.

Halloween Party

halloween-flyerPlease make plans to drop by the 2015 English Undergraduate Research Conference’s Halloween Party on October 31, from noon to 2 PM in Shanks 370/380.

There will be food, sweets, and drinks—along with information about the Undergraduate Research Conference, which will take place in the spring. Plus I shall provide an extra credit bribe if you provide evidence that you attended. More on the bribery next week.

Overview of Project 3

Project 3 is your chance to retell a story (fiction or nonfiction) with digital tools. I want you to rethink the story in some way and to update the way it is told by choosing digital tools that will help accomplish your goals.

For the most part, your choices are wide open. You have to choose some kind of story, and it needs to be classroom appropriate. Beyond that, there are some guidelines that you need to keep in mind to ensure the project goes well:

  1. Choose a story that you like. You will be working with that story for the next six weeks.

  2. Choose a story that you don’t mind “ruining.” You will be working with that story for the next six weeks.

  3. Choose a story, form, and design that will be fun. If you are doing something for six weeks, it needs to be fun.

  4. Choose something new that you will learn as part of your project. Six weeks is a long time if you are just doing the same old stuff.

Sample Projects

On the first day of class, I shared some of these projects students completed in the spring:

  1. The Three Little Scholars Broadcast
  2. Chamber of PostSecrets
  3. Rapunzel
  4. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
  5. Green Eggs And Ham Remix A Story
  6. ‘Same Love’ by Macklemore as told through The Gay Rights Movement – final edit
  7. Calvin & Hobbes – Attack of the Deranged Mutant Monster Killer Snow Goons Story Remix
  8. What Happened to Little Red Riding Hood?
  9. Music Man Remix
  10. Once Upon a Times
  11. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY
  12. Game of Thrones Red Wedding
  13. Robert Griffin III Trade
  14. The Little Mermaid
  15. Boston Tea Party
  16. Don Quixote and the Giants
  17. Cat Identity (Winnie the Pooh)

Homework

  1. Read chapter 3 of Writer/Designer, to help begin thinking about the genre you will use for your story.

  2. Choose your story and do some preliminary research. Go to the library or go online and find at least three different (and credible) versions of the story you will explore. Evaluate the credibility or your sources with the information on pp. 58–60 in Writer/Designer.

    Stories are told by many people and from many different perspectives. Your goal is to have plenty of source material to choose from as you create your new version. Think of the resources you locate as your inspiration, as the base from which your adaptation will begin.

    Your main source should be a text that relies primarily on the linguistic mode. Your additional choices can use other modes of communication. You may also choose more then three sources if you desire.

Examples:

  • The person who did the Don Quixote animation choose the original novel by Cervantes, an art exhibition at Georgetown University in 2005, and a TV miniseries released in Spain about the first part of the book.
  • The person who did Little Red Riding Hood choose the original version of the story by Charles Perrault, a Disney cartoon, and the ABC TV show Once Upon a Time.
  • The person who did the Boston Tea Party video originally chose the Schoolhouse Rock BTP episode, PBS Kids show "Liberty’s Kids" BTP episode, and ushistory.org.

Schedule

Wednesday, October 22: Office hours are cancelled today. Talk to me before you leave if you need anything please.

Friday, October 24: Class will not meet on in order to give you time to go to the library (or elsewhere) to conduct research. Office hours are cancelled on Friday as well. If you get confused, panicky, or lost, email me.

Monday, October 27: You will informally propose your topic in class. We will go over the assignment in more detail, and you will end the class session by writing a blog post that tells me the story you have chosen and that provides bibliographic citations and/or links to at least three sources that you will use as you work on your project. If you do not post your sources in class on Monday, I will assume you did not do your research.


 
Last updated on 22nd October, 2014, 10:10 AM