Today, we will have presentations from these folks:

• 10:15: Danny N
• 10:22: Celsea C
• 10:29: Emma W
• 10:36: Brooke W
• 10:43: Drake B
• 10:50: Nick A

Remaining Work

1. Complete the SPOT survey if you didn’t complete it last week.

2. Submit your remix by 11:55 PM tonight (Wednesday, December 10) following the instructions posted last week.

3. Take the final exam, which is officially due by 3:05 PM on Friday, December 12. You have a 3-day grace period, which ends at 11:55 PM on Monday, December 15. If your work is not submitted by 11:55 on 12/15, you will receive a zero.

Today is our last day of class before the presentations, so there are several things to cover:

• Evaluating the course
• Preparing for your presentation
• Turning in your remix
• Finishing your blog posts
• Completing your final exam

Evaluating the Course

I will allow time at the end of today’s session for you to fill out the Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) survey for this course. The feedback helps the department make important decisions about teaching methods, course content, and faculty promotion. Written comments help me decide what to keep or change the next time I teach the course. In many ways, I find the written comments the most helpful part of the evaluation. I do not see the feedback until January (after grades are submitted), and your comments are anonymous.

Preparing for Your Presentation

We talked about the information that should go into your oral presentation before Thanksgiving break.

Email me the link to your presentation by midnight on the day before your presentation (no grace period) so that I can set up the post for class.

Turning in Your Remix

You need to provide two or three texts when you submit your Remix for a grade: (1) a link to your Remix project itself, (2, optional) a link to any presentation materials you want me to review (e.g., if you made slides), (3) your reflection memo, which you will post here in Scholar.

Your reflection memo is slightly different this time since part of your goal will be some self-analysis of your project and an explanation of the effort and risk you put into the work. Review the information on Project Expectations on the assignment page, and write a memo that does the following:

• Provides the link to your Remix project (and optionally, a link to the presentation).

• Gives me a summary of the project’s rhetorical situation, using the questions on pp. 111–112 of Writer/Designer. Provide a SHORT explanation of your audience, purpose, and design choices. Aim for just a sentence or two to remind me of the context you are working in.

• Explains how you have participated and shown effort as you worked on this project. Include concrete details that help demonstrate your point.

• Shows me how you have taken risks, stretched yourself, and otherwise applied your best effort to learn and create as you worked on this project.

• Tells me whatever I need to know about how you have gone beyond average work and participation.

• Tells me if I can use your project(s) as example(s) in the future.

You must submit your remix by 11:55 PM on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. There is no grace period since I need to get things graded immediately. You may, of course, turn in your work earlier if you want.

Finishing Your Blog Posts

Be sure to write and publish a blog post for today that talks about what you have accomplished since your last post and why you did what you did. Today, however, is the last day that you must post an entry. I will use the posts, attendance, and other factors to determine the participation portion of your grade.

If you are still working on your project after today, you may continue to track what you did and why you did it in blog posts. This information will help you write the reflection that you submit with your project.

Taking the Final Exam

The final exam assignment is available under the Assignments tab here on the course website, and the exam is open in Scholar.

Your final exam revision plan is due by 3:05 PM on Friday, December 12. Your grace period ends at 11:55 PM on Monday, December 15. If your work is not submitted by 11:55 on 12/15, you will receive a zero.

In class today, you can sign up for a presentation time slot and then we will talk about documenting your projects and your presentations, using the post for the 11/12 session.

During the rest of the session, you can work on your projects, and I will come around the classroom to check on your progress.

Presentation Sign-Up

Sign-up for a presentation slot for for Project 3, using the Sign-Up Tool in Scholar. The slots open at 10:15 AM Monday. Go ahead and log into Scholar and be ready to click sign-up when the form opens.

Writing Schedule and Homework

• Monday, 11/17: Write a blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it for the day. Please include some details on how you will document your sources in your project (that is, what system you will use).

• Wednesday, 11/19: Bring your book to class. Have a rough cut or rough draft of your project that you can share with two other people in class for feedback. Be prepared to provide a summary of the project’s rhetorical situation, using the questions on pp. 111–112. When you provide feedback on someone else’s project, use the guidelines in the section of the book on “Providing Feedback as a Stakeholder” (pp. 112–115). Your blog post for the 11/19 class should be a draft of your revision plan for the project (see pp. 116–118).

• Friday, 11/21: Independent, out-of-class work. For your blog post, write the usual what you did and why you did it sections, but include a selfie that shows you working on your project. If you hate selfies, just be creative and choose some alternative evidence. I want to see concrete, visual evidence that you were working on your project even though you were not in the classroom. Get your blog post with a selfie published by 11:55 PM on November 23 for credit for the day’s work.

• 11/22 to 11/30: Thanksgiving Break. Be safe. Have fun.

• Monday, 12/1: Discussion of the reflection memo for Project 3. Last day of independent, in-class work. Write a blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it for the day.

• Wednesday, 12/3 to Wednesday, 12/10: In-class presentations. Link to your presentation due by 11:55 PM the day before you present.

• Wednesday, 12/10: Reflection Memo and Project 3 links due by 11:55

I apologize for missing class on Wednesday. Thank you all for understanding. We will catch up today on the information that I would have gone over on Wednesday, and then you will have time to work in class.

I will come around the classroom and ask each of me to show me where you are in your project and let me know of any questions you have.

Writing Schedule and Homework

• Friday, 11/14: Lots of independent, in-class work. Write a blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it for the day.

• Monday, 11/17: Lots of independent, in-class work. Presentation Sign-Up at approximately 10:15. Write a blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it for the day.

• Wednesday, 11/19: Bring your book to class. Have a rough cut or rough draft of your project that you can share with two other people in class for feedback. Be prepared to provide a summary of the project’s rhetorical situation, using the questions on pp. 111–112. When you provide feedback on someone else’s project, use the guidelines in the section of the book on “Providing Feedback as a Stakeholder” (pp. 112–115). Your blog post for the 11/14 class should be a first draft of your revision plan for the project.

• Friday, 11/21: Independent, out-of-class work. For your blog post, write the usual what you did and why you did it sections, but include a selfie that shows you working on your project. If you hate selfies, just be creative and choose some alternative photo. I want to see concrete, visual evidence that you were working on your project even though you were not in the classroom. Get your blog post with a selfie published by 11:55 PM on November 23 for credit.

• 11/22 to 11/30: Thanksgiving Break.

• Monday, 12/1: Discussion of the reflection memo for Project 3. Last day of independent, in-class work. Write a blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it for the day.

• Wednesday, 12/3 to Wednesday, 12/10: In-class presentations. Link to your presentation due by 11:55 PM the day before you present.

• Wednesday, 12/10: Reflection Memo and Project 3 links due by 11:55

Just one more week until peer feedback! We finish up with the textbook today, but you will use it extensively as you work on your projects. It’s an important resources as you continue work on your projects.

Documenting Your Assets and Sources

Somewhere in your project, you will need to cite your sources. The technique that you use will depend upon the kind of project you are working on. Return to the section of Writer/Designer on “Designing Your Citations” (pp. 70–76) for tips on how to choose an appropriate way to indicate where your assets came from.

Presenting Your Project

Following the resources in Writer/Designer, Chapter 8, you will document and present your remixed story. You will have approximately 5-6 minutes for your class presentation. If you’d like, you can ask your classmates to preview your story on your WordPress site as homework.

In your presentation, you will focus on sharing details about how you worked and the decisions that you made. Use the information on pp. 132–135 of Writer/Designer to determine what information to include. As the book explains, your job will be to show-off your hard work, but also you will help your audience understand your major design and rhetorical choices. Look particularly at the guiding questions on pp. 132–133 for an idea of the kind of details I will be listening for.

You can show portions of your project itself, but please be realistic. You may not have time to show your entire project. For example, if you made a 4-minute video, there won’t be time to show the entire video AND to talk about how you worked and the decisions you made.

You will create some kind of digital presentation (using Google slides, Prezi, Present.me, etc.). If you go with slides, the maximum length is 15 slides to ensure your presentation fits in the 5 to 6-minute time slot.

Turning In Your Project

Aim to have your project finished by December 1. You might still tweak things or make minor proofreading changes, but you should ideally be done with all the hard work. After that class session, our class time will be devoted to oral presentations.

By the end of the day on Wednesday the 10th, you should have gone to the Assignments tab in Scholar, completed a reflection memo, and given me the link to your project and your presentation slides. You must have your work submitted by 11:55 PM on Wednesday, December 10. There is no grace period on this project. We will talk a bit more about the reflection memo in class on December 1.

Writing Schedule and Homework

• Wednesday, 11/12: Write your usual blog post on what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. You need to have a rough cut in one week, so assess where you are against your timeline and be sure you are on schedule. If you have any questions about your project, ask me in class or email me.

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

• Monday, 11/17: Lots of independent, in-class work. Presentation Sign-Up at approximately 10:15.

• Wednesday, 11/19: Bring your book to class. Have a rough cut or rough draft of your project that you can share with two other people in class for feedback. Be prepared to provide a summary of the project’s rhetorical situation, using the questions on pp. 111–112. When you provide feedback on someone else’s project, use the guidelines in the section of the book on “Providing Feedback as a Stakeholder” (pp. 112–115). Your blog post for the 11/14 class should be a first draft of your revision plan for the project.

• Friday, 11/21: Independent, out-of-class work. For your blog post, write the usual what you did and why you did it sections, but include a selfie that shows you working on your project. If you hate selfies, just be creative and choose some alternative photo. I want to see concrete, visual evidence that you were working on your project even though you were not in the classroom. Get your blog post with a selfie published by 11:55 PM on November 23 for credit.

• 11/22 to 11/30: Thanksgiving Break.

• Monday, 12/1: Discussion of the reflection memo for Project 3. Last day of independent, in-class work.

• Wednesday, 12/3 to Wednesday, 12/10: In-class presentations. Link to your presentation due by 11:55 PM the day before you present.

• Wednesday, 12/10: Reflection Memo and Project 3 links due by 11:55

Today’s reading is about “Drafting and Revising Your Project”—and in particular rough cuts and revision plans. This week, you should be working on a rough version of your project (if you are not already there).

Chapter 7 of Writer/Designer suggests that the different phases of work on your project are separate and definite, but in truth they rarely are. During the next week, you may find yourself tweaking your storyboard or mock-up while you are placing assets in your rough cut and at the same time searching for more assets. Creativity can be messy. Don’t be surprised if your process is a little different from the general version in the textbook.

Rough Cuts, Rough Drafts, and Revision Plans

• A rough cut is rougher, or less finished, than a rough draft.

• The “Planning Your Rough Cut” section of Chapter 7 (pp. 107–109) includes lists of the basic decisions you should make by the time you have a rough cut. I recommend that you have most of these decisions in place by Wednesday.

• You will use the information on explaining your rhetorical situation (pp. 111–112), providing feedback (pp. 112–115), and revision plans (pp. 116–118) next week when we have peer review. You will also use the revision plan information for your final exam.

Writing Schedule and Homework

• Monday, 11/10: Write and publish a blog post for today that talks about what you have accomplished since your last post and why you did what you did. In your post, link, insert, or embed a mock-up and/or storyboard for your project.

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

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

• Monday, 11/17: Lots of independent, in-class work. Presentation Sign-Up at approximately 10:15.

• Wednesday, 11/19: Bring your book to class. Have a rough cut or rough draft of your project that you can share with two other people in class for feedback. Be prepared to provide a summary of the project’s rhetorical situation, using the questions on pp. 111–112. When you provide feedback on someone else’s project, use the guidelines in the section of the book on “Providing Feedback as a Stakeholder” (pp. 112–115). Your blog post for the 11/14 class should be a first draft of your revision plan for the project.

• Friday, 11/21: Independent, out-of-class work. For your blog post, write the usual what you did and why you did it sections, but include a selfie that shows you working on your project. If you hate selfies, just be creative and choose some alternative photo. I want to see concrete, visual evidence that you were working on your project even though you were not in the classroom. Get your blog post with a selfie published by 11:55 PM on November 23 for credit.

• 11/22 to 11/30: Thanksgiving Break.

• Monday, 12/1: Discussion of the reflection memo for Project 3. Last day of independent, in-class work.

• Wednesday, 12/3 to Wednesday, 12/10: In-class presentations. Link to your presentation due by 11:55 PM the day before you present.

• Wednesday, 12/10: Reflection Memo and Project 3 links due by 11:55

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

Look 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:

• Up and Running with Prezi
• All InDesign tutorials
• All Flash tutorials
• Up and Running with Pinterest
• All iMovie tutorials

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.

Today 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:

• Project 3: Remix a Story
• Story Remix Possibilities
• Pinterest Board Ideas

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.

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

Please 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.