You will sign up for your interface for Project 2, and then we will return to the analysis we were working on Friday.

Important Dates

• October 1: Sign up for a presentation time slot
• October 8: Draft of P2 due for Peer Review
• October 13, 15, or 17: Presentation Days
• October 17: P2 web essay due
• October 24: P2 deadline (end of grace period)

Choosing Your Interface

Once everyone appears to have settled in, I will ask you to log into your VT Gmail account. Doing so will mean you’re signed into Google Docs too and can comment on the sign up sheet. Once everyone is logged in, I will open up the Project 2 Sign-Up, and you will add your names. Remember you are governed by the Honor Code.

Analyzing WordPress.com

We will go back to the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions on WordPress.com from Friday, and work through the details. My goal is to model the process of gathering information that you can follow as you work on Project 2.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a post for today that talks about the tool you will focus on for Project 2. Explain what tool you will work on, and why you chose it.

Please focus on why it was one of your choices, what drew you to it, and why you want to explore it. Please do NOT spend this post whining about how it wasn’t your first choice or similiar misfortunes.

Homework

For Wednesday, the 24th, read all of the example web essays included in the Project 2 assignment. Be ready to talk about how they work, what they do well, and lessons you can take away as you work on your own project.

For Friday, the 26th, read the Introduction to Memes and explore some of the links on the page. We’ll discuss memes and make some in class.

It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day. Get started by brainstorming some thoughts about WordPress.Com on Padlet. Once everyone has had a chance to have a say, we will move to a more structured analysis of WordPress.com. At the end, I shall have some pirate booty for ye!

Analysis of WordPress.com

You all have experience with WordPress.com. For our purposes today, you need to think of WordPress.com’s interface and how the site works (and not at your particular blog). As you think about WordPress.com, try to separate what the overall site does and what the particular theme you chose does. They are different things.

We will consider these ideas:

1. Think through the rhetorical situation for WordPress.com: Audience, Purpose, Context, Author, and Genre.

2. Analyze the design choices for the tool: Emphasis, Contrast, Organization, Alignment, and Proximity.

3. Identify the modes of communication that WordPress.com uses as part of its interface: Linguistic, Visual, Spatial, Aural, and Gestural. You can also identify modes that WordPress.com enables you to use.

4. Determine the affordances and constraints of WordPress.com.

To make things a bit simpler, I have created a form based on the Writer/Designer Analysis Questions that you can use to gather ideas and make sure you cover everything. We will try to collaborate in one document today. I’ll have a blank copy of the form for you to copy and use next week as you begin analyzing your tools.

Homework

For Monday, the 22nd, go through the options for Project 2 and have at least three choices ready for the beginning of the session on Monday. The selection is first come, and only one person per tool. If you would like to choose a tool that is not on the list, email me the name of the tool by noon on Sunday, September 21 (to give me a chance to make sure it will work for the project).

For Wednesday, the 24th, read all of the example web essays included in the Project 2 assignment. Be ready to talk about how they work, what they do well, and lessons you can take away as you work on your own project.

For Friday, the 26th, I hope to talk about memes and meme generators. More information next week!

Today, we will go over how to submit your web portals using Scholar and how to write the reflection memo. You will have time to work on your project during the rest of the class. Remember that you have a one-week grace period for turning in your project if you need it.

You can use the class session to check the grading criteria for the project, make any last-minute updates to your site, and write your project reflection.

Project Reflection

Your project reflection is a a short (about 1 page) memo that tells me the URL to your website and then explains the decisions you made as you created your website. I will read your reflection before I read the bios.

Follow these instructions to submit your work:

1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
2. Choose “P1: Web Portal.”
3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
   • Address your memo to me (Traci) and from you (use your name).
   • Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
   • Add the current date.
5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:

   

6. Introduce your project and tell me the following information:
   1. What is the link to your site?
   2. What are your overall goals? What grade have you aimed for?
   3. How have you used the modes of communication? Tell me how many modes you used and where you used them.
   4. Tell me anything else you want me to know about your site, including the content, the layout and design, and any images or other media you included.
   5. Add a concluding section that tells me anything else you want me to know about your project.
7. Review the information in your memo.
8. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
9. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
10. Celebrate! You’ve finished the first project!

Homework

On Wednesday, the 17th, we will embark on the next project, Interrogate an Interface. Review the information in Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer on Understanding Media and Affordances (starting on page 14). You will need to understand the concept of affordances to complete your second project.

For Friday, the 19th, read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer and be ready to sign up for the interface you will analyze.

Today, we’ll go over a few more how-to’s and tips for your WordPress sites, and then you’ll have the rest of the class period to continue work on your web portals.

Important Dates

• Monday, September 15: P1: Web Portal due
• Monday, September 22: P1: Web Portal deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:55 PM)

Jazzing Up Your About Page

On Monday, I shared some links to example about pages and tips on writing them. Since then, I have talked to some of you about adding links to additional pages to your About page, so I want to demonstrate what the might look like quickly. I’ve added a couple of additional pages to the English 3844 WordPress site to show you what I mean.

In my example, I have added some pages with photos I have taken, but you could add more details on whatever interests you or whatever you have done. You might add photos, links to videos you have made, excerpts from articles you have written, and so forth. You could also focus on places you have been (like a study abroad trip, a family trip, or even a trip to the Cascades) or things that are important to you (like participation in Relay for Life, work you have done for your philanthropy, or your love of horses).

WordPress How-To’s

These links take you to step-by-step instructions:

• How to wrap text around an image
• How to use headings
• How to embed a video
• How to use all those buttons on the toolbar

Today’s Blog Post

Create a blog post that talks about the work you have done on your blog since we met on Wednesday. Use the “What I Did” and “Why I Did It” headings. By Monday, you should have six blog posts: 5 on what you did each class day, and the multimodal dig post.

Homework and Next Week’s Work

Continue work on your site. On Monday, you will work on your reflection memo in class and (ideally) submit your work. Monday’s post will include details on writing the memo and how to submit your project in Scholar.

On Wednesday, the 17th, we will embark on the next project, Interrogate an Interface. Review the information in Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer on Understanding Media and Affordances (starting on page 14). You will need to understand the concept of affordances to complete your second project.

For Friday, the 19th, read Chapter 2 of Writer/Designer.

Today is peer review day for the first project. By sharing the draft of your first project, you will have the opportunity to get some feedback on your work before it is due. In addition, you will have the chance to get to know your classmates better by reading through the bios everyone else has posted.

Important Dates

• Wednesday, September 10 (today): Draft of P1: Web Portal due in class for Peer Review
• Monday, September 15: P1: Web Portal due
• Monday, September 22: P1: Web Portal deadline (end of grace period, no work accepted after 11:55 PM)

Taking Screenshots

As you are working on peer review, you may find something on your classmate’s website that would be easier to show than to describe. In these situations, use a screenshot.

On a Mac: Use Command + Shift + 3. The screenshot usually shows up on your Desktop, with a name like “Screen Shot 2014-09-10 at 9.29.31 AM.” You can edit the image (crop it, etc.) if you like. You may also have an app called Grab, which will let you select a specific portion of the screen (rather than the whole page).

On Windows 8: Use Windows Key + Print Screen. You can also use the Snippings Tool, which will let you select a specific portion of the screen (rather than the whole page).

Posting Details on Your Drafts for Project 1

You will post information about your draft in the forums:

1. Go to the Project 1: Building a Web Portal board in the forums, and create a topic with your name or your username (e.g., “Traci’s Bios.”). Use a pseudonym if you like.

2. Add the link to your website at the beginning of the forum post.

3. Highlight the link you pasted in, and click the URL button to make the link work. (This button will add codes to your post.)

4. If you have any specific concerns that you want your readers to consider, add a note on that as well.

5. Be sure to Preview your message to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then Submit your post.

Replying to Project 1 Drafts

Next, you will reply to the posts of some of your classmates:

1. Read the post and visit the site of at least two of your classmates:

   • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
   • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

2. Add a reply to your classmate’s post, and answer the following questions for the website:

   • What is good about the site? What should not be changed? Why is it good?
   • What suggestions do you have to improve the site?
   • Respond to any specific questions or issues that your classmate raised in the forum post.
   • Add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the site and gives your classmate some encouragement.

3. Read the feedback from your classmates and ask follow-up questions if you need more information you can post a reply with questions or find each other in the classroom if you like.

Have Questions?

If you have general questions about the assignment or WordPress, please visit the Padlet site and add them to the wall. Your questions should post anonymously.

Today’s Blog Post

Create a blog post that talks about the work you have done on your blog since we met on Monday. Remember these blog posts are how you will document your on-going work and effort on the projects. They will help you write your Reflection memo as well.

For today’s post, I’d like you to use three headings:

1. What I Did
2. Why I Did It
3. What I Still Need to Do

In this third section, I want you to think through your to-do list for the next few days.

Homework

Continue work on your site. We will spend Friday working on the sites in class, and I will again work my way around the classroom to check on each one of you.

On Monday, you will work on your reflection memo in class and (ideally) submit your work. Monday’s post will include details on writing the memo and how to submit your project in Scholar.

Today you will have most of the class session to work on your WordPress site for Project 1. My goal is to move around the classroom and visit with each one of you to see where you are in the project and answer any questions that I can. If we run out of time before I visit with everyone, we will continue on Friday.

Assessment Criteria for Project 1

I use a system that allows you to aim for the grade that you want on each project, based on the work that you do, the risks that you take, and the effort that you put in. Risks primarily come into play with Project 3. The Web Portal Assessment Guidelines explain the expectations for each work level.

When you write your reflection memo about the work you did on the project, you will tell me what grade you have aimed for and how you went about fulfilling the criteria for that grade. You need to work consciously toward the grade you want, and you must be able to explain how you reached your goal.

Writing Content for Your About Page

The About Page tells someone about you, the author of the site, and why you made the site. At its most basic, it identifies you as the author and says you made the site for the course. It’s similar to the author bio that you’d find on the back cover of a book. Do protect your own privacy and only divulge information that you are comfortable with the entire class reading. If you are in the witness protection program, realize that you do not have to include a photo of yourself or use your real name.

Here are some random examples that show the kind of information you might include:

• About Traci (the about page for my teacherly website)
• About, from Tengrrl Cooks (the about page for a blog where I occasionally post recipes)
• About The Hudson Team (this page covers an entire team, where yours only needs to describe you, but it has example bios)
• HOLLY CROMER (I’m not in love with the layout of the about info, but the page is a nice, brief bio)
• ABOUT ERIN ANDERSON, THE SLEEPYTIME TEACHER (this one is longer than yours needs to be, but full of information)

I also also have some how-to links that might help you:

• “Meet the Team” Pages: Examples and Trends (Smashing Magazine)
• Are You Making These 7 Mistakes with Your About Page? (Copyblogger)
• How to Write Your About Me Page

Writing Content for Your Site Info Page

The Site Information Page tells someone about how you made your website. The information is the same kind of details that you would find on a colophon in a book. You would explain about the theme that you used and who made it, the plugins you are using, and the image that show up on every (or most) of the pages on your site. Here are some random examples that show the kind of information you might include:

• DAVE SABOL (this one is longer than I expect from you)
• Behind the Curtain (Colophon), from Pixelyzed (this page includes historical info that I don’t expect from you)
• Colophon, from The Design Office (this one is bare bones, but has all the necessary info)
• Kevin Shoffner
• Colophon, from The City of Birmingham Choir
• H&W Design Company

Homework

Be ready to share the draft of your Web Portal in class during the next session. You will post the link to your site in the forums along with details on what you want your readers to tell you about what they see on the site.

I will provide some guiding questions for you to use as you respond to one another, but come to class prepared to ask for help or specific feedback as well. For instance, you might want to know whether your background image seems too busy, or you might ask for suggestions on how to add more details to your About page.

Remember to also add a blog post for today that talks about “What you did” and “Why you did it.” These blog posts will help you when you write your Reflection memo next week.

Today we’re diving into WordPress and learning about all the features built into the tool. By the end of today’s session, you have created a WordPress blog and done some basic configuration.

Creating Your Blog

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

• Create a username, password, and a name for your blog using the sign-up form on WordPress.com.
  • Remember that your blog will be public.
  • Choose .wordpress.com for the domain (the free option).
• Scroll down to the bottom and click Create Blog (the free option).
• Fill in the form to set your Blog Title and Tagline, and click Next Step.
• For now, accept the default Theme by clicking Next Step.
• Skip the customization step, and click Next Step. (You will want to look at all the Theme options before you put work into customizing things.)
• Connect with Facebook or Twitter if you like. I recommend skipping it, and clicking Next Step. You can connect later when you have some content on your site.
• Go to your email and find the confirmation message. You need to click the link in that message to finalize your blog’s setup.

Congratulations! You now have a blog. Let’s customize some of its settings:

• 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.
• If time allows, you can begin looking at the Themes that are available. Go to the Appearance tab on the left, and choose Themes. Be sure to choose the FREE link on the left. Please don’t spend money on a Theme. I don’t want you to need to spend any money on this site.
• Finally, write your first post. Go to the Posts tab on the left and then choose Add New.
  • Write a summary and explanation of the decisions you made as you were working today. You will write this kind of post at the end of most class sessions from now on. It’s how you will document your on-going work and effort on the projects.
  • Be sure to click on the Text tab if you want to code your own HTML.
  • Organize your post with two headings: (1) What I Did, and (2) Why I Did It.
  • Talk briefly 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.
  • Publish your post, and send me an email (tengrrl@vt.edu) with the URL to your first post. I will use the link to set up a megablog that includes everyone’s updates.

Homework

• Read Chapter 1 of Writer/Designer so that you are familiar with the terms we’re using in class as we discuss multimodal projects.
• Explore the resources in WordPress. We’ll spend Wednesday’s class session working on Themes, Widgets, and Menus. If you want to get a headstart, look at the information under Step 2 on the Assignment page.
• If you need help or get curious, try the WordPress.com Support and Tutorials. Also remember that you can use the step-by-step tutorials at Lynda.com. The  WordPress.com Essential Training with Morten Rand-Hendriksen tutorial probably has a video for everything you need.