ATEC 2321 Writing and Research For New MediaSpring 2012Syllabus

Course Description

Digital media play an extremely important role in contemporary writing and research techniques. In fact, it would not be inaccurate to say that all writing and research are now digital! However, the platforms and technologies that make up digital media are constantly changing and shifting. Anyone who only learns writing and research techniques tied too closely to a single platform is likely to find that these skills rapidly go out of date. This course, Writing and Research for New Media, seeks to avoid this pitfall by helping students learn broad, transferrable skills that will help them use current platforms successfully, and adapt to new platforms as they emerge. As such, this course stresses the process of learning over rote memorization! Students are expected to experiment with techniques, and learn to be comfortable exploring new platforms and tools.

This print version of the syllabus is provided to give students a clear initial overview of the course, and to meet university requirements for course syllabi. The syllabus website, available at [FILL IN HERE] contains a more up-to-date version of this syllabus. If the print version and website version of the syllabus disagree the web version is correct.

Reading

Students are not required to purchase reading material for this course. Instead a variety of web-based resources will be provided.

Contact InformationThe best way to contact either the instructor (Prof. Famiglietti) or the TA (Tameka Reeves) is to send an email to the email address listed below.

• Prof. Famiglietti's Office: ATEC Building, room 1.602• Prof. Famiglietti's Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 2pm-5pm and by appointment

Course Policies

All students should familiarize themselves with official UTD course policies, as listed on the provost's website (http://provost.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies/). In particular, be sure to carefully review the sections on Academic Integrity, Class Attendance, and Avoiding Plagiarism. Here are some additional guidelines that will ensure your success in this class:

Be Bold This class is about learning how to learn. The learning process always involves experimentation, trial and error, and making mistakes, especially early on. In some cases, I will ask you to participate in assignments that are designed to give you experience with this process, and in these cases I may simply ask you to attempt to accomplish a particular task using a particular technology, without explaining a detailed set of instructions for accomplishing this task. When this happens, it is important that you be bold and experiment with the assigned task. Try your best to accomplish the task, and ask for help from the instructor and your classmates as you encounter difficulties you can't resolve on your own. You will

not be penalized for having difficulties!

Furthermore, the major class project, the group blog project, will also require boldness on the part of students. For many stages of the blog project, I will give detailed instructions on how to complete necessary work. However, as the project goes on and the blog becomes your own, you will want to find ways to make the blog meet your own personal goals and aspirations. To do this, you will need to engage in experiments and listen to the feedback provided to gauge when experiments are or are not working. Be brave!

Be In ClassThis class is a discussion class. Our class meetings provide an essential opportunity for discussing readings and assignments, working through difficulties and misunderstandings, and exploring ideas from different points of view. I cannot arrange to have a class discussion over again if you miss our meeting! For this reason, your regular attention is essential. All students are permitted three class absences over the course of the semester, no questions asked. Students may miss an additional two classes if they complete a make-up assignment for each absence. Make-up assignments will be devised on a case-by-case basis, but will generally consist of at least a two-page essay summarizing class readings and ideas. Students who miss more than five absences must schedule an appointment with the instructor to discuss the reasons for their absences, the steps the student has taken to document these absences with University authorities, and their prospects for completing the class successfully. Students that miss more than five class meetings and do not promptly schedule such a meeting will fail the course.

Be In TouchThis class asks students to be bold, experiment, and try new things. It also asks that they take responsibility for completing a large and complex new media project: the group blog project. All this will require students to keep in touch with each other, and the instructor, much more closely than they do in other courses. Students should expect to receive communication from the instructor in the form of email on a regular basis. For this reason, you should plan on checking your campus email at least once per day. Students who do not check their campus email regularly will have difficulty completing this course successfully. If circumstances make it difficult for you to check your email this often, try to find a classmate to serve as your “email buddy,” and send you a text message or call when important emails arrive.

In addition, this course will make extensive use of Twitter as a platform for informal communication, troubleshooting, and collaboration. You are encouraged to make use of the Twitter platform to keep in touch with your classmates and instructor. Twitter can be used via text message, if that makes sense for you.

Be RespectfulThis classroom is a safe space. You are expected to show your classmates the highest level of respect. Language or actions that discriminate against class members on the basis of Race, Age, Religion, Ethnicity, Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation will not be tolerated.

Be On Time Work that is not complete by the date due will be penalized 30% for each day or fraction of a day it is late. As work this class will be comprised of many small assignments, it is imperative that you not get behind. If you do find that you have missed an assignment, it may be better to abandon this assignment

and complete the next one on time.

Pseudonymous Participation PolicyThis class asks students to participate in publicly accessible blogs and other forms of public writing. Writing in public has several advantages for student learning. It creates a closer analogue to the “real world” environment, and allows for the creation of writing that is designed to be shared with a real audience, instead of just an instructor. It also allows students to learn from each other. However, some students may have legitimate privacy concerns about participating in publicly accessible assignments. These students may choose to participate in public assignments under a pseudonym, or assumed name. If you wish to request this accommodation for any reason, please contact me immediately.

Assignments and Grade BreakdownThe major assignments for this class are listed below, along with the percentage of the total class grade each assignment is worth. In this print version of the syllabus, detailed descriptions of each assignment follow the course

• Annotated Blog Roll (15%)• Group Blog Proposal (15%)• Group Blog Project (25%)• Class Participation (15%)• Reflection Blog (10%)• In-Class Assignments (10%)• Final Presentation (10%)

ScheduleFor each class meeting, the schedule lists the reading to complete for that meeting, if any under the heading READ. This reading must be completed PRIOR TO the class meeting it is listed for. In addition, a brief summary of what to expect during each class meeting (discussion, class activities etc.) is listed under IN CLASS for each class meetings. Due dates and assignment announcements are listed in italics at the bottom of the listing for the nearest class meeting to the due date.

Introduction: Background and first stepsWednesday, January 18: Introductions and Syllabus review READ: NoneIN CLASS: Icebreakers and Syllabus review. The blog group questionnaire will be announced today.

Monday, January 23: Why blogging? READ: Introduction to “Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's becoming, and Why It Matters,” by Scott Rosenberg (http://www.sayeverything.com/excerpt/say-everything-introduction/)IN CLASS: Discuss the history of blogging and the basic elements of the blog's form. What separates blogs from earlier media, both digital and analog? Why use blogging for this class? Introduction to the Wordpress dashboard. Blog group questionnaire responses due at 11:59pm January 23!

Unit One: Analyzing a blogging community

Wednesday, January 25: Understanding the community aspects of writing and research for new mediaREAD: Broadcast Institutions, Community ValuesIN CLASS: Discuss what the “community” metaphor means for digital communications. Why is “publish then filter” such a radical change? The annotated blog-roll assignment will be announced today. Blog groups will be assigned today. First Reflection blog post due at 11:59pm January 27

Monday, January 30: Filter FailureREAD: Watch the video “It's Not Information Overload, It's Filter Failure” featuring Clay Shirky (http://blip.tv/web2expo/web-2-0-expo-ny-clay-shirky-shirky-com-it-s-not-information-overload-it-s-filter-failure-1283699) NOTE: This video may be hard to watch on a slow internet connection. Students without fast connections at home may want to plan to watch this video on campus or at a coffeeshop with a fast connection. IN CLASS: Discuss the idea of “filter failure.” How does the inability to filter information effectively alter our practices of information gathering online?

Wednesday, February 1: Mindful Infotention and Filter TechniquesREAD: “Mindful Infotention,” by Howard Rheingold (http://blog.sfgate.com/rheingold/2009/09/01/mindful-infotention-dashboards-radars-filters/)“Practical 101S: Google Reader and Persistent Search,” by Dave Fleet (http://davefleet.com/2008/10/practical-101s-google-reader-and-persistent-search/)“Screen Shots: How I Use RSS To Track Thousands of News Sources Easily,” by Marshall Kirkpatrick (http://marshallk.com/how-i-use-rss-to-track-thousands-of-news-sources-easily)IN CLASS: Discuss the “mindful infotention” concept. How can we use filters to manage information and discover sources? How can we tune into the larger conversation? Begin building shared information sources to use to inform your blog project.

Monday, February 6: Crap DetectionREAD: “Crap Detection 101,” by Howard Rheingold (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?entry_id=42805)IN CLASS: Discuss the methods Rheingold gives us for evaluating sources. Investigate why “reputation” is a helpful way to think about sources. Source evaluation exercises.

Wednesday, February 8: More Filter Techniques/Thinking Critically About Filters 1READ: “Twitter Literacy,” by Howard Rheingold (http://blog.sfgate.com/rheingold/2009/05/11/twitter-literacy-i-refuse-to-make-up-a-twittery-name-for-it/) “How Journalists Verified Info Around Eltahawy's Arrest,” by Andrew Katz (http://storify.com/katz/freemona) IN CLASS: Discuss the use of social media as an information filter. Join twitter. Discuss the connections between social media and blogging. Discuss how to critically evaluate information on twitter. Observe how messages move from blogs to social media and vice versa. Begin building lists of trusted twitter sources for group blogs. Second reflection blog post due at 11:59pm February 10

Monday, February 13: Thinking Critically About Filters 2 – Systemic filter problems to be aware ofREAD: Watch the video “The Filter Bubble TED Talk,” (http://www.thefilterbubble.com/ted-talk) NOTE: This video may be hard to watch on a slow internet connection. Students without fast connections at home may want to plan to watch this video on campus or at a coffeeshop with a fast

connection. IN CLASS: Discuss the possible systemic problems with available information filters, and techniques for avoiding falling victim to these failings. Annotated Blogrolls must be submitted by 11:59PM February 13

Wednesday, February 15: Collaboration Workshop – Building your group blogroll READ: A brief activity will take the place of reading for today. Prior to class, experiment with Google Docs and Etherpad. IN CLASS: Work together in groups to combine your individual blogrolls into a collective blogroll using collaboration software like Google Docs or Etherpad. Practice combining, commenting on, and editing collaborative documents in this environment. The blog proposal assignment will be announced today.

Unit Two: Developing the group blog proposalMonday, February 20: Writing and Organization READ: “My Ten Years of Blogging,” by Malik Om (http://gigaom.com/2011/11/26/10-years-gigaom/)IN CLASS: Discuss the written and organizational techniques of effective blogging. What does it mean to develop a unique “voice” for blogging? Why is writing regularly important? How does creating content categories help readers understand and use your blog? Observe how these writing and organization techniques are used on some successful blogs. Wednesday, February 23: Visual Design and Image UseREAD: Non-Designers Design Book Chapters 1, 6 and 8 IN CLASS: Discuss the CRAP design principles. Observe how these principles are used on successful blogs. Third reflection blog post due at 11:59pm February 24

Monday, February 27: Content Reuse and LicensingREAD: “About Creative Commons” (http://creativecommons.org/about)“About the Licenses” (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/)IN CLASS: Discuss how both laws and norms guide how we reuse content. Explain the legal concepts of Copyright, Public Domain, and Fair Use. Discuss how the Creative Commons licenses reveal community preferences for reuse. Observe how successful blogs use creative commons, reuse content produced by others, and reuse their own content across different platforms.

Wednesday, February 29: Sources, Citation, and LinkingREAD: “New Rule: Cover what you do best, link to the rest,” by Jeff Jarvis (http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/02/22/new-rule-cover-what-you-do-best-link-to-the-rest/)IN CLASS: Discuss how linking and citing sources can add value to your blog. When should you link/cite? How should you link/cite? Who should you link/cite? Observe linking and citation practices on successful blogs.

Monday, March 5: Presentation Prep/Workshop DayREAD: None, BUT students should come to class with significant work on the blog proposal already complete to be fully successful. IN CLASS: Work in your blog groups to complete your blog proposal presentations. The instructor and TA will offer feedback on your progress.

Wednesday, March 7: Presentations and Mid-semester evaluationsREAD: None, BUT rehearsing your presentation prior to class is strongly recommended IN CLASS: Groups will present their blog proposals to the class and receive peer feedback. Ten minutes of class time will be reserved for mid-semester class evaluations. Blog Proposals are due by 11:59pm March 7.Fourth reflection blog post due by 11:59pm March 9.

Unit Three: Maintaining and revising group blogsMonday, March 12: SPRING BREAK

Wednesday, March 14: SPRING BREAK

Monday, March 19: Managing Online Projects – Principles from the example of WikipediaREAD: “The Hive” by Marshall Poe (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/09/the-hive/5118/?single_page=true)IN CLASS: Discuss what the example of Wikipedia suggests about successful collaboration strategies in the digital environment. What made Jimmy Wales a more effective project manager than Larry Sanger? How does the digital environment favor some leadership and collaboration techniques over others?The final presentation assignment will be announced today.

Wednesday, March 21: Advanced Wordpress SkillsREAD: Selections from the Wordpress codex TBA. Experiment with the Wordpress dashboard. Make a list of things you want to do with your blog, but are having trouble accomplishing. IN CLASS: Demonstrations of the advanced features of the Wordpress dashboard. Discussion of widgets and sidebars. A very brief introduction to custom CSS and fonts. Your blog group is expected to complete their proposed posting schedule this week, and every week from now until the last week of classes.

Monday, March 26: Managing Online Projects – Peer communication and collaboration at a distanceREAD: NoneIN CLASS: Groups will compete in an exercise designed to test their ability to collaborate using digital communications.

Wednesday, March 28: Collaborative EditingREAD: Review the Wikipedia Manual of Style (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style). You do not need to closely read the whole thing, as it is rather extensive. Skim it, get a sense of what is there, and be ready to navigate it quickly during class, as you will be using it. IN CLASS: Small group collaborative editing exercises. Discuss how the Wikipedia Manual of Style rules might be adapted to fit the needs of your blog project. Fifth reflection blog post due by 11:59pm March 30.

Monday, April 2: Transmedia 1 – What is transmedia?READ: “Transmedia Storytelling 101,” by Henry Jenkins (http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html)IN CLASS: Discuss the idea of “transmedia.” What does a message gain by being spread among many platforms? Jenkins is explaining how large media companies make use of transmedia techniques. How

might we apply these techniques to our blogs? How are they used by other blogs in our blogging community?

Wednesday, April 4: Transmedia 2 – Thinking critically about platformsREAD: “Project Reclaim,” by Boone Gorges (http://teleogistic.net/2011/03/project-reclaim/)IN CLASS: How do the values Boone uses to guide his project help us learn to think critically about platforms? How can we evaluate the reputations of platforms in the same way we evaluate the reputations of our sources?

Monday, April 9: Group blog project midpoint discussionREAD: Prior to today's class students should familiarize themselves with their classmates' blogs. Feel free to comment! IN CLASS: Each group should be prepared to talk about the progress of their blog project for about 10 minutes. The instructor and TA will lead the class in a discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each blog, with the goal of providing constructive criticism for groups, and allowing students to learn from their peers.

Wednesday, April 11: Presentation DesignREAD: Watch the following videos: “Larry Lessig on laws that choke creativity” (http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html)“Apple iPad, Steve Jobs Keynote” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBhYxj2SvRI)IN CLASS: Discuss how Jobs and Lessig use visuals and spoken language to make their respective cases. How does each tailor his presentation to meet the needs of his audience? What is effective, or perhaps ineffective, about these presentations?

Monday, April 16: Transmedia 3 – Location aware mediaREAD: “Location Literacy and Foursquare in the Classroom,” by Dean Terry http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/location-literacy-foursquare-classroomIN CLASS: What are the possible uses of location aware media Dean Terry imagines in this piece? How are these uses frustrated by the current economic model supporting locational media? How might blogs engage with locational media as part of a transmedia communication strategy.

Wednesday, April 18: Digital Divides 1 – Awareness of race, class, and gender divides in new mediaREAD: “The Better Off Online” (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1809/internet-usage-higher-income-americans)“For Minorities, New Digital Divide Seen” (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-01-10-minorities-online_N.htm)IN CLASS: Discuss why we need to be aware of digital divide(s) as we consume and produce information online. What steps can we take to ameliorate digital divide(s)? Sixth reflection blog post due by 11:59pm April 20.

Monday, April 23: Digital Divides 2 – Accessibility and Universal AccessREAD: “For the disabled, just getting online can be a struggle.” (http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/21/5892186-for-the-disabled-just-getting-online-is-a-struggle)IN CLASS: Experiment with screen-readers, and evaluate the readiness of your group blogs for use by people with disabilities.

Wednesday, April 25: Final Presentation workshop dayREAD: NoneIN CLASS: Discuss your final presentation plans with the instructor and TA, and work to revise and develop these plans. All groups must complete a draft of their final presentation visual, and draft outline of your final spoken presentation prior to this class.

Monday, April 30: Final PresentationsREAD: NoneIN CLASS: Groups 1-3 will give their final presentations today

Wednesday, May 2: Final Presentations, Evaluations, DonutsREAD: NoneIN CLASS: Groups 4-5 will give their final presentations today. Students will complete course evaluations. Donuts will be provided to reward attendance during this last class meeting of the semester.Final reflection blog post due by 11:59pm May 8.All changes your group wishes to make to your blog prior to the final blog grade being assigned must be completed

Detailed Assignment Descriptions