Digital Media Production | Spring ‘16
Course:
Holmes
English 8123 / CRN 14621
Tuesdays CLSO 303 11:00 – 12:15 + Significant online content
Websites:
http://d2l.gsu.edu (syllabus, readings, and assignment submission)
http://eng8123sp16.wordpress.com/ (syllabus, assignment descriptions)
Office Hours:
In-Person: By appointment only. Email or see me before class to
schedule.
Virtual Office Hours: Mondays 9:30 – 11:30 AM
During virtual office hours, I will be available online or for phone
conferences. I will be logged-in to my GSU email account to respond
quickly to emails, and I will also be available for instant message chatting
or video conferencing (via Google+ or Skype). Email me if you’d like to
coordinate a virtual chat or video conference.
Please note that the course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be
necessary.
Course Description & Goals
In this production-intensive course, you will learn about best practices for Web design and
development, and you will produce a digital, multimodal text, as well as practice a range of
technical and digital editing skills. My hope is that the course assignments will serve your needs
as an emerging scholar, an innovative pedagogue, and/or an academic professional. We will
explore issues such as how to cultivate one’s academic digital identity and best practices for
designing a professional website for academic purposes. Depending on your selected project,
you may also work to transform a traditional scholarly essay into an online Web text or design a
digital pedagogical project. All of our discussions will be grounded in rhetoric in terms of our
attention to audience, purpose, and context but also in terms of visual rhetoric and Web design.
In addition to analyzing and producing digital texts, you will work collaboratively to practice
editing—both design- and copy-editing—digital texts that your peers have produced, following
some of the editing practices of a leading online journal in Rhetoric and Composition, Kairos: A
Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy.
Course assignments will require that you work with new technologies and practice new digital
writing and publishing skills. My approach to digital production values experimentation and
problem-based learning. I tend to encourage you to dream big with your ideas for digital texts,
and then address specific issues and challenges that may arise in terms of logistics and
technological “know-how” on an as-needed basis. One of the challenges of this course is that
though we will spend some of class time discussing “how to” of Web development, we will not
be able to cover all of the technical skills you will need to successfully complete course
assignments. This means you will need to be self-directed, seeking out answers through online
tutorials, workshops on campus, or simply troubleshooting issues.
You do not need to have any previous experience or technical skills in digital writing and
publishing. However, you may not be happy in this course if you do not have basic computer
knowledge and if you are not willing to spend time online and take the initiative to experiment
with and learn programs that are new to you.
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Hybrid Course Design
This course is designed as a hybrid, which means instead of meeting face-to-face for 2.5 hours
each week we will meet face-to-face once weekly for 75 minutes and the material that we would
have completed during the remainder of class will be completed through online assignments
that do not require you to meet in our classroom. The production-based nature of the course is
complemented by allotting time for independent and collaborative research, writing, and
technology practice. Know in advance, though, that you will have production work and
assignments due in various formats outside of our face-to-face meetings. It is your responsibility
to keep up with both in-class and hybrid out-of-class assignments, due dates, and submission
formats; check our course websites for the most up-to-date information.
Required Textbook
Whittaker, Jason. Producing for Web 2.0: A Student Guide. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Course Assignments
Technology Walkthrough or Mini-Lesson
25%
You will create a brief (approximately 7-12 min.) screencast video that either provides a
mini-lesson on a relevant tech topic and/or walks your peers through a specific
technology task or program. You will also create a corresponding e-handout and brief
assignment for your peers to practice a concept from your mini-lesson or a task from the
program you’ve demonstrated. See sign-up sheet for topics and dates.
Production of Digital Text (Scholarly, Pedagogical, and/or Professional)
25%
Select a project that you could create or revise as a digital text. Choose from a scholarly
project (revision of a scholarly essay into a webtext, creation of a digital archive, etc.), a
pedagogical project (a website or digital project to be used for pedagogical purposes), or
a professional project (a website or portfolio for your academic or professional profile—
what you might use on the job market). The required proposal for this project will make
up 5% of this portion of your grade.
Design- & Copy-editing Participation
25%
You will refine your digital editing and Web design skills by working through four stages
of design- and copy-editing with your peers’ in-production Web texts. The stages are
modeled off of the ones used by the journal Kairos in revising Web texts prior to
publication. You will have an opportunity to revise your digital text in between each stage
of editing.
In-Class Participation and Out-of-Class Production Assignments
25%
These are short assignments you will complete in class or out of class as part of your
homework. These assignments include the practice lessons associated with your peers’
tech walkthrough assignments, as well as your production reflections and goal-setting in
the latter half of the semester. The weight will be distributed equally across the total
number of assignments for the semester.
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Course Policies
Attendance Policy & Expectations for Participation
Daily attendance and participation are essential to your success in this course, especially
because we only meet face-to-face once each week, and I expect you to attend all class
sessions, be on time, and arrive prepared having completed required readings. I will take
attendance daily at the start of class. However, in the event that you cannot make it to class,
please be sure you understand the course attendance policy as follows: If a student misses
more than 2 classes (2 weeks), he or she may risk failing the course. The midpoint for the
semester is March 1st. Students wishing to withdraw should do so before this date in order to
receive a grade of W for the course.
Late Work
Course assignments are due at the specified time on the date stated on each assignment sheet.
After that, the grade drops one third of a letter grade per calendar day, which includes days that
we do not meet for class. If there are extenuating circumstances that warrant an extension,
please ask for approval from me in advance of the due date.
Submission Policies
You may be asked to submit your work in print or electronic forms, either in-class or at a date
and time out of class. Please follow all stated instructions for how, when, and where to submit
your assignments for this course.
Grading Scale
A+ 97 - 100%, A 93 - 96%, A- 90 - 92%, B+ 87 - 89%, B 83 - 86%, B- 80 - 82%,
C+ 77 - 79%, C 73 - 76%, C- 70 - 72%, D+ 67 - 69%, D 63 - 66%, D- 60 - 62%, F 59% - 0%
Academic Honesty
As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold
standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and
minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit
for credit only the products of their own efforts. According to GSU’s handbook, dishonorable
conduct includes plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, and multiple
submissions of your academic work. For specific examples and definitions of each of these
forms of conduct, please see the Policy on Academic Honesty, section 409 in the Faculty
Handbook: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/fhb.html.
Course Assessment
Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at
Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the online course
evaluation.
Accommodations
I am happy to accommodate any student who has a documented disability registered with
GSU’s Office of Disability Services. If this applies to you, please plan to make an appointment
with me during the first weeks of the semester so we can make a plan for the best way to
accommodate your needs. Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do
so by registering with the Office of Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated
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upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are
responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which
accommodations are sought.
Campus Resources
The Writing Studio
25 Park Place, Room 2420, http://www.writingstudio.gsu.edu/
The purpose of the Writing Studio is to enhance the writing instruction that happens in academic
classrooms, by providing undergraduate and graduate students with an experienced reader who
engages them in conversation about their writing assignments and ideas, and familiarizes them
with audience expectations and academic genre conventions. We focus on the rhetorical
aspects of texts, and provide one-on-one, student-centered teaching that corresponds to each
writer’s composing process, especially invention and revising. We do not provide editing or
proofreading services. We aim to create better writers, not “perfect papers,” so we address
“works-in-progress” in tutorials, and not finished texts.
Counseling & Mind-Body Health Resources
404-413-1640, http://counselingcenter.gsu.edu/
Life in graduate school can get complicated. Students sometimes feel overwhelmed, experience
anxiety or depression, and struggle with relationships or family responsibilities. GSU’s
Counseling & Testing Center offers counseling, crisis, and mind-body health resources to help
students cope with difficult emotions and life stressors.
The Digital Aquarium
Student Center 390, Phone 404-413-4730, http://www.gsu.edu/aquarium/
The Digital Aquarium is an open-access multimedia computer lab, providing high-end
workstations for all Georgia State University students, regardless of their academic major.
Resources include 3D, video, audio, graphic design and animation tools that allow students to
develop music, movies, interactive media, web sites and virtual worlds and to replace traditional
Word documents and PowerPoint presentations with interactive websites, DVD videos, audio
CDs, and podcasts.
Instructional Technology Center
College of Education Building, 2nd floor, http://itc.gsu.edu/
The Instructional Technology Center (ITC) is designed for faculty, students, and Pre-K-12
educators to encourage and support technology confidence and expertise in the areas of
teaching, collaboration, and consultation. Open to all GSU students; check website for hours.
Computer Labs on GSU’s Campus
http://technology.gsu.edu/technology-services/it-services/labs-and-classrooms/computer-labs/
A listing of public and open computer labs on GSU’s campus with hours and locations.
The Exchange Technology Training Workshops
Phone # 404-413-4700, http://technology.gsu.edu/technology-services/it-services/training-
and-learning-resources/technology-training-workshops/
Students aren’t permitted to use the computers in the Exchange, but they can attend the
workshops offered in the Classroom South building. See their website for details.
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GSU Help Center http://www.gsu.edu/help/
The IS&T Help Center provides Georgia State University faculty and staff with support for
software, hardware, telecommunications and network issues. If we cannot resolve your
issue, we will assign it to the appropriate IS&T department.
Online Training & Lynda http://www.gsu.edu/ist/training/index.html
Online tutorial videos on various software programs; free to GSU students. When off-campus,
you will need to connect via the Virtual Private Network (VPN)—see below.
GSU VPN http://www.gsu.edu/help/25697.html
Use the Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to the university network from off campus and
access resources only available from within the network, including library applications such as
GALILEO and technical resources such as Georgia State accounts for lynda.com.
Course Schedule
This course schedule is subject to changes. Please check the calendar on the course website
for the most up-to-date version of the schedule of readings, assignments, and due dates. Also
check the news feature on D2L for announcements of changes. I will provide a more detailed
calendar with assignments due in advance of each unit.
Topics
Tues –
Jan 12
Course Introductions, Syllabus,
and Preview of Tech
Walkthrough Assignment
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Read: “How to Curate Your Digital Identity as an Academic,” by Kelli
Marshall
• Online Assignment: Monitor your academic heroes’ online and social
media presence and post notes to discussion board on D2L. (see
assignment details on D2L)
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Academic digital identities
• Basic principles of Web design • Read: Chapter 1 of Producing for Web 2.0
and layout
• Rhetorical context
HYBRID
Day
HYBRID
Jan 19
Assignments Due: Either by the start of
class or Saturday by midnight for Hybrid
days
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
•
Write: Brief philosophy statement of digital identity as an academic (see
assignment details and submission on D2L)
•
Read: pages 109-116 of Producing for Web 2.0 on Video
•
Tech Walkthrough & Activity: Screen-casting video. (Dr. Holmes)
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HYBRID
Jan 26
HYBRID
Feb 2
HYBRID
Feb 9
Holmes
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Introduction to Dreamweaver
Read: Chapter 2: Pre-production
• Create practice sites and
pages for WordPress and
Dreamweaver
• In-class Mini-Lesson &
Activity: Online Website
Builders V. Stand Alone Web
Editors (student name TBA)
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Mini-Lesson & Activity: Options for Website hosting and domain names
(student name TBA)
• Read: “Ethics of Collecting Sources and Assets,” from Writer/Designer
(PDF on D2L)
• Mini-Lesson & Activity: Copyright, Fair Use, & Creative Commons
(student name TBA)
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Continued work with
• Read: Chapter 3: Design for Web
Dreamweaver
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough &
Activity: Formatting text CSS
in Dreamweaver (student
name TBA)
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough &
Activity: Inserting images and
rollover images in
Dreamweaver (student name
TBA)
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Write: Brief rhetorical analysis of Web site (see instructions and
submission on D2L)
• Tech Walkthrough & Activity: Using Audacity to edit audio (student
name TBA)
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Images & Audio
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough & • Read: Chapter 5: Using Multimedia (except
pages 109-116, which you’ve already read)
Activity: Resizing an Image in
• Bring: an image file that you may want to
Photoshop (student name
TBA)
use in your digital text.
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough & Attend Lecture After Class:
• Sound studies lecture @ 2:00 PM in Troy
Activity: Using layers in
Photoshop (student name
Moore Library (23rd floor of 25 Park Place):
TBA)
Dr. Steph Ceraso will present “Sounding
Composition: Learning to Listen in the 21st
Century”
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Tech Walkthrough & Activity: Creating pages and menus in WordPress
(student name TBA)
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HYBRID
Feb 16
HYBRID
Feb 23
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Mobility, Social Media &
Widgets
• Read: Chapter 6: Web 2.0 Tools
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough & • Read: “Mock-Ups” and “Making Sure You
Activity: Options for widgets
Have What You Need” from
and social media in WordPress
Writer/Designer (PDF on D2L)
(student name TBA)
• In-Class Mini-Lesson &
Activity: Tips on creating
websites that are mobile
friendly (student name TBA)
• Introduce digital text proposal
assignment.
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Begin working on digital text proposal.
• No assignments due for submission.
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Accessibility
• In-Class Tech Walkthrough & • Read: “Access/ibility: Access and Usability
for Digital Publishing,” by Doug Eyman,
Activity: Using the WAVE
Cheryl Ball, et al. in current issue of Kairos
Web Accessibility Tool (student
name TBA)
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Continued work on digital text proposal.
• No assignments due for submission.
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• In-class Mini-Lesson &
Activity: Preserving Your Site
• Read: Chapter 9: Post-production
& Metadata (student name
• Write: Digital text project proposal due on
TBA)
D2L (with mock-up and needs/assets
• Midpoint
report).
Hybrid Assignments:
• Conferences, virtual or f2f, with Dr. Holmes about digital project.
• Begin production on digital text. Submit production reflection if no conference.
Mar 8
• Digital Text Production
• Production Goals: Account or
server set-up, begin site
architecture
HYBRID
HYBRID
Mar 1
Holmes
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Bring whatever files and materials you
need to work on your digital text in class.
Hybrid Assignments:
• Remaining conferences, virtual or f2f, with Dr. Holmes about digital project.
• Continued production on digital text. Submit production reflection if no
conference.
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Spring Break: Mar. 12-20
Optional Work Over Break: If you are able to devote some of your time to further
developing your digital text over break, you will be able to gain more feedback on your work
when we begin editing and revision, while you continue to further develop your digital text,
after spring break.
HYBRID
Mar 22
HYBRID
Mar 29
HYBRID
Apr 5
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Introduce Editing Rotation
• Individual introductions to draft • Bring a draft of your digital text to work on
in class.
digital texts.
• Create Google docs and author
notes for editing rotation.
• Production Goals: Add content
(Optional) Hybrid Hangout: Friday 9:30 – 11:00 AM
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Edit: Editing Rotation Round 1 (First Read Through), Post to Google Docs
• Write: Production reflection, D2L
• Produce: Continue adding content and further developing your digital text.
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Digital Text Production &
Revision
• Read: Editors’ comments from round 1.
• Production Goals: Adding
• Revise: Begin making revisions, knowing
Images and Videos, Moving
you will have until the end of class to
Beyond Alphabetic Text
complete updates and revisions before
round 2 begins.
• Bring: a revised and up-to-date version of
your digital text to work on in class.
(Optional) Hybrid Hangout: Friday 9:30 – 11:00 AM
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Edit: Editing Rotation Round 2 (Design Editing), Post to Google Docs
• Write: Production reflection, D2L
• Produce: Continue adding content and further developing your digital text.
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Digital Text Production &
• Read: Editors’ comments from round 2.
Revision
• Production Goals: Adding More • Revise: Begin making revisions, knowing
Content
you will have until the end of class to
complete updates and revisions before
round 3 begins.
• Bring: a revised and up-to-date version of
your digital text to work on in class.
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Note: No regular Hybrid Hangout this week, though feel free to organize
your own in a different space; Dr. Holmes out of town for CCCC.
• Edit: Editing Rotation Round 3 (Copyediting), Post to Google Docs
• Write: Production reflection, D2L
• Produce: Continue adding content and further developing your digital text.
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Digital Media Production | Spring ‘16
HYBRID
Apr 12
HYBRID
Apr 19
Apr 26
Holmes
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Read: Editors’ comments from round 3.
• Revise: Begin making revisions, knowing
you will have until the end of class to
complete updates and revisions before
round 4 begins.
• Bring: a revised and up-to-date version of
your digital text to work on in class.
(Optional) Hybrid Hangout: Friday 9:30 – 11:30 AM
• Digital Text Production &
Revision
• Production Goals: Considering
the Site as a Whole
Hybrid Assignments Due by Saturday:
• Edit: Editing Rotation Round 4 (Final Proofing), Post to Google Docs
• Write: Production reflection, D2L
• Produce: Continue adding content and further developing your digital text.
Assignments Due by Start of Class:
• Last day of class
• Read: Editors’ comments from round 4.
• Digital Text Production &
Revision
• Revise: Begin making your final revisions.
• Production Goals: Finishing
• Bring: a revised and up-to-date version of
Touches
your digital text to work on in class.
(Optional) Hybrid Hangout: Friday 9:30 – 11:30 AM
Hybrid Assignments:
• Work on final revisions to digital text.
• No assignments due for submission.
Assignments Due by Midnight, Tues., Apr. 26th:
• Final, revised digital text. Submit files or URL to D2L.
• Final reflection on editing, revision, and the future of your digital text.
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