Sunday, May 25, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Twitter Narrative Summaries
Please post your Twitter Narratives Summary (or a link to the narratives) here in the comment section of this blog entry.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Tues, May 20
In preparation for your TEDTalk presentations (May 29), we will be researching the best options for video software. Please see the assignment sheet below. You will be posting your work on prezi and working as a group.
Please be ready to present your findings on Thursday, May 22.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Thurs. May 15
We began today by reviewing Final Presentations (bad TEDTalks) and looking over the rubric. Specifically, I want to emphasize the difference between the video presentations that you will be doing and the in-person presentations you are used to. I want you to be especially aware of your audience and how to keep them engaged. Also be aware of yourself as an audience member and attempt engagement with the video.
I will give you some class time to work on this--though it is likely that you will need to work outside of class to complete the project.
I also introduced our Twitter Narrative Review (in lieu of a final exam). There is a group component and an individual component, which again, I will give you time in class to work on--though be prepared to do work outside of class as well.
We reviewed the concept of the hypertext essay, comparing it to the traditional linear essay. We then performed a class exercise imagining how the Radiolab "War of the Worlds" podcast (a kind of audio linear essay) would look if it were turned into a hypertext essay.
Comparing and contrasting the different methods, you made some very smart observations: the linear essay was primarily focused on "deep focus" while the hypertext essay had a "wide focus." We talked about what this suggested about audience and you recognized that the linear essay would appeal to an audience that shares a similar focus/interest while the hypertext essay would be much better for a general academic audience, and much more likely to attract/maintain attention.
Assignment:
Continue work on your Twitter Narrative
Continue work on your Final Presentation
I will give you some class time to work on this--though it is likely that you will need to work outside of class to complete the project.
I also introduced our Twitter Narrative Review (in lieu of a final exam). There is a group component and an individual component, which again, I will give you time in class to work on--though be prepared to do work outside of class as well.
We reviewed the concept of the hypertext essay, comparing it to the traditional linear essay. We then performed a class exercise imagining how the Radiolab "War of the Worlds" podcast (a kind of audio linear essay) would look if it were turned into a hypertext essay.
Comparing and contrasting the different methods, you made some very smart observations: the linear essay was primarily focused on "deep focus" while the hypertext essay had a "wide focus." We talked about what this suggested about audience and you recognized that the linear essay would appeal to an audience that shares a similar focus/interest while the hypertext essay would be much better for a general academic audience, and much more likely to attract/maintain attention.
Assignment:
Continue work on your Twitter Narrative
Continue work on your Final Presentation
Monday, May 12, 2014
Tuesday, May 13
We started today by finishing our review of vlogs and video diaries. We determined that the purpose of the video diary is to document/record one's own experience and make it public. We also decided that the audience--while it is available to the public--is mostly the diariest himself or herself. It is largely "written" for the self. By contrast, the purpose of the vlog is to entertain and attract as large an audience as possible. We reviewed the different formats different vlogs use to entertain: the rant (funny complaint), commenting on already-popular internet videos, mimicking popular videos/video games/characters.
While the purpose and audience of the vlog and video diary are different, the elements they have in common is that they are similar media formats. Both would also be useful in creating a dynamic, complex Twitter Narrative.
While the purpose and audience of the vlog and video diary are different, the elements they have in common is that they are similar media formats. Both would also be useful in creating a dynamic, complex Twitter Narrative.
I introduced your Final Presentation Assignment, described in the link to the right. After class, it was proposed that you do this as a group, rather than individually, which I agreed to. We will discuss the stages of this on Thursday, though I would like everyone--as an individual--to think of 3 possible subjects for your presentation that sound complex.
We then moved on to talk about hypertext and how it is different from print text. We determined that print text is linear--you open a book and start at the first page, then move to the second, then the third. It is limited--and navigated--by space.
By contrast, hypertext is not linear, but nodal. Each node is a point of connection that branches further and further away from the original center.
We practiced this idea using a Google Doc where you identified the different nodes. Many of you identified proper nouns (or people and place names), which is good. I also added ideas as nodes (such as "war draft" and agoraphobia). These proved to be useful nodes with many points of connection. Even the year 1979 proved to be useful. It had many connections, but one of these connections was the decision to compensate Kent State victims and their families for their loss. This naturally connected to the Kent State shootings, which connected to the Cambodian Involvement. Etc. etc.
For your assignment, I asked you to identify as many nodes as you can in your own essays that you posted to your blog for today's class.
Assignment:
- 3 possible topics for your faux TEDTalk
Check blog links on class blog home page (make sure these links are active and linking to the correct site so that you can get credit for your work)
- Continue work on Twitter Narrative (think of vlogs and video diaries)
- Find nodes in your blog essay
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Thursday, May 8
Today we began working with vlogs, the video log. I asked you to look at a few examples and answer the following questions on our Google Doc "Using Vlogs."
We examined a few of these vlogs, noting that their purpose was largely entertainment. We analyzed what made them funny and how they worked.
Some vlogs made use of editing to be humorous.
- cutting/omitting material
- editing voice to sound humorous
Some vlogs manipulated logic
- playing with definitions
- playing with categories
- playing with logical assumptions and conclusions
Those whose vlog examples we did not view today, we will examine on Tuesday. In the meantime, I would like you to consider how you might use vlogs to further your own Twitter Narratives. Remember that the purpose of the Twitter Narrative is not only to tell a story, but to tell a good story, one with many layers of narrative and many layers of media.
For our next class, we will be examining hypertexts. To do this, we will need material. I would like you to bring in your own material: a completed essay that you wrote for this course or for a course other than this one.
Assignment:
Blog post: how you might use vlogs for your Twitter Narrative?
Blog post: your completed essay (any essay you choose, this can be from another course).
Explain what is wonderful about this vlog. Why is it so popular?
How does the vlogger promote his/her work?
What elements of this vlog could you use?
How would it promote your Twitter Narrative?
Some vlogs made use of editing to be humorous.
- cutting/omitting material
- editing voice to sound humorous
Some vlogs manipulated logic
- playing with definitions
- playing with categories
- playing with logical assumptions and conclusions
Those whose vlog examples we did not view today, we will examine on Tuesday. In the meantime, I would like you to consider how you might use vlogs to further your own Twitter Narratives. Remember that the purpose of the Twitter Narrative is not only to tell a story, but to tell a good story, one with many layers of narrative and many layers of media.
For our next class, we will be examining hypertexts. To do this, we will need material. I would like you to bring in your own material: a completed essay that you wrote for this course or for a course other than this one.
Assignment:
Blog post: how you might use vlogs for your Twitter Narrative?
Blog post: your completed essay (any essay you choose, this can be from another course).
Monday, May 5, 2014
Tuesday, May 6
We began class by talking about the Radiolab transcript of "War of the Worlds" that you read for today. Discussing the rhetorical situation, we determined that there were several layers and mediums used to tell this story:
Novel (1897) - the original novel by H.G. Wells about a hostile alien invasion
Radio (1938) - a screenplay of the original novel by Orson Wells, broadcast to the public
Podcast (2008) - a story about the radio program, examining the public response
When I asked why the podcast producer Jad Aboumrad chose to use these multiple layers, Zoe answered that it makes the story more interesting. This is exactly right. By making a story more rich and complex (though not necessarily complicated), we create a better story more likely to engage the audience.
I asked you to think about different ways you might layer your own narratives. One way you might do this is the way you tell the story. We listed several kinds of media together:
Continuing our discussion of interest, we discussed that the reason "War of the Worlds" had such a powerful affect upon its 1938 audience was the way that it reflected social anxieties of the time. Americans in 1938 were about to go into war and had good reason to worry about foreign invasion. A story about alien invasion reflects this anxiety of foreign invasion in powerful and effective ways.
Using Google Docs, I asked you to determine who you audience was and what they were anxious about or happy about. You came up with some really great concerns:
these are very specific issues, that are directly related to your topic. This is great.
Some of you had more general social concerns
The purpose of doing this is to engage your audience by creating
1) plots that appeal to them
2) discussions that appeal to them.
Remember: an audience will not be interested in a discussion that is only about characters or only about a place. You should have your characters talk about real interests and concerns.
Assignment:
Respond on your blog: How can you use different kinds of media to create a layered narrative in your Twitter narrative?
And keep working on your Twitter narrative. Every day, each character should contribute 2-3 significant tweets that develop the story.
Novel (1897) - the original novel by H.G. Wells about a hostile alien invasion
Radio (1938) - a screenplay of the original novel by Orson Wells, broadcast to the public
Podcast (2008) - a story about the radio program, examining the public response
When I asked why the podcast producer Jad Aboumrad chose to use these multiple layers, Zoe answered that it makes the story more interesting. This is exactly right. By making a story more rich and complex (though not necessarily complicated), we create a better story more likely to engage the audience.
I asked you to think about different ways you might layer your own narratives. One way you might do this is the way you tell the story. We listed several kinds of media together:
- print/online - you are reading text
- visual - you are reading images
- audio - you are reading sounds
- mixtures of the two things:
- audio-visual (like a film)
- print and visual - infographic
How might you use these things in your own narrative?
Interest
Continuing our discussion of interest, we discussed that the reason "War of the Worlds" had such a powerful affect upon its 1938 audience was the way that it reflected social anxieties of the time. Americans in 1938 were about to go into war and had good reason to worry about foreign invasion. A story about alien invasion reflects this anxiety of foreign invasion in powerful and effective ways.
Using Google Docs, I asked you to determine who you audience was and what they were anxious about or happy about. You came up with some really great concerns:
- the company selling Chinese buns determined that their audience might be concerned about food safety
- the cosmetic company determined their audience might be concerned about organic ingredients and animal testing
these are very specific issues, that are directly related to your topic. This is great.
Some of you had more general social concerns
- the missing Malaysian flight MH370
- I asked you to examine the meaning and effectiveness of #BringBackOurGirls
The purpose of doing this is to engage your audience by creating
1) plots that appeal to them
2) discussions that appeal to them.
Remember: an audience will not be interested in a discussion that is only about characters or only about a place. You should have your characters talk about real interests and concerns.
Assignment:
Respond on your blog: How can you use different kinds of media to create a layered narrative in your Twitter narrative?
And keep working on your Twitter narrative. Every day, each character should contribute 2-3 significant tweets that develop the story.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Tuesday, April 29
We began today by talking about currency as something that we
You were quick to identify that, for most situations, the primary currency is money.
You were also quick to apply this concept to social media, identifying currency as attention. Especially on Twitter:
So how to use our Twitter Narrative in order to acheive this first goal of gaining as many Followers [positive attention] as possible?
I think the answer to this lies in story and character development and how to make these characters worthy of attention.
Many of us are using love stories in these narratives, which is great. Though I also worry that love stories--as in most real-life relationships--are only interesting to the people in them. Watching or reading about them is often less interesting.
So I asked each group to examine some successful love stories. Using the Google Doc Character Deveopment, you examined "Romeo and Juliet," "Warm Bodies," "Casablanca," "Atonement," and the Hermione-Ron relationship in the "Harry Potter" series.
We determined that each relationship not only had a personal story, but also a public story, a large, dark thing looming in the background. Often this dark thing was war, but there were variations: the zombie apocalypse, Voldemort's world domination, etc.
We talked about the ways that this public story affects the private story: primarily separating the characters, infiltrating their lives or causing them to take drastic action in order to avoid it. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, we blamed the heros' deaths on the public story, because it required them to take so many secretive actions that these secrets eventually separated them from each other.
So having this kind of public backstory can be really useful.
I'd like you to continue thinking about this backstory in your own Twitter Narratives. Please read the "War of the Worlds" and add your comments here in the comment section of this post (rather than your own blog).
Your infographic deadline has been pushed back to next Thursday: May 8.
- want to accrue as much as possible
- pay in exchange for goods
- invest in order to create more of the same thing
You were quick to identify that, for most situations, the primary currency is money.
You were also quick to apply this concept to social media, identifying currency as attention. Especially on Twitter:
- want as much positive attention as possible [the more Followers the better]
- pay in exchange for goods [we "Follow" someone in order to gain information]
- invest in order to create more of the same thing [as the Freakonomic blog suggests, Following lots of people is an investment, or a way to build your own Following.]
So how to use our Twitter Narrative in order to acheive this first goal of gaining as many Followers [positive attention] as possible?
I think the answer to this lies in story and character development and how to make these characters worthy of attention.
Many of us are using love stories in these narratives, which is great. Though I also worry that love stories--as in most real-life relationships--are only interesting to the people in them. Watching or reading about them is often less interesting.
So I asked each group to examine some successful love stories. Using the Google Doc Character Deveopment, you examined "Romeo and Juliet," "Warm Bodies," "Casablanca," "Atonement," and the Hermione-Ron relationship in the "Harry Potter" series.
We determined that each relationship not only had a personal story, but also a public story, a large, dark thing looming in the background. Often this dark thing was war, but there were variations: the zombie apocalypse, Voldemort's world domination, etc.
We talked about the ways that this public story affects the private story: primarily separating the characters, infiltrating their lives or causing them to take drastic action in order to avoid it. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, we blamed the heros' deaths on the public story, because it required them to take so many secretive actions that these secrets eventually separated them from each other.
So having this kind of public backstory can be really useful.
I'd like you to continue thinking about this backstory in your own Twitter Narratives. Please read the "War of the Worlds" and add your comments here in the comment section of this post (rather than your own blog).
Your infographic deadline has been pushed back to next Thursday: May 8.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Thursday, April 24
Today we started with a discussion about the role of Twitter robots in your Twitter narrative and this opened to a larger discussion about how your Twitter Narratives are going. While I think we can all benefit from the kind of one-on-one discussion, I also think it's not terribly useful to use classtime to do this so I will prepare a Twitter Narrative workshop to adjust plot and characters.
As always, keep working on your Twitter Narratives.
Continuing to build on out Twitter Narrative, we looked at the Freaknomics Blog "Is Twitter a 2 way Street?" We talked about the role of Freakonomics as a blog about economics, how certain behaviors accrue wealth. In the case of Twitter, wealth=followers. So what kinds of behaviors attract followers on Twitter?
I asked you to read this blog (and/or listen to the podcast) and respond to it on your Blog.
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I would also like you to begin work on Wikipedia. You have recently created usernames and accounts on Wikipedia. Now I would like you to make some minor alterations as a group.
We looked at the wikipedia page for Wenzhou and found a glaring error: that WKU was omitted from the list of major universities. This is a problem we can fix.
For your assignment (post on blog):
- find something on wikipedia that needs to be corrected/updated/improved.
- take a screenshot of this problem
- explain how it is a problem and how you will fix it
- fix it
- provide the link of the new, improved article
This does not need to be an extensive correction. You do not need to proofread an entire article.
For example: Leon found that the mayor listed in his hometown was inaccurate, so he updated it. This is a significant contribution. Your contribution might be similar.
As always, keep working on your Twitter Narratives.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Tuesday, April 22
Today, we worked on our Infographic project in class. I asked you to find a model infographic and answer the following questions:
1) what is useful to you? (ie. what will you "steal?")
2) what is not useful to you? (ie. what won't you "steal?")
3) how does the model accomodate its content?
Please post your responses--along with your model infographic with citation--on your blog.
We noted that Karin Hueck, one of the designers who created the Infographic for Stanton's TEDTalk "How to Create Story," creates such infographics on a regular basis and, using Google search, were able to find other Infographics she had created.
We came across "The Price of Your Health," which represented...something in Portuguese...not in the traditional, boring, 2 dimensional charts and graphs, but with multiple vials of blood, filled to different measuring points and positioned at different distances to create a 3 dimensional effect. While we were unable to actually read the words written, we were able to tell, just from looking at the infographic, that was some sort of cost-benefit analysis involving health. This is what we mean by the infograhpic "accomodating" the content: the way it is built/put together leads to a clearer understanding of the subject.
We then worked on our own Infographics and I asked you:
1) to look at the outline you have already done for your TEDtalk (re-post this please)
2) How will your infographic accomodate your content?
3) what will you steal from other infographics?
in addition to this, please create your wiki account (you might find these directions useful
Be sure to continue your work in Twitter:
Twitter
hashtags
Engage!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Thursday. 4/10/14
Before we continue further with our Twitter Narrative, let's establish a few basic concepts and best practices of the Twitter platform itself. The Twitter Scavenger Hunt (in Google Docs) was designed to established terms as well as tools for building your profile and increasing engagement.
Congratulations to the Winning team:
Cheryl, Luna, Shalyn, Leon
We began a brief discussion about Twitter bots and the ways that they interrupt normal conversations. These are programs--not people--designed to search for specific terms and generate posts. The purpose is not interaction, but to 1) increase the number of Followers a company/user has or 2) to direct Twitter users [potential customers] to that company.
The great thing about Twitter bots is what is accidental:
- sometimes bot posts result in funny episodes in which human users "mess with" the twitter bots (i.e. "The Pace Picante Salsa" story)
- there are also, unfortunately, negative situations: we talked about the atrocious Twitter Bot incident related to Paul Walker's death and advertising car insurance
Because the Scavenger hunt took longer than I expected, we did not get to finish our discussion about Twitter Bots.
So here is our assignment (blog entry #9):
Our Twitter Narratives are, essentially stories. And all stories require disruption or conflict. In what ways might Twitter bots be used in your story to generate conflict?
(note: You might use the "Pace Picante Salsa" story (the model for our own Twitter Narratives). I asked how Mike Leidtke (aka @Pace_Foods) behaved like a Twitter bot.)
Cheryl, Luna, Shalyn, Leon
We began a brief discussion about Twitter bots and the ways that they interrupt normal conversations. These are programs--not people--designed to search for specific terms and generate posts. The purpose is not interaction, but to 1) increase the number of Followers a company/user has or 2) to direct Twitter users [potential customers] to that company.
The great thing about Twitter bots is what is accidental:
- sometimes bot posts result in funny episodes in which human users "mess with" the twitter bots (i.e. "The Pace Picante Salsa" story)
- there are also, unfortunately, negative situations: we talked about the atrocious Twitter Bot incident related to Paul Walker's death and advertising car insurance
Because the Scavenger hunt took longer than I expected, we did not get to finish our discussion about Twitter Bots.
So here is our assignment (blog entry #9):
Our Twitter Narratives are, essentially stories. And all stories require disruption or conflict. In what ways might Twitter bots be used in your story to generate conflict?
(note: You might use the "Pace Picante Salsa" story (the model for our own Twitter Narratives). I asked how Mike Leidtke (aka @Pace_Foods) behaved like a Twitter bot.)
Monday, April 7, 2014
Tuesday, 4/8/14
Part I:
We began today by a little reflective writing. For our infographic project--rather than create an entire essay as one sees in Wired magazine--we are creating an infographic of a TEDTalk (similar to the TEDTalk visualized by Superinteressante.
So I asked you to:
- select a TEDTalk (if you haven't already)
- Outline the main points of this discussion
- And evaluate what makes it good both as
1) a TEDTalk and as
2) a subject to turn into an infographic (for a standard of what makes a "good" infographic, think back to Stanton's TEDTalk "The Beauty of Data Visualization" linked to on the right)
1) a TEDTalk and as
2) a subject to turn into an infographic (for a standard of what makes a "good" infographic, think back to Stanton's TEDTalk "The Beauty of Data Visualization" linked to on the right)
Please post this information on your blog.
Part II:
We then began working on our Twitter Project and I asked you to develop your own characters and their profiles.
We will review and discuss the basics of Twitter on Thursday.
Assignment:
-
Read and respond blog entry 8: Franchi’s “Infographic Thinking” workshop
(link under "Resources")
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Thursday, April 3
Today we will work on both projects: our Infographic Project as well as the Twitter Narrative.
Please create Google Docs for your Twitter Narrative group and post links to these Google Docs below as a comment to this post.
Please create Google Docs for your Twitter Narrative group and post links to these Google Docs below as a comment to this post.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, April 1
Today I introduced the Twitter Narrative Project (please see the link). The purpose of this project, as I stated in class, is to not only to become familiar with--and expert in--this form of social media, but also to figure out how to use this medium effectively and how to draw and relate to an audience. I recognize that I am asking you to work with a platform that you are not familiar with, but I have faith that you can do this. And do it really, really well.
Homework: The first step is to create a Twitter profile for a character. If you want to preserve your anonymity--and many people do--you might link it to a different email account. Many people often open gmail accounts just for this purposes. You may do the same.
After you create your Twitter profile, follow me @jenamarquardt (and direct message me your "real" name).
Next, we returned to our Infographic Project. We discussed your readings on typography and determined three different purposes for using typography:
- to create an image
- to convey an emotion
- to draw/direct attention
I accessed several images of typography using Pinterest and we discussed the different purposes of various examples of typography.
We also looked at alphabets created by typographic artists: one alphabet was created by manipulating snippets of subway maps. Another was sky framed by buildings to form letters.
Homework: create your own found alphabet and post this to your blog. You may take photos with your cameraphone or find images online, but you will need to manipulate these images in a way that forms a unique set of letters.
At the beginning of class, I asked you to find a favorite or beautiful word in English. Please use your alphabet to write this word and post it on Twitter.
Homework: The first step is to create a Twitter profile for a character. If you want to preserve your anonymity--and many people do--you might link it to a different email account. Many people often open gmail accounts just for this purposes. You may do the same.
After you create your Twitter profile, follow me @jenamarquardt (and direct message me your "real" name).
Next, we returned to our Infographic Project. We discussed your readings on typography and determined three different purposes for using typography:
- to create an image
- to convey an emotion
- to draw/direct attention
I accessed several images of typography using Pinterest and we discussed the different purposes of various examples of typography.
We also looked at alphabets created by typographic artists: one alphabet was created by manipulating snippets of subway maps. Another was sky framed by buildings to form letters.
Homework: create your own found alphabet and post this to your blog. You may take photos with your cameraphone or find images online, but you will need to manipulate these images in a way that forms a unique set of letters.
At the beginning of class, I asked you to find a favorite or beautiful word in English. Please use your alphabet to write this word and post it on Twitter.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Thursday 3/27: Evaluating Sources
Today, as we look for sources and data for your own infographics, we talked about evaluating sources. You already know how to tell the difference between a scholarly source and a non-scholarly article. But what about other sources?
One source that we use a lot is the TEDTalk. And this is for good reason: TEDTalks are useful mediums for us because they are relatively accessible discussions by very smart people. These smart people take a complex idea and explain it in ways that make sense to us, so that they seem simple. However, as Bruce Fierson points out in his infographic "Ted-o-Matic" in Vanity Fair (see the link to the right), there are also many bad TEDTalks that oversimplify complex issues (rather than taking the time to explain them well).
Homework:
Complete the GoogleDoc on "Faux Profudnity" (listed at right).
Next week, we will begin discussing the design aspects of infographics. For this reason, please be familiarize yourself with typography by reading (and responding to in your blog entry #7) Butterick's Practical Typography Chapter 1: "Why Typography is Important" (see link at right).
One source that we use a lot is the TEDTalk. And this is for good reason: TEDTalks are useful mediums for us because they are relatively accessible discussions by very smart people. These smart people take a complex idea and explain it in ways that make sense to us, so that they seem simple. However, as Bruce Fierson points out in his infographic "Ted-o-Matic" in Vanity Fair (see the link to the right), there are also many bad TEDTalks that oversimplify complex issues (rather than taking the time to explain them well).
Fierson’s Critiques:
1) the speaker’s claim of specific and interesting knowledge
2) a topic that is oversimplified/reduced (rather than a complex idea that seems simple)]
3) entertaining instead of explaining
4) using popular terms/vocabulary/buzzwords - rather than explaining
5) using popular names - rather than explaining
6) the speaker brags about the self (though seems humble)
7) Concludes with an oversimplified explanationHomework:
Complete the GoogleDoc on "Faux Profudnity" (listed at right).
Next week, we will begin discussing the design aspects of infographics. For this reason, please be familiarize yourself with typography by reading (and responding to in your blog entry #7) Butterick's Practical Typography Chapter 1: "Why Typography is Important" (see link at right).
Tuesday 3/25
Today, we experimented with holding class outside. We ran into some connectivity issues, though I was pleased that we were able to solve these problems by grouping together (good job being resourceful).
Today's objectives focused largely on linking one form of media with another, namely the video lecture into an infographic. To do this, we had an example of a TEDTalk turned into an infographic (Stanton's "How to Create a Great Story" rendered into an infographic by Hueck and Quick). We also used McCandles' video text "The Beauty of Visualized Data" explaining the process and benefits of making information visible (rather than textual like a book or audible like a podcast or radio program).
To help us understand data, or the subject that we represent in all these various ways, I asked you to use the Google Doc to examine one of McCandles claims, that the old analogy "Data is the new oil" should be changed to "Data is the new soil." Returning to discussion as a class, we noted that
Today's objectives focused largely on linking one form of media with another, namely the video lecture into an infographic. To do this, we had an example of a TEDTalk turned into an infographic (Stanton's "How to Create a Great Story" rendered into an infographic by Hueck and Quick). We also used McCandles' video text "The Beauty of Visualized Data" explaining the process and benefits of making information visible (rather than textual like a book or audible like a podcast or radio program).
To help us understand data, or the subject that we represent in all these various ways, I asked you to use the Google Doc to examine one of McCandles claims, that the old analogy "Data is the new oil" should be changed to "Data is the new soil." Returning to discussion as a class, we noted that
- each analogy involved a kind of searching /digging/seeking for information that involved a certain amount of labor (and getting dirty)
- The value, accessibility and priority of data changed slightly.
- We also identified that the "final product" of each analogy was different.
- Specifically, that the initial analogy [data as oil] suggests that data is the final and valuable end-product,
- while McCandles' analogy [data as soil] suggests that data is only the starting point for the finished product.
I then asked you to create and explain your own analogies and was impressed by the results and how well-thought out your explanations were. I was also pleased that, when I challenged your analogies or offered alternatives, you readily defended your choices. Very smart.
Some of the analogies you came up with:
- data as water
- data as human development
- data as cosmetics
- data as a trash bin
Monday, March 24, 2014
Sunday 3/34
First of all, I appreciate that everyone not only came to class on this make-up day when we are already very tired. I also appreciate your participation. Well done.
Building on our Infographic Project, today we discussed your findings on infographic software (as posted on the Google Doc). We discussed the pro's and con's of various programs (and have a few more to go on Tuesday).
This left surprisingly little time to watch the TEDTalk, “The Beauty of data Visualization" (see video on the rght). And we did not have time for discussion. This is ok. We will discuss this on Tuesday's class.
For homework (both link are to the right):
Please watch this TEDTalk: Edward Stanton "The Clues to a Great Story."
This talk was turned into an Infographic: “How to Tell a Great Story, Visualized.”
Response/Blog Entry #6: Reflect on your experience as an audience:
-
How was the infographic different from the video lecture?
-
Which kind of information is easier for you to
comprehend?
-
Which was a more enjoyable experiece?
Monday, March 17, 2014
Tuesday 3.18
Today we framed our discussion on inforgraphics by talking about Power Point and how much Edward Tufte hates it (please see the link to the reading "Why Power Point is Evil").
Tufte's main complaints against Power Point are that it:
Tufte's main complaints against Power Point are that it:
- reduces, "disrupts, dominates and trivializes content" (instead of simplifying it)
- elevates format over content
- removes context from the relevant information (rather than showing the content alongside other relevant information)
- "rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for the presentation."
- sets up a speaker's dominance over the audience
Tufte closes by stating "Such misuse ignores the most important rule of speaking: respect your audience."
After discussing the article, we looked at a humorous infographic ("Everytime you make a Powerpoint, Edward Tufte kills a kitten") and discussed the ways that these two texts had similar stances (they were both humorous and reflect Tufte's dislike for Power Points), but they presented very different types of information:
the article presented and explained ideas while the infographic described (in very little detail) a cause-and-effect relationship.
The point of this conversation--using the terminology of the rhetorical situation--was to think about what kind of format/medium is appropriate to various purposes.
We then introduced Project Infographic (see the Google Docs link) and began working on the first stages of this project, exploring various ways to create softwares to create infographics.
Our discussion brought up an interesting question about the differences between an infographic and a simple picture and we determined that a picture is usually static, capturing/illustrating a single moment. While an infographic describes the relationship between two (or more) sets of information. We used the images below as examples.
This is a picture of Cinderella leaving the ball. The information we get here is that 1) she is leaving her shoe and 2) she is reluctant to leave, but must.
The information this image does not give us is 1) why she is leaving or 2) what caused this action 3) what happened as a result of this action.
This infographic explains how the elements of the Cinderella story work together and how the combination of two (or more) elements have a particular result.
(Admittedly, a lot of the information here is reduced or oversimplified and would require a textual explanation.)
For Thursday, continue thinking about a suitable topic. We will continue our work on Step 1.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Thursday 3/13/2014
We began today by reviewing Web 2.0 and I asked you to play a game (using Google Docs) in which you list different examples of Web 2.0 (specific functions or applications that incorporate both dynamic and interactive qualities) as possible.
You came up with:
and lots more
These are all good examples of the interactive qualities of Web 2.0 and the benefits it has over static text.
We then began working on "Reverse Engineering the Infographic" (see the corresponding Google Doc) a small, in-class exercise where I ask you to take apart an infographic and re-imagine it as a traditional text essay. I then ask you to think about the differences between the infographic essay and the text-based essay.
Please finish this in Google Docs for class on Tuesday.
Homework, I'd like you to repeat the "Reverse Engineering the Infographic" process for an infographic essay of your choice.
I define the essay as a text that not only explains/notices something, but also explains how this realization/explanation is significant. Your infographic essay, then, will likely need to be a series of graphics--rather than a single graphic.
Please include a link to your infographic essay as well as your answers in your blog Entry #5.
You had some good questions about the Rhetorical Situation, which was covered long ago last year. If you need a refresher, or had a different instructor who didn't cover rhetorical situation in the same way, here is a brief refresher: Rhetorical Situation
There were also some good and specific questions about Genre (which is one element of the Rhetorical Situation and discussed in the above link), though largely what I am asking you to do is recognize the category of essay that you are reviewing. Is it a comparison-contrast essay? An analytical essay? An argumentative essay? etc. And what are the rules or conventions of this category? How does it work? (For example: the argument essay, which seeks to persuade the audience, presents a point of view, defends that view, refutes opposition, and concludes with a review of its strengths).
Here is a humorous infographic that examines paintings, identifying the conventions of a particular painter, then categorizing the paintings according to the painter: How to Recognize Artists of Different Kinds of Paintings
You came up with:
- online media players (incorporating video or audio into a text)
- collaborative documents (allowing users to work on the same document at the same time)
- online purchasing and reservation services
- online rating services
- orientation systems (maps that tell you where you are and how to get to where you want to be)
- social networking
and lots more
These are all good examples of the interactive qualities of Web 2.0 and the benefits it has over static text.
We then began working on "Reverse Engineering the Infographic" (see the corresponding Google Doc) a small, in-class exercise where I ask you to take apart an infographic and re-imagine it as a traditional text essay. I then ask you to think about the differences between the infographic essay and the text-based essay.
Please finish this in Google Docs for class on Tuesday.
Homework, I'd like you to repeat the "Reverse Engineering the Infographic" process for an infographic essay of your choice.
I define the essay as a text that not only explains/notices something, but also explains how this realization/explanation is significant. Your infographic essay, then, will likely need to be a series of graphics--rather than a single graphic.
Please include a link to your infographic essay as well as your answers in your blog Entry #5.
You had some good questions about the Rhetorical Situation, which was covered long ago last year. If you need a refresher, or had a different instructor who didn't cover rhetorical situation in the same way, here is a brief refresher: Rhetorical Situation
There were also some good and specific questions about Genre (which is one element of the Rhetorical Situation and discussed in the above link), though largely what I am asking you to do is recognize the category of essay that you are reviewing. Is it a comparison-contrast essay? An analytical essay? An argumentative essay? etc. And what are the rules or conventions of this category? How does it work? (For example: the argument essay, which seeks to persuade the audience, presents a point of view, defends that view, refutes opposition, and concludes with a review of its strengths).
Here is a humorous infographic that examines paintings, identifying the conventions of a particular painter, then categorizing the paintings according to the painter: How to Recognize Artists of Different Kinds of Paintings
Monday, March 10, 2014
Tuesday, 3.11
Today, we opened with a review of the differences between Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Social 3.0, which were included in earlier readings.
The main differences we determined were:
Web 1.0 is static (or it does not move)
Web 2.0 is dynamic (or it moves and allows for interaction)
Social 3.0 is instantly dynamic (users can communicate in real-time)
Text vs. Data
We then moved on to talk about the infograph/article "A Data Miner's Guide to Romance" that I asked you to read for today. We also talked about infographics in general and how they are different from a regular text article, ultimately deciding that data is a good way to represent quantity, but perhaps not quality--or discussions of nuanced or intricate things.
We then broke into groups, looking for an infographics to analyze. I asked you to document your work on our Google Doc "Intro to Infographics" which we will return to on Thursday. Primarily, I want us to focus on infographics as analogous to text articles and think about the necessary work involved in transferring a text article (like the one by Caitlin Roper) into an infographic (like the one by Josef Reyes).
Homework:
Read and Respond: "Searchin'" by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson
The main differences we determined were:
Web 1.0 is static (or it does not move)
Web 2.0 is dynamic (or it moves and allows for interaction)
Social 3.0 is instantly dynamic (users can communicate in real-time)
Text vs. Data
We then moved on to talk about the infograph/article "A Data Miner's Guide to Romance" that I asked you to read for today. We also talked about infographics in general and how they are different from a regular text article, ultimately deciding that data is a good way to represent quantity, but perhaps not quality--or discussions of nuanced or intricate things.
We then broke into groups, looking for an infographics to analyze. I asked you to document your work on our Google Doc "Intro to Infographics" which we will return to on Thursday. Primarily, I want us to focus on infographics as analogous to text articles and think about the necessary work involved in transferring a text article (like the one by Caitlin Roper) into an infographic (like the one by Josef Reyes).
Homework:
Read and Respond: "Searchin'" by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson
Monday, March 3, 2014
Class 3.4
Today, we had a visit from Charles Greenberg from the WKU Library, who discussed Zotero, a tool that aids in documentation.
Here are some main points from his talk:
Vocabulary Terms
Metadata
Unique identifier
DOI
URL
Cite
Citation format
Reference
Tool bar
Synchronize
Finding articles on the library website (he helped us locate the McLemore article for Thursday's class).
Finding blogs using Technorati
Features of Zotero:
How to capture articles
How to organize captured articles
- Tag
- folder
Creating Bibliography in MS Word
For Thursday 3.6.2014:
Read: “Safety Pin as Signifier” McLemeer, Scott
Chronicle of Higher Ed on MLA International Bibliography
(library database)
Respond on your Blog: Thinking about Web 2.0 and the punk movement that
McLemore describes, write a response articulating how Punk and Web 2.0 [or
Social 3.0] are related.
Wikipedia explanation of "punk" (with my notes!)
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http://www.diigo.com/cached?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPunk_rock%23Characteristics
Wikipedia explanation of "punk" (with my notes!)
http://www.diigo.com/cached?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPunk_rock%23Characteristics
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Class 2.27
Analogies:
We opened class today by continuing our discussion of O'Reilly and Bagetelle's definition of Web 2.0, discussing the analogies that you had created in groups.
It was useful to remember the definition of analogies vs. examples: analogies describe the way something functions by comparing it to something else with a similar function (e.g. the heart as a pump; the brain as a computer; the body as a machine, etc.) while examples are, as I've just demonstrated, concrete illustrations of an abstract idea.
Through our discussion, we established certain criteria for analogies of Web 2.0:
- collection/accumulation
- interaction
Winners of the Analogy Game: Shalyn, Luna and Cheryl
While there were some very good and creative analogies including magnets (in which metal was analogous to data) and sunflowerws (in which energy was analogous to data), the winning analogy goes to Shalyn, Luna and Cheryl for suggesting that Web 2.0 was analogous to the coffee bar. I selected this idea because I am not only very fond of coffee, but I also like the kind of interaction that the coffee bar describes: people actually talking to each other, sharing ideas. Media theorist Steven Johnson gives a TED Talk that discusses this exact analogy as a way to understand social media:
MOOC Game:
Keep in mind that this course asks you to complete one MOOC (Massive Open Online Course).
To begin our section of MOOCs I asked you to collect Pro's and Con's regarding this game using our Google Doc. We then began to discuss MOOCs, but ran out of time.
Some of the benefits that we listed include:
- free
- open/continuous access
- famous researchers
Detriments included:
- lack of student-teacher interaction
- lack of student-student interaction
- copyright issues
We will continue our discussion on Tuesday. Some issues I'd like to discuss are:
- Concerns about MOOC's
- - who is concerned?
- - what are they concerned about?
- Learning vs. training
- How should we value MOOCs?
- How should we use them?
- Criteria for MOOCs.
Homework for Tuesday 3.4.14
- Create your own blog (While there are many different platforms for creating blogs, I prefer blogspot. If you have a strong preference for another platform, please discuss it with me).
- Post a link to your blog in the comments section of my first post, "Introduction 2/26."
- Please read" Norris and Soloway. “Web 2.0 to Social 3.0: The Next BigThing.” TheJournal. Online. Then post a response on your own blog. Please title this response "Entry 1."
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Introduction 2/26/14
Introduction 2/26/14
So far in this course, we have studied the medium of Web 2.0 as a dynamic writing tool (as opposed to a static tool such as Web 1.0 or the traditional pen and paper). We have also begun to examine ways that we can participate in this medium. To emphasize this point, I would like each of us to start an individual blog on which we accumulate and display work. This will take the place of private responses on Blackboard (though we will still use Blackboard for grading purposes).
The purpose in doing this is 1) to accumulate and celebrate all the things you do for this course 2) to see writing as a social interaction and 3) to get experience writing in and for an online community.
To begin your blog, go to blogspot.com. The software should recognize your Kean Google account and automatically identify your username (please make sure that your English name is included in your post--if you need to alter your username in your email, view "account settings.")).
Create a domain name for your blog (example: name3080@blogspot.com).
Write something in your blog and publish.
Post your name and your link in the comments of this post.
So far in this course, we have studied the medium of Web 2.0 as a dynamic writing tool (as opposed to a static tool such as Web 1.0 or the traditional pen and paper). We have also begun to examine ways that we can participate in this medium. To emphasize this point, I would like each of us to start an individual blog on which we accumulate and display work. This will take the place of private responses on Blackboard (though we will still use Blackboard for grading purposes).
The purpose in doing this is 1) to accumulate and celebrate all the things you do for this course 2) to see writing as a social interaction and 3) to get experience writing in and for an online community.
To begin your blog, go to blogspot.com. The software should recognize your Kean Google account and automatically identify your username (please make sure that your English name is included in your post--if you need to alter your username in your email, view "account settings.")).
Create a domain name for your blog (example: name3080@blogspot.com).
Write something in your blog and publish.
Post your name and your link in the comments of this post.
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