| Course
Description:
This course will take as its content the future of technology and literacy-
what will remain to be literate in the next 5, 10 25 years? You will be
asked to test the educational value of "weblogging" as an activity
that combines computer and basic literacy abilities, and then you will
be asked to look more broadly at new literacy demands students and citizens
of the 21st century are likely to face. You will be given an opportunity
to "stretch" yourselves: use skills and tools you have not mastered
in order to create a short video, flash movie, web site, or other new-media
form. And finally, you will be asked to reflect on the impact technology
and literacy have on individuals' sense of identity and community. You
will read weblogs, personal homepages, online journalism, and academic
essays relevant to the course topic. No specific computer expertise is
required in order to take this course.
Schedule:
(The activities and due dates in the schedule’s table are not
set in stone.)
∑ Unit One: Aug. 27 to Oct. 3. Weblogs- What’s the Use?
∑ Unit Two: Oct. 1 to Nov. 5. Assembling/Defining Your Literacy
Toolkit/Needs
∑ Unit Three: Nov. 5 to Nov. 27. Gergen: Self in the Information
Age.
∑ Portfolio: Dec. 3 to Dec. 13.
Aug. 27: Intro to class, me, and your peers.
Introduce weblogs.
Read Rebecca Blood's and Levinson's online articles for Thursday.
Writing Assignment (WA#1) assigned.
Aug. 29: Meet in Computer
Lab: IACC 150c
Create your very own weblog and start blogging.
Discuss Rebecca Blood/Melvin Levinson via your new blogs.
WA#1 due.
Read for next time: Megnut's article and Cameron Barrett
Sept. 3: Weblogs vs. Freewriting/Journals:
IACC 150c
Discussion on readings for today...on weblogs: what do you think so far?
First Freewrite
Prompt in class. (Will parallel blogs) Fill out survey!
Read 5 Students blogs/Comment on 5 for Thursday. Also Read for next
time:TBA
Sept. 5: Discuss bloggers
and Definitions: IACC 150c
For class have read: Alden, Dvorak, and Manjoo.
Compare/Contrast these bloggers.
Find another blogger YOU like for Tuesday. Read for next time: Nothing-
Wknd off.
Sept. 9: Your favorite bloggers.
Discussion of who you liked and why. What do we think of blogging thus
far. Benefits? Pitfalls?
Time to go and blog about whatever you wish
as well as find readings.
Assign WA#2 - due Thursday. Read for next time: Powazek
and Oravec- don't blog about them- be ready to discuss in class.
Sept. 10/11: Introduction/Preliminary
Conferences.
Sept. 11: Blog about this
day. 911.
Sept. 12: Discussion of the
act of blogging.
What do you think of all this after 3 weeks of it?
What are the benefits and pitfalls of blogging- school-wise? For work?
For fun?
WA#2 due. Set up peer/blog groups/teams.
Read for next time: Katz (look at terms), Grohol, and my blog paper.
Sept. 17: What makes the best blog?
Discussion of Katz and Grohol. Discussion of my paper. Out-of-Class Free
Write/Go over Paper #1/Create rubric
What makes a great filtering blog/journaling blog?
What can we learn from these blogs? (Bring in ex.)
What have you learned about yourself from blogging? Read for next
Tuesday: 10
Tips on Writing the Living Web.
Sept. 19: Blog Brainstorming
Day.
No Class- Blog when you
can about Paper 1.
Send brainstorming and rough draft to blog team and me via e-mail.
Sept. 24: First Peer Revision Day.
In-Class Group/Blog Team review day.
Revise together either in class or outside of class. Blog about reading
from last Tuesday and send it to me via e-mail.
Sept. 26: Second Peer Revision
Day. Paper due Oct. 3.
No Class- Revise with peers
via blogs or e-mail or in person.
Send/hand in a copy of what was revised to me- I will be in my office
8-11 TR and during office hours this week. Come in and talk with me if
you have questions or comments.
Oct. 1: Toolkit Introduction.
What do you want in your toolkit?/ Funny out-of-class
writing due next Tuesday- we will read some outloud.. if not ALL.
Brainstorming session./ Mid-term evaluation of this class.
Discussed yellow packet, in-class writing over readings found on my xanga
site, and proofreading for Paper1.
Oct. 3: Writing for the web
and web design. Paper #1 Due by
5pm. Meet in IACC 150c.
Use computers to play/brainstorm project ideas. Propose your "stretch
project" by next Thursday. Have 5 ideas for Tuesday. Here's
one idea you could play with (hypertext).
Read bit by bit over the next week: Chapter
1: The Heart of the Well by Howard Rheingold. Read
Mark Amerika's Blog Novel for Tuesday.
Oct. 8: Tiny Presentations
on Possible Projects AND Funny Minute Papers.
Read some of Rheingold... be ready to blog about Thursday..
Discuss: Mark Amerika's Blog Novel.
Oct. 10: Computer Day: Start
to "Stretch" Yourself and Your skills... knowledge.. Meet in
IACC 150c.
Play with possibilities: Flash, iMovie, Powerpoint..Look at Flash and
hypertext
on the internet.
Define your "stretch project" for today and hand in.
Define your criteria for grading by Tuesday. Type it up. Talk about article
presentations- you will do two.
Oct. 15: Article Presentation
#1.
Present on an article or blog you find interesting or relevant to this
class. Tell us why it's interesting, summarize it, how you found it, as
well as anything else of value.
Bring in readings. Hand in your "stretch" grading criteria.
Oct. 17: Informal Presentations
on Articles #2.
Present on a second article or blog you have found.
Discuss more of what Paper #2 will include. [Paper #1 will be graded and
ready to be picked up next week.]
Oct. 22: Computer Week.
Work on "Stretch Projects".
Watch a movie on the movie list and then blog about it.
Oct. 24: Computer Week.
Time to work on "stretch projects" and papers.
Also, prepare to present Tuesday.
Oct. 29: Mid-Presentations
on "Stretch Projects".
Present your "stretch project"- where is it at so far?
Start to write paper. Rough draft due at conferences. Sign up for conferences
today, too.
Oct. 30-Nov.1: Conference
Days.
No Class-Writing conferences
with me. Have 4-6 page rough draft ready to show off. And we'll discuss
your project goals- are you meeting them?
Nov. 5: Introduce Paper #3.
Talk about Paper #3.
Show examples. Also- talk about syllabus changes. Look at Kenneth
Gergen's essay.
Brainstorm in small groups as to what you could write about. What sorts
of other genres could you use? Poems, lyrics, quotes, letters from people,
notes.. blogging.. (In your papers, you can use as many of these genres
as you want- in mine I only used a poem.)
More questions to think about for
Paper #3: Who are you as in "single, white, female"? What more
should (or don't) people know about you that they can't figure out by
your physical appearance/job/parents/siblings/friends?
Nov. 7: Paper #2 Due by 5pm
on Nov. 8.
No Class.
Nov. 12: Identity Theft.
Watch movie in class and/or discussion. The Net? OR look at readings
that I linked to from my xanga site.
Nov. 14: Final Presenations
on "Stretch Projects".
Assign WA#3. "How have you changed in the last few months? In this
class? Overall in all areas of your life? What have you learned? What
SHOULD have you learned by now? What do you want to learn before the semester
is over (in this clas or others or overall in your life)?
Nov. 19: Other Collaborative
Hypertext Projects. We'll be in a Computer Lab?
Additional readings and discussion about Paper #3s ideas. Show off Kevin's
class that did a hypertext like the one we are doing. Try to get the computer
lab for this activity? WA#3 Due.
Nov. 21: Peer Review Day.
In class, we'll peer review/revise Paper #3 (bring in three copies of
your rough draft). Plus, you'll need to decide what sentence in your paper
will be your link from our main collaborative hypertext site. I will introduce
the Portfolio too.
Nov. 26: Finish up Paper #3.
Hand in by noon Wednesday Nov. 27. Assigned writing conferences from Thursday
- Tuesday in the afternoons.
Nov. 28: Thanksgiving Break.
No class. Eat
lots of turkey.
Dec. 3: Planning your Portfolio.
Develop a plan for grading and revision.
Bring in a rough visual idea of what you want to change- add to your papers
before putting them on the internet.
Dec. 5: Proofreading and Editing
Day. No Class- I'll be in Canada
for a conference.
Meet with teams/groups.
E-mail me your grading/revision ideas.
Dec. 10: Computer Day: IACC
150D.
Putting your portfolio online.
Write up reflection and goals - part of portfolio.
Dec. 12: Computer Day: Presentations.
IACC 150D.
Take care of any final details.
Writing Assignment #4 due by Friday, December 13 at noon.
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