Activities for R 9/29

Look at the Path and 253

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship (only three more weeks of links)

Theory Presentations > look at three presentations

• Is the topic clear?
• Is this a guide to the topic? Are there relays that take you from one assertion to the next? What could be added? How could it be re-ordered?
• Visual thinking. Are the images part of the thinking or are they just illustrations? How could the images become more central?

Work in groups of three on theory.

Discuss Google Books and the future of the book.

Activities R 9/24

Research topic: telling the story. What is narrative?

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship (only three more weeks of links)



Work on Theory > Respond to "theory" blog post. Respond to next person after you on the blog list at the right. In your response, address the following and how the writer can revise to improve these points: 1) Does the post create a guide for the topic, using techniques such as series of assertions, connecting relays, parallels, and analogies? 2) What images would work as part of the theory? Repeat with the next blog on the list.

Activities for R 9/17

Author from Visual Thesaurus

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship

Creating your theory > What is theory? Review theory points on T 9/15 post.

Creating your theory > Start from a blog post, under the "influence" of Foucault or Barthes, not so much by taking their words (though you can) but writing in that style and mode, about your topic... later you will move to a Google Docs presentation.

Where to get freely usable images? > Creative Commons, Wikimedia Commons, icanhascheezburger?

• Take your Research Proposal and create a Wordle image. Post it to your blog.
• Try a keyword from your proposal in Visual Thesaurus (hint: you need to email it to yourself to get the image)
• Get a free image from one of the sources above, edit it in Pixlr, and use it in your blog post for Tuesday
  

Activities for T 9/15

Extra time > You can revise your research proposal up until midnight on Tuesday. Remember, the proposal is not the "content" but a set of questions (and to a lesser degree, assertions) arrived at through the content. For example, your proposal is not to "discuss website x" but to discuss "question a" and "question b" about multimedia authorship "using website x as evidence." Similarly, your assertions would attempt to answer the questions. Try to include preliminary assertions in your proposal; developing the assertions will be the primary focus of the "theory" project. (Look at syllabus...)

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship

Image Editing > Pixlr

Presentation> Look at Google Docs

Creating your theory >

• Think of movie trailers: You are creating a "trailer" for your project.
• Start from an assertion about the "premise" of your project. A premise is a claim - not your claim but a claim that is implicit in your content and grounds the topic. A premise asks for your recognition and belief. Every cultural topic starts from a premise.
• Work from the premise to other premises to create a guide to the project. Connect premises to create relays that tie the parts of the project together.
• Relay: start from your premise and add to it. Premise + a + b + c. "Authorship is [this] according to [this] + "and this implies/relates to/contrasts to"
• In creating your relays and building them into a guide, work from your "gut," from what seems right to you. Trust that you are interested in the topic for good reasons - this is your theory of the topic, and you are part of the network of culture that the topic exists in. Make associations, create an assemblage, and worry about filling it out later. Speculate and expand.
  
• The guide can be as long as you want or need. The relays can go on and on. No need to create the first part, second part, third part, etc.; but "this part," "that part," "another part," and worry about order later.
  
• Use assertions, claims, propositions.
• Use analogy, e.g.
  

Multimedia writing is

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

• Combine the text with images - not images that illustrate or provide example of the "content" but images that deepen and develop the theory
• Think of an emblem or logo: What is the logo for your project?
  
• Insert images into your Google Docs presentation. Note: You can simply drag and drop images into your Google Docs presentation or you can use the Insert Image button on the toolbar.
• Insert videos. Use the Insert Video button.
• As you revise, draw on your bookmarks and the research materials presented in class.

Visual Thinking > Wordle, Thinkmap , Wikipedia Storyboards, Google Images Sample Storyboards, More Sample Storyboards, More Sample Storyboards

Activities for R 9/10

Don't forget to coolify your blog!

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship

Research Proposals > go down the blog list on the syllabus, find the next proposal you have not read, read it and write comments on their blog; repeat

Your Proposal > revise based on blog comments and Google doc comments; remember: your proposal starts from your cool idea or content to find a direction of inquiry through questions and assertions (i.e. the proposal is not the content but emerges from it)

Bibliography > new blog post with bibliography for your project so far, drawing from bookmarks - yours and others! - to create a bibliography, in the proper format, with at least four works and include it in your proposal (note: you should make sure your Diigo bookmarks include descriptions of at least 100 word; be sure to describe the significance of the bookmark for the course and your project) > format:
Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Site. URL. Date Referenced.
e.g. Tate, Ryan. "You Wrote My Twitter Book, Now Promote It!." Gawker.com. http://gawker.com/5345292/you-wrote-my-twitter-book-now-promote-it. 9/10/09.


Photoshop > basic techniques, using Gimp and Pixlr

Research proposal is due Tuesday!

Activities for T 9/8

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship

Your research Proposal >In general, move from your cool idea ("content") to focus on a specific set of questions and assertions.

1. Is it at least 250 words?
   
2. Does it clearly state a topic in a sentence near the beginning?
   
3. Does it clearly state one or more questions about the topic? (questions might be about: about authorship, creative expression, history and future, implications for individual and society, etc)?
4. Does it clearly state one or more assertions or claims that address these questions? (i.e. asserting a provisional answer or direction of inquiry)
   
5. Finally, what resources (bookmarks) do you draw on? (I assume that the topic is a web site or similar resource - so include that - but what other bookmarks?)

Respond to Proposals >

1. Look at draft research proposals of your group (group from last week).
   
2. Write a separate response to each proposal in your shared document.
3. Be sure to clearly state your name and whose draft you're commenting on.
4. Don't forget to save!
   

Group Brainstorming > What are the shared, guiding questions and assertions so far?

Activities for R 9/3

"I is an other" > Lethem and Tenners' conclusions

Diigo bookmarks > arguments and assertions about multimedia authorship

Groups > brainstorm topics... what is your topic?

Big group > Talk about topics...

For Tuesday > Blog post draft of your research proposal, including the content/site/topics, notable features, assertions and questions + plus 2 Diigo bookmarks (so, at least four total)

Activities for 9/1

Note: Make sure your blog posts have titles! That way they're linkable on the blog stream... Second, make sure comments are enabled on your blog

Read blog posts about Tenner/Lethem and comment on as many as you can

As you respond, consider the following:

• What do the readings say about authorship, voice, originality, creativity? In particular, what do they say about multimedia authorship?
• Tenner speaks of the plagiosphere and its dangers. What does he mean by this? What are the dangers? Is he right, in your opinion?
• Lethem speaks of "open source" culture; he also writes of "second use," "active reading," and the "already read." What does he mean by these things, do you think? What is he arguing for? Is his argument right, in your opinion, and why? Also, what views are being challenged here? What arguments about authorship etc. are Lethem in dialogue with?
• Is it possible to remix something so that it becomes "you" and "yours"? Why or why not? Where does the author come in?
  

---

Present bookmarks. What is the site? How is it useful to us? Here is the brainstorming doc.