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Previous Blackboard Items
September | October | November
| December
Class Blackboard for September 7
 This
will be the class home page and online blackboard for COMP 5250
(section 001, ref # 43373).
Introductions
and Roll. (Some things about me).
On
the first day, we'll be looking carefully at the syllabus,
of course.
Tour
of the site
 Also,
we'll talk about the first assignment and some
of the following examples of new media writing.
- Stelarc (performance artist)
- Henry Jenkins
(site of MIT professor of Comparitive Media Studies)
- 253, Geoff Ryman's novel
for the Internet
- Edward Tufte
(site of Yale professor of statistics)
Class Blackboard for September 9
Housekeeping
- Questions about the syllabus or class?
- Note about the "Previous Blackboard
Page."
Discussion of the possible writings you've chosen for
the Levels Project.
An Interesting Alternative: Henry
Jenkins's site (MIT professor of Comparitive Media Studies) suggests
an interesting alternative to the "middle level" summaries we
saw in our assignment
example: Jenkins provides access to the full-text versions of his
writings by providing an ongoing commentary about all his work
in a subject and then embedding links. See, for example, his commentary
on his work in "Media
Consumption," which you reach by clicking the "Media Consumption"
link on the left side of his
home page.
Folders
On your Zip disk or jump drive, create a structure of
folders that looks like this:
 Today,
we'll try out Dreamweaver by making a Web page, posting it to the Web,
and then visiting that page with our Web browser.
See the in-class handouts, "Liquid Page Design (Dreamweaver)"
and "Moving Files to the Web with Dreamweaver MX"
If we get through these exercises today in class, I will ask you to complete
these two exercises by class time on Friday. Send the URL to me in
an e-mail with the subject line "5250 exercise sept 9"
Class Blackboard for September 14
Roll
Assignments for Thursday (see "Coming Up" at
left)
Any questions about the syllabus
or class?
Any questions on the Levels Project?
For Thursday, bring some images (on paper
or, if possible, in electronic form) that you might use in your Levels
Project to represent your writings visually. These are raw materials that
you will work with later. Try to bring at least two images per writing
(six total).
Today, we'll brainstorm some ideas for your blurbs and
summaries that will represent the full-text pieces of writing. We'll try
a creative technique known as clustering, which allows you to explore
a topic without censoring yourself or worrying about composing sentences
and paragraphs. That can come later:
- Begin with a blank sheet of paper
- In the center, write (small) a word or brief phrase that sums up what
the piece of writing is about, and then draw a small circle around that
word/phrase like a tight bubble.
- Now, think about that piece of writing: what you like about it, what's
valuable in it, what it does, what other people have liked, etc.
- Write down another word or phrase (anything!) next to the first, draw
a bubble around it, and draw a line to connect the two bubbles. This
line marks a mental association in your mind.
- Keep free associating, writing down words in bubbles, branching out
in various directions as you follow one thought to the next. Don't worry
about making sense or staying on task. Just keep writing down words,
circling them, and connecting.
- Look for connections you can make among the various branches growing
out from the center. Draw lines to show those connections.
- Look for oppositions or contradictions among the ideas. Indicate them
by connecting the opposing ideas with a line with arrowheads at either
end like this: <---------->
- Keep writing until I call time.
- When you stop, try writing down a "focusing statement" at
the bottom or on the back of the page. This statement sums up something
about the topic you've been thinking about as you clustered. You're
not summing up the entire cluster, but just some thread of thought in
your head. The value in this technique isn't what you do to the cluster,
but what clustering does to you.
We'll
complete the following exercises:
1. "Liquid Page Design (Dreamweaver)" starting where we left
off with Step 12, and
2. "Moving Files to the Web with Dreamweaver MX."
Please have these two exercises completed by the beginning of class on
Thursday.
We'll
also begin an exercise using Photoshop, our second major tool for the
course, called "Beginning Banner."
For this exercise, you'll need to download the image "richlighthouse.jpg"
(right-click on this link, and from the menu, choose "Save Image
As" and save it to your non-www folder "new_media_writing").
Class Blackboard for September 16
Roll
Questions?
Anyone need handouts for the exercises:
- Liquid Page Design
- Moving Files to the Web with Dreamweaver MX
- Beginning Banner?
Posting the URL of your Liquid Exercise
to Webx. For this you'll want the handout "Logging into the Webx
Discussion for the First Time."
Any questions on the Levels Project?
Today, we'll learn to key skills for completing the Levels
Project: making links and creating layered images.
Making
Links. Using the Dreamweaver book, we'll learn to make links
on the Web page we created for the "Liquid Page Design" exercise.
See page 180.
Banner
Techniques. We'll complete two exercises using Photoshop, our
second major tool for the course, called "Beginning Banner,"
and "Intermediate Banner," in which you'll learn to make—you
guessed it—a banner like the one at the top of this page.
For this exercise, you'll need an image. Download the image "richlighthouse.jpg"
(right-click on this link, and from the menu, choose "Save Image
As" and save it to your non-www folder "new_media_writing").
Or, if you brought in an image that you think might work as a banner,
you may use it instead.
Class Blackboard for September 21
Roll
Questions?
Anyone need handouts for the exercises:
- Logging into the Webx Discussion for the First Time
- Beginning Banner
- Intermediate Banner
Look at the slightly revised schedule
Review Skills so far
- Using Dreamweaver to Place text and images on Web pages and
structure pages using layout tables (Liquid Page Design)
- Posting Pages and other files to the Web with Dreamweaver so they
can be viewed by anyone in the world with a Web browser
- Editing Images with Photoshop (Banner exercises)
- Brainstorming writing projects with clustering (blurbs, summaries
for Levels)
Any questions on the Levels Project?
Let's remember again what the goal is for this project:
to create an effective set of levels to transport Web-site visitors from
the top level blurbs and teasers to the bottom-level texts that you want
them to read. We're transforming browsers into readers.
Consider the ways that the Web site "theory.org"
uses the blurbs, teasers, summaries, logos and banners to entice you to
click to articles about cultural theory. What tricks can we learn from
this site?
Banner
Techniques. We'll complete two exercises using Photoshop, our
second major tool for the course, called "Beginning Banner,"
and "Intermediate Banner," in which you'll learn to make—you
guessed it—a banner like the one at the top of this page.
In Photoshop, open your file banner.psd that we were working on last
time. If you were not here last Thursday, you'll need to download the
image "richlighthouse.jpg"
(right-click on this link, and from the menu, choose "Save Image
As" and save it to your non-www folder "new_media_writing").
By Wednesday at class time, please have your banner
posted to the Web in the folder www/5250/exercises/banner and then paste
the URL of the banner.jpg file into a message to our Webx discussion "banner."
Time
permitting, we'll revisit the Web site "theory.org"
and/or another site of your own choosing and collects some ideas for writing
and desiging the Levels Project. Please send a message to the discussion
"levels:
examples and techniques" with the URL of a page and a brief commentary
of what we can learn for our own projects.
Class Blackboard for September 23
Roll
Questions?
Any problems with posting the Banner exercise
to the Web, viewing with your browser, or sending the URL in a message
to the Webx discussion "banner"?
Any questions on the Levels Project?
A trick: if you like the layout of a Web
page and want to use it as a template for your own content, do the following:
- In Mozilla, choose File > Edit Page. Then, in the Composer that
appears, choose File > Save As, and save the page to a new folder
in your non-www folder.
- In Internet Explorer, choose File > Save As, and and save the page
to a new folder in your non-www folder.
- Open the page you saved in Dreamweaver, change the page title, strip
out the original content, and use the layout tables as containers for
your own content. Save the page with a new file name in the appropriate
folder in your "www" folder
- This doesn't always work since sometimes you'll run into pages that
are constructed with Cascading Style Sheets or other automated systems.
Let's revisit the Web site "theory.org"
and another site of your own choosing and collects some ideas for writing
and desiging the Levels Project. Please send a message to the discussion
"levels:
examples and techniques" with the URL of a page and a brief commentary
of what we can learn for our own projects.
Composite
Images with Masks. For this exercise, you'll need to download
two images into your non-www folder: maltshop3.jpg
and turner2.jpg.
Class Blackboard for September 28
Roll
Questions?
Any questions on the Levels Project?
Today, we're having a "studio day"
to work on your Levels Project here in the room. Bring all materials for
your Levels project: drafts of the various written levels (blurbs, summaries,
full texts) on disk, and electronic versions of your images.
The Levels Project will be due by Wednesday,
9/29 at noon to the discussion "Projects/Levels
URLs." Bring an annotated
printout to class on Wednesday to turn in.
Handout: The Levels Writing Session. I
will also give you a handout of techniques for writing more direct and
effective blurbs and summaries.
Introducing the
Class Blackboard for September 30
Roll
Questions?
Collect annotated printouts of the Levels Project.
Composite
Images with Masks. Let's complete the exercise posting the historical
marker in front of the Portland Malt Shop. Please save the final product
to the Web (in the folder, "www/5250/exercises/composite") and
then paste the URL into a message to the discussion "New Media Writing
(fall 2004)/Exercises/composite
with masks"
Javascript
Child Windows. You'll modify a page from a previous exercise,
and re-post it. Send the URL to the discussion, "New Media Writing
(fall 2004)/Exercises/child
windows "
 Let's
spend some time looking at the Verbal as Visual Project, and brainstorming
some ideas.
Class Blackboard for October 5
Roll
Questions?
Questions
about the Verbal as Visual Project?
Javascript
Child Windows and Image Maps. We'll do a revised version of this
exercise today (see the new handout).
You'll need the following images for this exercise:
Send the URL to the discussion, "New Media Writing (fall 2004)/Exercises/child
windows "
Class Blackboard for October 7
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Roll
Questions?
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Javascript Child Windows and
Image Maps. To finish up this exercise from Tuesday, please
post your folder exercises/child to the Web (www/5250/exercises/child),
visit the first page with your browser, and copy the URL to the
discussion, "New Media Writing (fall 2004)/Exercises/child
windows ."
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Brainstorming. Today,
we'll do some brainstorming and preliminary design work for this
project, due by noon M 10/18.
Let's look first at some examples:
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Return of the Levels Projects.
At the end of class, I'll return the Levels Projects after a brief
explanation of the response format.
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Class Blackboard for October 12
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Roll
Questions?
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Brainstorming. Today,
we'll continue the brainstorming activity for the Visual as Verbal
Project, and then work individually on your projects.
Though we will not be working as a group, feel free to ask for
help from your classmates, as well as from me. Though this class
format is less structured than a traditional class meeting, it is
not an open-lab situation. I will ask you to stay working until
10:45 a.m.
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Class Blackboard for October 14
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Roll
Questions?
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Today, we'll have
a studio day for the Visual as Verbal
Project.
The final version of the Visual
as Verbal Project will be due by noon
on Monday, October 18. Post the URL of the start page of
the project in the Webx discussion "Projects/Visual
as Verbal URLs."
Preparing for Workshop: After Monday at noon
and before class on Tuesday, please do the following:
- Review the workshopping
page for ideas about what you might discuss in your comments.
- Visit the projects scheduled for Tuesday in
the schedule below.
- Type written comments and suggestions for each
project scheduled for Tuesday in a word-processing document saved
on your disk.
- Printout the comments to bring to class for
your use during the workshop.
By the midnight on workshop day,
- Copy and paste all the written comments you've
made for everyone today into the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" and click "Send." Be
sure to label each set of comments with the project number and
name of the project's author.
- Use the e-mail list on the the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" to send each author your comments
on his or her project.
| Tuesday,
October 19 |
Tuesday, October
26 |
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1. Amy
2. Sara
3. Alan
4. Adam
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5. June
6. Aaron
7. Rebekah
8. Chris
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Class Blackboard for October 19
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Roll
Questions?
Start up SynchronEyes software on your computer,
and log in with your first name.
Be sure to check your e-mail regularly between
now and Thursday
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Parody
Facade) |
The next project is
the "Parody (Facade)," due on Wednesday, November 3.
See the explanation of the "Parody
(Facade)" Project on the assignment page
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Today, we'll workshop
the Visual as Verbal Projects #
1 - 4 according to the schedule below.
By the midnight on Tuesday,
- Copy and paste all the written comments you've
made for everyone today into the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" and click "Send." Be
sure to label each set of comments with the project number and
name of the project's author.
- Use the e-mail list on the the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" to send each author your comments
on his or her project.
On Tuesday, we'll workshop # 5-8.
Also on Thursday, please bring in an annotated printout
of the project to turn in to me. See the syllabus for a
complete explanation of the
annotations. |
Class Blackboard for October 26
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Roll
Questions?
Start up SynchronEyes software on your computer, and log
in with your first name.
Today, I'll collect the
annotated printout
of your project.
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Parody
(Facade) |
Any questions on the
"Parody (Facade)"
Project?
This will be due by Wednesday, November 3 by noon.
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Today, we'll workshop
the Visual as Verbal Projects #
3-6, according to the schedule below. We
will do June's
Project on Thursday at the beginning of class.
By midnight today,
- Copy and paste all the written comments you've
made for everyone today into the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" and click "Send." Be
sure to label each set of comments with the project number and
name of the project's author.
- Use the e-mail
list at the
bottom of the form "Workshop Comments for Today"
to send each author your comments on his or her project.
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Class Blackboard for October 28
Class Blackboard for November 2
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Roll
Questions?
Reading Assignment for Thursday 11/4: Janet Murray's
Chapter 1 (13-26), and Chapter 2 (27-64)
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Questions about the Essay Assignment,
"A Defining Example of New
Media Writing"?
This will be due by noon on Monday, 11/15.
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Parody
(Facade) |
Any questions on
the "Parody (Facade)"
Project?
We'll have a studio day today working on this
project. It will due by Wednesday, November 3 by noon. Post the
URL of the start page of the project in the Webx discussion "Projects/Parody
(Facade) URLs."
On Thursday, please bring in an annotated printout of the
project to turn in to me. See the syllabus for a complete
explanation of the annotations.
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Class Blackboard for November 4
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Roll
Questions?
Annotated Printouts of your Parody (Facade) Projects
Reading Assignment for Thursday 11/9: Janet Murray's
Chapter 3 (65-96), and Chapter 4 (97-125)
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Questions about the Essay Assignment,
"A Defining Example of New
Media Writing"?
This will be due by noon on Monday, 11/15.
Today, we'll talk about Janet Murray's Chapters
1 and 2 and the ways she can help us unpack the ideas of "New
Media" and "writing."
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Class Blackboard for November 9
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Roll
Questions?
Reading Assignment for Thursday 11/11: Janet Murray's
Chapter 5 (126), and Chapter 5 (154)
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Questions about the Essay Assignment,
"A Defining Example of New
Media Writing"?
This will be due by noon on Monday, 11/15.
Today, we'll finish talking about Janet Murray's
Chapters 1 and 2 and then complete a "Collaborative Quiz"
on Chapters 3 and 4.
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Cascading Style Sheets.
See the in-class handout and the online
introduction. |
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Class Blackboard for November 11
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Roll
Questions?
The Essay Assignment, "A
Defining Example of New Media Writing"? will be due by
noon on Monday, 11/15 in my mailbox in Humanities 420.
Individual Conferences, Cancelled Class Meetings. We will
cancel class to hold individual conferences
in my office next week.
Using the Webx discussion board, please sign up
for one conference time either on Tuesday
11/16 or Thursday
11/18.
We will meet again on Tuesday 11/30,
when we come back from Thanksgiving.
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Questions about the Essay Assignment,
"A Defining Example of New
Media Writing"?
This will be due by noon on Monday, 11/15.
Today, we'll talk about Murray's Chapters on "Agency"
and "Transformation" (5 and 6), and do a discovery activity
for completing the essay.
Discussion Notes and Resources
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pleasures: immersion, agency (126), transformation
(154), have their possible unpleasurable inversions
through excess: anxiety
(134), being overwhelmed (157)
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What's pleasurable about a fluid, multivariate world? "mosaic"
156, juxtapositions, changes (129): (Bill
Keaggy's home page (note overlap of agency and transformation
issues)
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How do we know when we're done? "saturation"
169/"exhaustion," mapping (174), "escapist vs.
progressive" (172) (Nick Hornby, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Geoff
Ryman's 235). displacement.
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How do multivariate worlds make any sense, give any pleasure?
multivariate worlds, interpretations, perspectives,
simultaneity 155 (Norman Conquests 158), Gathering
Assignment: "All
in the Family," "violence hub" stories (135-136)
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maze = immersion + agency (130): rhizome
(132-33), value of overview (133, 174).Geoff
Ryman's 235
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What's the big deal about the difference between Agency
and Authorship? (152). See Black
People Love Us (especially Your
Testimonials, and Be
Our Friend)
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Class Blackboard for November 30
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Roll
Questions?
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Writing Session. Today,
we'll have a writing session to begin generating ideas and material
for out Gathering projects.
Consider alternatives for using hypertext to set
a stage for the Gathering. See this "Tour
of My House" done by a student in the Web Design class
and think about its possibilities as a vehicle for developing narrative
and character. |
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Class Blackboard for December 2
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Roll
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Questions
about the Gathering Project?
Let's look again at our example: "All
in the Family" as a way of thinking about space and time
in hypertext narrative.
Iceburg Writing. "Mockingbird" (as an
example of a short short story) suggests how much you can make happen
in just 250 words or less. This is one of the primary skills in
New Media Writing, where the discomforts of reading from a screen
make concise writing necessary.
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Today we'll try out Cascading
Style Sheets. Please send the URL of the page you use for this
exercise to the Webx discussion CSS
URLs by the end of the day Friday. |
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Class Blackboard for December 7
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Roll
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Questions
about the Gathering Project? |
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We'll try a brief layers exercise.
Take a look at the sample
page for an idea of what you can do with layers in the Gathering
Project. You'll need to download the following pages
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Class Blackboard for December 9
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Roll
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Questions
about the Gathering Project?
Today, we'll have a studio day to work on your
projects. Though we're working individually, be prepared to stay
through 10:45, and to be available to your classmates for questions
and help.
By noon on Monday 12/13, post the project to the
Web and send the URL to the Webx discussion Gathering
URLs.
For Tuesday 12/14, please print out the text
you've written for the project, put together in one long print document.
Label each section with the name or title of the online page where
that text appears. Again, do not print out the online pages
as we have done before.
After Monday at noon and before class
on Tuesday, please do the following:
- Review the workshopping page for
ideas about what you might discuss in your comments.
- Visit the projects scheduled for Tuesday in the schedule
below.
- Type written comments and suggestions for each project scheduled
for Tuesday in a word-processing document saved on your disk.
- Printout the comments to bring to class for your use during
the workshop.
By the midnight on workshop day,
- Copy and paste all the written comments you've
made for everyone today into the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" and click "Send." Be sure
to label each set of comments with the project number and name
of the project's author.
- Use the e-mail list on the the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" to send each author your comments
on his or her project.
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Class Blackboard for December 14
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Roll
Collect printouts of Gathering texts.
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Today, we'll workshop
the first three projects in the schedule below.
By the end of the day today,
- Copy and paste all the written comments you've
made for everyone today into the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" and click "Send." Be sure
to label each set of comments with the project number and name
of the project's author.
- Use the e-mail list on the the form "Workshop
Comments for Today" to send each author your comments
on his or her project.
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