Device Narrative

https://wp.nyu.edu/licastro_fall14/?p=513

In your “Digital Literacy Narrative” you explored the writing technologies that have shaped your literacy practices. For your midterm, you should identify one tool from your timeline to investigate on a deeper level. In order to do this, you should focus on the wider impact of this technology in terms of political and social issues. Consider, for example, how Jason Ponti isolates instances when interface design shaped writing practices in “How Authors Write.” Ponti uses historical examples (such as Baker’s use of footnotes) to argue that modern writers are not embracing the potential of new media. Similarly, in “The Geology of Media,” Jussi Parikka exposes the environmental impact of digital devices through the lens of new media evolution. It is your goal to develop an argument about the technology you are investigating through research and critical thinking.

Potential lines of inquiry include:

• Labor
• Gender/race
• Environmental impact
• Planned obsolescence
• Cognition/attention
• Privacy/surveillance
• Anything you find interesting (and have evidence to prove)

As you are reading Kevin Kelly while composing this piece, I want you to imagine your audience to be the typical Wired magazine reader. Therefore, your reader already has an interest and familiarity with new media, but wants more information than a basic Google search can provide. Your audience seeks a balanced approach: intelligent critique in a relatable, digestible voice.

Our library visit will help you structure your research process. I require you to use at least three sources, properly cited, and archived in our Zotero group library.

You will post your draft on 10/14, and bring in a paper copy on 10/15. You must post the revised digital version on our site on 10/17. Heed Ponti’s advice, and think about using our digital medium to your advantage when composing your piece (for examples see: http://digitalmateriallabor.org/final-project/)

This project is worth 100 points, and will be graded on the following criteria:

 

RHETORICAL ELEMENTS [1]
Purpose	The author establishes a purpose of the overall story early on and also maintains the focus on that purpose throughout the work. As in print-based composition, the purpose may be stated or implied.
Audience	The choice of different media assets as well as how they are organized and presented shows that the student is aware of the audience/viewer. When asked, the student can describe how the subject matter and the selection, organization, and organization of the media assets fit a particular audience. The piece is written with a clear sense of the audience with a tone that will suit that audience; other media assets also appropriate and effective from an audience point of view.
Organization	The overall structure of the story/argument and placement of assets in that structure are effective. There is a good beginning, middle, and end. The amounts of time and emphasis given to different parts or issues make sense.
Logos, Pathos, Ethos	The work is intellectually significant, emotionally engaging, or appealing to the audience in other ways—based on its subject matter and purpose.
CONTENT
Subject matter	Content is engaging — viewer is left with thought-provoking ideas.
Written elements	The student worked diligently in drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading the piece with a particular focus on conciseness and precision. The “story” or subject matter of the piece is not only interesting/significant in itself but also reflects that the student has learned the content of the course.  The text serves as a logical framework for the rest of the media. The student has integrated external information, cited sources, and fulfilled other requirements of the assignment.
PROCESS
	The student has been diligent with planning the project, doing research on the subject, creating or finding appropriate media assets, drafting and revising/editing their writing, effectively integrating media assets, appropriately referencing external source within the text and documenting them at the end of the work, and if the work is supposed to be presented before class, his or her presentation or performance is effective. If the work is done in groups, members of the group have each worked effectively in planning, coordinating, and contributing to group’s work.
MEDIA
Music and sound effects	Voiceover, background music and other audio assets are layered effectively so that one medium is heard most clearly at a time. They are rhetorically effective; meaningfully integrated with other media; and have an effective volume, tone, and tempo.
Still images	Images create a distinct atmosphere or tone that matches different parts of the story. The images add rhetorical effectiveness and symbolic and/or metaphoric meaning to the work.
Transition and other visual effects	Transition and other effects created through editing of media do not just produce “cool” effects but are done meaningfully. The effects are seamless and unobtrusive.
Video	Videos used in the work contain recognizable and meaningful images and movements, support the meaning of the story logically as well as aesthetically, do not take unnecessary artistic license, do not have distracting or unwanted visual information or background, are paced appropriately, and do not compromise relevance for the sake of interest or for technical reasons
Pacing and economy	The media are presented neither too fast nor too slow; there is rhetorically effective increase and decrease of speed in the presentation of materials. Since digital “stories” should be short, the student has saved time and communicated the message in a precise and concise manner. No words, images, or sounds are redundant or rhetorical out of sync.
SYNTHESIS
Coherence	All the elements and parts of the work rhetorically fit together and are effectively presented within the overall logical framework. For instance, images and sound effects that are meant to illustrate and enhance a verbal statement do not conflict with the text or with each other.
ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS
Credits	The student has cited external sources in the voice over and in any visually represented text or media. There is a citation page at the end.
Language issues	The student has paid sufficient attention to grammar, spelling, mechanics, and other linguistic issues in the voiceover, captions, and other places where verbal language is used.

 

 

[1]Adapted from: http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/english/cconline/winter2013/digital_s/rubric.html