Here is a data visualization of our #nyufyws tweets:
Check out the top tweets and tweeters. Click on any node and it will show you a summary of their tweets. Click on “Replay” and it will recreate the conversation. Pretty neat right?
It is run from an archive of our tweets I have created, and automatically updates every hour. You must include #nyufyws to have your tweets included.
As a follow up to our Fahrenheit 451 in class debate, check out this campaign to increase diversity in children’s books:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/we-need-diverse-books
What is We Need Diverse Books™?
Reading is the ultimate form of empathy.
Though more than half of schoolchildren are minorities–people of color, LGBTQIA, and/or people with disabilities–the fact remains that too few of these children see reflections of themselves in the books they read. Books are more than mirrors– they’re windows as well. The more kids read, the more they understand not just themselves, but the Story of Us All.We Need Diverse Books™ (WNDB) is a grassroots organization dedicated to advocating and supporting non-majority narratives.
Since Margaret Atwood is a prolific tweeter (https://twitter.com/MargaretAtwood), and many people tweet about this text using #OrxyandCrake, I would like to use the opportunity to experiment with communicating our ideas through social media. The goal of this assignment is to chronicle your thoughts as you read, and share them with your peers and a public audience. You must live tweet your reading by using #OryxandCrake and #nyufyws so we can capture and follow the conversation.
If you tweet direct quotes, or specific questions for the author, you should include her handle @MargaretAtwood. Tweet whatever you find interesting and provocative. Standard grammar rules are not the objective here – use the language of social media – including abbreviations, emoticons, etc. However, your message must be readable to a wide audience, so think carefully about how you compose each tweet. You may also tweet me direct questions @amandalicastro.
Here is an example:
If you do not have a twitter account, you may set up a temporary account for this course and then delete it after this assignment. If you are not comfortable with this, please email me as soon as possible, and we will discuss alternative assignments.
On Monday, we will have a fishbowl just like we did for Kelly’s book. The first group will post their short provocations by Sunday night. Post your provocations under “Reflections” and use the tag “Atwood.”
Group 1 (provocations by 10/26, fishbowl 10/27):
| Choi,Ryan D |
| Agarwal,Sakshi |
| Posner,Marissa |
| Sanchez,Nicolas |
| Stine,James |
Group 2 (provocations by 10/28, fishbowl 10/29):
| Valentine,Carly |
| Melnick,Joshua B |
| Prem,Varsha |
| O’Brien,Francesco H |
| Hanson,Alexandria D |
Group 3 (provocations by 11/2, fishbowl 11/3):
| Curtis,Scarlett |
| Ghobadi,Kasrah Shane |
| Kandelman,Karen |
| Schulz,Adam |
| Baruch,Mikaela Sarah |
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions please let me know.
Document here:
https://wp.nyu.edu/licastro_fall14/?p=953
Together we have explored future dystopias through the imaginations of EM Forster, Ray Bradbury, and Margaret Atwood. Each of these writers invent new technologies in their works in order to address current political and cultural issues they wish to address – for example, genetically modified food, over-exposure to screens (and celebrity), violence in video games, etc. These devices often utilize “remediation” drawing from new media concepts we are familiar with, and enhance them to fit in the alternate reality the author has created. For this assignment you will engage in “reflective design,” defined by Hancock et al as “promot[ing] critical inquiry over usability and exploratory prototyping over fully realized productions.” You can do this by beginning with the current state of new media and then projecting potential solutions – or perhaps evolutions – of these tools to enhance the reading and/or writing process in the future. We are specifically concentrating on the tools of composition for this project, since this course has focused on literacy skills the tools we use to communicate. However, these are meant to be visions of the future – featuring a balance of imagination and practicality.
This project will be broken into 4 parts:
Stage 1: The Pitch
Due Date – 11/14
Create a proposal for your “design fiction” project (3-5 pages, 3min presentation)
Stage 2: Group Proposal
Due Date – 11/21
As a class you will vote on the top 3 products to develop into your collaborative final projects. (5-7 pages)
Stage 3: Annotated Bibliographies
Rolling due dates, post as you go (2 must be added before Thanksgiving)
Using Zotero, you will build a research base for this project
Stage 4: Final Project
Presentations on 12/8 and 12/10
Create a website for your product
Additional Notes:
Each group must meet with me in pre-scheduled conferences as listed in the syllabus. I am also available to consult with you on your individual product pitches during office hours.
This description is subject to change after we discuss your ideas. Suggestions welcome!
A final reflection paper telling me what you learned through this process will be due on the date of your final exam.
Participate in a conversation with Senior Vice President of Social Impact at The Huffington Post Media Group/AOL Brian Sirgutz (BA ’01) around the idea of “doing well while doing good” and the impact of digital content as a means for social change. Learn how Sirgutz developed a critical component of The Huffington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning program “Beyond the Battlefield,” and how he came to lead all development of social impact-related business and product development innovations on The Huffington Post’s platform.
Brian leads all aspects of the company’s impact editorial content and engagement strategy. Brian founded the Impact, Education, Good News verticals which reach over 20 million people on a monthly basis.
Register here:
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/utilities/events/2014/10/briansirgutz.html
Since it is incredibly relevant to our class, I thought I would share this opportunity to participate in a research study:
http://notice.websci.net/
Advertisers, market intelligence companies and other websites routinely track many of the web pages that we visit. At the University of Southampton, we’ve developed a tool that shows you information about who’s tracking your web browsing and the information that they might have. The tool also gives you the ability to remove that information by deleting the small “cookies” that link you to it.
We’re looking for participants to help us evaluate our tool. Participation is straightforward and just involves the (very easy) installation of an extension in Google Chrome. The study takes just over a week, during which you can use your computer as normal but will be presented with information about what various websites have learned about you.
Please note that you must be at least 18 years old and regularly use the Google Chrome web browser in order to take part.
During the study, we’ll collect limited information about some of the websites that you visit and the information that they may have learned about you, including a partial list of the websites that you have visited. We only do this to help us measure the messages that are being displayed and to understand more about their efficacy. All of this data is collected anonymously and we don’t think it’s a threat to your privacy.
To get started, you just need to install the Chrome extension. Once it’s installed you’ll be asked to consent to the formal study briefing and to give us some basic demographic information about yourself.
If you like, you can read the participant information before installing the extension.
Peer Workshop
The purpose of this workshop is to improve your writing on both the global, and local levels. This means you are not only correcting grammar and mechanics, but content as well. Read your partner’s paper twice. On the first reading, DO NOT make any corrections. Just read the paper and take in the story in the same way you would as if you were reading an academic article. On the second reading, answer the following questions:
Now switch papers! Ask me if you have any questions.
Considering how interesting and insightful our discussion on what Kevin Kelly called “beauty” but we agreed referred to design, I thought I would post the article someone mentioned in our Fishbowl in order to keep this conversation going both online and of:
http://diply.com/trendyjoe/art-katerina-kamprani-the-uncomfortable-design/50765/1
Thanks again for the thoughtful responses. I look forward to seeing how you will use these insights to generate your midterm projects.
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:
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
For Kevin Kelly’s What Technology Wants, you will be leading the class discussion in two groups. If your last name begins with A-K, you are Group 1 and if your last name begins with M-V you are in Group 2 for the Kevin Kelly “fishbowls”. I will explain this activity in class.
Group 1 will need to post a response to the first section (this includes the text from Part 1: Origins and Part 2: Imperatives in the book) of Kevin Kelly’s book by September 29th at midnight . This response should highlight two main points that you must summarize and then analyze for the class (hint, use direct quotes). I suggest focusing on one point you agree with, and one you find problematic. Your post must end in a discussion question for your classmates. If you are in group 2, you must respond to at least two of these discussion questions by class time on Wednesday.
Group 2 will then post on the second half of the book (Part 3: Choices, and Part 4: Directions) by Oct 3rd at midnight. Group 1 must respond to two of those provocations by class time on the 6th.
Remember, I have posted the grading rubric for your posts here: https://wp.nyu.edu/licastro_fall14/tag/rubric/
This is reflected in our adjusted schedule.