Category Archives: Assignments
Manovich assignment
For Wednesday, September 24th, you must finish reading the chapter from Manovich and use that as a basis to write a definition of “New Media” in your own words as a post on our site.
You should research this term further through our other readings (especially the “Geology of Media” article) and by searching for this term online. Please use scholarly sources, such as those found using Google Scholar and your library databases, and use them to critique the popular definitions found in the media. Your goal is to write a thorough definition of this term that we can use as a basis for further discussion in this class. You should use and define the vocabulary you have familiarized yourself with by reading Manovich and others in your post. Cite all of the sources you use in MLA format and through hyperlinks when possible.
Post this as category “Reflections” and tag it as “New Media.”
MY DIGITAL LITERACY NARRATIVE – SAKSHI AGARWAL
So my story has a quite strange beginning: I could not speak until the age of 3. While I was doing speech therapy, my mom had the ingenious idea of reading to me every night as a way of communicating with me through books. My earliest memory is of me reading a Ladybird nursery book while my mom made strange noises (that was her way of trying to get me talking). As you can see, I learned to read before I could even talk. Literature has ever since been a part of who I am. I read books like I breathe air.
Fast forward a few years, I had my first e-mail account. My dad created it for me and it was his ‘brilliant’ idea to fashion my e-mail id after his: sakshi_uae@hotmail.com. I used that account for 8 years until Microsoft transformed Hotmail into Outlook in 2012. As the years passed, I learned how to use Microsoft Word, which has since played a significant role in my writing process. I forayed into the world of social media for the first time when I (secretly) created a Facebook account in 2007. My childhood friend Asha introduced me to it and since I was just a neophyte (or plain stupid), my first Facebook post is this:
Since then, Facebook has continued to be my predominant social media platform (I don’t like Twitter!)
I have also been an avid blogger since 2010, when I created my first Tumblr account (the Tumblr blog I use now is from 2011). My love for blogging compelled me to create a short-lived WordPress blog about women’s rights and their contributions to society. Through blogging, I realized I could be an activist of social change. I became more active in this arena when I started working at NGOs and village schools where I taught poor children English.
Embarrassingly, this was my version of being ‘cool’ when I was 15.
I became serious as a writer when I created my first (and probably only) digital magazine on teen health. It was an exciting experience that made me realize that I loved writing. I also wrote my first published article on personal care, which appeared in an independent magazine called one8one. But when I had to write a short story for my English class, I realized that I was more of a ‘non-fiction’ writer because I like writing about life and the world.
However, the year 2012 was a very hard time for me personally as I had to deal with the loss of a loved one. Thus emerged my phase of journal writing that started from the creation of an online journal, which changed to an art journal and finally became a paperback diary. It was an experience that transformed me as a person and a writer, because I was able to vent my anger and frustration and also reflect on my life. Journal-writing was my therapy and a way to cope with life.
It was interesting to condense my experience with media in this narrative because I could see the growing role that it played in every aspect of my life. Throughout the process, I realized that media has also had an overarching presence in my writing. It has challenged me as a writer and allowed me to explore my hidden depths. No matter how many people curse modern media, I am confident when I say that I have become a better writer because of technology.
And now I present my timeline:
http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/336107/My-Digital-Literacy-Narrative/
Digital Literacy History – Josh Melnick
http://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline/latest/embed/index.html?source=0AjMJdJLFwuecdHJPQkxEeXVwUmZ4V1FPclE4UlFXb1E&font=Bevan-PotanoSans&maptype=toner&lang=en&height=650
My digital history dates back to my earliest waking memories. It might have been video games that flipped a switch in my brain and triggered my consciousness. My mother brought home a computer from her work and set up a game from 1993 called Myst. I spent as much time as I possibly could playing Myst. I loved it. Looking back, I didn’t interact with it in any ways that the game considered meaningful, but those interactions were still deeply powerful to me. Exploring a desolate cryptic island opened my eyes to what could be done in digital media.
My next milestone was another simple program my parents installed in that computer, Kid Pix. For those unaware, Kid Pix was a very basic image editing program that was based on simple tools, primarily stamps. It was accessible and user friendly; It allowed kids to create things. While they rarely amounted to much more than refrigerator art, it was still creation.
The next few pieces of my timeline involve writing. Writing has always been an important means of communication and expression for me, and it all started with self-expression about games. Almost all of my important moments of writing and digital interaction are in some way traceable to games.
In high school, I started writing for fun. Mostly in a blog that no longer exists, but also largely on Twitter. Twitter became a very large part of my professional networking, and I quickly built a digital rolodex. Once I started speedrunning and playing competitive fighting games, Twitter became even more important in staying connected with distant friends.
In late 2013, I started doing a little PR in independent games for friends who were showing their work off at festivals and conventions. It’s unclear exactly where this history is leading, in terms of a future career in writing or in PR or one of a number of other options, but the influence of games on my life has been dramatic and it seems unlikely that is going to change.
Not only has digital media become my passion, but it also frames my interactions with other people, both professionally and personally. Twitter has forced me to make my writing public and encouraged brevity. I have spent my whole life trying to find my voice in my writing, and Twitter has perhaps done more than any other singular writing tool to help me develop it.
Digital Literacy Narrative
Starting from the first book I ever read to the first social media platform I managed, my life has been greatly affected by technological advancements. After I read my first book, Frog and Toad, I went on to write a book about my travels as a horseback rider in Kindergarten. I remember being extremely proud of my book because it was the first time I had ever conveyed an idea through writing. Improving my use of language, I took to spelling in order to increase my vocabulary and grammatical abilities. I took delight whenever I spelled a difficult word correctly because it represented a concrete challenge that I could overcome. With my newfound appreciate for the English language, I started to create more in-depth stories and in second grade one story, Disaster Girl, won an award. Using words like “pandemonium,” “catastrophe,” “calamity,” and “cataclysm,” I channeled my love for words into a more succinct end product- a story.
Once I could express my thoughts on paper, I moved into a more digital world. From learning to type, creating a PowerPoint, and making my first e-mail address I brought in an array of digital tools to convey my ideas through technology. Finally my parents had enough confidence in my technological skills that they allowed me to get my own laptop in seventh grade. The silver shine of the apple brought with it the promise of so much; the world was at my fingertips. Catalyzing the use of online media, my computer superseded everything that came before it. Then came Facebook and Twitter, revolutionizing the way I communicated with the world around me. Once I learned the impact that an online presence could have, I began to question the limits of what one could do with this presence.
Following my Bat Mitzvah in 2009 where I read from the Torah for the first time, I began to feel more connected to the Jewish community around me. Through this connection, I volunteered to work at my temple café on Sundays. Yael, who, at the time, owned an online bakery, was selling the baked goods at the café. We began chatting and she realized the need for an increased online presence for her business. In February of 2013 I began to work with Baked By Yael on a revitalized social media initiative and by June of 2013 we had raised $74,000 through a social media and public relations campaign that I spearheaded. I think that my work with Yael taught me the importance of new digital technologies and how they can impact the everyday person.
Through the creation of my digital literacy timeline, I learned how to use another digital tool to convey a point. Much like Facebook, Twitter, or a PowerPoint, my digital literacy timeline conveys a message through a digital platform.
http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/336099/My-life-in-words/
Book Traces Event
Class,
As we discussed last week, we have been invited to participate in an amazing collaborative project called Book Traces. On Wednesday, October 8th, at 2pm we will meet at Columbia University in the Studio@Butler in Butler Library: http://library.columbia.edu/locations/butler.html. Butler Library is the main humanities library and is the large columned neo-classical building to your right as you walk into the campus from Broadway at 116th Street, not the domed classical building (that says Library) to your left. The easiest way to get to Columbia Morningside campus is to take the 1 to 116th St.
Before we go, I would like you to read the post about the event, this article from The Atlantic on the project, and the article by Dr. Andrew Stauffer which is listed under “Readings (password protected).”
Expect to be there for at least a full hour, and know that you are invited to stay until the 4pm closing event. I will meet you at the Studio with Dr. Stauffer. Class will be cancelled that evening.
For those that can make it, please RSVP in the comments with your full name. Each of you will be expected to post a short reflection about what you learned/discovered after the event (due Monday).
For those who cannot attend, I have an alternative assignment we will discuss in class. Please email me for details.
Digital Literacy Assignment
Each of us learned to read and write using a variety of tools which have transformed the way we interact with the world. Using tiki-toki as your platform (advanced users may try TimelineJS), create a timeline that showcases your digital literacy journey. To do this:
- On paper, list all of the moments in your life where reading and/or writing played an important role. Then list the tools you used, and describe how you were introduced and learned to use those tools.
- Select the 15-20 most significant moments and arrange them chronologically. Fill in the details of those moments, giving your audience a clear sense of why they are important in your personal journey.
- Research the dates associated with the tools you are highlighting – when where they invented, by whom, what date were they released to the public, at what price, etc.
- Set up a free account on tiki-toki and experiment placing your events on the timeline. Include pictures, videos, and quotes when appropriate.
- Create a blog post that showcases your timeline and includes the text of your digital literacy narrative.
- Prepare a 5 minute presentation of your digital literacy narrative. Time yourself! Practice! You will be evaluated by me, your classmates, and your special guest.
Remember:
- This text should be aimed to a general audience of your peers, but please edit carefully and think of this as an academic presentation.
- I would not expect this to be longer than 5 paragraphs. The writing is a chance to expand and explain the timeline itself.
- Please reflect on what you learned through the process of creating the timeline, and include this in your post.
- Categorize this as “Reflections” and tag it as “timeline.”
Post the draft by Friday, September 19th (by 11:59pm), and comment on at least 3 of your classmates projects by Sunday night. You will present the finished projects on Monday the 22nd.
Introduction: Mikaela Baruch
Mikaela Baruch, or Mikaela Sarah, her social media alias, which she uses for her various social media accounts, is a jewish girl from L.A. who loves Emma Watson. Mikaela also happens to like One Direction, specifically Harry Styles, and gets frustrated when she doesn’t have access to Netflix, but then again who doesn’t get agitated when one can’t stream “Orange is the New Black” or my personal favorite, “House of Cards“. Last year she suffered from bouts of Senioritis, something we can all relate to. Also, she graduated from Windward School, a premier college prep school which is located in the Mar Vista neighborhood in Los Angeles. Apparently some of her friends went onto the University of Michigan for college, but she makes it very clear on social media that she does not attend there. She’s gluten-free and likes the show “Friends;” you can’t go wrong with either. Her favorite sport athletes consist of Darius Morris and Gabrielle Douglas, both of whom have residences in Los Angeles.
All in all, Mikaela is a pretty dynamic person, and a pretty active user of social media who is very excited to live in NYC.
Blog post rubric
As you will notice from the syllabus, you will be posting to this course blog regularly throughout the semester. While I encourage you to post short reflections and items of interest for the class whenever you come across something worth of sharing, there are specific, directed posts you must make as a part of this course. For the “provocations” noted in the syllabus, you will be providing a close reading of a small section of text including your initial analysis and posing questions you would like to discuss further with the class.
These writing assignments are broken down into groups (3 groups, 5 students per group), which rotate roles. On the week you are not posting a provocation you must respond to at least two of your peers through the comment feature.
Here is a breakdown of how these posts will be graded:
| Rating | Characteristics |
| 4 | Exceptional. The blog post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic. |
| 3 | Satisfactory. The blog post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic. |
| 2 | Underdeveloped. The blog post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic. |
| 1 | Limited. The blog post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic. |
| 0 | No Credit. The blog post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.
(Adapted from Mark Sample) |
Introductions
For your first assignment, I would like you to post an Introduction of your partner, here on our course site. To do this you must first find out as much about your partner as possible using the internet. They should only personally provide you with basic information (full name, high school, etc). Once you are ready to post, follow these steps:
- Login to this site on the left hand side
- Go to the Dashboard of our site
- Create a new post
- Compose an informative post that tells us about your partner (feel free to use pictures, videos, and links to other fun stuff)
- Tag your post as “introduction” on the bottom right of the post, and categorize your post as “Reflections.” This is very important, if you do not put a tag and category on your post it will not show up on the correct section of the site, nor will you receive credit for doing this assignment.
- Publish the post
If you have any questions please contact me.
I’m looking forward to meeting all of you!