Archives for January 2016

Creating Your Identity Image

This is the post for the Friday, January 29, 2016 class meeting.

I think this might be Photoshopped memeFor today, you watched “Images and Words” from Foundations of Layout and Composition with Sean Adams. You will apply the information in those videos as you look at examples and create your own image, but first we’ll go over some design tips and look at some example images.

Example Projects

These examples were created by students who took the course in the Fall. As we look at these images, I will ask you to talk about how they illustrate the concepts from the videos you watched:

  1. Alex
  2. Amelia
  3. Anna
  4. Colleen
  5. Diane
  6. Elizabeth
  7. Hilary
  8. Jessica
  9. Kayleigh
  10. Paul

The student who composed Wanderlust took the class in Spring 2015 and was responding to a slightly different assignment. She used the Burn Tool in PhotoShop to create the effect in the image.

Embedding Your Image in Your Text

These videos demonstrate how to insert and wrap text around your images:

If you did not take the image yourself, be sure to include a photo credit. You can indicate that you edited the photo as well. Here’s an example:

Photo: Roberta Kowalski. Edited by the author using PicMonkey.

Photo: Detail from a photo by Emma Jones-Butler. Edited with FotoFlexor.

Editing Images

  1. PicMonkey logoGo to PicMonkey.com. It’s a free site, and it does not require a login.
  2. Watch for the crown logo, which represents Royale upgrades that you would have to pay for. Don’t waste time on them.
  3. Make sure you have a backup of your original image and that the image is available on your computer.
  4. Choose Edit and then upload your image.
  5. Crop out any distractions in the background so that the image focuses on the main point.
  6. Edit the image as you like, adding filters, special effects, and so forth.
  7. Add text to the image that complements the image and helps communicate the message you are making.
  8. Save your image with a new name and make a backup.

We are using PicMonkey in class because it’s easy and free. You can use whatever image editor you like for the image you create for Project 1. Other web-based tools you might use include FotoFlexor, Canva, Pixlr Editor, and BeFunky.

Regardless of the tool you choose, you need to crop out distractions and add some text to your image. See the documentation for the tool you have chosen if you need help.

In-Class Writing

Go to the Quizzes tool in Canvas and take the "Image Editing" quiz. All you have to do is upload the image you worked on in class and tell me whatever I need to know about it. It does not have to be polished or finished. It doesn’t even have to be the image you decide to use for the project.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete your "Image Editing" quiz in Canvas, please use the grace period to finish by 6 PM Sunday (1/31).

For Monday’s session (2/1), do the following before class:

  • Have a draft of your image and text ready to share in class. We will spend part of the session on peer review and part talking about how to submit your work and the reflection comments.

 

Project One Overview

This is the post for the Wednesday, January 27, 2016 class meeting.

Tell Me Your Majors and Minors

New Yorker cartoon: On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.Login to your computer, and complete the Majors/Minors Survey for your class time. The survey is anonymous.

Why? I need an idea of your majors and minors to come up with examples for the course. Many of you have more than one major and/or minor, so the information I can see in Hokiespa isn’t adequate. Further, your major may not give me enough information. For instance, you may be pre-law, but all I can see is that you are a Language and Literature major.

Questions about Project 1

I’ve created a Google Doc where you can post any questions that you have about Project 1. Go to the document for your class, and add any questions you have. I’ll then use your questions to guide the information we discuss for the project.

In-Class Writing

Go to the Quizzes tool in Canvas and take the "Project 1 Audience and Goals" quiz. You will tell me about your goals and audience for the first project and your portfolio.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete the "Project 1 Audience and Goals" quiz, please use the grace period to finish by 6 PM tomorrow (Thursday, 1/28).

  • Optional, watch Personal Branding Basics with Lorrie Thomas Ross (“Understanding Personal Branding” and “Establishing Your Brand”) — a very professional, career-oriented view of online identity. You will need to log onto Lynda.com with your Virginia Tech PID and password (It’s free).

Before Friday’s session, please do the following:

  • 1:25 Class: I my be late, as we have a department meeting immediately preceding class.

  • Log onto Lynda.com with your Virginia Tech PID and password. View the “Images and Words” (11m 24s) from Foundations of Layout and Composition with Sean Adams.

  • Take a photo (or find one) that you can edit in class, and put it someplace that you will be able to access in class. It can be an image you want to use in Project 1, but it doesn’t have to be. Choose something appropriate for the classroom.

For Monday’s session, if you want to get ahead, do the following before class:

  • Have a draft of your image and text ready to share in class. We will spend part of the session on peer review and part talking about how to submit your work and the reflection comments.


 

Welcome to Writing and Digital Media

This is the post for the Monday, January 25, 2016 class meeting.

Meme of the Most Interesting Cat in the World, with the caption Welcome to Writing & Digital MediaWelcome to English 3844, Writing and Digital Media. This site is the official home for our course. All project assignments, class activities, and related resources will be posted here.

Class Work for 1/25

  • Go over the syllabus, including the course policies.
  • Keeping up with the course:
    • Check this site regularly.
    • Use the Twitter account @VTtengrrl (also in the sidebar).
    • Subscribe Via Email, using the form in the sidebar.
    • Announcements and notifications from Canvas.
  • Log into Canvas and explore the tools available.

In-class Writing for 1/25

Go to Discussions in Canvas and choose the 1,000,000 Words or Less post. Follow the instructions there to write your post and to read and reply to your classmates. Optionally, you can compose your text in a word processor (Word, Google Drive, etc.) and then copy and paste the text into Canvas.

Homework

For today, please do the following:

  • If you didn’t complete in-class writing, please use the grace period to respond to the 1,000,000 Words or Less post in Canvas Discussions by 6 PM tomorrow (Tuesday, 1/26).

Before Wednesday’s session, please do the following:

  • Go back to the 1,000,000 Words or Less post in Canvas and read any replies that you haven’t seen.

  • Read the assignment for Project 1: Online Identity Profile, and begin thinking about the kind of portfolio you want to make for the course. Note any questions that you have about the assignment to ask in class. We will talk about audience and purpose on Wednesday.

  • If you want, follow the Twitter account @VTtengrrl or Subscribe Via Email to this site. Check the sidebar for more info.

  • If you have any questions about Canvas, use the Help link on the Canvas site, and check out the Canvas: Getting Started for Students article.


 

Course Overview

This is the post for Wednesday, January 20, 2016.

Because the course website and syllabus were not yet ready, we went over some basic course details and looked at some sample projects using a handout on Google Drive. The content of that handout is included below.


English 3844 introduces the fundamental practices and emerging theories of writing with, and for, digital media, including basic computational authoring in HTML and CSS syntaxes, critical interpretation of online sources, social media management, and topics of computational abstraction for writers.  [tl;dr: we will explore ways to use computer technology to communicate with others.]

Textbook

Kristin L. Arola, Cheryl E. Ball, & Jennifer Sheppard. Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.

Four Major Projects

  • An online profile
  • A blog-based writing portfolio
  • An analytical web essay
  • A narrative remix

Final Project Examples

Class Survey

For homework, please complete the survey linked below by 6 PM tomorrow night (Thursday, 1/21) so that I have time to read your responses before class on Friday.

You will need to login with your VT.EDU email address and email password.

Survey Link: http://goo.gl/forms/sT9L5mPlwO