Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society—from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and cognitive digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability to both access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to “speak” the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on exercises and projects, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge theory and practice. We will explore contemporary issues including: digital imaging, the computer as a medium, typography, copyright, sound and moving image, and web design. We will concern ourselves with “how” and “why” the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives.

Learning Goals

A successful student will develop the following skills by the end of the semester:

• Use a Macintosh computer, Photoshop (digital imaging) and Dreamweaver (for web design) to generate media.
• Understand the function and relationship of computer hardware, operating systems, input/output devices and the Internet.
• Generate media that is critical and cognizant of a larger context (social, political, historical, and/or economical).
• Develop an appreciation and understanding of the production process.
• Successfully find solutions to technical problems.
• Give and receive constructive feedback in a group setting.
• Use feedback given to others in the generation of new work.
• Develop, present and articulate creative ideas in both written and verbal formats.
• Analyze your relationship with digital technology, the role it plays in your life, in your work, in our society, and in the world.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (4-8 GB) - OR - portable Hard Drive

texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

attitude:
Your enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn.

optional technical texts:
Technical books become out of date quickly; I recommend finding an appropriate online resource. Many tutorials (of varying quality) are available without cost online. Good video tutorials are available from Adobe. More advanced and complete tutorials specifically selected for this course are available at Lynda.com for $35. w3Schools offers great resources for coding (HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, etc.).

optional history/theory texts:

• The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
• Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
• The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 55%

This is where its at - you can't learn web development by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Digital Media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Final Project: 25%

This group project integrates many of the skills you will learn this semester. Each team will be assigned a "client". You will perform an analysis of the client's existing website. Using this information, the clients goals and requirements and other research, you will design and build a new website using HTML and CSS.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.
• Ask for help!!!

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced [w:Carpal_tunnel_syndrome|carpal tunnel syndrome].

Eye Strain
Staring at a glowing monitor for extended periods of time can cause headaches, eyestrain and problems with your eyesight. Remember to take frequent short breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on something in the distance, or close your eyes for a moment. Your eyes need a break!

Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation are essential for success in this course. Remember that if you miss one class, you miss an entire week’s worth of material. You are allowed one unexcused absence (for the entire course) without penalty. You are responsible for the material (including exercises and projects) you missed during your absence. Additional unexcused absences will result in a penalty to your final grade in the course: your second absence means your final grade drops one notch (e.g. B+ to B); your third absence drops your grade an additional two notches. Your fourth absence results in a failing grade for the course.

Lateness is also damaging to the class dynamic and chronic lateness will adversely affect your final grade. Three late arrivals to class (or early departures) during the course of the 14 week sessions results in a loss of a full letter grade of your final grade in the course. A lateness is arrival to the classroom 10 minutes past the starting time or departure more than 10 minutes before class ends.

Any late assignments, written or media based, will result in a deduction of points from the grade for the assignment.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1: February 1

In class:

• Course Overview - Focus on experiential and active learning, problem solving and life skills
• Introduction to Computers & Mac OS - Dock, Desktop, Server, RAM, ROM, Hard Drive, Processor, Ergonomics
• Layout Basics - Composition, Focal Point, Focus, Scale, Color, Contrast, Rhythm, Dynamic
• Photoshop: Layers & Transformation - Layers, Duplicate Layer, Transform (Scale, stretch, squash, rotate, translate), Alpha/Transparency, Blend Modes, Saving, File Types

Week 2: February 8

In class:

• Review Reading - Labels/Captions, Assemblage, Insertions, Deletion, Substitution, Cropping/Framing, Composites, Record/Document, Communication, Identification
• View “Retouched Photos” - Ethics, Responsibility, Representation
• Digital Imaging Concepts - Resolution, Pixels, Color Wheel, Inputs/Outputs, Analog vs. Digital
• Photoshop: Digital Imaging - Variations, Levels, Clone Stamp, Airbrushing, Dodge & Burn
• Scanning

Read for today:

• “How to do Things with Pictures” by William Mitchell [pdf]

Due:

1. Find an image in the world (magazine, Internet, on the street) that makes use of one of the techniques discussed in the chapter.
2. Write a 1-page response that explains this technique and how it was used (or misused) to convey a specific meaning to the viewer.
3. Turn in your typed response and a printout of the image (with your name and date)

Due:

• Collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

Week 3: February 15

In class:

• Review Reading - Who is involved in the re-touching process? What are the responsibilities/ethics associated with the profession? What are the similarities/differences to cosmetic surgery? What role does digital technology play in our understanding of body and body manipulation?
• View Example Composite Images
• Copyright - Copyright vs. Plaigarism, Fair Use, Creative Commons, copies & distribution, derivative works, “tangible form of expression”, Protection, Purpose/Origins
• Photoshop: Compositing Basics - Selections, Masks, Copy & Paste, Replace Color, Patch

Read for today:

•  "Pixel Perfect" by Lauren Collins

 Due:

• Image Repair

Week 4: February 22

In class:

• View & Discuss Digital Cosmetic Surgery Assignments - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Focal point
• Exercise: Finding & Matching Perspective
• Photoshop: Faking It - Distort, Creating Shadows

 Due:

• Cosmetic Surgery
• Bring Materials for Self-Portrait

Week 5: March 1

In class:

• View & Discus Self-Portrait Composite Images - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Concept
• Photoshop Tennis
• Introduce HTML

Due:

• Self-Portrait

Week 6: March 8

In class:

• Continue with HTML - Tags, Attributes, File Structure, HTML Grammar, Naming Conventions
• Write HTML Page: body, head, title, img, a, p, br

link to HTML cheat sheet

Read for today:

• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 1
• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 2

Week 7: March 15

In class:

• Introduction to Dreamweaver - Setting up site/Managing Site; Images & Links; Tables (cell, column, row, padding, spacing, border); Save for Web
• Discuss Website Project and Process
• Planning: Purpose/Mission, Content, Audience, Client, Writing, Editing, Information Architecture
• Design: Research-Mockup-Revision cycle
• Implementation: Templates, Testing, Make “live”
• Design Research - What is the website's mission and purpose? What goals would you like a website to help you reach? Who is your target audience? What do you know about the audience? What are their aesthetic and informational needs/desires? How can we find out more details? Who are your competitors and partners?
• Establish Teams

Due:

• False Identity

Week 8: March 22

In class:

• Mockup Basics - Resolution, Color Scheme Choices/Options, Integration of Logo, Maintaining Identity, Navigation
• Site Maps
• View Web Design Examples

Read for today:

• Usability Testing

 Due:

• 1-2 Creative Brief for Niche, your final project

Week 9: April 5

In class:

• Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets (CSS): Styling Text - Why Style?, Internal Vs. External Styles, Syntax, Selector, Property, Value
• View & Discuss Mockups - Composition/Layout; Focal Point; Color; Compliments organization and mission; Clear Structure; Fulfills recommendations
• Typography Basics - Serif, Sans-Serif, Concord, Contrast, Conflict, Size, Color, Cases, Style, Weight, Alignment, Readability, Legibility, Fonts, lorem ipsum
• Information Architecture and Information Hierarchy - Strategies to guide your audience through information
• Meet with Design Teams: Work on Revised Design

Read for today:

• Web Typography; Typographic Contrast & Flow

 Due:

• Usability Study
• Sitemap
• Mockup - 1st Draft

April 12 - NO CLASS - Advising

Week 10: April 19

In class:

• Review Styling Text Exercise
• From HTML Pages to HTML Sites - Best Practices, Linking Pages, Organization
• Digging Into CSS - Cascading Rules, Box Model (Height, Width, Margin, Border, Padding), Float, Class, ID, Styling HTML Tags, background, Starting from templates

Read for today:

• CSS Typography: Contrast Techniques, Tutorials and Best Practices – not just the homepage!!!

Due:

• Collect Materials for client Site (edit text, photos, etc.; create necessary graphics)
• CSS Styling Text Exercise #1
• CSS Exercise #2 (done in class)

Week 11: April 26

In class:

• HTML Implementation - Creating Templates; Comments; Making a Site Live; Testing In Multiple Browsers on Multiple Platforms
• Meet with Design Teams
• Continue Developing CSS Mockup

 Due:

•  * Final Website - 1st draft

Week 12: May 3

• Refining your templates
• Adding media - video, sound

Week 13: May 10

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
• Site Testing

 Due:

• Final Website - 2nd draft

Week 14: May 17 NOTE: LAST CLASS

In class:

• Final Presentation of Sites

Syllabus

Course Description

In this second semester of the multimedia course sequence, students will develop, design and produce their own advanced interactive projects. Media theorist Lev Manovich claims we are living in 'Generation Flash'. Low bandwidth Internet connections created a demand for lightweight vector graphics software spurring a new aesthetic sensibility. Flash is an authoring environment that allows artists to weave together traditional linear animation, user interactivity, object-oriented programming and multimedia (video, sound, etc) blurring the lines between art, design and computer programming. In this class we introduce the fundamental principles of Flash animation and basic Action Script. Prerequisite: COMM 225.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to integrate many forms of digital media into cohesive multimedia projects using the Macromedia Flash authoring environment.
• You will use basic principles of computer programming to add interactivity to your projects.
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to take ideas through a complete design process from concept to production.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (4-8 GB) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

Grade Weights

Participation:

25% A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Projects:

50% You can't learn digital media passively or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. To learn this stuff you have to make things! Digital media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques & software. If you do each project you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly.

Final Project:

25% This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will help to suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Plan ahead! Digital media projects can be incredibly time consuming and occupy a lot of time outside of class. Don't leave things for the last minute.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation are essential for success in this course. Remember that if you miss one class, you miss an entire week’s worth of material. You are allowed one unexcused absence (for the entire course) without penalty. You are responsible for the material (including exercises and projects) you missed during your absence. Additional unexcused absences will result in a penalty to your final grade in the course: your second absence means your final grade drops one notch (e.g. B+ to B); your third absence drops your grade an additional two notches. Your fourth absence results in a failing grade for the course.

Lateness is also damaging to the class dynamic and chronic lateness will adversely affect your final grade. Three late arrivals to class (or early departures) during the course of the 14 week sessions results in a loss of a full letter grade of your final grade in the course. A lateness is arrival to the classroom 10 minutes past the starting time or departure more than 10 minutes before class ends.

Any late assignments, written or media based, will result in a deduction of points from the grade for the assignment.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1: February 1 - introduction - Setting the Stage

• introduction, syllabus, etc
• tour of the Flash authoring environment, vector graphics
• using text - static, broken, dynamic
• the Stage - movie properties
• frame-by-frame animation

look:

• http://www.yhchang.com
• http://www.6amhoover.com
• http://www.bornmagazine.org

Week 2: February 8 - T E X T

• drawing tools, shapes, strokes, fills, grouping
• shape tweens and shape hints

look:

• http://www.theyrule.net
• http://teddiesinspace.com/
• http://escapelab.com.au/
• http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.html
• http://becominghuman.org/

DUE today: "t e x t" - choose a word and illustrate either its mood or tone or meaning in a frame-by-frame animation. You may only use the one word - no other words are allowed. You may use other shapes. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 12 frames per second and EXACTLY 60 frames in duration.

Week 3: February 15 - drawing a Tween - remix culture

• The Timeline - layers, framerate, keyframes
• Motion Tweens - shape, motion (position, scale, color, alpha)
• Using Symbols

DUE today: "morph-olution" - Create an animation that explores the notion of evolution in at least 5 stages. The project should incorporate at least 2 shape tweens that utilize shape hints. The final result should be a "perfect loop" - it should end exactly where it began. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 24 frames per second and 10 seconds in duration.

Week 4: February 22 - creating a Mask - Thinking about Time

• importing artwork from illustrator/photoshop
• creating masks
• using motion paths and guides

DUE today: "crowded" - Create an animation of a walking crowd of people. Your animation should use MovieClips and MotionTweens.

Week 5: March 1 - incorporating Sound

• Finding sounds online
• Importing sound, recording sound in the classroom
• Event sound, streaming sound gets sounds:
  http://sounddogs.com
  http://flashkit.com

DUE today: "Banner Ad Jam" Think about the ad banners on websites as public spaces similar to billboards, posters, signs & other advertisements. Plan & design a 468x60 (24 fps) Ad Banner in flash that utilizes images and text and incorporates a corporate logo. The banner can advertise your love for something or someone, can express a political message, can be humorous - keep in mind that this is meant to be presented in a public places. You should be able to make the argument that your piece is an example of Culture jamming.
http://www.logotypes.ru/default_e.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming

Week 6: March 8 - animation Tricks

• Animation techniques: easing, blur, gravity
• Working with MovieClips - nesting and animated loops

DUE today: "My Life" - Animate your life story in 30 seconds or less (bunnies optional). Your flash movie should be 640x480 at 24 fps. - 1st draft should include your soundtrack/voice over and approximately 10 seconds of completed animation (This will be graded)
http://www.angryalien.com
http://www.oddtodd.com

Week 7: March 15 - the Loop - Generation Flash

• Creating buttons
• Using Behaviors
• Using ActionScript

DUE today: "My Life" - final draft of My Life.

Week 8: March 22 - make it Interactive

• ActionScript - data types and variables
• Functions and events
• Input/dynamic text

DUE today: How-To script/storyboard Have a sitemap and at least 2 of the 5 scenes.

Week 9: April 5 - make it even more Interactive

• Approaches to navigation
• ActionScript - reusable functions

look:

• http://www.themeatrix.com
• http://dontclick.it
• http://www.mono-1.com/monoface/main.html
• http://www.strindbergandhelium.com
• http://www.amanitadesign.com

DUE today: How-To first draft

No Class April 12 - Advising Day

Week 10: April 19 - incorporating video

• encoding flash video files
• controlling video with behaviors.
• Introduce final project

look:

• http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end
• http://fsk.deviantart.com/art/Line-Rider-beta-40255643
• http://www.beonlineb.com/click_around.html
• http://specials.washingtonpost.com/video/onbeing/
• http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
• http://www.kirkshouse.com/
• http://www.donniedarkofilm.com/
• http://otnemem.com/index.html
• http://www.requiemforadream.com/
• http://www.wooagency.com/
• http://www.presstube.com/
• http://www.tokyoplastic.com/

DUE today: "How To": With a partner, develop an interactive Flash movie that illustrates/teaches your audience how to do something. This could be anything from how to make a PB&J sandwich to how to knit to how to make a Flash movie. It must have at least 5 different scenes; at least 1 voiceover and it must utilize buttons for your audience to interact with.

Week 11: April 26 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

DUE today: Final project proposal:

• project description (include any relevant background info)
• discuss your intended audience
• discuss your visual/aesthetic strategy
• discuss at least 3 URLs of other projects/websites relevant to your project
• Sitemap or Storyboard as appropriate

Week 12: May 3 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

Week 13: May 10 - Open Lab

• Work on Final Projects

Week 14: May 17 - Final Class

• In class critique of final projects and wrap-up

 

Syllabus

Learning Goals

• You will be able to publish (design, write, publicize, maintain) a blog dedicated to a topic(s) of your choice.
• You will be able to make contributions (design and content) to wikis and other online collaborative authoring environments.
• You will be able to discuss concepts of privacy and social networks as they relate to your digital identity.
• You will be able to discuss the relationship of participatory culture to notions of citizenship and democracy.
• You will be able to present and articulate your ideas to others in a variety of environments, both online and offline.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
generosity and good will

required texts:
all required readings will be handed out in class or available online at: http://sodacity.net/courses

Grade Weights

Participation: 10%
A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Pecha Kucha (chit chat): 10%
A passionate presentation of 20 slides shown for exactly 20 seconds each - click here for Pecha Kucha guidelines.

Qwik Writes 10%

Occasionally I will give "pop" in-class writing assignments, in which you will be asked to make critical reflections on the day's readings.

Citizen Journalism 20%
You will develop and maintain your own "inquiry blog" over the course of the semester. In writing your blog you will strive to develop a unique and personal voice about topics that are interesting and important to you. You will experiment with connecting and communicating with your readers.

Collective Intelligence 15%
As a class, we will engage in an experiment about massive authorship. Over the course of the semester, we will use a wiki, a form of collaborative software, to collectively research, write and visualize a specific topic. You will write a reflective essay comparing and contrasting your experience of writing an individual blog to co-authoring a wiki.

Your Public/Private Self 10%
Assignment details forthcoming.

Your Social Graph 10%
Assignment details forthcoming.

Final Paper/Project: 15%
This will be a group project - details will be presented later in the semester.

Digital Media Lab

Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Digital Media Labs in room 556 or 559. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation are essential for success in this course. Remember that if you miss one class, you miss an entire week’s worth of material. You are allowed one unexcused absence (for the entire course) without penalty. You are responsible for the material (including exercises and projects) you missed during your absence. Additional unexcused absences will result in a penalty to your final grade in the course: your second absence means your final grade drops one notch (e.g. B+ to B); your third absence drops your grade an additional two notches. Your fourth absence results in a failing grade for the course.

Lateness is also damaging to the class dynamic and chronic lateness will adversely affect your final grade. Three late arrivals to class (or early departures) during the course of the 14 week sessions results in a loss of a full letter grade of your final grade in the course. A lateness is arrival to the classroom 10 minutes past the starting time or departure more than 10 minutes before class ends.

Any late assignments, written or media based, will result in a deduction of points from the grade for the assignment.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week by week course schedule:

Assignments

Pecha Kucha

One week you will collaborate with a classmate to share or give something to the rest of the class. Each group will follow the "Pecha Kucha" presentation format 20 slides shown for exactly 20 seconds each. Presentations will be given at the beginning of each class. You must email me by the Tuesday night before your presentation with a zipped folder of your 20 slides according to the following convention:

format: 20 jpg images (1024 x 768 pixels, landscape orientation)
naming: your initials followed by consecutive numbers, i.e. ms-01.jpg, ms-02.jpg, ms-03.jpg

Please follow this format - if you don't your images will appear in the wrong order and affect your presentation. And please PRACTICE your presentation in advance to make sure your slides are named correctly.

presentation: each group shows 20 images. You have 20 seconds to show each image. You have no control over this. It will be programmed on a computer, so you should be fast and we recommend you practice your presentation. Members of each group should speak equally.

What should you present? The key to a great presentation is to present something you love - a creative project, your prized collection, how to make something…this is an opportunity to share something you enjoy greatly or feel passionate about. Here are some sites to refer to:

• http://www.pecha-kucha.org/ - watch previous Pecha Kucha presentations for inspiration
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha - background and related websites

Inquiry Blog

• due: February 9 - blog brainstorm
• due: February 16 - blog creation, "hello, world" post, and 1st blog post
• due: 1 reflection or "digest" post weekly until April 20th (10 posts total + hello world) - these weekly posts should be 250-300 words in length (or longer) - use this tool to get a word count. You can "tumbl" (aka research) as regularly as you want. I'd suggest trying to post 1 item a day (you can schedule or "queue" these in advance). Regular posting helps to build your audience.

Your Public/Private Self

DUE: 3-4 page essay
This essay should grow out of your experiences in Second Life and the social bookmarking website del.icio.us.

1. Take a snapshot of your SL avatar and attach it to this assignment.
2. Describe the appearance of your avatar in Second Life in depth.
   • does your avatar resemble you?
   • do you change your appearance frequently or do you have one standard appearance?
   • what motivated any changes your made?
   • did you ask others for feedback on "how you look"?
   • have you spent any money on your appearance? How much? On what?
   • do you like how you look in Second Life?
   • are there changes you'd like to make but can't due to lack of funds, skills, etc?
3. Conduct interviews with 2 other people in Second Life (who are not in our class).
   • be sure to inform them that you are doing research for a class and that nothing they tell you will be posted publicly to the Internet.
   • ask your subjects questions about their own appearance
   • what motivates the way they look (certain gestures, purposefully androgynous, dressed as an animal or object)?
   • summarize each subject's comments
   • reflect on the role/meaning of appearance in Second Life. How does the way people form identities in this environment differ/align with Real Life. What were your expectations and how did they measure up to your actual experiences?
4. Finally, compare and contrast the experience of constructing your new alter egos - your new visual + virtual Second Life self/avatar and your new metadata delicious.com self. Specifically address how your notion of privacy is different with these identities than in Real Life (RL).

Social Graph

DUE: write and draw

1. write: How do people display social networks in everyday life (that is, not online)? Give 2 concrete, specific examples. Why do they do this? What are the costs of making this display? The benefits? Does honesty play in?

2. write: Explore two different social networking sites [LinkedIn, Ning, MeetUp, SoundCloud, Orkut, Tribe, Ryze and others…]. One must be LinkedIn and the other is up to you but CANNOT be Facebook. Here is a very big list. What different aspects of your personality/identity can be expressed in these sites? How does the design of these sites facilitate networking? How does this sort of display compare to traditional means of displaying social connectedness. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Are signals of friendship here reliable? Why or why not?

3. draw: a diagram of your social network (family, friends, acquaintances) using nodes and links. Aim to have between 30 and 60 people in your network - the more complete the better. Show connections among those people whom you know know each other. As you draw the diagram, think about where you are placing people - how have you grouped them, what meaning, if any, are you giving to adjacency or top/bottom? Try to identify brokers in your social network.

• Think about how you can draw connecting lines: they can be thicker, thinner, longer, shorted. They can be solid or dashed, dark or light, wavy, curved, straight or angular. Consider the challenge of showing people who are physically distant but personally close.
• Think about the groups/relationships in which people participate in your network. They might range from tight knit groups like families, to loosely focused groups like a college dorm. How can you use color, shape, size to represent these different types of groupings?
• The final result can be turned in as a digital file (photoshop, illustrator, flash) or on a physical sheet of paper. You might consider including a legend or codex for your diagram.

Collective Intelligence

DUE: 4-5 page comparative essay

Compare and contrast your experience of writing an individual blog to that of co-authoring a wiki. Your essay should draw from class readings. Try to look critically at the output of both endeavors.

Some similarities and differences you might consider:

• type of content generated
• quality of the content
• structure of the resulting document
• freedom of expression
• accountability
• strengths and limitations of each
• accessibility
• interactivity, participation

Final Project

The Networked Public Sphere is being designed as we speak. How this occurs will govern what you can do, what you can see, what you look like and who can gain access to what. It is our responsibility to participate in envisioning this future.

Imagine: your team has been offered 10 gazillion dollars of venture capital and a crack team of engineers and computer programmers who can make anything you design. You have 15 minutes to convince the funders that they should pick your project.

The Challenge: design either a new web service, app, or personal display (handheld or wearable device) that augments/enhances social interactivity.

Deliverables: Project Proposal (2-3 pages ) & Presentation (15 minutes)

Teams: work in groups of 3-4

Questions:

• What are you making, what does it do?
• Who are you making it for - who is your audience?
• What kind of identity information is emitted?
• Is the display/service public, private, both?
• How does it interact with other users - proximity, affinities?
• What problem does it set out to address?
• What are some related products/services - how does yours differ?

Project Proposal (2-3 pages)

Project Name: consider a neologism.

Background: How did the idea for this project come about? What is the problem it is trying to solve? Why does it need to exist? Who will use it?

Specifically address:

• Scope - What are you developing? What does the web service or app do? What does it NOT do?
• Audiences - Who are the major types of users you want the software to serve?
• Objectives - What goals should the software help your users meet?

Competitive Analysis: - Assess current alternatives/options. What are their strengths and weaknesses? How does your idea fit into the current landscape? You should case study at least 2 other products or services in this section.

Implementation:

Aesthetics
What is the look and feel for this project? How can specific design decisions make this service/app appealing and usable to your target audience?

Architectural Strategy
What is a suitable platform for your project? What kinds of existing technologies can you leverage (open-source code, hardware)? What kinds of new software/hardware needs to be developed to realize your project?

Social Strategy
Sharing and participatory culture are essential concepts for this course. What concepts of sharing, cooperation, crowdsourcing, open-source, gift economies, the commons, etc can you incorporate into your service. How does this differentiate your service from its competitors.
  

Project Presentation

A 10-15 minute presentation in the form of Power Point or a webpage/blog/tumblr. Please turn in either a copy burned to CD or a URL.

The presentation should incorporate the following:

1. A synopsis of your project proposal (include project name and answers to the above question)
2. 2 Use cases* or scenarios that demonstrate typical user experiences.
3. Visual designs - at least 4 visualizations that depict what the service/device/interface looks like and how it would be used. (These can be incorporated into your use cases.)

!!! your device/service does not have to work - but you need to explain how it would work.

* notes on use cases:

A use case is a description of how users will perform tasks with your software or app. Who can do what?

A use case includes two main parts:

• the steps a user will take to accomplish a particular task
• the way the software should respond to a user's actions

Each use case captures:

• The actor - Who is using the software? What specific characteristics does this user have?
• The goal - What is the user's goal?
• The interaction - What can the user do? How does the software respond?

You should present at least two use cases for your project.

Student Blogs

Blogs written by students in Sharing 101 during the Spring 2011 semester. In no particular order:

• http://annoyingcustomer.tumblr.com/ by Rebecca Acevedo (@XtremelyBadLies)
• http://hookahcaterpillar.tumblr.com/ by Ryan Johnston (@Shotinthedark45)
• http://generation-gap.tumblr.com/ by Evelynne Harary (@lynnegym)
• http://euterpethemuse.tumblr.com/ by Chelsea Hill (@chelseahill13)
• http://whathappenedto.tumblr.com/ by Serguei Astapkov (@what_happenedto)
• http://asyllable.tumblr.com/ by Bridget McLearen (@spinningsea)
• http://nycitychic.tumblr.com/ by April Decaro (@NYCityChic_212)
• http://iseedance.tumblr.com/ by Keenan Cooks (@callmekcookz)
• http://asktunez.tumblr.com/ by Ainsley Kurman (@asktunez)
• http://haitiangirl.tumblr.com/ by Kristina Delatour (@HaitianGirlNY)
• http://mentalgeography.tumblr.com by Sean Levan (@seanydeparrish)
• http://dos-and-dontsoflife.tumblr.com/ by Danielle Ingoglia (@danielley324)
• http://luggagelocalsandlingo.tumblr.com/ by Emily Goodwin (@thetravells)
• http://lets-talk-nyc.tumblr.com/ by Morgan Van Dorn (@Letstalknyc101)
• http://alexandraadventures.tumblr.com/ by Alexandra Harvey (@ajrharvey)
• http://styellexo.tumblr.com/ by Marielle Almanzar (@ellealmz)
• http://dessertisserved.tumblr.com/ by Karissa Basile (@mebeingK)
• http://kmk23.tumblr.com/ by Kayla Kreidell (@kmkreidell)
• http://world-of-food.tumblr.com/ by Christina Davies (@cc_davies)
• http://in-ones-cups.tumblr.com/ by Sydney Zarp (@inonescups)
• http://500squarefeet.tumblr.com/ by Leah Hagenstein

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society--from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and cognitive digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability to both access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to “speak” the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on exercises and projects, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge theory and practice. We will explore contemporary issues including: digital imaging, the computer as a medium, typography, copyright, sound and moving image, and web design. We will concern ourselves with “how” and “why” the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives.

• Prerequisite: WRIT 101

Learning Goals

A successful student will develop the following skills by the end of the semester:

• Use a Macintosh computer, Photoshop (digital imaging) and Dreamweaver (for web design) to generate media.
• Understand the function and relationship of computer hardware, operating systems, input/output devices and the Internet.
• Generate media that is critical and cognizant of a larger context (social, political, historical, and/or economical).
• Develop an appreciation and understanding of the production process.
• Successfully find solutions to technical problems.
• Give and receive constructive feedback in a group setting.
• Use feedback given to others in the generation of new work.
• Develop, present and articulate creative ideas in both written and verbal formats.
• Analyze your relationship with digital technology, the role it plays in your life, in your work,
  in our society, and in the world.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (4-8 GB) - OR - portable Hard Drive

texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

attitude:
Your enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn.

optional technical texts:
Technical books become out of date quickly; I recommend finding an appropriate online resource. Many tutorials (of varying quality) are available without cost online. Good video tutorials are available from Adobe. More advanced and complete tutorials specifically selected for this course are available at Lynda.com for $35. w3Schools offers great resources for coding (HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, etc.).

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 55%

This is where its at - you can't learn web development by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Digital Media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Final Project: 25%

This group project integrates many of the skills you will learn this semester. Each team will be assigned a "client". You will perform an analysis of the client's existing website. Using this information, the clients goals and requirements and other research, you will design and build a new website using HTML and CSS.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.
• Ask for help!!!

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Eye Strain
Staring at a glowing monitor for extended periods of time can cause headaches, eyestrain and problems with your eyesight. Remember to take frequent short breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on something in the distance, or close your eyes for a moment. Your eyes need a break!

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email. Missing more than 2 classes for any reason will reduce your final grade by one level (i.e., from a B to B-) as the work cannot be made up. Lateness up to 15 minutes counts as half an absence. If you are more than 15 minutes late you are counted as absent.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1: September 8

In class:

• Course Overview - Focus on experiential and active learning, problem solving and life skills
• Introduction to Computers & Mac OS - Dock, Desktop, Server, RAM, ROM, Hard Drive, Processor, Ergonomics
• Layout Basics - Composition, Focal Point, Focus, Scale, Color, Contrast, Rhythm, Dynamic
• Photoshop: Layers & Transformation - Layers, Duplicate Layer, Transform (Scale, stretch, squash, rotate, translate), Alpha/Transparency, Blend Modes, Saving, File Types

Week 2: September 15

In class:

• Review Reading - Labels/Captions, Assemblage, Insertions, Deletion, Substitution, Cropping/Framing, Composites, Record/Document, Communication, Identification
• View “Retouched Photos” - Ethics, Responsibility, Representation
• Digital Imaging Concepts - Resolution, Pixels, Color Wheel, Inputs/Outputs, Analog vs. Digital
• Photoshop: Digital Imaging - Variations, Levels, Clone Stamp, Airbrushing, Dodge & Burn
• Scanning

Read for today:

• “How to do Things with Pictures” by William Mitchell [pdf]

Due:

• Collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

Week 3: September 22

In class:

• Review Reading - Who is involved in the re-touching process? What are the responsibilities/ethics associated with the profession? What are the similarities/differences to cosmetic surgery? What role does digital technology play in our understanding of body and body manipulation?
• View Example Composite Images
• Copyright - Copyright vs. Plaigarism, Fair Use, Creative Commons, copies & distribution, derivative works, “tangible form of expression”, Protection, Purpose/Origins
• Photoshop: Compositing Basics - Selections, Masks, Copy & Paste, Replace Color, Patch

Read for today:

•  "Pixel Perfect" by Lauren Collins

 Due:

• Image Repair

Week 4: September 29

In class:

• View & Discuss Digital Cosmetic Surgery Assignments - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Focal point
• Exercise: Finding & Matching Perspective
• Photoshop: Faking It - Distort, Creating Shadows

 Due:

• Cosmetic Surgery
• Bring Materials for Self-Portrait

Week 5: October 6

FIELD TRIP
Meet at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum at 10:30 am

Location:
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located on Museum Mile, at the corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Current Exhibition:
National Design Triennial: Why Design Now?

Due:

• Self-Portrait

Week 6: October 13

In class:

• View & Discus Self-Portrait Composite Images - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Concept
• Introduction to HTML - Tags, Attributes, File Structure, HTML Grammar, Naming Conventions
• Write HTML Page: body, head, title, img, a, p, br

link to HTML cheat sheet

Read for today:

• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 1
• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 2

Week 7: October 20

In class:

• Introduction to Dreamweaver - Setting up site/Managing Site; Images & Links; Tables (cell, column, row, padding, spacing, border); Save for Web
• Discuss Website Project and Process
• Planning: Purpose/Mission, Content, Audience, Client, Writing, Editing, Information Architecture
• Design: Research-Mockup-Revision cycle
• Implementation: Templates, Testing, Make “live”
• Design Research - What is the website's mission and purpose? What goals would you like a website to help you reach? Who is your target audience? What do you know about the audience? What are their aesthetic and informational needs/desires? How can we find out more details? Who are your competitors and partners?
• Establish Teams

Due:

• False Identity

Week 8: October 27

In class:

• Mockup Basics - Resolution, Color Scheme Choices/Options, Integration of Logo, Maintaining Identity, Navigation
• Site Maps
• View Web Design Examples

Read for today:

• Usability Testing

 Due:

• 1-2 Creative Brief for Niche, your final project

Week 9: November 3

In class:

• Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets (CSS): Styling Text - Why Style?, Internal Vs. External Styles, Syntax, Selector, Property, Value
• View & Discuss Mockups - Composition/Layout; Focal Point; Color; Compliments organization and mission; Clear Structure; Fulfills recommendations
• Typography Basics - Serif, Sans-Serif, Concord, Contrast, Conflict, Size, Color, Cases, Style, Weight, Alignment, Readability, Legibility, Fonts, lorem ipsum
• Information Architecture and Information Hierarchy - Strategies to guide your audience through information
• Meet with Design Teams: Work on Revised Design

Read for today:

• Web Typography; Typographic Contrast & Flow

 Due:

• Usability Study
• Sitemap
• Mockup - 1st Draft

November 10 - NO CLASS - Advising

Week 10: November 17

In class:

• Review Styling Text Exercise
• From HTML Pages to HTML Sites - Best Practices, Linking Pages, Organization
• Digging Into CSS - Cascading Rules, Box Model (Height, Width, Margin, Border, Padding), Float, Class, ID, Styling HTML Tags, background, Starting from templates

Read for today:

• CSS Typography: Contrast Techniques, Tutorials and Best Practices – not just the homepage!!!

Due:

• Collect Materials for client Site (edit text, photos, etc.; create necessary graphics)
• CSS Styling Text Exercise #1
• CSS Exercise #2 (done in class)

November 24 - NO CLASS - Thanksgiving

Week 11: December 1

In class:

• HTML Implementation - Creating Templates; Comments; Making a Site Live; Testing In Multiple Browsers on Multiple Platforms
• Meet with Design Teams
• Continue Developing CSS Mockup

 Due:

•  * Final Website - 1st draft

Week 12: December 8

• Refining your templates
• Adding media - video, sound

Week 13: December 15

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
• Site Testing

 Due:

• Final Website - 2nd draft

Week 14: December 22 NOTE: LAST CLASS

In class:

• Final Presentation of Sites

Syllabus

Course Description

In this second semester of the multimedia course sequence, students will develop, design and produce their own advanced interactive projects. Media theorist Lev Manovich claims we are living in 'Generation Flash'. Low bandwidth Internet connections created a demand for lightweight vector graphics software spurring a new aesthetic sensibility. Flash is an authoring environment that allows artists to weave together traditional linear animation, user interactivity, object-oriented programming and multimedia (video, sound, etc) blurring the lines between art, design and computer programming. In this class we introduce the fundamental principles of Flash animation and basic Action Script. Prerequisite: COMM 225.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to integrate many forms of digital media into cohesive multimedia projects using the Macromedia Flash authoring environment.
• You will use basic principles of computer programming to add interactivity to your projects.
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to take ideas through a complete design process from concept to production.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (4-8 GB) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

Grade Weights

Participation: 25%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Projects: 50%

You can't learn digital media passively or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. To learn this stuff you have to make things! Digital media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques & software. If you do each project you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly.

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will help to suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Plan ahead! Digital media projects can be incredibly time consuming and occupy a lot of time outside of class. Don't leave things for the last minute.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know in advance by email. Missing more than 2 classes for any reason will reduce your final grade by one level (i.e., from a B to B-) as the work cannot be made up. Lateness up to 15 minutes counts as half an absence. If you are more than 15 minutes late you are counted as absent.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1: September 13 - introduction - Setting the Stage

• introduction, syllabus, etc
• tour of the Flash authoring environment, vector graphics
• using text - static, broken, dynamic
• the Stage - movie properties
• frame-by-frame animation

look:
* http://www.yhchang.com
* http://www.6amhoover.com
* http://www.bornmagazine.org

Week 2: September 20 -

• drawing tools, shapes, strokes, fills, grouping
• shape tweens and shape hints

look:
* http://www.theyrule.net
* http://teddiesinspace.com/
* http://escapelab.com.au/
* Singing Horses
* http://becominghuman.org/

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

DUE:
"t e x t" - choose a word and illustrate either its mood or tone or meaning in a frame-by-frame animation. You may only use the one word - no other words are allowed. You may use other shapes. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 12 frames per second and EXACTLY 60 frames in duration.

Week 3: September 27 - drawing a Tween - remix culture

• The Timeline - layers, framerate, keyframes
• Motion Tweens - shape, motion [position, scale, color, alpha]
• Using Symbols

DUE:
"morph-olution" - Create an animation that explores the notion of evolution in at least 5 stages. The project should incorporate at least 2 shape tweens that utilize shape hints. The final result should be a "perfect loop" - it should end exactly where it began. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 24 frames per second and 10 seconds in duration.

Week 4: October 4 - creating a Mask - Thinking about Time

• importing artwork from illustrator/photoshop
• creating masks
• using motion paths and guides

DUE:
"crowded" - Create an animation of a walking crowd of people. Your animation should use MovieClips and MotionTweens.

October 11 - NO CLASS - Columbus Day

Week 5: October 18 - incorporating Sound

• Finding sounds online
• Importing sound, recording sound in the classroom
• Event sound, streaming sound
  gets sounds:
  http://sounddogs.com
  http://flashkit.com

DUE:
"Banner Ad Jam" Think about the ad banners on websites as public spaces similar to billboards, posters, signs & other advertisements. Plan & design a 468x60 (24 fps) Ad Banner in flash that utilizes images and text and incorporates a corporate logo. The banner can advertise your love for something or someone, can express a political message, can be humorous - keep in mind that this is meant to be presented in a public places. You should be able to make the argument that your piece is an example of Culture jamming.
http://www.logotypes.ru/default_e.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming

Week 6: October 25 - animation Tricks

• Animation techniques: easing, blur, gravity
• Working with MovieClips - nesting and animated loops

DUE:
"My Life" - Animate your life story in 30 seconds or less (bunnies optional). Your flash movie should be 640x480 at 24 fps. - 1st draft should include your soundtrack/voice over and approximately 10 seconds of completed animation (This will be graded)

http://www.angryalien.com
http://www.oddtodd.com

Week 7: November 1 - the Loop - Generation Flash

• Creating buttons
• Using Behaviors
• Using ActionScript

DUE:
"My Life" - final draft of My Life.

Week 8: November 8 - make it Interactive

• ActionScript - data types and variables
• Functions and events
• Input/dynamic text

DUE: How-To script/storyboard
Have a sitemap and at least 2 of the 5 scenes.

Week 9: November 15 - make it even more Interactive

• Approaches to navigation
• ActionScript - reusable functions

look
http://www.themeatrix.com
http://dontclick.it
http://www.mono-1.com/monoface/main.html
http://www.strindbergandhelium.com
http://www.amanitadesign.com

DUE: How-To first draft

Week 10: November 22 - incorporating video

• encoding flash video files
• controlling video with behaviors.
• Introduce final project

look
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end
http://fsk.deviantart.com/art/Line-Rider-beta-40255643
http://www.beonlineb.com/click_around.html
http://specials.washingtonpost.com/video/onbeing/
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
http://www.kirkshouse.com/
http://www.donniedarkofilm.com/
http://otnemem.com/index.html
http://www.requiemforadream.com/
http://www.wooagency.com/
http://www.presstube.com/
http://www.tokyoplastic.com/

DUE:
"How To": With a partner, develop an interactive Flash movie that illustrates/teaches your audience how to do something. This could be anything from how to make a PB&J sandwich to how to knit to how to make a Flash movie. It must have at least 5 different scenes; at least 1 voiceover and it must utilize buttons for your audience to interact with.

Week 11: November 29 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

DUE:
Final project proposal:
* project description (include any relevant background info)
* discuss your intended audience
* discuss your visual/aesthetic strategy
* discuss at least 3 URLs of other projects/websites relevant to your project
* Sitemap or Storyboard as appropriate

Week 12: December 6 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

Week 13: December 13 - Open Lab

• Work on Final Projects

Week 14: December 20 - Final Class

• In class critique of final projects and wrap-up

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society--from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and cognitive digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability to both access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to “speak” the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on exercises and projects, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge theory and practice. We will explore contemporary issues including: digital imaging, the computer as a medium, typography, copyright, sound and moving image, and web design. We will concern ourselves with “how” and “why” the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives.

• Prerequisite: WRIT 101

Learning Goals

A successful student will develop the following skills by the end of the semester:

• Use a Macintosh computer, Photoshop (digital imaging) and Dreamweaver (for web design) to generate media.
• Understand the function and relationship of computer hardware, operating systems, input/output devices and the Internet.
• Generate media that is critical and cognizant of a larger context (social, political, historical, and/or economical).
• Develop an appreciation and understanding of the production process.
• Successfully find solutions to technical problems.
• Give and receive constructive feedback in a group setting.
• Use feedback given to others in the generation of new work.
• Develop, present and articulate creative ideas in both written and verbal formats.
• Analyze your relationship with digital technology, the role it plays in your life, in your work,
  in our society, and in the world.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

attitude:
Your enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn.

optional technical texts:
Technical books become out of date quickly; I recommend finding an appropriate online resource. Many tutorials (of varying quality) are available without cost online. Good video tutorials are available from Adobe. More advanced and complete tutorials specifically selected for this course are available at Lynda.com for $35. w3Schools offers great resources for coding (HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, etc.).

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 55%

This is where its at - you can't learn web development by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Digital Media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Final Project: 25%

This group project integrates many of the skills you will learn this semester. Each team will be assigned a "client". You will perform an analysis of the client's existing website. Using this information, the clients goals and requirements and other research, you will design and build a new website using HTML and CSS.

Detailed Breakdown

• 20 Participation
• 5 Image Repair
• 5 Cosmetic Surgery
• 10 Self-Portrait
• 10 Report: Evaluation of existing website
• 5 Usability Study
• 5 Mockup
• 5 Mockup revision (group)
• 5 CSS 1
• 5 CSS 2
• 25 Final CSS Website w/Templates (group)

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.
• Ask for help!!!

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Eye Strain
Staring at a glowing monitor for extended periods of time can cause headaches, eyestrain and problems with your eyesight. Remember to take frequent short breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on something in the distance, or close your eyes for a moment. Your eyes need a break!

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. Missing more than 2 classes for any reason will reduce your final grade by one level (i.e., from a B to B-) as the work cannot be made up. Lateness up to 15 minutes counts as half an absence. If you are more than 15 minutes late you are counted as absent. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Syllabus

Course Description

In this second semester of the multimedia course sequence, students will develop, design and produce their own advanced interactive projects. Media theorist Lev Manovich claims we are living in 'Generation Flash'. Low bandwidth Internet connections created a demand for lightweight vector graphics software spurring a new aesthetic sensibility. Flash is an authoring environment that allows artists to weave together traditional linear animation, user interactivity, object-oriented programming and multimedia (video, sound, etc) blurring the lines between art, design and computer programming. In this class we introduce the fundamental principles of Flash animation and basic Action Script. Prerequisite: COMM 225.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to integrate many forms of digital media into cohesive multimedia projects using the Macromedia Flash authoring environment.
• You will use basic principles of computer programming to add interactivity to your projects.
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to take ideas through a complete design process from concept to production.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

Grade Weights

Participation: 25%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Projects: 50%

You can't learn digital media passively or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. To learn this stuff you have to make things! Digital media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques & software. If you do each project you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly.

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will help to suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Plan ahead! Digital media projects can be incredibly time consuming and occupy a lot of time outside of class. Don't leave things for the last minute.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know in advance by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1: February 4 - introduction - Setting the Stage

• introduction, syllabus, etc
• tour of the Flash authoring environment, vector graphics
• using text - static, broken, dynamic
• the Stage - movie properties
• frame-by-frame animation

Week 2: February 11 -

• drawing tools, shapes, strokes, fills, grouping
• shape tweens and shape hints

look:
* http://www.theyrule.net
* http://teddiesinspace.com/
* http://escapelab.com.au/
* Singing Horses
* http://becominghuman.org/

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

DUE:
"t e x t" - choose a word and illustrate either its mood or tone or meaning in a frame-by-frame animation. You may only use the one word - no other words are allowed. You may use other shapes. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 12 frames per second and EXACTLY 60 frames in duration.

Week 3: February 18 - drawing a Tween - remix culture

• The Timeline - layers, framerate, keyframes
• Motion Tweens - shape, motion [position, scale, color, alpha]
• Using Symbols

DUE:
"morph-olution" - Create an animation that explores the notion of evolution in at least 5 stages. The project should incorporate at least 2 shape tweens that utilize shape hints. The final result should be a "perfect loop" - it should end exactly where it began. Your animation should be sized to 550x400, 24 frames per second and 10 seconds in duration.

Week 4: February 25 - creating a Mask - Thinking about Time

• importing artwork from illustrator/photoshop
• creating masks
• using motion paths and guides

read:

DUE:
"crowded" - Create an animation of a walking crowd of people. Your animation should use MovieClips and MotionTweens.

Week 5: March 4 - incorporating Sound

• Finding sounds online
• Importing sound, recording sound in the classroom
• Event sound, streaming sound
  gets sounds:
  http://sounddogs.com
  http://flashkit.com

DUE:
"Banner Ad Jam" Think about the ad banners on websites as public spaces similar to billboards, posters, signs & other advertisements. Plan & design a 468x60 (24 fps) Ad Banner in flash that utilizes images and text and incorporates a corporate logo. The banner can advertise your love for something or someone, can express a political message, can be humorous - keep in mind that this is meant to be presented in a public places. You should be able to make the argument that your piece is an example of Culture jamming.
http://www.logotypes.ru/default_e.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming

Week 6: March 11- animation Tricks

• Animation techniques: easing, blur, gravity
• Working with MovieClips - nesting and animated loops

DUE:
"My Life" - Animate your life story in 30 seconds or less (bunnies optional). Your flash movie should be 640x480 at 24 fps. - 1st draft should include your soundtrack/voice over and approximately 10 seconds of completed animation (This will be graded)

http://www.angryalien.com
http://www.oddtodd.com

Week 7: March 18 - the Loop - Generation Flash

• Creating buttons
• Using Behaviors
• Using ActionScript

DUE:
"My Life" - final draft of My Life.

Week 8: March 25 - make it Interactive

• ActionScript - data types and variables
• Functions and events
• Input/dynamic text

DUE: How-To script/storyboard
Have a sitemap and at least 2 of the 5 scenes.

April 1 - NO CLASS - Spring Break

Week 9: April 8 - make it even more Interactive

• Approaches to navigation
• ActionScript - reusable functions

look
http://www.themeatrix.com
http://dontclick.it
http://www.mono-1.com/monoface/main.html
http://www.strindbergandhelium.com
http://www.amanitadesign.com

DUE: How-To first draft

Week 10: April 15 - incorporating video

• encoding flash video files
• controlling video with behaviors.
• Introduce final project

look
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end
http://fsk.deviantart.com/art/Line-Rider-beta-40255643
http://www.beonlineb.com/click_around.html
http://specials.washingtonpost.com/video/onbeing/
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
http://www.kirkshouse.com/
http://www.donniedarkofilm.com/
http://otnemem.com/index.html
http://www.requiemforadream.com/
http://www.wooagency.com/
http://www.presstube.com/
http://www.tokyoplastic.com/

DUE:
"How To": With a partner, develop an interactive Flash movie that illustrates/teaches your audience how to do something. This could be anything from how to make a PB&J sandwich to how to knit to how to make a Flash movie. It must have at least 5 different scenes; at least 1 voiceover and it must utilize buttons for your audience to interact with.

April 22 - NO CLASS - Advising

Week 11: April 29 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

DUE:
Final project proposal:
* project description (include any relevant background info)
* discuss your intended audience
* discuss your visual/aesthetic strategy
* discuss at least 3 URLs of other projects/websites relevant to your project
* Sitemap or Storyboard as appropriate

Week 12: May 6 - Individual Meetings

• ActionScript lesson
• Work on final project

Week 13: May 13 - Open Lab

• Work on Final Projects

Week 14: May 20 - Final Class

• In class critique of final projects and wrap-up

Syllabus

Course Description:

The purpose of this class is to explore the social, political, and economic implications of new media technologies. First, we will study specific technologies and trace the growth of some major ones, such as digital television, satellites, computers, and the Internet. Next, we will examine the development of regulating agencies and recent laws that impact and control these technologies. We explore how life in the digital age will affect our conceptions of privacy, copyright, and relationships. We will then turn to examine media conglomeration, ownership, and globalization.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the semester you should:

• Be able to critically assess the impact of new technologies on society.
• Understand the impact of media conglomeration, and how new regulations will impact society.
• Understand the global interconnectedness of media systems, including the effects of American media abroad as well as the effects of globalization on local media
• Have first-hand experience exploring new technology. In particular, have participated in an on-line community and analyzed your experiences doing so throughout the semester.
• Have completed an extensive research paper and gain a special knowledge of a particular contemporary issue or phenomenon within society.
• Developed your critical analyses skills, writing skills, research skills, and have increased your interest/knowledge of our changing media environment.

Class Website

The class website is located at: http://sodacity.net/courses

The syllabus/schedule for this course evolves somewhat over the course of the semester, so be sure to check the online version frequently to keep current with reading assignments, etc.

Texts:

All reading materials will be made available through the class website.

Grade Weights - details below

Participation 10% [includes in-class work]
Reading Responses 15%
Presentation of a reading and discussion handout: 10%
Peer Reviews 5%

Final Project
Research Proposal 5%
Literature Review 10%
Rough Draft 5%
Final Paper 25%
Final Presentation 15%

Participation 10%
Attendance and participation are essential for you to do well in this course. Attendance will be taken in each class, and more than 1 absence will result in a drop in your final grade. More than 3 absences (excused or unexcused) will jeopardize your ability to pass this class. It is also necessary for you to participate in each class. Vibrant participation allows all members of the class (including the professor) to benefit from the exchange of ideas, questions, and criticism of the readings. If you find that you are uncomfortable, you need to see me during my office hours to discuss alternative contributions to the class. Coming in late or leaving early is noted as a 1/2 absence.

Quick Writes - occasionally I will give "pop" in-class writing assignments, in which you will be asked to make critical reflections on the day's readings.

Reading Responses 15%
One-page Essays - you will write 3 one-page essays over the course of the semester. Each essay will be based on one or more of the assigned readings and is due no later than one class after the reading was due.

• topics: You will decide what to focus each essay on. Each essay must have both a thesis and evidence (data, quotes, examples, etc from the readings)

• format: Your essay must fit onto one page of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper - default settings please (Times New Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins)

Presentation of reading and discussion questions: 10%
Next week, each of you will have an opportunity to volunteer with 2 classmates to lead discussion during one of our classes during the semester. Look ahead in the syllabus and consider which one you are particularly interested in offering your insights on and presenting to your classmates. (Those who do not take the opportunity to volunteer will be assigned a week.) On the day or your class you will bring to class 22 copies of a two page document that presents the following:

1. A summary of the articles and their main points. (In paragraph form - no bullet points.)
2. A minimum of six well-thought out questions that will spark conversation that evening. At least two of these should link the weeks readings to other reading we have done up to that point in the class or for the evening. Open-ended questions that encourage us to push beyond the reading to a consideration of future implications will be particularly appreciated and fruitful.

You will distribute a copy of this to each member of the class and then lead our discussion of that reading/topic for the first part of class. NOTE: If you are absent on the day of your assigned reading or are not prepared with the handout to discuss it, you will fail this assignment and an "F" will be factored into your final course grade.

Peer Reviews 5%
This course has a peer review component. You will be part of a team of 3 students. For the two stages leading up to your final paper (Research Proposal, and Lit Review) you will be required to provide written and verbal feedback of your classmates work.

Final Project
During the semester, while we as a class explore new technology and how changes in communication technology impact society, you will be working individually to further examine an aspect of the new media environment. You will pick a subject to focus on and conduct a research project where you analyze this topic in a number of ways. You will examine research already completed on this subject (secondary research) and you will incorporate an interview with a person relevant to your topic (primary research). Your sources should be wide-ranging and varied, including books, articles from scholarly journals, newspaper and magazine articles, technology blogs and trade journals for communication professionals.

You will have a significant amount of flexibility in choosing this topic so you should pick one that interests you or could help you learn more about new media in a field that you are considering for your career. In other words, this paper will be as useful to you as make it. In previous classes, students have used the paper they wrote to obtain a job, an internship, or to apply to graduate programs. You should plan to spend time in the next month looking over our entire course schedule and thinking deeply about what you would like to investigate to ensure that the topic you take on is sufficiently interesting to sustain a semester-long focus. Sample topics and areas will be discussed in class and I encourage you to engage me in discussions about possible topics well in advance of the prospectus due date.

To aid you in deciding upon a topic and developing your paper in a timely manner throughout the semester, I have broken the process down into several specific assignments. Note that these assignments are mandatory and failure to complete them will jeopardize both your final grade and also the quality and success of your final essay (since you will deny yourself feedback from your peers and me.)

note: The final essay should be submitted in no larger than 12pt. type, double-spaced, number pages and STAPLED in the upper left hand corner.

Research Proposal 5% - due February 22
In a two-page document present your project as you are currently thinking about it. The first section should be a narrative of what brought you to your subject, what interests you about it and why you want to investigate it further. The next section should pose the issue you are going to research further and the various areas you will explore as you work towards the creation of your essay. This section should include at least six questions through which you will approach your topic. The last section should discuss your research strategy. Indicate possible readings/sources and possible candidates for the interview component of the final paper.

Literature Review 10% - due March 15
In this 5-7 page paper you will review secondary sources relevant to your field of inquiry. Your research should include a minimum of 8 sources, 2 of which may be readings assigned from class. This paper should do more than simply summarize the sources you select. Rather you should attempt to draw connections between them and how they relate to your research topic. We will discuss the form of this paper in more detail during class.

Rough Draft (includes interview) 5% - due April 12
The rough draft of your paper should include analysis of an interview conducted with an individual relevant to your field of inquiry. We will discuss the form of this paper in more detail during class.

steps:

• Identify and contact the person you would like to interview.
• Prepare a set of questions around your research focus.
• Conduct and record a live interview.
• Prepare a transcript of your interview and write up your analysis.

Be sure to turn in the raw transcript of your interview.

Final Paper 25% - due May 10th
Your 15-20 page paper with a complete list of works cited.

Final Presentations 15% - due May 10th or May 17th
Details to be discussed later in the semester.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. All work submitted should be done by the student in preparation for this specific class (for example, you may not hand in a paper for this class that you are also preparing for another class). Plagiarism and cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Students will jeopardize their grade not just for the assignment but also for the entire course. If a student has difficulty understanding how to cite sources or has questions concerning the above, contact the professor as soon as possible. The College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Grading Standards for in-class assignments:

0 - Inadequate. You did not respond, you were absent, or your response clearly indicates you did not do the reading and are unprepared and unable to contribute.

1 - Fair. You need to demonstrate more clearly that you read and understand the material and to more thoughtfully interact with the questions and the class.

2 - Good. You have read the material and can thoughtfully reflect upon it and consider the context of the question/task in your response.

3 - Excellent. You demonstrate a solid understanding of the reading, can move beyond it to thought-provoking questions or carefully considered responses.

Grading Standards for written work:

Some kind of "C"
Proposes and explores an adequate, if not particularly creative, opinion about the topic.
Uses adequate, if somewhat superficial evidence.
Demonstrates knowledge of the course material and perspective that may be a bit cursory.
Relies heavily on course material or minimal secondary sources.
Work reflects competence, but stays at a general or predictable level of understanding.
Citations are mostly correct, although some irregularities in MLA form may be present.
Some irregularities in style and grammar, but not so extreme as to interfere with meaning.

Some kind of "B" - fulfills all of the above, and also...
Proposes and explores an insightful opinion about the topic.
Demonstrates a complete and accurate understanding of the pertinent issues and concepts.
Uses detailed evidence from a variety of sources skillfully.
Presents a reasonable degree of insight and broad level of analysis.
Sources are used appropriately and with discretion to contribute to a more complete and original discussion than the average paper.
Reduces errors in grammar to a minimum.

Some kind of "A" - fulfills all of the above, and also...
Offers an original voice on the subject/sheds new light on the topic.
Demonstrates comprehensive and solid understanding of the pertinent issues and concepts..
Uses a variety of detailed sources and shows creativity and tenacity in its intellectual inquiry.
Use of source material is skillful and sophisticated.
Demonstrates logical reasoning, effective organization, and substantial development.
The style of writing is polished and creative.
Grammatical errors are essentially nonexistent.

A "D"
Failure to minimally address all tasks in the assignment.
Demonstrates a serious lack of understanding, and fails to express the most rudimentary aspects of an approach to the topic.
Inappropriate use of citations such as to throw into question the ability or intention of the writer to properly give credit to his/her sources.
Simplistic treatment of the topic, as indicated by one or more of the following conditions: reiterating material from another source without providing interpretation or commentary; unsupported generalizations or meaningless specifics; "parroting" of an idea from a previously read source; "borrowing" the structure of another writer's discussion of the topic.
Frequent writing errors such as to interfere with the reader's understanding.

Failure - "F"
Work never submitted/submitted more than one week late.
Work is plagiarized.
Work has been submitted for another class.

Other policies and things to avoid:

Late Assignments: Assignments submitted up to one week after their due date will be accepted with a lowering of the grade one full level (a late prospectus that would have merited a B+ will be factored into your final grade as a C+.) Assignments more than one week late will not be accepted and an "F" will be factored into the final grade for that percentage. There is no possibility of submitting the rough draft more than two days late due to the timing of the conferences, and as that assignment is pass/fail, late rough drafts will receive a "D" and also receive less of my consideration due to the time crunch that they will create. Please note that illness on the day of class is NOT an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. You have the entire course schedule and due dates well ahead of time - PLAN AHEAD.

Also: I will not, NEVER, EVER accept assignments via email. I won't open attached files. Don't try it!!!!!!*

*This also applies to the recent phenomenon of "I know you don't accept assignments via email but I emailed you anyway to prove that I did it on time and I will print it out and get you a hard copy later." If it's not physically in my hands in class the day it is due it is LATE. This especially applies to "I don't have my 'Works Cited' page but will email it to you." (No, you may not.)

Resources

Follow these links for guidance on various stages of writing your research paper:

• A list of paper topic ideas
• A list of thinkers you might consider researching futher
• A guide to writing a literature review
• A guide to good interview methods

Schedule

Week by week course schedule:

Syllabus

Course Description

Communication Today introduces you to the world of communication media in a myriad of forms. We will study various media, explore our interactions with them and come to a greater understanding of their influence on our social and personal environments. We will focus on two concepts: 1) finding the “me” in media, and 2) sampling from the “media buffet.” The first involves analyzing our personal media experiences through discussion and reading and writing assignments. The second concept refers to the field trips we will take throughout the semester to visit selected exhibitions and examine their form and function.

Learning Goals

By the end of the course, you will have:

• a familiarity with current issues in the field of communications and media
• been exposed to and reflected critically on the media environment of New York
• developed critical abilities in reading and responding to popular press and scholarly articles about communication, technology and media issues
• demonstrated skill in writing personal narrative essays and critical analyses
• improved research and public speaking skills

Texts and Trips

Readings will be distributed in class or posted on the class website. Some of the trips entail an admission fee. Always carry your student ID card.

Grading

Written work is graded on how completely and creatively you have fulfilled the assignment. Carefully proofread your work so that it is free of spelling and grammatical errors.

- Unless clearly noted, I will only accept hard copies. End of story. -

- Assignments lose one grade for each week they are late. -

- I will not accept any work after the last class. -

Essays (40% of your final grade)

Complete four essays of 1200 – 1500 words each on the following topics (that’s about 4 – 5 double-spaced pages, Times New Roman, 12pt font, 1-inch margins ... I know the tricks):

1. Analysis of a Print Advertisement, (due 9/29/09)
2. Photography in My Life (due 10/20/09)
3. Electronic Communication in My Life (due 11/17/09)
4. The Television Interview (due 11/30/09)

Although you are not required to do so, you may choose to conduct additional research (online or otherwise) and include your findings in your essays. Be sure to cite your sources.

If it appears that students are not conscientiously reading the assigned selections, unannounced quizzes may be given.

Field Trip Responses (20% of your final grade)

Complete a 250 word response to each field trip and submit it to the appropriate thread on the class website before the following class - I have access to the exact time your response was submitted, anything after 5:50pm is late. Your response should take into consideration what has been written before you on the thread - think of it as a conversation. Repetition of what has already been said is discouraged. Responding to what has already been said, as well as adding new insights, is encouraged. You can use this word count tool to make sure your response is the appropriate length.

Oral Presentation (20% of your final grade)

Prepare a 5-6 minute presentation based on a biography or autobiography of an important media figure. You should focus not on the subject’s personal life, but on his or her contribution to the media landscape and the field of communications.
You must submit your topic for approval by 11/10/09.

Attendance & Participation (20% of your final grade)

There will be frequent in-class discussions of the readings, writing assignments and field trips. Your grade for participation will reflect both the quantity and quality of your contribution, i.e., how much input you offer, and the relevance of that input.

Excellent attendance and promptness are expected. Grades are subject to being lowered for poor attendance, lateness and not handing work in on time.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

(subject to change)

09/08 Tuesday

• Introduction, course design, etc.

09/10 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP – Go to both of the following locations by the next class session and post a field trip report.
  • The Morgan Library & Museum
    225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street - $8.00 student admission
    Be sure to see the main room of the original library (and try to figure out where the hidden stair case is) and examine closely the special exhibit, “Pages of Gold: Medieval Illuminations from the Morgan.” This exhibit is open only until Sept. 13 so you’ll have to get their asap.
  • The New York Public Library
    Fifth Avenue and 42nd. Street – free
    Be sure to visit the periodical room, the map room and the circulation rooms on the top floor. Take a good look at the murals in the hallway on the top floor and be prepared to discuss the meanings of the images on the ceilings and walls. Very important - find Winnie the Pooh!!

09/15 Tuesday

• topic: The Body as a Communication Tool, Discuss 1st essay assignment
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post - Morgan Library and NYPL
• read for today:
  • "Are You Talkin' to Me?" by Shalom Auslander [link]

09/17 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP New Museum
  Emory Douglas: Black Panther July 22, 2009 - October 18, 2009
  235 Bowery, just south of Houston Street – student admission $8.00
  Spend most of your time examining the exhibition on the second floor: “Emory Douglas: Black Panther.” Consider how the work being exhibited wan intended to achieve political objectives and social change. Are you familiar with any comparable publications today? What would be today’s equivalent to these publications?

09/22 Tuesday

• topic: Advertising
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post - New Museum
• read for today:
  • "When Sex isn't Sexy" by the girls of 3iYing (Cat Small, Jane Mai, Evelyn Lieu Rachelle Bowers, Heidi Dangelmaier, Dianne Blanchard) [link]

09/24 Thursday

• topic: Advertising
• read for today:
  • "Truth in Advertising" by Leslie Savan DOC
  • "Antidotes 1-5" by Shenk DOC

09/29 Tuesday

• topic: Death of the Newspaper, Discuss 2nd essay assignment
• due: "Analysis of a Print Advertisement"
• read for today:
  • "Who killed the newspaper?" in the Economist [link]
  • "The Newsweekly’s Last Stand" by Michael Hirschorn [link]

10/01 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP Brooklyn Museum
  200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn - $6 for students with ID
  Reflections on the Electric Mirror: New Feminist Video May 1, 2009–January 10, 2010

10/06 Tuesday

• topic: Photography
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post - Brooklyn Museum
• read for today:
  • "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" by Errol Morris [link]
  • "On Photography" by Susan Sontag PDF

10/08 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP Metropolitan Museum of Art
  Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans September 22, 2009–January 3, 2010

10/13 Tuesday

• topic: Photography
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post
• read for today:
  • "Exploit and Click" by Jim Lewis [link]

10/15 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP International Center for Photography
  1133 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave.) & 43rd Street – Students $8.00
  Dress Codes: The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video October 2, 2009–January 17, 2010

10/20 Tuesday

• topic: Electronic Communication - Politics, Discuss 3rd essay assignment
• discuss field trips
• due: "Photography in My Life”
• due: field trip post
• read for today:
  • "YouTube Passes Debate to a New Generation" by Katherine Q. Seelye [link]

10/22 Thursday

• topic: Electronic Communication - Mobile Media
• read for today:
  • "Our Cell Phones, Ourselves" by Christine Rosen [link]

10/27 Tuesday

• topic: Electronic Communication - Social Media
• read for today:
  • "About Facebook" by Ari Melber [link]

10/29 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP Fashion Institute of Technology
  Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
  Fashion & Politics July 7 through November 7, 2009

11/03 Tuesday

• topic: Electronic Communication - Attention Economy, Discuss oral report assignment
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post
• read for today:
  • "In Defense of Distraction" by Sam Anderson [link] [note - multiple pages]

11/05 Thursday

• topic: Electronic Communication - Authenticity
• read for today:
  • "Can Wikipedia ever make the grade?" by Brock Read [link]
  • "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr

11/10 Tuesday

NO CLASS - ADVISING

11/12 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP The Paley Center for Media
  25 W 52nd St.

11/17 Tuesday

• topic: Television News Coverage, Discuss 4th essay assignment
• discuss field trips
• due: Oral Report Topic
• due: field trip post
• due: "Electronic Communication in My Life"
• read for today:
  • "Turn On, Tune In, Take Over" by Adam Sternbergh [link] [note - multiple pages]
  • "The Trolls Among Us" by Mattathias Schwartz [link]

11/19 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP Museum of the Moving Image
  35 Avenue at 37 Street in Astoria, Queens

11/24 Tuesday

• topic: The Future of Media
• discuss field trips
• due: field trip post
• read for today:
  • "Future Reading" by Anthony Grafton [link]

11/26 Thursday

No Class, Thanksgiving

12/01 Tuesday

• topic: Semester Recap
• due: "The Television Interview"

12/03 Thursday

• FIELD TRIP Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum
  91st Street and Fifth Avenue - $10 for students with ID
  Design for a Living World May 14, 2009–January 4, 2010
  Design USA: Contemporary Innovation October 16, 2009–April 4, 2010

12/08 Tuesday

• due: field trip post
• due: Oral reports – continue for following sessions.

12/10 Thursday

• due: Oral reports

12/15 Tuesday

No Class - NOTE: MONDAY SCHEDULE TODAY

12/17 Thursday

• due: Oral reports - LAST CLASS

Attachment	Size
leslie-savan_truth-in-advertising.doc	1.7 MB
david-shenk_Antidotes-1-5.doc	2.92 MB
Susan-Sontag_Platos-Cave.pdf	1.28 MB

Assignments

You can use this tool to check your word count.

Analysis of a Print Advertisement, due 09/29/09
1200 - 1500 words (4-5 pages, double-spaced)
Choose an ad from a magazine and analyze both the copy and the image. What is shown, and why? How do the words and pictures serve to encourage using this product? What seems to be the desired effect of the ad? In your opinion, does the ad achieve its desired effect? Identify the target audience of both the source magazine and the ad. Is there a difference between the two? Would the target audience react differently than the general population? Would anyone be put off by this ad, i.e. does it not appeal to, or alienate, a certain segment of the population? Compare it to other ads for the same type of product. Please attach a copy of the ad to your essay, and try to avoid spending too much time describing it. You might consider using a historical ad from Duke's Ad*Access Project.

Photography in My Life, due 10/20/09
1200 - 1500 words (4-5 pages, double-spaced)
Discuss the history of your interaction with photography. Who took the pictures in your family? How were they stored and displayed? What was your relationship to them? Did you take your own photographs? What was recorded (vacations, holidays, scenes of everyday life)? What are your earliest memories of photographs? What would an independent observer learn from an examination of your/your family’s photographic record? What did the photographer intend in the taking of the photographs, and what is actually accomplished? Has your relationship to photography changed over time? What is the difference between photographs and other methods of recording history (video, audio recording, writing, retelling)?

Electronic Communication in My Life, due 11/17/09
1200 - 1500 words (4-5 pages, double-spaced)
Discuss the role electronic communication has played in your life. How do you stay in contact with friends and family? What has changed in you, and in the world, since you first learned to talk on the telephone? Have your preferences evolved along with the technology you use to interact? Do you use different methods for different people? Are the rules different depending on what method you choose? Do you "archive" your answering machine messages, voice mails, emails, instant messages, etc.? Have you inherited or acquired any of these behaviors, or did you develop them on your own?

The Television Interview, due 11/30/09
1200 - 1500 words (4-5 pages, double-spaced)
Choose a person over fifty-five years of age, or one born outside the U.S. Interview that person about his or her experience with television. Here are some questions you might ask, but please feel free to come up with many more on your own. What is his earliest memory of television? How does that differ from what she sees today? How have his viewing habits changed? What are some television milestones she recalls? Who does he typically watch television with? Present the interview in the form of a report or an article, not as a question & answer session.

Final Presentation
Prepare a 5-6 minute presentation based on a biography or autobiography of an important media figure. You should focus not on the subject’s personal life, but on his or her contribution to the media landscape and the field of communications. You are free to use any and all media – photographs, recordings, the internet, etc. – to supplement your presentation. Please submit your topic for approval (title and author of book) by 11/17/09.

You will be graded on your presentation's effectiveness - how informative, organized and relevant it is - as well as how successfully you answer questions about the material.

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society--from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and cognitive digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability to both access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to “speak” the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on exercises and projects, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge theory and practice. We will explore contemporary issues including: digital imaging, the computer as a medium, typography, copyright, sound and moving image, and web design. We will concern ourselves with “how” and “why” the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives.

• Prerequisite: WRIT 101

Learning Goals

A successful student will develop the following skills by the end of the semester:

• Use a Macintosh computer, Photoshop (digital imaging) and Dreamweaver (for web design) to generate media.
• Understand the function and relationship of computer hardware, operating systems, input/output devices and the Internet.
• Generate media that is critical and cognizant of a larger context (social, political, historical, and/or economical).
• Develop an appreciation and understanding of the production process.
• Successfully find solutions to technical problems.
• Give and receive constructive feedback in a group setting.
• Use feedback given to others in the generation of new work.
• Develop, present and articulate creative ideas in both written and verbal formats.
• Analyze your relationship with digital technology, the role it plays in your life, in your work,
  in our society, and in the world.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

attitude:
Your enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn.

optional technical texts:
Technical books become out of date quickly; I recommend finding an appropriate online resource. Many tutorials (of varying quality) are available without cost online. Good video tutorials are available from Adobe. More advanced and complete tutorials specifically selected for this course are available at Lynda.com for $35. w3Schools offers great resources for coding (HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, etc.).

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 55%

This is where its at - you can't learn web development by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Digital Media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Reflection of Learning Paper 5%

More info will be provided later in the semester.

Final Project: 20%

This group project integrates many of the skills you will learn this semester. Each team will be assigned a "client". You will perform an analysis of the client's existing website. Using this information, the clients goals and requirements and other research, you will design and build a new website using HTML and CSS.

Detailed Breakdown

• 20 Participation
• 5 Image Repair
• 5 Cosmetic Surgery
• 10 Self-Portrait
• 10 Report: Evaluation of existing website
• 5 Usability Study
• 5 Mockup
• 5 Mockup revision (group)
• 5 CSS 1
• 5 CSS 2
• 5 Reflections of Learning Paper
• 20 Final CSS Website w/Templates (group)

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.
• Ask for help!!!

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Eye Strain
Staring at a glowing monitor for extended periods of time can cause headaches, eyestrain and problems with your eyesight. Remember to take frequent short breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on something in the distance, or close your eyes for a moment. Your eyes need a break!

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Section 02 - Schedule

Week 1: September 14

In class:

• Course Overview - Focus on experiential and active learning, problem solving and life skills
• Introduction to Computers & Mac OS - Dock, Desktop, Server, RAM, ROM, Hard Drive, Processor, Ergonomics
• Layout Basics - Composition, Focal Point, Focus, Scale, Color, Contrast, Rhythm, Dynamic
• Photoshop: Layers & Transformation - Layers, Duplicate Layer, Transform (Scale, stretch, squash, rotate, translate), Alpha/Transparency, Blend Modes, Saving, File Types
• Scanning

Week 2: September 21

In class:

• Review Reading - Labels/Captions, Assemblage, Insertions, Deletion, Substitution, Cropping/Framing, Composites, Record/Document, Communication, Identification
• View “Retouched Photos” - Ethics, Responsibility, Representation
• Digital Imaging Concepts - Resolution, Pixels, Color Wheel, Inputs/Outputs, Analog vs. Digital
• Photoshop: Digital Imaging - Variations, Levels, Clone Stamp, Airbrushing, Dodge & Burn

Read for today:

• “How to do Things with Pictures” by William Mitchell [pdf]

Due:

• Bring Digital Camera to class
• Collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

Week 3: October 5

In class:

• Review Reading - Who is involved in the re-touching process? What are the responsibilities/ethics associated with the profession? What are the similarities/differences to cosmetic surgery? What role does digital technology play in our understanding of body and body manipulation?
• View Example Composite Images
• Copyright - Copyright vs. Plaigarism, Fair Use, Creative Commons, copies & distribution, derivative works, “tangible form of expression”, Protection, Purpose/Origins
• Photoshop: Compositing Basics - Selections, Masks, Copy & Paste, Replace Color, Patch

Read for today:

• "Pixel Perfect" by Lauren Collins
• "On the Cutting Edge" by Anne Balsamo[pdf]

Due:

• Image Repair

Week 4: October 19

In class:

• View & Discuss Digital Cosmetic Surgery Assignments - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Focal point
• Exercise: Finding & Matching Perspective
• Photoshop: Faking It - Distort, Creating Shadows

Due:

• Cosmetic Surgery
• Bring Materials for Self-Portrait

Week 5: October 26

In class:

• View & Discus Self-Portrait Composite Images - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Concept
• Introduction to HTML - Tags, Attributes, File Structure, HTML Grammar, Naming Conventions
• Write HTML Page: body, head, title, img, a, p, br
• Brief History of the Internet
• Discuss Website Project

Due:

• Self-Portrait

Week 6: November 2

In class:

• Web Design Process
  • Planning: Purpose/Mission, Content, Audience, Client, Writing, Editing, Information Architecture
  • Design: Research-Mockup-Revision cycle
  • Implementation: Templates, Testing, Make “live”
• Initial "Client" Presentation - project goals and requirements
• Design Research - What is the organization's mission and purpose? What goals would you like a website to help you reach? Who is your target audience? What do you know about the audience? What are their aesthetic and informational needs/desires? How can we find out more details? Who are your competitors and partners? How/Why do your clients your organization out? How do your services fit into a larger context?

Read for today:

• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 1
• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 2

Due:

• False Identity

Week 7: November 9

In class:

• Mockup Basics - Resolution, Color Scheme Choices/Options, Integration of Logo, Maintaining Identity, Navigation, Site Map
• Establish Design Teams
• Site Map & Recommendations: Based on the readings provided and the report you have done, What are the most important concerns/needs for the redesign? Why? What are the strengths that we should build on? Why?
• Introduction to Dreamweaver - Setting up site/Managing Site; Images & Links; Tables (cell, column, row, padding, spacing, border); Save for Web

Read for today:

• Usability Testing

Due:

• State of the Site Report (steps 1-4)

Week 8: November 16

In class:

• View & Discuss Mockups - Composition/Layout; Focal Point; Color; Compliments organization and mission; Clear Structure; Fulfills recommendations
• View Web Design Examples
• Typography Basics - Serif, Sans-Serif, Concord, Contrast, Conflict, Size, Color, Cases, Style, Weight, Alignment, Readability, Legibility, Fonts, lorem ipsum
• Information Architecture and Information Hierarchy - Strategies to guide your audience through information
• Meet with Design Teams: Work on Revised Design - What ideas/suggestions/comments from the review need to be addressed? How will you address them?

Due:

• Usability Study

Week 9: November 23 (Note this is just before Thanksgiving Break and IS CRUCIAL for your success on the group project).

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
  • Organize Presentation
  • Present Design Concepts to client
  • Discuss Site-Map Revisions with client (based on recommendations)
  • Discuss Feedback from client and Colleagues
• Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets (CSS): Styling Text - Why Style?, Internal Vs. External Styles, Syntax, Selector, Property, Value

Read for today:

• Web Typography; Typographic Contrast & Flow

Due:

• State of the Site Final Report
• Mockup - 1st Draft

Week 10: November 30

In class:

• Review Styling Text Exercise
• From HTML Pages to HTML Sites - Best Practices, Linking Pages, Organization
• Digging Into CSS - Cascading Rules, Box Model (Height, Width, Margin, Border, Padding), Float, Class, ID, Styling HTML Tags, background, Starting from templates

Read for today:

• CSS Typography: Contrast Techniques, Tutorials and Best Practices – not just the homepage!!!

Due:

• Collect Materials for client Site (edit text, photos, etc.; create necessary graphics)
• CSS Styling Text Exercise #1
• CSS Exercise #2 (done in class)

Week 11: December 7

In class:

• HTML Implementation - Creating Templates; Comments; Making a Site Live; Testing In Multiple Browsers on Multiple Platforms
• Meet with Design Teams
  • Continue Developing CSS Mockup
  • Informal meetings with client

Due:

• CSS Mockup - 1st draft

Week 12: December 14

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
  • Site Testing
• Review Designs with client - Does the site match the identity, needs and mission of client?; dynamic composition; clear information hierarchy; clear, easy navigation

Due:

• Finished Version of Website

Week 13: December 15

NOTE: DECEMBER 15 will be a MONDAY schedule

NOTE: LAST CLASS

In class:

• Final Presentation of Sites

Due:

• Revised Website
• Reflection Paper

Section 03 - Schedule

Week 1: September 8

In class:

• Course Overview - Focus on experiential and active learning, problem solving and life skills
• Introduction to Computers & Mac OS - Dock, Desktop, Server, RAM, ROM, Hard Drive, Processor, Ergonomics
• Layout Basics - Composition, Focal Point, Focus, Scale, Color, Contrast, Rhythm, Dynamic
• Photoshop: Layers & Transformation - Layers, Duplicate Layer, Transform (Scale, stretch, squash, rotate, translate), Alpha/Transparency, Blend Modes, Saving, File Types
• Scanning

Week 2: September 15

In class:

• Review Reading - Labels/Captions, Assemblage, Insertions, Deletion, Substitution, Cropping/Framing, Composites, Record/Document, Communication, Identification
• View “Retouched Photos” - Ethics, Responsibility, Representation
• Digital Imaging Concepts - Resolution, Pixels, Color Wheel, Inputs/Outputs, Analog vs. Digital
• Photoshop: Digital Imaging - Variations, Levels, Clone Stamp, Airbrushing, Dodge & Burn

Read for today:

• “How to do Things with Pictures” by William Mitchell [pdf]

Due:

• Bring Digital Camera to class
• Collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

Week 3: September 22

CLASS CANCELLED

Week 4: September 29

In class:

• Review Reading - Who is involved in the re-touching process? What are the responsibilities/ethics associated with the profession? What are the similarities/differences to cosmetic surgery? What role does digital technology play in our understanding of body and body manipulation?
• View Example Composite Images
• Copyright - Copyright vs. Plaigarism, Fair Use, Creative Commons, copies & distribution, derivative works, “tangible form of expression”, Protection, Purpose/Origins
• Photoshop: Compositing Basics - Selections, Masks, Copy & Paste, Replace Color, Patch

Read for today:

• "Pixel Perfect" by Lauren Collins
• "On the Cutting Edge" by Anne Balsamo[pdf]

Due:

• Image Repair

Week 5: October 6

In class:

• View & Discuss Digital Cosmetic Surgery Assignments - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Focal point
• Exercise: Finding & Matching Perspective
• Photoshop: Faking It - Distort, Creating Shadows

Due:

• Cosmetic Surgery
• Bring Materials for Self-Portrait

Week 6: October 13

In class:

• View & Discus Self-Portrait Composite Images - Believability/Lack of Evidence of Tampering, Process/Choices, Composition, Concept
• Introduction to HTML - Tags, Attributes, File Structure, HTML Grammar, Naming Conventions
• Write HTML Page: body, head, title, img, a, p, br
• Brief History of the Internet
• Discuss Website Project

Due:

• Self-Portrait

Week 7: October 20

In class:

• Web Design Process
  • Planning: Purpose/Mission, Content, Audience, Client, Writing, Editing, Information Architecture
  • Design: Research-Mockup-Revision cycle
  • Implementation: Templates, Testing, Make “live”
• Initial "Client" Presentation - project goals and requirements
• Design Research - What is the organization's mission and purpose? What goals would you like a website to help you reach? Who is your target audience? What do you know about the audience? What are their aesthetic and informational needs/desires? How can we find out more details? Who are your competitors and partners? How/Why do your clients your organization out? How do your services fit into a larger context?

Read for today:

• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 1
• Don't Make Me Think Chapter 2

Due:

• False Identity

Week 8: October 27

In class:

• Mockup Basics - Resolution, Color Scheme Choices/Options, Integration of Logo, Maintaining Identity, Navigation, Site Map
• Establish Design Teams
• Site Map & Recommendations: Based on the readings provided and the report you have done, What are the most important concerns/needs for the redesign? Why? What are the strengths that we should build on? Why?
• Introduction to Dreamweaver - Setting up site/Managing Site; Images & Links; Tables (cell, column, row, padding, spacing, border); Save for Web

Read for today:

• Usability Testing

Due:

• State of the Site Report (steps 1-4)

Week 9: November 3

In class:

• View & Discuss Mockups - Composition/Layout; Focal Point; Color; Compliments organization and mission; Clear Structure; Fulfills recommendations
• View Web Design Examples
• Typography Basics - Serif, Sans-Serif, Concord, Contrast, Conflict, Size, Color, Cases, Style, Weight, Alignment, Readability, Legibility, Fonts, lorem ipsum
• Information Architecture and Information Hierarchy - Strategies to guide your audience through information
• Meet with Design Teams: Work on Revised Design - What ideas/suggestions/comments from the review need to be addressed? How will you address them?

Due:

• Usability Study
• Mockup

Week 10: November 17

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
  • Organize Presentation
  • Present Design Concepts to client
  • Discuss Site-Map Revisions with client (based on recommendations)
  • Discuss Feedback from client and Colleagues
• Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets (CSS): Styling Text - Why Style?, Internal Vs. External Styles, Syntax, Selector, Property, Value

Read for today:

• Web Typography; Typographic Contrast & Flow

Due:

• State of the Site Final Report
• Revised Mockup

Week 11: November 24 (Note this is just before Thanksgiving Break and IS CRUCIAL for your success on the group project).

In class:

• Review Styling Text Exercise
• From HTML Pages to HTML Sites - Best Practices, Linking Pages, Organization
• Digging Into CSS - Cascading Rules, Box Model (Height, Width, Margin, Border, Padding), Float, Class, ID, Styling HTML Tags, background, Starting from templates

Read for today:

• CSS Typography: Contrast Techniques, Tutorials and Best Practices – not just the homepage!!!

Due:

• Collect Materials for client Site (edit text, photos, etc.; create necessary graphics)
• Styling Text Exercise

Week 12: December 1

In class:

• Review CSS Exercise Assignment
• HTML Implementation - Creating Templates; Comments; Making a Site Live; Testing In Multiple Browsers on Multiple Platforms
• Meet with Design Teams
  • What starting template best matches your design?
  • What do you want to include in your design that you don't know how to do?
  • Begin CSS Mockup

Due:

• CSS Exercise #2

Week 13: December 8

In class:

• Meet with Design Teams
  • Site Testing
• Review Designs with client - Does the site match the identity, needs and mission of client?; dynamic composition; clear information hierarchy; clear, easy navigation

Due:

• Finished Version of Website

NOTE: DECEMBER 15 will be a MONDAY schedule

Week 14: December 16

NOTE: LAST CLASS

In class:

• Final Presentation of Sites

Due:

• Revised Website
• Reflection Paper

Readings

Readings indicated as [pdf] in the schedule are attached here:

Attachment	Size
William-Mitchell_How-to-do-things-with-pictures.pdf	3.44 MB
Anne_Balsamo-Cutting_Edge.pdf	1.03 MB
Steve-Krug_Chapter-1-Dont-Make-Me-Think.pdf	3.11 MB
Steve-Krug_Chapter-2-Dont-Make-Me-Think.pdf	914.31 KB
Steve-Krug_Chapter-9-Usability-Testing.pdf	3.02 MB

Syllabus

Course Description

Software is embedded in many objects that we use on a quotidian basis. These range from the more obvious (computers, cell phones) to the often imperceptible (elevators, toasters, toys). Software as such has social implications: software designers play a large role in crafting both our virtual worlds and our interactions in the physical world. In this course you will learn basic computer programming concepts that can be applied to a wide range of programming languages. You will collaboratively experiment with these languages to create your own software projects. Through critical readings and case-studies of mainstream software applications you will gain greater understanding of the social, political and technological forces at work in software development.

Note - previous experience with computer programming is NOT necessary.

Learning Goals

Students will:

• Demonstrate an awareness of the history of computers and the evolution of programming languages.
• Demonstrate an understanding of algorithms, data structures and basic programming patterns as well as various approaches to the software development process.
• Demonstrate an ability to author original algorithms and to see software as an expressive medium not unlike drawing, writing, singing and knitting.
• Demonstrate an ability to critically analyze the societal impact of computing and software design.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

software:
Download and install the free Processing programming environment to your computer.

texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

attitude:
Your enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to learn.

optional technical texts:
Processing.org is an invaluable online resource. There are also many good books available on computer programming and software design in general and Processing specifically. Please feel free to speak with me directly if you'd like to explore some additional texts.

optional history/theory texts:

Grade Weights

Class involvement: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, knowledge sharing, in-class assignments and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Programming Sketchbook: 40%

You will have 8 homework assignments to complete. Also, by the end of each class period, you will create and turn in a new computer program. In the spirit of a sketchbook, your code needn’t be perfect (or even have to entirely work) - but should reflect an attempt to utilize the concepts presented in class that day.

Presentation OR Technical Workshop: 10%

In groups of 2 students, choose one:

1. Give a 20 minute presentation to the class case studying projects that use software to make art, architecture or design works.
2. Give a 20-minute demo/workshop of a particular software technology and develop a participatory activity so that the class can learn how to use it.

Final Project: 30%

Your final project will be a novel software design. You will prepare a technical and conceptual proposal for a new piece of software as well as a small prototype or component of this project realized in code. The emphasis will be on the conceptual design which must be thorough and well-conceived. The prototype does not need to be a fully functional piece of software, but should demonstrate a grasp of basic computer programming principles and best practices. You will demo this prototype for the class. You will work collaboratively in design teams on this project.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. You should plan on an additional 3 hours of work outside of class every week.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.
• Ask for help!!!

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Eye Strain
Staring at a glowing monitor for extended periods of time can cause headaches, eyestrain and problems with your eyesight. Remember to take frequent short breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on something in the distance, or close your eyes for a moment. Your eyes need a break!

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week 1 - September 14 - Surrounded by Instructions

In-class:

• Course overview
• Discussion: What is language? What is a programming language?
• Presentation: Processing demo - environment, code, coordinates, primatives

Due:

• in-class exercise - peanut butter
• in-class exercise - "Hello, World!"

Week 2 - September 21 - Pseudo Code (think small)

In-class:

• Presentation: Instructional art (Fluxus), Algorithms, Sol LeWitt
• Presentation: variables, data types, operators, arithmetic, decisions

Read for today:

• "Software and Drawing" by Casey Reas
• "Getting Started with Processing" from Visualizing Data by Ben Fry

Due:

• Program 00
• in-class sketch: 4 Lines - Part 1

Week 3 - October 5 - User Stories

In-class:

• Presentation: Software design
• Presentation: User stories and Software design
• Presentation: repetition, vertices, curves, color, images

Read for today:

• "What is Interaction Design" from Designing Interactions by Gillian Crampton Smith PDF

Due:

• 4 Lines - Part 2 - Complete Part 2 of the in-class exercise from last week

• in-class exercise: bounce

• in-class exercise: imagine

Week 4 - October 19 - Simplicity

In-class:

• Presentation: Stages of software development
• Presentation: text, typography, data, math

Read for today:

• "The Laws of Simplicity" by John Maeda PDF

Due:

• Program DRAW - Complete Part 2 of the in-class exercise from last week
• in-class exercise - musical chairs

Week 5 - October 26 - Getting Loopy

In-class:

• Presentation: Approaches to algorithms
• Presentation: transformations, continuous, functions

Read for today:

TBA

Due:

• Program TYPE
• in-class exercise - clear

Week 6 - November 2 - What if?

In-class:

• Presentation: Software and self-expression
• Presentation: input, mouse, keyboard, events

Read for today:

• "1. Intermediation" from My Mother Was a Computer: Digital Subjects and Literary Texts by N. Katherine Hayles [PDF]

Due:

• Program TIME
• in-class exercise -

Week 7 - November 9 - Lists of lists

In-class:

• Presentation: Code and Culture
• Presentation: mouse, time, response

Read for today:

• "Larry Tesler" from Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge PDF
• "Bill Verplank" from Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge PDF

Week 8 - November 16 - Interactions

In-class:

• Presentation: Design Patterns
• Presentation: capturing user interactions

Read for today:
* "Chapter 10 – People and Prototypes" from Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge [PDF]

Due:

• Program MAP
• Student Presentation v0.1
• Student Presentation v0.2
• Student Presentation v0.3

Week 9 - November 23 - Data

In-class:

• Presentation: working with data

Read for today:

• "The Seven Stages of Visualizing Data" from Visualizing Data by Ben Fry [PDF]

Due:

• Final Project Proposal
• Student Presentation v0.3
• Student Presentation v0.4
• Student Presentation v0.5

Week 10 - November 30

In-class:

• Team Meetings
• Working Sessions

Due:

• Rough Draft - Design Document
• Student Presentation v0.6
• Student Presentation v0.7
• Student Presentation v0.8

Week 11 - December 7 - Begin Coding

In-class:

• Team Meetings
• Working Session

Week 12 - December 14 - Demo Critique

In-class:

• Critique of project demos
• Team Meetings

Due:

• Final project demos

Week 13 - December 15

In-class:

• Class recap

Due:

• Presentation of final projects

Attachment	Size
Gillian-Crampton-Smith_What-is-Interaction-Design.pdf.pdf	1.03 MB
John-Maeda_The-Laws-of-Simplicity.pdf	1.88 MB
Bill-Moggridge_Larry-Tesler.pdf	1.82 MB
Bill-Moggridge_Bill-Verplank.pdf	1.14 MB

Exercises

A series of exercises for learning computer programming with Processing

A Basic into to Processing

Presentations

In groups of 2 students, choose one:

1. Give a 20 minute presentation to the class case studying 2-3 projects that use software to make art, architecture or design works.
2. Give a 20-minute demo/workshop of a particular software technology and develop a participatory activity so that the class can learn how to use

Schedule

Week 8 - November 16 - Interactions

• Student Presentation v0.1 - Meagan, Hope, Matt - Yoko Ono
• Student Presentation v0.2 - Owen, Lindsey, Myles - Thomas Briggs
• Student Presentation v0.3 - Alyssa, Adriana - Datum

Week 9 - November 23 - Data

• Student Presentation v0.3 - Eric, Heather A, Allison - MIDI
• Student Presentation v0.4 - Sam Caitlin, Danielle - Brooke Singer
• Student Presentation v0.5 -

Week 10 - November 30 - Project Proposal

• Student Presentation v0.6 - Nicole, Heather B
• Student Presentation v0.7 - Noah, Heather G - Video Game Design
• Student Presentation v0.8 - Sarah

Possible topics:

• Scratch - a programming language designed for young people
• Games for Change - games that engage contemporary social issues in meaningful ways to foster a more just, equitable and/or tolerant society
• Arduino - Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
• Pipes - Pipes is a powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mashup content from around the web.
• Drupal - Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website
• Brooke Singer - Media artist and Associate Professor of New Media at Purchase College
• Processing Exhibition - extensive archive of projects created in processing
• Casey Reas - Software artist and creator of processing
• Ben Fry - Software artist and creator of processing
• Thomas Briggs - Software artist
• Carnivore - a surveillance tool for data networks
• runme.org - archive of software art
• Bicycle Built for 2,000 - audio artwork made with Amazon's Mechanical Turk web service
• Mint.com - online money management software
• MAPLight - public database that illuminates the connection between campaign donations and legislative votes
• mycrocosm - a web service that allows you to share snippets of information from the minutiae of daily life in the form of simple statistical graph
• Daytum - counts and communicates the personal statistics generated by each of us every day

Final Project

note - You must work in groups of 2 or 3.

Software design is all around us. It governs large systems like financial markets and also subtle experiences such as how we select a song on an MP3 player. Software affects us in countless ways everyday. It is our responsibility to participate in envisioning its future.

Imagine: you have been provided with 10 gazillion dollars of venture capital and a crack team of engineers and computer programmers who can make anything you design.

The Challenge: develop a novel software design. You will prepare a technical and conceptual proposal for a new piece of software as well as a small prototype or component of this project realized in code. The emphasis will be on the conceptual design which must be thorough and well-conceived. The prototype does not need to be a fully functional piece of software, but should demonstrate a grasp of basic computer programming principles and best practices. You will demo this prototype for the class. You will work collaboratively in design teams on this project.

Questions:

• What are you making, what does it do?
• Who are you making it for - who is your audience?
• What kind of information does it take in? What kind of information does it produce?
• Is the software used in public, private, both?
• How do users interact with it?
• What problem does it set out to address?
• What are some related software/products/services - how does yours differ?

Ideas:

• "Data visualization" - design an interface that allows a user to explore a specific data set in an interesting/revealing/joyful/surprising way. As one option, you can work with a set of of data for female and male homicide rates for each state for each year between 1980-2004. This data is being made available by a criminal sociologist who is interested in seeing visualizations of her research.
• "Design your own ..." - this semester we have made a drawing tool, a typewriter, and a clock. Choose another familiar technology and re-imagine it. A visual calculator, a weather service, a calendar ...
• "Musical Instrument" - design an interface that allows a user(s) to create sounds/music in a novel way
• "Design a Game"

Any idea is welcome - you just have to make your case.

Format:

Project Proposal – due November 23
In this section, write a few paragraphs that describe what the project or software will do. What is the problem it is trying to solve? Why does it need to exist? Who will use it? By answering these questions, you establish the scope of your design.

---

Design Document – Rough Draft due November 30

Project Name

Background

How did the idea for this software come about? What is the problem it is trying to solve? Why does it need to exist? Who will use it?

Specifically address:

• Scope - What are you developing? What does the software do? What does the software NOT do?
• Audiences - Who are the major types of users you want the software to serve?
• Objectives - What goals should the software help your users meet?

Competitive Analysis - Assess current alternatives/options. What are their strengths and weaknesses? How does your idea fit into the current landscape? You should case study at least 2 other software products in this section.

Implementation

Aesthetics

What is the look and feel for this project? How can specific design decisions make this software appealing and usable to your target audience?

Architectural Strategy

What is a suitable development platform for your project? What kinds of existing technologies can you leverage (open-source code, hardware)? What kinds of new software/hardware needs to be developed to realize your project? You should present your research on the pros and cons of at least 2 different technologies that could be used in developing your project.

Interaction

A use case is a description of how users will perform tasks with your software. Who can do what?

A use case includes two main parts:

• the steps a user will take to accomplish a particular task
• the way the software should respond to a user's actions

Each use case captures:

• The actor - Who is using the software? What specific characteristics does this user have?
• The interaction - What can the user do? How does the software respond?
• The goal - What is the user's goal?

You should write at least two use cases for your software. You should write each a use case as a mini-narrative.

Prototype

A prototype is a draft version of your software. Prototypes allow you to explore your ideas before investing time and money into development. A prototype can be anything from drawings on paper (low-fidelity), click-through of a few images or pages, or fully functioning software (high-fidelity).

You will create 2 prototypes: a UI prototype and a software prototype.

UI Prototype
This can be done with photoshop/illustrator to create a series of pages that will simulate how a user will interact with your creation. You can think of this as a storyboard or flowchart. The storyboard should represent important UI features (menus, buttons, etc) and demonstrate the ways that a user can interact with your software. These can be presented as a series of PowerPoint slides or in the form of a simple website. For your rough draft, this can be in the form of sketches on paper.

Software Prototype
You will determine a suitable aspect of your project and attempt to prototype it in Processing. I’ll work with each group individually to determine the appropriate part of your project to implement. Please turn in the code for this part of the project. This is not due for the rough draft.

---

Presentation & Final Design Document – due Last Class
A 10 minute presentation in the form of Power Point or a webpage/blog. Please turn in either a copy burned to CD or a URL.

The presentation should incorporate the following:

1. A name for your software.
2. Answers to the above questions.
3. Use cases or scenarios that demonstrate typical user experiences.
4. Visual designs - at least 4 visualizations that depict what the service/device/interface looks like and how it would be used.
5. Code prototype – identify an aspect of your software project and implement it in Processing.

!!! your device/service does not have to completely work - but you need to explain how it would work.

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and thinking digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability both to access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to "speak" the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on training, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge practice and theory. Topics will include digital imaging, typography, animation, video, sound and web design. We will concern ourselves with "how" and "why" the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives. Prior computer experience is not required, but students are expected to take the initiative to become comfortable operating a Macintosh computer.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to understand the function and relationships of computer hardware and operating systems, input and output peripherals and the Internet.
• You will be able to use Macintosh-platform digital media software including Adobe Photoshop (for image manipulation), and Macromedia Dreamweaver (for web design).
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to give and receive constructive critical feedback in a group setting.
• You will read, write, and think about the roles computers and media play in your life, in your creativity and in society in general.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

optional technical texts:
Adobe Photoshop CS2 for the Web Hands-On Training by Tanya Staples
Photoshop CS2: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas
HTML, XHTML, and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide (6th Ed) by Elizabeth Castro
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Hands-On Training by Daniel Short & Garo Green
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8: Visual QuickStart Guide by Tom Negrino & Dori Smith

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Service Learning

This course has a service learning component.

Important Dates:
Please mark these dates on your calendars. These sessions are required to meet the service learning component of the course. Please contact me ASAP if you have unbreakable conflicts.

March 15th 11:30 am - 1:30 pm at EHTP
March 29th 11:30 am - 1:30 pm at MMC
April 5th 11:30 am - 1:30 am at MMC
April 12th 11:30 am - 1:30 am at MMC

May 6th 5 pm - Service Learning Exhibition and Celebration at MMC

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 50%

This is where its at - you can't learn HTML by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Multimedia production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Rant or Rave: 5%

This 2-3 page paper will be assigned later in the semester. You will select a website, CD-ROM, multimedia technology or media phenomenon that interests you and make an analysis or critique. Your paper should address the following:
* describe the product/service - what does it do and for what purpose?
* who is the intended audience? who is the actual audience?
* what media elements are used and how do they contribute to or detract from the product/service's effectiveness
* place this product/service in the context of other media - does it extend a previous technology, what future impact will it have on society?
* offer your evaluation (critical or positive)

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
  Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

EHTP info

EHTP website:

http://www.ehtp.org/

Address:

2050 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10029

Directions:

6 Train to 103rd Street
Walk east on 103rd toward 3rd Avenue
Turn left on 3rd Avenue
Turn right onto E 105th Street
Turn left on 2nd Avenue

We need to be at EHTP by 11:30 am on Saturday March 8. It would be ideal to be there 10 minutes early so that we can gather our thoughts.

For anyone who wants to travel with me, we will meet at the MMC lobby. I will leave promptly at 10:30 am.

Please come prepared with your digital cameras and lesson plans and/or handouts.

Schedule

JAN 29: 01 - introduction

• digital media - what is it?
• computer basics - hardware, software, peripherals, i/o
• mac operating system - how to find your way around [desktop, files, commands, tips]
• how to find digital materials - google, MMC resources, library of congress, obiblio.org

FEB 05: 02 - photoshop is a hammer [ - digital imaging - ]

• basic concepts - digital vs. analog, pixels, resolution
• scanning demo
• Photoshop basics: selection strategies - shape, edge, color, brightness, etc
• image manipulation - curves, levels, brightness, contrast
• tools - smudge, clone, etc

read:
- "Overture" from Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
- "Chapter 1 & 4" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

due:
- download 10-20 online (digital) images for self-portrait project
- collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

FEB 12: 03 - photoshop is also a kitchen [ - digital imaging - ]

• layers, filters, adjustment layers
• discuss strategies of collage and composition
• in class exercise - play photoshop ping-pong

read:
- "Chapter 8: Computer Collage" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

due:
"cosmetic surgery" : scan, repair and enhance a scratched/damaged image of a celebrity - be prepared to show all 3 stages

FEB 19: 04 - text as sound [ - typography - ]

• basic concepts - types [serif, sans-serif, mono], screen issues
• typographic design issues - flow, spacing, color, contrast, weight → readability
• in class exercise - sound interpretations

read:
- "Chapter 9:" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

due:
"self-portrait" : create a collaged representation of yourself using the images you collected in week 1 and/or scanned images/objects

FEB 26: 05 - web web web [ - HTML - ]

• Hey, what is the World Wide Web and how does it actually work?
• hand coding HTML - basic tags, basic text formatting
• 'view source' in class exercise - code sharing: Frankensite.

read:
- "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin" from The New Media Reader by William S. Burroughs
- "The Future of the Novel" from Multimedia: From Wagner to VR by William S. Burroughs

due:
"Propaganda" : Manipulate an image to change its meaning. You should do this by incorporating text and/or adding/removing visual information. Your aim is to influence the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information.

MAR 04: 06 - web web web web web web [ - HTML - ]

• incorporating images and links [still hand coding]

read:
- "Chapter 10: Identity Crisis" from Life on the Screen by Sherry Turkle

due:
"cut-up" : Use what you know of HTML to format the text of a poem or song lyric into an interesting web page layout

MAR 25: 07 - image optimization and animation [ - digital imaging - ]

• concepts - image types [JPG, GIF, PNG], transparency, browser safe, anti-aliasing
• optimizing images for use on the web [ImageReady]
• creating animated GIFs [ImageReady]

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

due:
"false identity" : Develop a false or fictional identity for an online dating service. Your web page should use only "shared" images and incorporate links to external sites.

APR 01: 08 - web authoring [ - HTML - ]

• basic tour of Dreamweaver
• how to set up and organize a project
• text formatting, images, links the Dreamweaver way
• some basic approaches to layout - tables

due:
"exquisite corps" class project - create 3 animated GIFs: head, torso & legs

APR 08: 09 - web authoring part 2 [ - HTML - ]

• layout continued
• navigation, architecture, sitemaps
• imagemaps

due:
"mini-portfolio" - create a simple webpage with links to the previous weeks assignments

APR 15: 10 - turn up the volume [ - SOUND - ]

• basic concepts - sampling rate, frequency, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download audio & sounds [Audio Hijack Pro]
• basic sound editing, loops, and FX [Garage Band]

due:
"Sitemap" - Develop a sitemap and 1 page written proposal for your final project

APR 22: 11 - lights, camera ... [ - VIDEO - ]

• basic concepts - frame rate, aspect ratio, CODECs, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download video
• basic editing, effects, transitions, audio [iMovie]

due:
- "Rant or Rave" - see 'Assignments' section of the syllabus [due in 2 weeks]

APR 29: 12 - open lab [ - WORK - ]

• work on your final project in class

MAY 06: 13 - Final Class

• in class critique of final projects
• wrap-up and what comes next! Flash teaser [brief tour]

MAY 13: 14 - Final Class

Class notes and projects

Class notes, links, resources and projects.

Syllabus

Course Description:

The purpose of this class is to explore the social, political, and economic implications of new media technologies. First, we will study specific technologies and trace the growth of some major ones, such as digital television, satellites, computers, and the Internet. Next, we will examine the development of regulating agencies and recent laws that impact and control these technologies. We explore how life in the digital age will affect our conceptions of privacy, copyright, and relationships. We will then turn to examine media conglomeration, ownership, and globalization.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the semester you should:

• Be able to critically assess the impact of new technologies on society.
• Understand the impact of media conglomeration, and how new regulations will impact society.
• Understand the global interconnectedness of media systems, including the effects of American media abroad as well as the effects of globalization on local media
• Have first-hand experience exploring new technology. In particular, have participated in an on-line community and analyzed your experiences doing so throughout the semester.
• Have completed an extensive research paper and gain a special knowledge of a particular contemporary issue or phenomenon within society.
• Developed your critical analyses skills, writing skills, research skills, and have increased your interest/knowledge of our changing media environment.

Class Website

The class website is located at: http://sodacity.net/courses

The syllabus/schedule for this course evolves somewhat over the course of the semester, so be sure to check the online version frequently to keep current with reading assignments, etc.

Texts:

All reading materials will be made available through the class website.

Grade Weights - details below

Participation 10% [includes in-class work]
Reading Responses 15%
Presentation of a reading and discussion handout: 10%
Peer Reviews 5%

Final Project
Research Proposal 5%
Literature Review 10%
Rough Draft 5%
Final Paper 25%
Final Presentation 15%

Participation 10%
Attendance and participation are essential for you to do well in this course. Attendance will be taken in each class, and more than 1 absence will result in a drop in your final grade. More than 3 absences (excused or unexcused) will jeopardize your ability to pass this class. It is also necessary for you to participate in each class. Vibrant participation allows all members of the class (including the professor) to benefit from the exchange of ideas, questions, and criticism of the readings. If you find that you are uncomfortable, you need to see me during my office hours to discuss alternative contributions to the class. Coming in late or leaving early is noted as a 1/2 absence.

Quick Writes - occasionally I will give "pop" in-class writing assignments, in which you will be asked to make critical reflections on the day's readings.

Reading Responses 15%
One-page Essays - you will write 3 one-page essays over the course of the semester. Each essay will be based on one or more of the assigned readings and is due no later than one class after the reading was due.

• topics: You will decide what to focus each essay on. Each essay must have both a thesis and evidence (data, quotes, examples, etc from the readings)

• format: Your essay must fit onto one page of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper - default settings please (Times New Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins)

Presentation of reading and discussion questions: 10%
Next week, each of you will have an opportunity to volunteer with 2 classmates to lead discussion during one of our classes during the semester. Look ahead in the syllabus and consider which one you are particularly interested in offering your insights on and presenting to your classmates. (Those who do not take the opportunity to volunteer will be assigned a week.) On the day or your class you will bring to class 22 copies of a two page document that presents the following:

1. A summary of the articles and their main points. (In paragraph form - no bullet points.)
2. A minimum of six well-thought out questions that will spark conversation that evening. At least two of these should link the weeks readings to other reading we have done up to that point in the class or for the evening. Open-ended questions that encourage us to push beyond the reading to a consideration of future implications will be particularly appreciated and fruitful.

You will distribute a copy of this to each member of the class and then lead our discussion of that reading/topic for the first part of class. NOTE: If you are absent on the day of your assigned reading or are not prepared with the handout to discuss it, you will fail this assignment and an "F" will be factored into your final course grade.

Peer Reviews 5%
This course has a peer review component. You will be part of a team of 3 students. For the two stages leading up to your final paper (Research Proposal, and Lit Review) you will be required to provide written and verbal feedback of your classmates work.

Final Project
During the semester, while we as a class explore new technology and how changes in communication technology impact society, you will be working individually to further examine an aspect of the new media environment. You will pick a subject to focus on and conduct a research project where you analyze this topic in a number of ways. You will examine research already completed on this subject (secondary research) and you will incorporate an interview with a person relevant to your topic (primary research). Your sources should be wide-ranging and varied, including books, articles from scholarly journals, newspaper and magazine articles, technology blogs and trade journals for communication professionals.

You will have a significant amount of flexibility in choosing this topic so you should pick one that interests you or could help you learn more about new media in a field that you are considering for your career. In other words, this paper will be as useful to you as make it. In previous classes, students have used the paper they wrote to obtain a job, an internship, or to apply to graduate programs. You should plan to spend time in the next month looking over our entire course schedule and thinking deeply about what you would like to investigate to ensure that the topic you take on is sufficiently interesting to sustain a semester-long focus. Sample topics and areas will be discussed in class and I encourage you to engage me in discussions about possible topics well in advance of the prospectus due date.

To aid you in deciding upon a topic and developing your paper in a timely manner throughout the semester, I have broken the process down into several specific assignments. Note that these assignments are mandatory and failure to complete them will jeopardize both your final grade and also the quality and success of your final essay (since you will deny yourself feedback from your peers and me.)

note: The final essay should be submitted in no larger than 12pt. type, double-spaced, number pages and STAPLED in the upper left hand corner.

Research Proposal 5% - due February 25
In a two-page document present your project as you are currently thinking about it. The first section should be a narrative of what brought you to your subject, what interests you about it and why you want to investigate it further. The next section should pose the issue you are going to research further and the various areas you will explore as you work towards the creation of your essay. This section should include at least six questions through which you will approach your topic. The last section should discuss your research strategy. Indicate possible readings/sources and possible candidates for the interview component of the final paper.

Literature Review 10% - due March 24
In this 5-7 page paper you will review secondary sources relevant to your field of inquiry. Your research should include a minimum of 8 sources, 2 of which may be readings assigned from class. This paper should do more than simply summarize the sources you select. Rather you should attempt to draw connections between them and how they relate to your research topic. We will discuss the form of this paper in more detail during class.

Rough Draft (includes interview) 5% - due April 14
The rough draft of your paper should include analysis of an interview conducted with an individual relevant to your field of inquiry. We will discuss the form of this paper in more detail during class.

steps:

• Identify and contact the person you would like to interview.
• Prepare a set of questions around your research focus.
• Conduct and record a live interview.
• Prepare a transcript of your interview and write up your analysis.

Be sure to turn in the raw transcript of your interview.

Final Paper 25% - due May 5th
Your 15-20 page paper with a complete list of works cited.

Final Presentations 15% - due May 5th or May 12th
Details to be discussed later in the semester.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. All work submitted should be done by the student in preparation for this specific class (for example, you may not hand in a paper for this class that you are also preparing for another class). Plagiarism and cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Students will jeopardize their grade not just for the assignment but also for the entire course. If a student has difficulty understanding how to cite sources or has questions concerning the above, contact the professor as soon as possible. The College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Grading Standards for in-class assignments:

0 - Inadequate. You did not respond, you were absent, or your response clearly indicates you did not do the reading and are unprepared and unable to contribute.

1 - Fair. You need to demonstrate more clearly that you read and understand the material and to more thoughtfully interact with the questions and the class.

2 - Good. You have read the material and can thoughtfully reflect upon it and consider the context of the question/task in your response.

3 - Excellent. You demonstrate a solid understanding of the reading, can move beyond it to thought-provoking questions or carefully considered responses.

Grading Standards for written work:

Some kind of "C"
Proposes and explores an adequate, if not particularly creative, opinion about the topic.
Uses adequate, if somewhat superficial evidence.
Demonstrates knowledge of the course material and perspective that may be a bit cursory.
Relies heavily on course material or minimal secondary sources.
Work reflects competence, but stays at a general or predictable level of understanding.
Citations are mostly correct, although some irregularities in MLA form may be present.
Some irregularities in style and grammar, but not so extreme as to interfere with meaning.

Some kind of "B" - fulfills all of the above, and also...
Proposes and explores an insightful opinion about the topic.
Demonstrates a complete and accurate understanding of the pertinent issues and concepts.
Uses detailed evidence from a variety of sources skillfully.
Presents a reasonable degree of insight and broad level of analysis.
Sources are used appropriately and with discretion to contribute to a more complete and original discussion than the average paper.
Reduces errors in grammar to a minimum.

Some kind of "A" - fulfills all of the above, and also...
Offers an original voice on the subject/sheds new light on the topic.
Demonstrates comprehensive and solid understanding of the pertinent issues and concepts..
Uses a variety of detailed sources and shows creativity and tenacity in its intellectual inquiry.
Use of source material is skillful and sophisticated.
Demonstrates logical reasoning, effective organization, and substantial development.
The style of writing is polished and creative.
Grammatical errors are essentially nonexistent.

A "D"
Failure to minimally address all tasks in the assignment.
Demonstrates a serious lack of understanding, and fails to express the most rudimentary aspects of an approach to the topic.
Inappropriate use of citations such as to throw into question the ability or intention of the writer to properly give credit to his/her sources.
Simplistic treatment of the topic, as indicated by one or more of the following conditions: reiterating material from another source without providing interpretation or commentary; unsupported generalizations or meaningless specifics; "parroting" of an idea from a previously read source; "borrowing" the structure of another writer's discussion of the topic.
Frequent writing errors such as to interfere with the reader's understanding.

Failure - "F"
Work never submitted/submitted more than one week late.
Work is plagiarized.
Work has been submitted for another class.

Other policies and things to avoid:

Late Assignments: Assignments submitted up to one week after their due date will be accepted with a lowering of the grade one full level (a late prospectus that would have merited a B+ will be factored into your final grade as a C+.) Assignments more than one week late will not be accepted and an "F" will be factored into the final grade for that percentage. There is no possibility of submitting the rough draft more than two days late due to the timing of the conferences, and as that assignment is pass/fail, late rough drafts will receive a "D" and also receive less of my consideration due to the time crunch that they will create. Please note that illness on the day of class is NOT an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. You have the entire course schedule and due dates well ahead of time - PLAN AHEAD.

Also: I will not, NEVER, EVER accept assignments via email. I won't open attached files. Don't try it!!!!!!*

*This also applies to the recent phenomenon of "I know you don't accept assignments via email but I emailed you anyway to prove that I did it on time and I will print it out and get you a hard copy later." If it's not physically in my hands in class the day it is due it is LATE. This especially applies to "I don't have my 'Works Cited' page but will email it to you." (No, you may not.)

Resources

Resources for COMM 400

Schedule

Week by week course schedule:

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and thinking digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability both to access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to "speak" the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on training, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge practice and theory. Topics will include digital imaging, typography, animation, video, sound and web design. We will concern ourselves with "how" and "why" the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives. Prior computer experience is not required, but students are expected to take the initiative to become comfortable operating a Macintosh computer.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to understand the function and relationships of computer hardware and operating systems, input and output peripherals and the Internet.
• You will be able to use Macintosh-platform digital media software including Adobe Photoshop (for image manipulation), and Macromedia Dreamweaver (for web design).
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to give and receive constructive critical feedback in a group setting.
• You will read, write, and think about the roles computers and media play in your life, in your creativity and in society in general.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

optional technical texts:
Adobe Photoshop CS2 for the Web Hands-On Training by Tanya Staples
Photoshop CS2: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas
HTML, XHTML, and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide (6th Ed) by Elizabeth Castro
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Hands-On Training by Daniel Short & Garo Green
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8: Visual QuickStart Guide by Tom Negrino & Dori Smith

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 50%

This is where its at - you can't learn HTML by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Multimedia production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Rant or Rave: 5%

This 2-3 page paper will be assigned later in the semester. You will select a website, CD-ROM, multimedia technology or media phenomenon that interests you and make an analysis or critique. Your paper should address the following:
* describe the product/service - what does it do and for what purpose?
* who is the intended audience? who is the actual audience?
* what media elements are used and how do they contribute to or detract from the product/service's effectiveness
* place this product/service in the context of other media - does it extend a previous technology, what future impact will it have on society?
* offer your evaluation (critical or positive)

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
  Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

SEP 10: 01 - introduction

• digital media - what is it?
• computer basics - hardware, software, peripherals, i/o
• mac operating system - how to find your way around [desktop, files, commands, tips]
• how to find digital materials - google, MMC resources, library of congress, obiblio.org

read:
- "Overture" from Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
- "Chapter 1 & 4" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
- download 10-20 online (digital) images for self-portrait project
- collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

SEP 17: 02 - photoshop is a hammer [ - digital imaging - ]

• basic concepts - digital vs. analog, pixels, resolution
• scanning demo
• Photoshop basics: selection strategies - shape, edge, color, brightness, etc
• image manipulation - curves, levels, brightness, contrast
• tools - smudge, clone, etc

read:
- "Chapter 8: Computer Collage" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
"cosmetic surgery" : scan, repair and enhance a scratched/damaged image of a celebrity - be prepared to show all 3 stages

SEP 24: 03 - photoshop is also a kitchen [ - digital imaging - ]

• layers, filters, adjustment layers
• discuss strategies of collage and composition
• in class exercise - play photoshop ping-pong

read:
- "Chapter 9:" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
"self-portrait" : create a collaged representation of yourself using the images you collected in week 1 and/or scanned images/objects

OCT 01: 04 - text as sound [ - typography - ]

• basic concepts - types [serif, sans-serif, mono], screen issues
• typographic design issues - flow, spacing, color, contrast, weight → readability
• in class exercise - sound interpretations

read:
- "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin" from The New Media Reader by William S. Burroughs
- "The Future of the Novel" from Multimedia: From Wagner to VR by William S. Burroughs

assignment:
"Propaganda" : Manipulate an image to change its meaning. You should do this by incorporating text and/or adding/removing visual information. Your aim is to influence the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information.

OCT 08: NO CLASSES - Columbus Day

OCT 15: 05 - web web web [ - HTML - ]

• Hey, what is the World Wide Web and how does it actually work?
• hand coding HTML - basic tags, basic text formatting
• 'view source' in class exercise - code sharing: Frankensite.

read:
- "Chapter 10: Identity Crisis" from Life on the Screen by Sherry Turkle

assignment:
"cut-up" : Use what you know of HTML to format the text of a poem or song lyric into an interesting web page layout

OCT 22: 06 - web web web web web web [ - HTML - ]

• incorporating images and links [still hand coding]

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

assignment:
"false identity" : Develop a false or fictional identity for an online dating service. Your web page should use only "shared" images and incorporate links to external sites.

OCT 29: 07 - image optimization and animation [ - digital imaging - ]

• concepts - image types [JPG, GIF, PNG], transparency, browser safe, anti-aliasing
• optimizing images for use on the web [ImageReady]
• creating animated GIFs [ImageReady]

assignment:
"exquisite corps" class project - create 3 animated GIFs: head, torso & legs

NOV 05: 08 - web authoring [ - HTML - ]

• basic tour of Dreamweaver
• how to set up and organize a project
• text formatting, images, links the Dreamweaver way
• some basic approaches to layout - tables

assignment:
"mini-portfolio" - create a simple webpage with links to the previous weeks assignments

NOV 12: NO CLASSES

NOV 19: 09 - web authoring part 2 [ - HTML - ]

• layout continued
• navigation, architecture, sitemaps
• imagemaps

assignment:
"Sitemap" - Develop a sitemap and 1 page written proposal for your final project

NOV 26: 10 - turn up the volume [ - SOUND - ]

• basic concepts - sampling rate, frequency, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download audio & sounds [Audio Hijack Pro]
• basic sound editing, loops, and FX [Garage Band]

assignment:
- "Rant or Rave" - see 'Assignments' section of the syllabus [due in 2 weeks]

DEC 03: 11 - lights, camera ... [ - VIDEO - ]

• basic concepts - frame rate, aspect ratio, CODECs, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download video
• basic editing, effects, transitions, audio [iMovie]

assignment:
- work on final project

DEC 10: 12 - open lab [ - WORK - ]

• work on your final project in class

DEC 17: 13 - Final Class

• in class critique of final projects
• wrap-up and what comes next! Flash teaser [brief tour]

Class notes and projects

Class notes, links, resources and projects.

Syllabus

Course Description

In this second semester of the multimedia course sequence, students will develop, design and produce their own advanced interactive projects. Media theorist Lev Manovich claims we are living in 'Generation Flash'. Low bandwidth Internet connections created a demand for lightweight vector graphics software spurring a new aesthetic sensibility. Flash is an authoring environment that allows artists to weave together traditional linear animation, user interactivity, object-oriented programming and multimedia (video, sound, etc) blurring the lines between art, design and computer programming. In this class we introduce the fundamental principles of Flash animation and basic Action Script. Prerequisite: COMM 225.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to integrate many forms of digital media into cohesive multimedia projects using the Macromedia Flash authoring environment.
• You will use basic principles of computer programming to add interactivity to your projects.
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to take ideas through a complete design process from concept to production.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

Optional texts:
Macromedia Flash 8: Visual QuickStart Guide by Katherine Ulrich
Macromedia Flash Professional 8: Hands-On Training by James Gonzalez

Grade Weights

Participation: 25%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Projects: 50%

You can't learn digital media passively or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. To learn this stuff you have to make things! Digital media production involves a complex spectrum of techniques & software. If you do each project you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly.

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will help to suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Plan ahead! Digital media projects can be incredibly time consuming and occupy a lot of time outside of class. Don't leave things for the last minute.
• Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know in advance by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

SEP 06: 01 - introduction - First Memory

• introduction, syllabus, etc
• review/intro to GarageBand
• in class exercise - share first memories with your partner

SEP 13: 02 - Setting the Stage

• tour of the Flash authoring environment
• using text - static, broken, dynamic
• the Stage - movie properties

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

DUE:
"retell" - In class you will partner with a classmate and share your first distinct memory. Using GarageBand, "retell" their story in a 1-2 minute audio piece. Your project should be based on this memory, but you are not required to retell the story exactly as it was told to you - you have creative license to embellish, exaggerate, extrapolate, interpolate the story to generate a compelling narrative. That said, you should try to respect the original story (and the person who told it) so as not to misrepresent them. Turn in an MP3 with filename like "retell_your_last_name.mp3" (retell_schwartz.mp3)

SEP 20: 03 - drawing a Tween - remix culture

• The Timeline - layers, framerate, keyframes
• Shapes - properties, grouping, ungrouping breaking apart
• Tweens - shape, motion [position, scale, color, alpha]

read:
- "Chapter 4: Time Frames" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

DUE:
"t e x t" - assignment description will be handed out in class

SEP 27: 04 - creating a Mask - Thinking about Time

• importing artwork from illustrator/photoshop
• creating masks
• using motion paths and guides

read:
- "Generation Flash" by Lev Manovich

DUE:
"Little Black Boxes" - assignment description will be handed out in class

OCT 04: 05 - incorporating Sound

• Finding sounds online
• Importing sound, recording sound in the classroom
• Event sound, streaming sound

DUE:
"Banner Ad Jam" - assignment description will be handed out in class

OCT 11: 06 - animation Tricks

• Animation techniques: easing, blur, gravity
• Working with MovieClips

DUE:
"My Life" - Animate your life story in 30 seconds or less (bunnies optional). Have a storyboard and at least 10 seconds of animation.

OCT 18: 07 - the Loop - Generation Flash

• nested MovieClips
• making animated loops
• programming loops

DUE:
"My Life, take 2" - final draft of My Life.

OCT 25: 08 - make it Interactive

• Creating buttons
• Using Behaviors
• Using ActionScript

DUE: How-To script/storyboard
Have a sitemap and at least 2 of the 5 scenes.

NOV 01: 09 - make it even more Interactive

• Approaches to navigation
• ActionScript

DUE: How-To first draft

NOV 08: 10 - incorporating video

• encoding flash video files
• controlling video with behaviors.
• Introduce final project

DUE:
"How To": With a partner, develop an interactive Flash movie that illustrates/teaches your audience how to do something. This could be anything from how to make a PB&J sandwich to how to knit to how to make a Flash movie. It must have at least 5 different scenes; at least 1 voiceover and it must utilize buttons for your audience to interact with.

NOV 15: 11 - Individual Meetings

• Work on final project

DUE:
Final project proposal:
* project description (include any relevant background info)
* discuss your intended audience
* discuss your visual/aesthetic strategy
* discuss at least 3 URLs of other projects/websites relevant to your project
* Sitemap or Storyboard as appropriate

NOV 22: NO CLASSES - THANKSGIVING

NOV 29: 12 - Individual Meetings

• Work on final project

DEC 06: 13 - Open Lab

• Work on Final Projects

DEC 13: 14 - Final Class

• In class critique of final projects and wrap-up

Class schedule and notes

Class notes, links and resources.

Syllabus

Learning Goals

• You will be able to publish (design, write, publicize, maintain) a blog dedicated to a topic(s) of your choice.
• You will be able to make contributions (design and content) to wikis and other online collaborative authoring environments.
• You will be able to discuss concepts of privacy and social networks as they relate to your digital identity.
• You will be able to discuss the relationship of participatory culture to notions of citizenship and democracy.
• You will be able to present and articulate your ideas to others in a variety of environments, both online and offline.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
generosity and good will

required texts:
all required readings will be handed out in class or available online at: http://sodacity.net/courses

Grade Weights

Participation: 10%
A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Share: 5%
One week you will collaborate with a classmate to share or give something to the rest of the class. Each group will be given 10 minutes at the beginning of class. Each "share" will be posted to the class website for futher discussion. You could make something, juggle something, demonstrate something, sing something, etc, etc.

Qwik Writes 10%
Occasionally I will give "pop" in-class writing assignments, in which you will be asked to make critical reflections on the day's readings.

Citizen Journalism 20%
You will develop and maintain your own blog over the course of the semester. In writing your blog you will strive to develop a unique and personal voice about topics that are interesting and important to you. You will experiment with connecting and communicating with your readers.

Collective Intelligence 20%
As a class, we will engage in an experiment about massive authorship. Over the course of the semester, we will use a wiki, a form of collaborative software, to collectively research, write and visualize a specific topic. You will write a reflective essay comparing and contrasting your experience of writing an individual blog to co-authoring a wiki.

Your Public/Private Self 10%
Assignment details forthcoming.

Your Social Network 10%
Assignment details forthcoming.

Final Paper/Project: 15%
This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills/concepts you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Digital Media Lab

Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Digital Media Labs in room 556 or 559. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Schedule

Week by week course schedule:

Student Blogs

Blogs written by students in Sharing 101 during the Fall 2007 semester.

In no particular order:

http://makinmovesnyc.blogspot.com/ by gmazzarella
http://showmethesunshine.blogspot.com/ by amandawaskajen
http://petpeevesundays.blogspot.com/ by CallMeDee
http://trafficdodger.blogspot.com by kcochran
http://sveltesnacktime.blogspot.com/ by rpercyz
http://fashionistasuicide.blogspot.com/ by Caroline R. Miller
http://lifeanditsobstacles.blogspot.com/ by Jennifer
http://thecaliforniaroll-michael.blogspot.com/ by Mlawrence
http://magnificentmanhattan.blogspot.com/ by jagostino
A Straphanger Emerges by nathan.ashker
Click the Pink Seal by LoLo
http://road2superbowl.blogspot.com by jason84b
http://foodforthoughtbychris.blogspot.com/ by Christine Myhrer
http://maketeanotwarblog.blogspot.com/ by LuLu12
http://www.digitallydelicious.blogspot.com by biancab
http://breakfastwithblackberrys.blogspot.com/ by abbychococat
http://talkaboutthehills.blogspot.com by krimola
http://whatsnewonfilm.blogspot.com/ by Teichka
http://venetourism.blogspot.com/ by Maritza
http://everythingtheysay.blogspot.com/ by Diana

Syllabus

Course Description

Digital and interactive media permeate virtually every aspect of our society from information delivery and product marketing to education and entertainment. In this course you will learn practical and critical skills necessary to become a technically proficient and thinking digital media maker. Literacy in any medium is the ability both to access (read) materials created by others and to generate (write) materials for others. In this course you will learn to "speak" the language of digital media and to become conversant with the computer as an expressive medium. Through hands-on training, you will be introduced to creative approaches to media production and to a range of software. The format of this class is designed to bridge practice and theory. Topics will include digital imaging, typography, animation, video, sound and web design. We will concern ourselves with "how" and "why" the digital world is constructed the way it is. Students will be challenged to deconstruct this world and to develop an ability to analyze and critique the cultural implications of digital media in our lives. Prior computer experience is not required, but students are expected to take the initiative to become comfortable operating a Macintosh computer.

Learning Goals

• You will be able to understand the function and relationships of computer hardware and operating systems, input and output peripherals and the Internet.
• You will be able to use Macintosh-platform digital media software including Adobe Photoshop (for image manipulation), and Macromedia Dreamweaver (for web design).
• You will be able to present and articulate your creative ideas to others.
• You will be able to give and receive constructive critical feedback in a group setting.
• You will read, write, and think about the roles computers and media play in your life, in your creativity and in society in general.

Textbooks and Materials

materials:
USB Flash Drive (256MB or bigger) - OR - portable Hard Drive

required texts:
all required readings will be available online or handed out in class

optional technical texts:
Adobe Photoshop CS2 for the Web Hands-On Training by Tanya Staples
Photoshop CS2: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas
HTML, XHTML, and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide (6th Ed) by Elizabeth Castro
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Hands-On Training by Daniel Short & Garo Green
Macromedia Dreamweaver 8: Visual QuickStart Guide by Tom Negrino & Dori Smith

optional history/theory texts:
The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell
Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality edited by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
The New Media Reader edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin & Nick Montfort

Grade Weights

Participation: 20%

A large amount of class time will be dedicated to group critiques, team projects and class discussion. I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to make our class a fun and dynamic place to be.

Weekly Assignments: 50%

This is where its at - you can't learn HTML by osmosis or wait until the end of the semester to cram for an exam. Multimedia production involves a complex spectrum of techniques and software. If you do the assignments each week you will do well. If not, you will fall behind rapidly. Weekly exercises are due at the beginning of class the week after they are assigned unless noted otherwise.

Rant or Rave: 5%

This 2-3 page paper will be assigned later in the semester. You will select a website, CD-ROM, multimedia technology or media phenomenon that interests you and make an analysis or critique. Your paper should address the following:
* describe the product/service - what does it do and for what purpose?
* who is the intended audience? who is the actual audience?
* what media elements are used and how do they contribute to or detract from the product/service's effectiveness
* place this product/service in the context of other media - does it extend a previous technology, what future impact will it have on society?
* offer your evaluation (critical or positive)

Final Project: 25%

This project will be self-initiated and should integrate many of the skills you will learn this semester. When the time comes I will suggest possible topics and approaches. You will have the option of working individually or collaborating with other students.

Tips

• Warning - this course demands substantial work outside of class time to complete the projects. Unless you already own an Apple computer with the relevant software, you should plan on coming into the Digital Media lab for an additional 3 hours every week.
  Attendance is essential to succeed in this class. The skills and techniques taught are cumulative - they build upon previous ones. Missing just one week can make it very difficult to catch up. You will also note that class participation makes up a sizable percentage of your final grade - if you are absent you cannot participate and your grade will suffer.
• Save different versions of your projects and save often. Make back-ups of your files.
• Work in the lab with a friend - when learning new technology, 2 brains are usually better than one. You are welcome to work on your assignments at home but many students use the Multimedia Lab in room 556. Lab hours will be posted after the first week of classes. Students may not use the lab when another class is in session. If the lab is locked during regular lab hours you may get a key from the Security Desk.

Safety

Electrical:
Water/liquids are a excellent conductors. You can be shocked if you are touching water that touches electricity. Be careful with drinks around the computers!

Carpal Tunnel
Computer keyboarding, typing and use of the mouse are among many common activities that have been identified as contributing to repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken in each class. You are allowed one unexcused (no questions asked) absence, after which your final grade will drop substantially with each absence. In the event that an extraordinary circumstance will require you to miss a class, please let me know ahead of time, by calling me, or by email.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments for this course must either enroll in the Program for Academic Access or register with the Office of Student Support Services. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with either a letter from the Assistant Director of the Program for Academic Access or an Accommodations Card from the Office of Student Support Services during the first week of classes.

Academic Honesty Policy

MMC fosters an academic community where students and faculty work together to create a learning experience that imparts knowledge and forms character. To achieve this, the College requires all members of the community to adhere to the policy of Academic Honesty that can be found in the Student Handbook, the College Catalogue and on the College website.

Section 01 - Schedule

JAN 29: 01 - introduction

• digital media - what is it?
• computer basics - hardware, software, peripherals, i/o
• mac operating system - how to find your way around [desktop, files, commands, tips]
• how to find digital materials - google, MMC resources, library of congress, obiblio.org

read:
- "Overture" from Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality by Randall Packer & Ken Jordan
- "Chapter 1 & 4" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
- download 10-20 online (digital) images for self-portrait project
- collect 1 physical (analog) image of your favorite celebrity that is scratched/damaged [you can provide the scratches]

FEB 05: 02 - photoshop is a hammer [ - digital imaging - ]

• basic concepts - digital vs. analog, pixels, resolution
• scanning demo
• Photoshop basics: selection strategies - shape, edge, color, brightness, etc
• image manipulation - curves, levels, brightness, contrast
• tools - smudge, clone, etc

read:
- "Chapter 8: Computer Collage" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
"cosmetic surgery" : scan, repair and enhance a scratched/damaged image of a celebrity - be prepared to show all 3 stages

FEB 12: 03 - photoshop is also a kitchen [ - digital imaging - ]

• layers, filters, adjustment layers
• discuss strategies of collage and composition
• in class exercise - play photoshop ping-pong

read:
- "Chapter 9:" from The Reconfigured Eye by William J. Mitchell

assignment:
"self-portrait" : create a collaged representation of yourself using the images you collected in week 1 and/or scanned images/objects

FEB 19: NO CLASSES - President's Day

FEB 26: 04 - text as sound [ - typography - ]

• basic concepts - types [serif, sans-serif, mono], screen issues
• typographic design issues - flow, spacing, color, contrast, weight → readability
• in class exercise - sound interpretations

read:
- "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin" from The New Media Reader by William S. Burroughs
- "The Future of the Novel" from Multimedia: From Wagner to VR by William S. Burroughs

assignment:
"Propaganda" : Manipulate an image to change its meaning. You should do this by incorporating text and/or adding/removing visual information. Your aim is to influence the opinions of people, rather than impartially providing information.

MAR 05: 05 - web web web [ - HTML - ]

• Hey, what is the World Wide Web and how does it actually work?
• hand coding HTML - basic tags, basic text formatting
• 'view source' in class exercise - code sharing: Frankensite.

read:
- "Chapter 10: Identity Crisis" from Life on the Screen by Sherry Turkle

assignment:
"cut-up" : Use what you know of HTML to format the text of a poem or song lyric into an interesting web page layout

MAR 12: NO CLASSES

MAR 19: SPRING BREAK

MAR 26: 06 - web web web web web web [ - HTML - ]

• incorporating images and links [still hand coding]

read:
- "Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics" from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

assignment:
"false identity" : Develop a false or fictional identity for an online dating service. Your web page should use only "shared" images and incorporate links to external sites.

APR 02: 07 - image optimization and animation [ - digital imaging - ]

• concepts - image types [JPG, GIF, PNG], transparency, browser safe, anti-aliasing
• optimizing images for use on the web [ImageReady]
• creating animated GIFs [ImageReady]

assignment:
"exquisite corps" class project - create 3 animated GIFs: head, torso & legs

APR 09: 08 - web authoring [ - HTML - ]

• basic tour of Dreamweaver
• how to set up and organize a project
• text formatting, images, links the Dreamweaver way
• some basic approaches to layout - tables

assignment:
"mini-portfolio" - create a simple webpage with links to the previous weeks assignments

APR 16: 09 - web authoring part 2 [ - HTML - ]

• layout continued
• navigation, architecture, sitemaps
• imagemaps

assignment:
"Sitemap" - Develop a sitemap and 1 page written proposal for your final project

APR 23: 10 - turn up the volume [ - SOUND - ]

• basic concepts - sampling rate, frequency, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download audio & sounds [Audio Hijack Pro]
• basic sound editing, loops, and FX [Garage Band]

assignment:
- "Rant or Rave" - see 'Assignments' section of the syllabus [due in 2 weeks]

APR 30: 11 - lights, camera ... [ - VIDEO - ]

• basic concepts - frame rate, aspect ratio, CODECs, file formats
• how to capture/record/digitize/download video
• basic editing, effects, transitions, audio [iMovie]

assignment:
- work on final project

MAY 07: 12 - open lab [ - WORK - ]

• work on your final project in class

MAY 13: 13 - Final Class

• in class critique of final projects
• wrap-up and what comes next! Flash teaser [brief tour]