Post Requirements

  • 15 total posts
  • All posts must meet the following criteria:
  • Title that includes post number (e.g. 1: Happy to meet everyone!; 1: I hate titles!)
  • 300 words (include word count in post)
  • 3 tags
  • At least 1 relevant multimedia element, such as image, video, relevant hyperlink, etc.
  • Posts should build on or otherwise respond to other posts.

Dates

Due before class on specific dates; See course calendar.

Description & Goals

Each student will complete 15 posts. These posts should draw from the class readings and discussions. Unless otherwise indicated, all blogs posts should be at least 300 words. Blog Posts should be thoughtful and show the depth of your thinking and engagement with the course materials. At times, posts will ask you to engage a particular design, composition, or analysis activity in order to hone your understanding of the course material. You might think of these as practice exercises or mini-projects.

The idea of these these posts is to provide you with a low stakes space to experiment with new ideas and technologies. The audience for these posts is your classmates and me, and the purpose of the blog is to help me gauge your learning and see how you are understanding, making connections amongst, and engaging with the readings. Occasionally, you will be asked to respond to posts written by your classmates. Prompts will be posted as the semester progresses.

In completing these posts, students will:

  • Explore the intersections of writing, publishing, and technology, and the intersections of print and digital texts.
  • Engage rhetorical theories and principles of composing and designing digital texts for diverse environments and audiences.
  • Employ rhetorical theories and principles to create digital texts appropriate to various environments and audiences.
  • Develop a foundational understanding of the technological and social protocols associated with digital publishing.
  • Create digital texts using a variety of tools.

Getting Started

I’ve added each of you to the Digital Publishing Blog, so there is no need to create your own blog.

I’ll post prompts to Blackboard and the Blog at least 48 hours before each blog post is due. If you’re the first one to post, you can begin the conversation. If others have already posted by the time you get around to it, please read a few of the existing posts prior to writing yours. Then, try to refer to or reference those posts as you’re writing. The key here is that we’re building a conversation. So you should do your best to:

  • Add something new to the conversation, not just repeat what everyone else has already written.
  • Engage with the readings in a way that is relevant to your expertise, knowledge, or goals.
  • Build on the knowledge contributed by your colleagues
  • Write something you’re proud to share.
  • All blog entries should include the following: a title, a word count, and at least three tags that index the blog.

Though this is a mostly informal exercise, I will expect that entries are revised, edited, and polished appropriately.

Other Considerations

Genre

I’d like to see you follow the genre conventions for a blog as much as possible—be creative and include images, music, video, links, and other multimedia that help you make sense of the writing and thinking we’re doing in class. Here are some of my favorite blogs to give you an idea of what I’m thinking about here:

Audience
This blog is semi-public in that all students and I have access to and will be reading the blog. Keep this in mind as you compose in the blog.
You should also keep your audience in mind as you decide the content, both in text and multimedia, that you’ll include in your blog. At times, you might find it relevant to discuss other classes, events, or other texts that your audience might be familiar with. That’s a good way to relate the blog to your audience, and a good way to relate the course to your learning and goals.

e-Portfolio

Your final assignment of this semester, the e-Portfolio, will ask you to post 3 of your best/favorite/most interesting blog posts to your portfolio. You don’t need to worry about this now, but keeping it in mind as we continue to move through these.

Evaluation

Blog posts will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • The post evidences the writer’s engagement with assigned readings.
  • The post evidences the writer’s engagement with class discussion.
  • The post evidences the writer’s engagement with other writers’ posts.
  • The post meets all required criteria.

Submission & Late Submission

Blog posts are always due before class. Blog posts will not be accepted late. To receive full credit, students must complete all blog posts. Extra credit opportunities will be provided throughout the semester than can excuse or replace a missed blog post.