Assignment One: Deadline 28.03.12

Assignment One: 40%: Online Learning Journal (blog) 

REQUIREMENTS

A) Five Written ‘Posts’:

1. “Old Media” vs. “New Media”
(This is a written debate in which you analyse the differences between an old media and a new media which has replaced it.)

2. New Media Glossary Challenge
(This is for the user-generated Glossary that will be published for this class. You will be given a new media term to research and find three definitions on. It is essential that you use three different sources (i.e. Book, e-book, journal, website...) and that you use Harvard referencing correctly. Your definitions must be presented using the template provided.)

3. How have mobile medias shaped participatory culture?
(Answer this question as a short essay. You are expected to use at least one quote from the reading provided in class and on Blackboard to support your answer.)

4. How has the Internet changed journalism?
(Answer this question as a short essay. You are expected to use the class discussion and critical reflection on the BBC programme "How Facebook Changed The World" and the newspaper articles provided in class and in Blackboard to support your answer.)

5. Critical Reflection on Second Life
(This blog post will be written following a conversation with Barbara Mitra in Second Life. Using these questions and the reading provided by Tim for the Second Life class, write a critical reflection of your experience of Second Life.)

- Each blog post is a maximum of 300 words each, (not including quotations) 

- Spelling and grammar will be marked, so ensure you use the spell check on all of your posts.
- Use both primary and secondary materials to support your written posts.

- Harvard Referencing is essential for ALL quotes, images, and references in all posts etc.

- A tag-cloud visualisation of one of your blogs should be included. If you missed this class, you can create this using www.wordle.net by copying an pasting one post into wordle and making a tag cloud. Include an image of this on your blog with a reference to which blog post it is a visualisation of.

B) Twenty Website ‘Links’:

- Include a minimum of 20 ‘links’ (relevant to this module)

- The links should be listed in the left or right hand column and organised into "Link Lists"

- Link List titles might include the titles of the sessions, such as ‘digital distribution’ or ‘social media’.

- Add links to relevant reading, websites, blogs, youtube clips, references, journal articles, e-books, social medias, and online materials discussed in this module, presented in this blog and in the presentations in Blackboard.  

- Links MUST include: Your Twitter, Your online newspaper, and The MECS1008 Module blog.

DEADLINES

Deadlines for Assignment:

Presentation: 26th March 2012

- You are required to prepare and present a 3-minute presentation of your Online Learning Journal to the class

- You will present a short summary of your OLJ (blog) by: 1. briefly introducing what you discussed in each one, 2. by explaining how you have used the link lists, 3. by sharing what has been the most interesting topic and what has been the most challenging topic for you and why.  

- All students will present and peer-review each others Online Learning Journals. To peer review each OLJ (blog), students will mark each other on 1. Visual presentation of blog. 2. Use of new media language. 3. Use of research and referencing and 4. Delivery of presentation to class. 

- All blogs will be viewed, even if the students aren't there to present them.
- Students can collect their peer-reviewed marks and comments from Rebecca at the end of class, to make any suggested improvements before submitting their finished Online Learning Journal on 28.03.12:

Submit printed copy: 28th March 3.00pm

- All students must add Barbara Mitra as a reader of their blog. Do this by going to Settings - Permissions - Readers - and adding b.mitra@worc.ac.uk as a reader.

- Students must print a hard-copy of your Online Learning Journal and submit it by 3.00pm on 28th March


- Hand-in hard-copy with tracking form attached (available on SOLE page) to: Bredon Building Assignments Box.

To read the Learning Outcomes and the Grading Criteria, please view the document 'Assignment One Summary' in Blackboard.

Assignment One

Assignment One: 40%

1. Keep an Online Learning Journal (blog)

Details: Assignment One

-       The Online Learning Journal will be created using Blogspot in your first Seminar in Week One

-       A handout will be provided for guidance on setting up and keeping it.

-       Students must use their student number as the blog ID and URL

-       All Online Learning Journal’s will need to be private not public.

-       The aim of the Online Learning Journal is to have a personal creative journal to collate individual notes, reflections, web-links, research and written text over the module, which will be a valuable resource when approaching assignment two: writing an academic essay.

Requirements: Assignment One

A) Five Written ‘Posts’:

Students are required to write five ‘posts’ between weeks 1 – 9. These ‘posts’ are between 150 – 300 words in length each. The post titles are:

1. “Old Media” vs. “New Media”
2. New Media Glossary Challenge
3. How have mobile medias shaped participatory culture?
4. How has the Internet changed journalism?
5. A conversation in Second Life to critically reflect on avatar experience.

Further details for each post will be given during seminars and students are expected to have completed each post within one week, before the next seminar.

Students are expected to use both primary and secondary materials in their discussions. Students must reference the origin of all images, videos and quotes included on their blog. Spelling, grammar and referencing will be marked.

In Week 9 students are required to give a short visual presentation of their blog and provide peer feedback to each other on their blogs.

B) Twenty Website ‘Links’:

Students are required to save a minimum of 20 ‘links’ to websites, videos, books and journals that are discussed in the seminars or are research towards assignment two.

By week 9 students will have completed five written ‘posts’ (150-300 words each) and added a minimum of 20 links to their Online Learning Journals

Both A and B requirements of Assignment One detailed above will contribute to the assessment, which is 40%.

The deadline for Assignment one is: Wednesday 28^th March at 3pm.

More details about the assignment learning outcomes and deadlines are in the module handbook, available on in Blackboard.

Creating your Online Learning Journal

As part of this module you are expected to keep an Online Learning Journal and you will be given a task to update it each weekly between weeks 1 – 9. Your Online Learning Journal is essentially a ‘blog’. This is part of your assessment for this module, so will only be used for this purpose and kept private.

What is a blog?

• A blog is the term used for a ‘web log’, it is a type of personal website that is updated regularly and enables you to keep a log (by date) of your activities and in this case, what you are learning on this module.
• A blog is creative: you design how you want it to look and you can include text, images, web-links, videos and music, making it personal and visual.
• A blog can become part of an online community; you can share your blog with the world, just with friends or keep it private.
• A blog is a type of new media and will be an opportunity to experience new media first hand.

Aim of the Online Learning Journal

The aim of the Online Learning Journal is to have your own creative journal to collate your individual notes, reflections, web-links, research and written text over the module, which will be a valuable resource when approaching assignment 2: writing an academic essay.

Online Learning Journal Assignment

Each week you will be given a task to upload text or web-links to add to your Online Learning Journal. These will be checked each week and by week 9 you will have a minimum of five written blog posts (each 150-300 words long) and a minimum of twenty links. The deadline for the finished Online Learning Journal is 28/03/12 and this is 40% of your overall assessment in this module.

Your Online Learning Journal will be created using Blogspot – a popular blogging website, which is easy to use and make personal to you. Please follow the following guide to set up your Online Learning Journal: here referred to as a blog.

A guide to how to set up your Online Learning Journal is available in Blackboard.