Why Everyone is Her Own DJ...

Learning about Digital Literacies from a Business book??
In comic book form?? Yes, We Can!

And you will... preview the Smarter Comics version of Chris Anderson's The Long Tail and discuss it in your blog entry...

http://smartercomics.com/TheLongTail

Watch your Language - and images - Young Blogger!

Take a look at some leading blogs and evaluate how they use language, images, links, etc. Also note how they set a tone to communicate with their audiences. What can you learn from the blogger by seeing how the blog is composed? what can you learn about the blogger's (perceived) audience by looking at how the blog is composed?

You might start here: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2075431,00.html

Underway!

Digital Literacies students are knocking the rust off and getting underway in a couple of meaningful ways this week.

CM 410 Students will be digging into two seminal readings this week. They will read:

1. Kevin Kelly's "Becoming Screen Literate" from the New York Times, and 
2. Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" from The Atlantic.

• Before Tuesday at Midnight, they will post a blog entry responding to this prompt: **Reflect on Kevin Kelly’s comments on a “Second Gutenberg Shift”- What is changing in the way we “read” and “write” in current media practices? What are the implications for you as a student? As a member of society? As a new professional in your career? 
• Before Friday's Class, they will post a blog response to this prompt: **Reflect on Nicholas Carr’s comments on Nietzsche’s typewriter – How have new media changed your habits and style of composing and communicating? What are the implications of your observations? What other things stood out to you in the "Is Google Making Us Stupid Article?"

CM 412 Students will be tackling a client-based print design project that incorporates QR codes and that displays the best practices of semiotics, design, color theory, appropriate typography and visual rhetoric. Watch for their work to be displayed on their blogs soon - and around campus! 

And So It Begins... Again

The adventure of Digital Literacies begins - again... 
Some of you are returning for Part Dos - Welcome Back!
And some of you are entering Digital Literacies for the first time - Welcome!

We will use this blog space - and your connected blogs - for our ongoing class discussion for both classes this term. You will link your blogs to those in your class - but you can come here to see what students in the other section are doing. Occasionally, we will have a combined classes open discussion. It should be synergizing and fun... if synergizing is a word. (And I think it is because I just made it up if it weren't already.) Anyway...

Digi Lit I (CM 410) Students - Take Note - Complete Before Friday's Class:

Getting Started with Blogger

1. Create a Blogger blog and customize it to your selection of colors, etc. (You will revisit and redesign it many times throughout the course - so just get something you like that is easy to use and easy to read.)   Click here to go to the Blogger Help Guide.
2. Watch the Video below. Then think about these questions:
• When you were a young child, what did you imagine the future would be like? What inventions, improvements, changes?
• Which of these things have come about so far? Which of these things have not come about? Do you expect some other facets of your vision of the future will come about soon?
• What things developed that you would never have imagined as a child? What would the "child you" think of this future?

After watching the video and considering the questions - post your first blog entry about your thoughts.

Digi Lit II (CM 412) Students, Take Note - Complete Before Friday's Class:

1. Revisit your blog and make sure it is still functional. Give it a "Spring Cleaning" facelift to freshen it up. 
2. Visit the Smartphone Museum in Granberry Hall and pay attention to these features:
• The content - tracing technology in areas such as music, pictures, movies, teaching, etc.
• The use of QR codes. (If you have a smartphone, you will need to download a QR scanner and log into the Granberry Wi-Fi to explore the material.)
• The use of Facebook as a "landing page" for discussing the exhibit.

After visiting the Museum and interacting with the exhibits, post your first blog entry of the term about the exhibit.