Electronic Writing & Publishing

Mid-Semester Media Project

Due 5/21 (email me your idea by 5/14)

The purpose of this project is two-fold:

• to become familiar with using one of the various media or genres of electronic writing and publishing (such as blogs, podcasts, websites, hypertext and so on)
• to explore particular class concepts in greater detail

You may choose what you would like to do for this project, with my approval. A few possibilities include:

• Annotated bibliography blog (see example assignment below)
• Book review in hypertext or podcast form (Perhaps for Kairos or another online journal. I will provide a list below)
• Online portfolio (only if you do not already have one, see below for more info)
• Short podcast series on relevant topics (say 2-3 episodes with mid-level sound editing)

Please send me an email proposing your idea for the project by 5/14 (earlier is fine). In the email give me enough information to determine the feasibility and scope of your project. Do make sure the form of the project is technological--it should be submitted in one of the types of electronic writing and publishing (such as blogs, podcasts, web sites, hypertext and so on) we have discussed.

Annotated Bibliography

This assignment description is form 8125: Research methods and you may find it helpful.

For this project you will compose an annotated bibliography of 15-25 texts (books count as 5 and this cannot be all books [note: for 8121 I recommend 10-15 texts with one book]) on the topic/related to of your final project. This should include a mix of research studies on the topic or using your project method(s) (at least 8) and other types of text. The research studies will include a critique of the research along with regular annotated biography information. You may submit this on paper or some electronic form (I recommend a website or blog). You may find pages 48-55 on the Hughes and Hayhoe book helpful.

The annotated bibliography should start with an overview paragraph, summarizing your bibliography, discussing your topics, and presenting your goal/reason behind the work. You may choose to organize your bibliography into topic-based sections with texts organized alphabetically within that or simply alphabetically. If you have a few distinct topics (say research method and topic area: ethnography and first year writing), you should organize by topics.

For each entry, provide one paragraph of summary or what Hughes and Hayhoe call the descriptive annotation. Do not include the author’s abstract. This should be in your own words (besides the occasional acceptable quotes). Then your second paragraph should be evaluative where you discuss the authority or background of the author, the strength of the article and findings, connections and comparison/contrast to other sources (especially in your bibliography), holes and gaps (which your research may fit nicely into) and additional questions it raises, and a general  critique of the text. You may also discuss how this text fits into your project and the general topic. If this is one of your eight research texts in the biography include a third paragraph critiquing the research including the methods, ethics, method of inquiry, rigor of research, results, ethos, research question, method selection, analysis, and more.

Finally, conclude the bibliography with a conclusion paragraph (or two). Summarize what you found. You may discuss what sources are the most helpful—whether it be due to quality or because they provide the perfect launch for your own research. If you see gaps or holes, bring these up and possibly call for research in these areas.

If you do a blog, which I recommend for those with technological literacy, you may find it easier to combine the introduction/conclusion into one post. You can post each bibliographic entry as a separate post and link between posts when you see connections.

Online portfolio

If you are interested in creating an online portfolio here are some resources:

1. In the folder "Resource readings for projects" under File Storage on Atutor I put up a reading I give my undergrads on web portfolios. It is part of a book by Miles Kimball.
2. I put some additional portfolio resources on the resource page.
3. Here is the portfolio assignment, edited slightly, my Digital Rhetoric students have had. It give you a good idea of what should be included:

Web Portfolio Project

Purpose: To publish a website that should help you get a job and advertise your academic and professional excellence.

The web portfolio project will give you a chance to out your professional portfolio online. Ideally you will use this portfolio to get a job, to get into a PhD program, or for another impressive feat. You will apply web design and usability concepts from the class to create a clear, professional, easy to navigate, and usable site. There will be some required components to this site and some optional components.

Required Components for the final site:

• A main page/introduction page
• A professional bio page
• An online (html) CV and a printer-friendly CV created in another program (word, rich text, or some other “easy to open” format)
• A Teaching Philosophy

Optional Components:

• A Research Philosophy
• Examples of your work (can be included as links to Word or other types of documents)
• Example syllabi
• Example Assignments
• An Annotated bio of your work (could be abstracts for conference presentations, a more traditional annotated bib)
• Other things you think appropriate

Final Portfolio

The final portfolio must have the required components listed above, plus at least 2 additional components (at least 7 pages). The tone and ethos must be appropriate for your audience. The content and interface should be professional, usable, and clear.

Book/Journal Review

If you are interested in doing book review here is a revised version of the book review assignment I gave my Academic Writing and Publication class in the spring. Below it is some sources I had them read on writing books reviews. I can email this to you or you can get them all electronically from the library. You can also do a podcast book review.

Assignment:

Review a new book (2006 or later) or a professional journal (at least the last 3 years) relevant to your field of study. Make this project fit into either your seminar presentation or other class projects, if possible. Target this review to a particular journal in your area of concentration and follow the format appropriate for that journal. Examine other reviews of the work (if available). The book review should be approximately 1000 words unless otherwise required by the journal.

You will turn in the book review and the book review guidelines for the journal in which you plan to submit the review.

Here are question I had the students answer in their peer reviews of echoer's work, which should help you wi rte a strong book review:

• Does it include an early paragraph discussing what book is about and putting the book in context? How well is this done?
• Does it include audience information including who the audience is and how well the book meet the needs of the intended audience?
• Does it include a thorough critique of content and argument?
• Is there a discussion of strengths and limitations? How well is this done? Does it seem fair and balanced?
• Is there information on format, length, price, and value (as appropriate)?
• Does it include both positive and negative critique? How well is this done? Does it seem fair and balanced?
• Does consider the readers and the writer(s)? How well is this done?
• Is the tone interesting, informative, and lively?
• Does it “draw conclusions of broad significance” (Hartley 1200)?
• Does it “Tell it as you see it, yes, but frame it especially carefully” (Davis 605)?
• Does it avoid all that it should?
• How is the organization? Is it setup clearly and effectively? How does it flow? Does it follow a typical method of organization?

Sources:

Cortada, J. W. (1998). Five ways to be a terrible book reviewer.
Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 30.1: 34–37.

Davis, Natalie Zemon. "On Reviewing. Feminist Studies, Vol. 14, No. 3. (Autumn, 1988), pp. 602-606.

Gardiner, Linda. "Remember the Reader." Feminist Studies, Vol. 14, No. 3. (Autumn, 1988), pp. 617-622.

Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 57(9):1194–1207, 2006

North, Stephen M. "On Book Reviews in Rhetoric and Composition." Rhetoric Review, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Spring, 1992), pp. 348-363.