EMAC 6374 Final Portfolio

Spring 2013

EMAC 6374 Final Portfolio Purpose: Overview: Instructions: Technical Details: Digital Media Objects - Specific Requirements Text Still Image Sound Moving Image Portfolio Grading A Word About Late Work A Word About Drafting and Revising Timeline and Due Dates

Purpose:

• To demonstrate familiarity with shifts in representation in text, image, and sound, including the relationship between them.
• To utilize a variety of tools of digital production to communicate ideas in multiple media formats. 
• To utilize the existing research and publications of media studies.
• To engage in processes of collaborative feedback and revision to improve student work.

Overview:

In order to better grasp the contemporary landscape of digital textuality, students need to take the ideas from class readings and discussions and apply them to the production of a variety of digital media objects.  The production of these objects will take place in a scaffolded structure wherein students compose early versions, receive feedback, and improve them.

Students will be introduced to new tools for producing digital media objects each week in class.  These introductions will take the form of Tool Workshops led by their peers.  In addition students should browse the Tool Reviews and resource indexes in the course wiki.  Students are not required to use tools that are listed in the wiki, but in the spirit of collaboration and community, they should add any tools that they are using to the Resource Index pages.

Instructions:

• What's in the portfolio? 
  
• Each portfolio will consist of four digital media objects, one each for text, still image, sound, and moving image.
• Multimedia pieces are acceptable, however each should foreground one of the different media forms.  
• Collaboration is allowed, but multiply the number of collaborators by the length requirements. You may collaborate on one or all media objects, but not on the final paper.
• In addition to the digital media objects, each portfolio should also contain a short research paper (4 - 6 pages) that makes an argument about digital textuality.  
• See sections below for specifications on each particular media object and for additional items due in the Portfolio.
• Topic
• All digital media objects will be composed on a topic of the student's choosing. The topic may be derived from one of the student's other classes or capstone, but all work turned in should be original work composed for this class and may not be graded as part of any other class or assignment.
• The media objects should work together to form a whole portfolio. They should either tell one story across the four objects, tell the same story four times using the unique signifiers of each form, or examine four different angles of the same topic. Any discord or lack of cohesion should be purposeful and enhance the meaning.
  
• Turning it in
  
• The portfolio materials may be gathered on your page in the "Course Participants" folder or you may use a web publishing platform such as a blog, storify, issuu, omeka, projeqt, or sophie.
• Each student will give a 5-minute, Ignite-style presentation in which they present their portfolio work at the end of the semester.

Technical Details:

• Students should employ Revision Control so that version 1 can be submitted along with the final version in the portfolio.
• If students need equipment to capture images, video, or sounds, we may have this available through EMAC (see Karla Muñoz @yenelie for more information).  If not, the UTD Library will also loan equipment.
• Be sure to allow plenty of time during the drafting process and before the final due date for technical difficulties.

Digital Media Objects - Specific Requirements

Text

• 900 - 1200 words. 
  
• Possible formats for the text media object include:
• Digital Text: 900-1200 words of original composition (reflection, research, creative-writing, etc.) that is formatted for a digital platform (wiki, blog, twitter, goAnimate, etc.).
  
• Remediation: remediate another media object into 900-1200 words of digital text.
• Other ideas must be cleared with Kim prior to the due date of version 1. 
• In addition to the criteria in the Grading section below, text-specific qualities include use of language, organization, use of sources, use of the forms and rhetorical conventions of digital text (links, hashtags, etc.)

Still Image

• Generally 10-15 images, unless otherwise noted. 
  
• Possible formats for the still image media object include:
• Comic: A comic strip of 10 - 15 frames.
• Photo Essay: A photo-essay of 10-15 original or creative-commons-licensed images (or a mixture).
• You may only use creative commons images if:
• the image is of an object or situation that is rare or inaccessible enough that you could not capture it yourself.
• Note that this does include quality. 
• or the image is heavily modified.
• If you use creative commons images, you must follow the terms of the license and give proper attribution.
• Single Image: One image that proves the old adage, "a picture is worth 1,000 words." This must be an original composition.
• Collage: A collage composed of 10-15 source images (original, creative-commons, or a mixture).
• The same cc guidelines apply as to the photo essay.
• Visualizations: A series of 10-15 static data or text visualizations.
• Remediation: remediate another media object into 10-15 images
• Other ideas must be cleared with Kim prior to the due date of the version 1.
• In addition to the criteria in the Grading section below, image-specific qualities include composition, color, depiction of movement, use of focus, effective use of graphics editing software (if used), etc. Photo essays and comic strips will also be graded on narrativity, relationship between image and text, etc.

Sound

• 90 seconds to three minutes.
• Possible formats for the sound media object include:
• Composition: Original musical compositions, abstract, vocal, or instrumental.
• Recording: Original audio recordings of stories, events, environmental sounds, noise, etc.
• Remixing: Remixes or mashups of public domain or creative commons music and recordings.
• The remixed version should heavily modify the source material.
• Remediation: remediate another media object into a 90-second to three minute sound composition or recording. 
• Other ideas must be cleared with Kim prior to the due date of version 1.
• In addition to the criteria in the Grading section below, sound-specific qualities include arrangement, cohesiveness, harmony (or tactical discord/noise), perceptible ideas or emotions, etc.

Moving Image

• 90 seconds to three minutes.
• Possible formats for the moving image media object include:
• Video Production: narrative, informative, time lapse photography (converted to video), music video, etc. 90 seconds to three minutes.
• Animation: narrative, informative, etc. 90 seconds to three minutes. (note that this does not include GoAnimate or XtraNormal, which are too text heavy)
• Remixing: Two or more videos combined to total 90 seconds to three minutes.
• Other ideas must be cleared with Kim prior to the due date of the first version.
• In addition to the criteria in the Grading section below, the specific qualities of moving images include everything from still image  and sound, as well as framing, focus, narrativity, post-processing, titles and other graphics, etc. 

Portfolio

• Should include:
• Final versions of the four digital media objects, including a short explanation of revisions you made.
  
• The 4-6 page paper.
• In addition to the digital media objects, each portfolio should also contain a short research paper (4 - 6 pages) that makes an argument about digital textuality.
  
• Cite 3 or more readings to support your argument. 
  
• You can reference your media objects in the research paper to help supplement your argument. 
• Options for uploading the paper include:
• 1. Cut and paste the contents of the paper into your wiki page or wherever you are hosting your portfolio. If you do this, please be sure to double check to ensure that your formatting (particularly paragraph breaks) remains intact.
• 2. Upload the paper to google drive and include a link to your portfolio. Don't forget to set the sharing settings so Kim can view it.
• First versions of the four digital media objects. 
• Everything should be linked from your course participant page on the wiki. 

Grading

The Portfolio is worth 50% of your final grade.  You will be graded on the following criteria:

• Quality of Digital Media Objects, including the paper:
• A clearly-composed and thought-provoking thesis.
• Attention to organization structures, regardless of the medium.
• The extent to which media objects utilize the specific qualities of each medium.
• Relationship between the media objects
• Students should employ a transmedia approach in which they use different media objects to explore different angles of the topic, or they develop one argument across several media objects (vs. repeating the same content in different media)
• Or, if continuity/cohesiveness is absent, the portfolio instead exhibits evidence of thoughtful and tactical discord.
• In other words, you will be evaluated on the whole portfolio, as well as the individual objects.
• Remediated or remixed objects should amplify aspects of the source material in order to make meaning.

Things that will detract from your grade:

• Failure to meet minimum length requirements.
• Late materials, including first versions. See the Late Work section for more information. 
• Missing items from the final portfolio.
• Failure to respectfully engage in the drafting, peer-review, and revision processes.
• Polished and finished first versions.
• Providing thoughtful responses to your peers.
• Substantial revision between the first and final versions.
• Failure to present your portfolio, in the time allotted, to the digital textuality and EMAC audiences.

A Word About Late Work

• Responses: Each instance of late written/image/video/acoustic work will result in a loss of 1/3 of a grade on the final portfolio. If you are not in class for the portfolio workshop, your work is considered late.
• Final Portfolio: Final portfolios will be marked down one letter grade for each day (or fraction thereof) that they are late.

A Word About Drafting and Revising

• You'll notice the use of the terms "version" instead of "draft."  That is because these are not "rough drafts."  On days that first versions are due, you should bring in a polished and completed object so that your peers may give you as much helpful feedback as possible.
• It is important that feedback is given constructively and with respect.  It is also important that feedback be concrete and specific.  We will come up with peer review guidelines in class on portfolio workshop days. 
• You will receive feedback from multiple student peers.  Though you are required to revise your work, you do not have to make any of the specific changes suggested during peer review.  However, if you are hearing similar suggestions from multiple people, you would be wise to strongly consider them. 
• You may also find yourself revising based on new ideas that come out of later discussions. That is perfectly fine.
• Make sure to retain copies of your first version of each media object to include in the portfolio.

Timeline and Due Dates

• Feb 14: Text Object, Version 1 due in class.
• Put a link on your course participant page.
  
• Mar 7: Still Image Object, Version 1 due in class.
• Put a link on your profile page.
• Apr 4: Sound Object, Version 1 due in class.
• Put a link on your profile page.
• Apr 25: Moving Image Object, Version 1 due in class.
• Put a link on your profile page.
• May 9: Presentations and Final Portfolio due.
• 07:00 pm - 10:00 pm CB 1.306
• 5 minutes each 
• Ignite style presentation
• 20 slides, auto-advancing at 15 second each. This equals 5 minutes
• You may focus on selected media objects or give a brief overview of the entire portfolio.
• If you go over 5 minutes, you will lose 1/3 of a letter grade on your portfolio.