Unit 1 encouraged you to develop a toolkit of research strategies unique to the web with the goal of being able to not only evaluate but also find trusted information. Unit 2 asked you work collaboratively to inquire into certain forces and phenomena controlling our experiences on the web, with the goal of developing a knowledge base you could build from. In this final unit, then, you will begin to go public with your strategies and knowledge by working together and with me to work toward building out a website called The Future of Writing or FOW. The primary mission of FOW is to create a multi-mediated space for Rowan Writing Arts majors to share opinions, arguments, and inquires about the relationship between digital culture and college life.
While I have worked with my Fall 2017 students on laying out this basic mission, you will be responsible for continuing to shape this into regularized content, picking up where the previous class left off and determining the kinds of multimedia we will publish in future WRT classes. In short, the choice of what you write and how you write it is largely up to you. We’ll immediately begin by examining some the genres, sections, and prompts found on the site now.
But there’s a catch: you only have 4 weeks to do this. Hence, the crux of this assignment requires you to use three documents in order to develop a writing project that is doable: a plan, a project, and a letter to the next writers and editors of FOW. I outline these in more detail below. All documents for this project should be saved in a subfolder labeled “Unit 3” within your WRT Google Drive folder.
The Plan
This is a key Google Doc as it helps sketch your project and strategies for the next few weeks and tracks your progress. It has four components. [Due in your Unit 3 Drive Folder by the end of class on this Wednesday, April 11, though the plan may evolve over the next few weeks. Your version history will keep track of changes. ]
- A brief description of the project (100 words), including your title, media chosen, tools required, and a summary of content.
- Practical goals (bulleted): these are 3-4 learning objectives you plan to achieve by the end of the unit (example: learn the basics of Garageband, write a draft of a critical review of an app, etc.)
- Ideal goals (bulleted): these are 2-3 goals that would be awesome to meet if you had more time.
- Schedule: a breakdown of what you’ll do in class and out to meet the practical goals listed above. You might consider filling in a grid like this with your tasks to meet your goals:
| M | HW | W | HW |
|---|---|---|---|
| XX | XX | 4/11 | 4/12-4/15 |
| 4/16 | 4/17 | 4/18 | 4/19-4/22 |
| 4/23 | 4/24 | 4/25 | 4/26-5/7 |
| Exam Week — Lab Time TBA | |||
The Project
This is the actual “thing” you’ll produce, whether it’s a review of a piece of tech/game/app, a logo for our site, or a draft of a longer piece about the dark web. Keep in mind that you should envision a project that is realistic given the time constraints, but also imagines a more perfect, publishable version for the future [This is due as a draft in our site’s WordPress with your process documents organized in your Unit 3 Drive Folder by Monday, May 7.]
The Letter
Since FOW is an evolving project, you’ll write a letter to a future student who may or may not take over your project. These letters, in other words, would be one of the first things students read when they are taking over FOW, just like the ones you read this semester. Eventually next November, I’ll take these letters out of your shared folder and place them in a new one so be fure to save a copy for yourself if you want to keep it.
Your letter should be constructed as follows:
- Refer to the title of your project and include your name and Rowan email address.
- Write an introductory ¶ that succinctly describes your project’s history, including where the idea came from, and what your practical and ideal goals for it were.
- If the idea came from someone in a previous class, you should include a copy of their letter at the bottom of yours. You should also quote them in your letter at times and obviously give them credit for coming up with the idea.
- 2-3 ¶s that describe your process — tell the reader what you did, describe specific challenges, and how you responded or adjusted to them (note: if you adjust your plan as you went along, you might consult its version history )
- 2-3 ¶s that suggest future directions for this project — how could it be continued? what would students need to do to make this publication-ready?
This letter should be 800-1,000 words and include embedded media and/or hyperlinks to content. [Due in your Unit 3 Drive Folder no later than Monday, May 7.]