DWRL Lesson Plans - Photoshop

Introducing Ideology with HSBC Advertisements

Cate Blouke — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 02:16:11 +0000

Author:

Image Credit:

HSBC advertisement

Brief Assignment Overview:

This in-class activity uses the popular HSBC ad campaign (a tryptich of the same image with different value labels) to introduce students to visual rhetoric and ideology. After discussing the ads, students create their own version.

Type of Assignment:

Class Discussion

In-class Exercise

Assignment Length:

Single Class Period

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Visualization

Media Requirements:

No Classroom Technology Required

Adaptable For Use Without Classroom Technology

Media Console/Projector

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

A computer-enabled classroom will allow for the full activity, in which students create their own version of the ad campaign. This could easily be adapted to an activity without technology.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Useful Anytime

First Day/Week

Early in the Semester

Full Assignment Description:

A relatively straightforward exercise, this in-class activity serves as a fruitful introduction to talk about commonplaces, ideology, and visual rhetoric. The ads themselves address the issue of values through their captions, such as "The more you look at the world the more you realize that people value the same things but in different ways."

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

If adapting for use wihtout technology, you might make up some handouts with three unlabeled images and ask students to come up with labels. Similarly, if you don't want to take up the full class period, you could pre-select images to provide students.

Instructions For Students:

As your reading from Picturing Texts discussed, we learn how to se the world in particular ways. As the authors argue, "we construct our realities as we learn to see."

While this has certainly been a theme throughout the course, today's exercise addresses how the way that we see/read texts tends to reflect our own values or ideology. Ho we interpret an image can sometimes say more about us than the image itself.

The international banking firm, HSBC, has an ad campaign that reflects this multi-faceted approach to people and reality.

The triptych above labels the same image with three very different value judgments, illustrating quite explicitly how the same object can retain radically different meanings depending on the viewer.

One of the goals of this course (and an essential element of visual analysis) is for you to learn to consider multiple readings of the same image. As such, and as a handy segue into our unit on advertising, for today's exercise you'll create your own version of the HSBC ads.

With a partner (or two), find an image/object that you can label with at least three different meanings - being careful to use an image that is licensed for adaptive reuse. You can find these images by either using the google advanced image search functions or the filters in a Flickr search (both of which I will demonstrate in class). We'll be talking more about Fair Use and Creative Commons as we move into our final unit, so this is good practice to get you started.

After finding an appropriate image, using either photoshop or an image editing platform of your choice, compile the three images into a tryptich and label them with your different value readings (just as in the HSBC ads).

Notes on Reception, Execution, etc.:

My students had a great time with this exercise and came up with some nice examples. During the discussion, we also talked about design and parallellism.

Course Type:

Intermediate Writing Course

Introductory Writing Course

Course Description:

In this course we will explore the ways in which images can be read, analyzed, constructed, and manipulated. We will interrogate how images inform our reading of historical and political events, of personal identity, of public and private spaces. We will think through issues of self-presentation: how our stylistic choices convey messages to the world around us, and how we interpret the choices of others. We will look at the spaces we frequent and consider the rhetorical effects of everything from the architecture to the furniture to lighting. In short, we will investigate how the visual (non-linguistic, non-textual) world conveys its messages.

Tags:

Practicing Visual Invention

Eatman — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 17:44:15 +0000

Author:

Megan Eatman

Image Credit:

Via SubmitInfographics.com

Brief Assignment Overview:

This in-class assignment asks students to construct a visual version of a written or spoken argument. By asking students to first translate an existing argument into a visual form, the assignment eases students into processes of visual invention to prepare them for a more substantive multimodal composition.

Type of Assignment:

In-class Exercise

Assignment Length:

Single Class Period

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Arrangement

Invention

Visual Rhetoric

Pedagogical Goals - Writing:

Invention

Pre-Writing

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

This exercise introduces students to the process of multimodal composition, asking them to begin thinking about how images can persuade a particular audience.

Media Requirements:

Adaptable For Use Without Classroom Technology

Media Console/Projector

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

Ideal:

A projector and media console for the instructor
Computers for each student
Photoshop

This exercise could also be adapted to use pens and paper rather than Photoshop.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Mid-Semester

Full Assignment Description:

Students will read through a brief argument about an issue with which they are already familiar. I like to use opinion pieces from the Daily Texan, the University of Texas student newspaper, because they are short, simple, and do not require students to have a great deal of background knowledge. Students read through the piece, then, in small groups, use Photoshop to build a visual version of the argument. Depending on the piece, the visualization might be in the form of an infographic, a printed PSA, or a collection of related images. Groups then share their pieces with the class and discuss the choices they made.

While I was initially reluctant to ask students to translate an argument from one medium to another, I think that this activity, particularly early in a multimodal composition unit, helps students begin to understand how arguing in other media works differently than arguing in text. Asking them to think in images without having to generate an argument independently can both show the limits of translation and offer an opportunity to practice visual invention. Additionally, students have the opportunity to experiment collaboratively with Photoshop.

Prompt for Students

Read through the article and then, in groups, use Photoshop to produce a visual version of the author’s argument. This argument may contain a small amount of text, but should rely primarily on images, and should target the same audience (UT students) as the original argument. Be prepared to share what you have made and talk about your choices.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

This activity is designed for students who are already familiar with rhetorical analysis of alphabetic texts and, to some degree, visual and multimodal texts. Students should be able to describe how a written argument persuades its audience so that they can translate it more effectively. Additionally, it would be helpful if students had a brief introduction to Photoshop before beginning this exercise. The instructor could do a hands-on introduction for some or all of the previous class.

Instructions For Students:

In addition to the prompt above, I ask students to take turns "driving," or actually making the Photoshop edits, so that each student has time for hands-on practice.

Evaluation Suggestions:

For a course that has classwork grades, this exercise could be given a completion grade. Since the exercise is supposed to provide a safe space for experimenting with visual invention, I would not advise giving letter grades.

Notes on Reception, Execution, etc.:

This exercise could be adapted for a classroom without technology if students were given pens or markers and paper and asked to translate an argument into a poster. Students have fewer options in this version (since they cannot alter images the way they could in Photoshop), but they would still have the opportunity to think in images.

Course Type:

Introductory Writing Course

Course Description:

RHE 309S, Critical Reading and Persuasive Writing, teaches students how to analyze and write arguments, but it also introduces students to rhetoric as a civic art, one that prepares them to write to and for specific publics. My version of this course asks students to look at arguments within and about online communities. The course is designed for students who have credit for the department's introductory Rhetoric and Writing course, but who still need or want a lower-division rhetoric and writing course.

Tags:

Visual Rhetoric

Invention

Photoshop

Writing Images as a Means to Writing with Images

Bohmann — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:08:08 +0000

Author:

Axel Bohmann

Image Credit:

M.C. Escher, Drawing Hands

Brief Assignment Overview:

Students work in the visual medium to explore dimensions of associative image logic they can use in their persuasive written compositions. Ideally, the outcome will be a guiding image which helps arrange and focus their composition.

Type of Assignment:

In-class Exercise

Assignment Length:

Single Class Period

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Invention

Visual Rhetoric

Pedagogical Goals - Writing:

Invention

Pre-Writing

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Multimodal

Remediation

Visualization

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

This assignment is geared towards getting students to think about metaphor, imagery and associative logic in crafting their persuasive compositions. Ideally, the outcome will be a guiding image which helps arrange and focus their composition.

Media Requirements:

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

Every student should have access to a computer with Photoshop installed. Ideally, access should extend beyond the alotted classroom time (i.e. there should be an open computer lab available to students), but this is not strictly necessary.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Late in the Semester

Full Assignment Description:

In my 306 class, one option for the final short writing assignment of the semester is for students to briefly describe a guiding image they can use to make their case in the last major written assignment, a persuasive text arguing a position on a chosen controversy to an audience of their choosing. Ideally, this or a similar written assignment should be completed before conducting the exercise described here. At least, students should come to class with an image in mind that they can explore. Also, especially in a 50-minute class, it will be helpful if students have already had an introduction to Photoshop. Since the product of the assignment is not meant to be presented or published, copyright issues need not absolutely be discussed, but the assignment can definitely be turned into an occasion to discuss copyright, fair use and creative commons.

In the first part of the assignment, students spend time searching the web for digital pictures in line with the image they have selected to use for their writing. For instance, one of my student described the Internet as a nightclub and identified Google as the bouncer. This student would likely enter "bouncer" as a search term. Of course, very different images (actual photos, cartoons, memes with text, different color choices, etc.) will come up. This fact is not a problem but should be seen as a first steps in helping students refine their use of images: it exposes them to different connections and contexts in which their image can be used and may open up new ways of thinking about that image. The amount of choices can be a drawback, as students may feel overwhelmed and unsure about making a decision. Therefore you should give them some time to play around during the search process and also emphasize that this is a process-oriented exercise. It doesn't matter what the final product looks like as long as the exercise opens up new perspectives on image logic for them.

Next, have students import their picture into Photoshop and manipulate it to support the claim they want to make. Again, low-end, trashy-looking experiments are encouraged. Taking the example above, it may start with stuff as simple as imposing the Google logo onto the bouncer's jacket or re-naming the nightclub "www," etc. As students continue image-editing, you should encourage them to explore new dimensions of the image. In addition to the bouncer, students could include a line of people queueing to get in. What do these people look like? Do they look at the bouncer, and he at them? Do they talk to each other? etc.

As students progress, they are likely to run into a dead end where they don't know how to continue, and they will also have technical difficulties with Photoshop. You should definitely make yourself available for questions and also get those students who know Photoshop better than others to help their peers. Towards the end of the class period, or at the beginning of your next class, you can make some room for students to present their images. I would suggest making this voluntary. My experience is that students are quite eager to show their media products.

The exercise should conclude with a written reflection homework in which students describe where they were going with their image before and how working in Photoshop has changed and elaborated their image logic, and how they plan to use their chosen image in their persuasive paper. Alternatively, if you want to put more emphasis on multimedia writing, you can ask students to continue working on their Photoshop project outside of class and turn the product into a graded assignment. Just make sure every student has appropriate access to a computer with Photoshop outside of class.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

You should familiarize yourself with Photoshop enough to answer basic student questions. I don't think it's necessary that you are an expert by any standard, but if you have never worked with the program the exercise might turn into chaos. Also, don't be afraid to ask students to help their classmates (and you) with any questions that might come up.

Depending on the focus of the class, the extent of previous exposure sutdents have had to Photoshop and the time you want to dedicate to the assignment, students' images may comprise a product (and graded assignment) of their own. In that case, you should plan for 2-3 class days dedicated to the project.

Instructions For Students:

Finding Images:

Search the web for picture files of the image(s) you have chosen to work with
Take time to browse through the different search results and notice the different kind of images that come up

How are they different?
What aspects of your chosen image do they highlight?
Do they bring any new aspects to light you might work with?

After about 10 minutes, you should choose one image with which you will work for the rest of the class period

Manipulating Images:

Import you image into Photoshop
Get excited, manipulate:

superimpose/blend in other images
rotate, distort dimensions, duplicate
change colors
Photoshop does allow you to include text, but try to work without it as much as you can

Reflection:

Write a brief (maximum 1 page, double-spaced) reflection essay answering the following questions:

What were the dimensions of your image you highlighted before the Photoshop exercise?
Did working in Photoshop change any of these, or bring them into a different focus? Did you discover new aspects of the image you can utilize for essay 3?
How do you plan to use your image in essay 3? Will it guide your entire discussion, work as an example of one specific aspect of the discussion? Will it work best to appeal to reason, logic, or emotion?

Evaluation Suggestions:

If you do this exercise the way it is outlined above, I would strongly suggest keeping the stakes low and not giving a grade on the Photoshop project itself. You may decide to grade the written reflection, if homework assignments make up part of your class's grades. I think the exercise can work great if you are using the learning record, as it emphasizes process and reflection.

Course Type:

Introductory Writing Course

Course Description:

RHE 306 Rhetoric and Writing: This is an introductory writing class with a mostly freshman student population. The assignment can easily be tweaked to fit any class with a persuasive, inventive writing assignment.

Tags:

Drawing Logos

Laura Thain — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:08:02 +0000

Author:

Laura Thain

Image Credit:

Flatrock

Brief Assignment Overview:

This assignment asks students to map out logos with the aid of visualized arguments and, ultimately, to create and explain their own vizualization of a textual argument that helps highlight the elements of logos within that textual argument.

Type of Assignment:

Assignment Length:

One-Two Class Periods

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Pedagogical Goals - Writing:

Organization

Synthesis

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Presentations

Remediation

Visualization

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

This assignments is designed to help students identify and employ logos through visual rhetoric. By the end of the activity, which may take up an entire class period or multiple class periods, students should be able to effectively identify logos in a formal argument and replicate what they've identified in an informal visual argument.

Media Requirements:

Media Console/Projector

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

If conducted in a classroom that is not enabled with technology for each student, instructors should provide basic drawing materials, such as crayons and butcher paper or markers and posterboard.

Students should also bring in or have access to a copy of a research summary or short writing assignment that asks them to anaylze a textual argument or source.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Mid-Semester

Full Assignment Description:

First, the instructor should review or introduce the concept of logos to the class, emphasizing the reliance of a chain of reasoning on the enthymeme. It may be helpful to outline a few simple examples, like the ones Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz use in Everything's an Argument (5th ed.):

“We’d better cancel the picnic because it’s going to rain.” This statement assumes...

Picnics are normally held outdoors.
When the weather is bad, it’s best to cancel picnics.
Rain is bad weather for picnics.
A 70% chance of rain means that rain is more likely to occur than not.
When rain is more likely to occur than not, it makes sense to cancel picnics.
The weather bureau’s predictions are reliable enough to warrant action.

Once the class is comfortable attempting to identify both the chain of reasoning (explicit logos) and the enthymeme (implied premises), choose one of the excellent RSAnimate videos from the Royal Society's Youtube Channel. These talks address a broad variety of topics, many of which may be applicable to the course content. Most of these talks are about 10 minutes in length.

Before you start the video, emphasize that logos provides reasons for an argument, and thus always appears in claim and evidence format. Tell the students you would like them to identify logos appeals within the clip. You may choose to have them record their work on a worksheet. I used a simple worksheet like the one below:

I.Hard Evidence

facts and statistics (claim paired with quantitative evidence)

personal testimony/experience

II. Soft Evidence

reason (claim paired with qualitative evidence)

common sense (claims that require no evidence, "self-evident" claims)

If you choose this format, it may be helpful to include empty spaces for CLAIM and EVIDENCE below each header so that the student can practice pairing the two.

Show the video, stopping as often as you feel necessary to allow students to write and process the argument they are witnessing. I find it helpful to encourage thes students to recap the bare-bones summary of the argument at two to three minute intervals.

When the segment concludes, break students up into groups of three or four and have them choose several logos appeals they would like to present to the class. Keep the final "panaroma" illustration on the projector and allow students to identify and describe the logos claims they have chosen, tying those claims to the part of the illustration to which they correspond.

Once the students have shared their findings, ask them, in groups, to refer to a short analytical writing assignment that one of them has already completed. (In my class, we use Research Summary 4.) Instruct them to, as a group, create their own visual representation of the logos appeals in the original text using Photoshop. Students may find it useful to separate out the illustration into panels so that each member can work independently on one piece of the puzzle.

Once students have created an illustration, have each group present and explain the logos appeal they have illustrated, as well as its context, to the class.

Below is a sample project created from this Perez Hilton article on Jennifer Aniston's upcoming nuptials:

bride wars.jpg

This activity typically takes 2 class periods, although portions (image manipulation) could be assigned for homework.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

Usually, at least a quarter of the classroom is proficient in Photoshop, so it can be helpful to put at least one proficient user in each group. The pedagogical payoff of teaching photoshop for a single exercise is slim, so other, easier image manipuation tools may be substituted if students are on the whole unfamiliar with the software. Blingee, Draw Something, Online Flash-based sketch applications, or good ol' fashion art supplies may all be substituted.

Instructions For Students:

Students should come to class having read logos material from the instructor's preferred rhetoric textbook.

Evaluation Suggestions:

Students commonly confuse identifying a chain of reasoning with summary, so in evaluating presentations, it can be helpful to ask them to identify enthymemes in logos appeals they choose to discuss to keep them thinking analytically, as opposed to descriptively.

Course Type:

Intermediate Writing Course

Introductory Writing Course

Course Description:

I teach the Rhetoric of Celebrity, which I break down into three units. Unit 1 deals with descriptive writing; Unit 2 deals with analytical writing; Unit 3 deals with evaluative or critical writing. The activity above is most useful for analytical writing, although it might also be useful in a discussion on critical writing when teaching students how to counter a logos appeal by means of definition, evidence, quality, or policy.

Tags:

Setting Up a Studio Environment for Multimedia Projects

Scott Nelson — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 02:27:16 +0000

Author:

Scott Nelson

Image Credit:

Matt Jones CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Brief Assignment Overview:

Whenever I teach, I always assign some form of multimedia project, and these practices have helped to set up a studio environment where collaborative multimedia projects can thrive. Rather than post an explicit lesson plan to our site, I thought I’d run through a set of practices that have been successful for me over a few courses.

Type of Assignment:

Major Course Project

Semester-long Project

Assignment Length:

Multiple Class Periods

Course Unit

Semester-long Project

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

The pedagogical goals for this assignment are to have students think about what multimedia production skills they already possess and what skills they'd like to develop. Further, these practices foster a collaborative environment where studetns learn to work together toward common goals.

Media Requirements:

No Classroom Technology Required

Adaptable For Use Without Classroom Technology

Required Materials:

Since these are a set of practices rather than a specific use of a technology, what follows can be adapted to any classroom. Because most of the classes I teach are in rooms with computers for the students, I'll assume such a setup. Mainly, the students need some way to communicate with each other outside of class. I use PBWorks wikis for this aim, but a class blog or even email can be used to coordinate student skills.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Mid-Semester

Late in the Semester

Full Assignment Description:

While each course's specific assignment may vary, I've sucessfully implemented these practices in many student projects. These projects have ranged from creating infographics to video games to ebooks. What I hope to achieve from these practices is a form of student autonomy that places responsibility for their work squarely with students.

For this aim, it's important that the assignment's product have some form of value outside of the classroom. Digital media needs a real audience, one beyond just the teacher in a particular course. With this in mind, I require that any multimedia project that students create have some venue in which it is showcased. This can be something as simple as posting it to Facebook, or something more complex such as publishing an ebook in Apple's iBookstore. Hopefully, by having an audience beyond the classroom, students will attribute more value to the rhetorical work they do. These projects aren't just for a grade in a self-contained course, but instead rhetorical practices that work upon the networks they inhabit.

Secondly, I set up a type of Craigslist for student skills. Early in the semester, I have students post a brief biography detailing their current skills in multimedia production and skills they'd like to develop. I normally create a new wiki page for students to populate, but this can be done via a course blog or a mass email. This particular stage in setting up the studio environment requires that students think about their relationships to multimedia and the ways they can create in these modes. Undoubtedly, I have students who begin this stage thinking they have no skills in multimedia whatsoever, but a brief class discussion usually gets students thinking about the digital discourse communities they already belong to. Some may be avid social media prosumers, while others may keep Twitter or Instagram accounts.

A further advantage to these Craiglist-style bios is that students can self-select collaborative groups. If, for example, one student has a great idea for a video game, but no skills with Photoshop, the bios are a first step to making those need-based connections. Plus, because students are shopping for skills among their classmates, they tend to create more organic groups with a common goal. This practice seems to reduce the occurances of group members who refuse to contribute to a project and let others "take up their slack." Common interests drive group formation, so individual students are less likely to be bored with the project.

As a final bonus from this practice, because groups are formed based upon skills, sudents tend to create affinity groups that share knowledge. Students teach each other their skills, and thus all participate in the production of the project. While there is the risk that students will only practice what they are already good at, experience has shown me that this isn't the case. Students are genuinely interested in the common goal they've set, and hence, they all work to create a quality product.

The final practice I do in the classroom is to give students time to play. Multimedia takes some time to create, and scheduling in-class time to experiment is extremely important. Digital technologies ask that we manipulate them, to try out hypotheses regarding their rhetorics and grammars. Groups need time to teach each other skills, and studio work days are important for this task.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

As I've indicated above, this is more a set of classroom principles rather than a specific lesson plan. However, they've worked well for my students, especially when they are working with multimedia. A familiarity with programs like Photoshop, GIMP, Illustrator, Inkscape, inDesign, iMovie, Audacity, or GarageBand can help, but I've found the single most important skill to have is flexibility. No instructor can possibly know all there is to know about these multimedia creation applications, so a willingness to learn from students is paramount.

Instructions For Students:

Since this is a set of practices rather than a specific lesson, there aren't any explicit instructions to students beyond what I've outlined above. However, the following may be helpful when attempting to set up a Craigslist-style skill listing:

In a brief paragraph, outline your interests in the upcoming project, listing any type of multimedia you would be willing to work in or learn. The aim here is not necessarily to give only those programs you're already confident in, but instead your interests in creating multimedia using some applcations.

Evaluation Suggestions:

Because I use the Learning Record Online for all of my courses, the practices outlined above aren't assessed in the traditional sense. I circle the room on studio days, talking with students about what problems they may have run into and to get a general sense of the project's progression. The Learning Record allows for these documented processes to be used as evidence for learning, so the multimedia product is much less important than the processes students go through to create their project.

A successful project is one where students learn new ways of communicating in multimedia, and learn to collaborate with likeminded individuals toward a common goal.

Notes on Reception, Execution, etc.:

As I've indicated above, these pracitces have been sucessful in a variety of group projects. I've used this with an infographic assignment, a video game prototype assignment, an actual working video game assignment, an interactive image assignment, and an ebook assignment.

Course Type:

Advanced Writing Course

Intermediate Writing Course

Introductory Writing Course

Literary Studies Course

Course Description:

I have successfully used this studio environment in RHE 306, RHE 309K, RHE 312, and ENGL 314J. I'll give each course description below.

RHE 306:

This course is designed to prepare you for the academic writing you do at the University of Texas and writing you will do in your careers and personal lives beyond UT. It is a course designed to teach you not what to think, but how to think on your own. Ultimately, you should learn to be a better thinker, who is able to think critically about topics, other people, and yourself; a better rhetor, who is able to analyze a specific situation and adjust your writing to fit accordingly; and a better communicator, who is able to express ideas effectively.

It will include three units with each unit culminating in a composition and including writing instruction that supports the drafting of that composition. Composition is a broad term including symbolic efforts in a variety of media (including video, audio, and web-design, to name just a few). Many lower-division RHE courses (such as RHE 315 and 312) encourage or even require composition outside of the traditionally imagined prose essay. Nevertheless, the written component of every lower-division RHE class must meet the writing flag requirements as stipulated by the college. These written assignments may include a variety of genres, including narrative, argument, analysis, or critical reflection. (“Creative” writing assignments—plays, fiction, poetry—are not suitable genres for formal writing assignments.) As required by the college, each major writing assignment includes a peer review process. You will also complete informal writing exercises that prepare you to do the writing necessary in your formal assignments.

RHE 309K: The Rhetoric of Video Games

This course seeks to explore video games as a modern discursive medium. Far from being mere “mindless entertainment,” many video games make explicit or implicit arguments about gender and sexuality, economic systems, corporate practices, geopolitics, and both real and imagined societies. What arguments do these simulations and simulacra mount about how the world is? What arguments do they mount about how the world should be?

Much of the past and current study of digital rhetoric seems to look at the content of computers through applying older means of rhetorical analysis, looking at the text and images contained on computers rather than the processes through which this content is represented. What we seek to explore is a relatively new field—procedural rhetoric—and the ways this new field can inform video game criticism. How do the procedures inherent in video games make arguments about the world?

The course will include three major units with each unit culminating in a composition and including writing instruction that supports the drafting of that composition. Composition is a broad term including symbolic efforts in a variety of media (including video, audio, and web-design, to name just a few). Many lower-division RHE courses encourage or even require composition outside of the traditionally imagined prose essay. Nevertheless, the written component of every lower-division RHE class must meet the writing flag requirements as stipulated by the college. These written assignments may include a variety of genres, including narrative, argument, analysis, or critical reflection. (“Creative” writing assignments—plays, fiction, poetry—are not suitable genres for formal writing assignments.) As required by the college, each major writing assignment includes a peer review process. You will also complete informal writing exercises that prepare you to do the writing necessary in your formal assignments.

RHE 312: Writing in Digital Environments

This course explores rhetoric across a variety of modes: verbal, visual, aural, procedural, haptic, and kinesthetic. “Writing,” in this sense, refers to a variety of inscription technologies. For example, it can be communicating through text on a screen, through the rules of a game, or through the layout and colors in an image. In this course, we will create a variety of digital communications, most with a purpose of persuasion. In doing so, you will learn about digital discourse communities and will eventually present an argument to a chosen digital community.

Each form of media brings with it a set of affordances and constraints. Much of digital media relies upon the logics and metaphors of earlier forms of media, but does present new avenues of distribution and production to a wider range of people. In this course, you will analyze various forms and communities of digital communication and reflect upon these affordances and constraints. Hopefully, you will leave the course with a greater awareness of not only the communicative power of digital media, but also some of the limitations it imposes upon its users and producers.

The course will three major units, with each culminating in digital composition and textual reflection. Throughout the process, you will participate in peer review of your compositions and maintain evidence for use in your Learning Record.

ENGL 314J: Literature & Video Games

In the popular press, literature and video games are frequently positioned as enemies fighting over time. In a recent Slate article, for example, journalist Michael Thompson states that in the time it takes to play one modern video game, “You could read War and Peace, for instance, then follow it up with Thus Spoke Zarathustra and a few starter courses in a new language” (par. 1). Further, the often-cited 2004 National Endowment for the Arts’ Reading at Risk report places video games among other forms of electronic media as “competing” with literature. But both of these sources (and countless others) fail to examine the more complex connections video games have had with literature over the past sixty years. What at first began as a parasitic relationship of video games borrowing, adapting, or extending literary themes, characters, and plots has now become more symbiotic, with both media now remixing each other.

Rather than view video games and print literature as contenders for precious time, this course seeks to explore the ways literature and video games impact one another. That is, this course looks at literature as a practice and not merely a collection of artifacts. Using video games as a frame through which to study literature, we will work our way through a variety of genres, including fables, fantasy, epic poetry, historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, and gothic fiction. This course helps students prepare for upper-division English classes (as well as a wide range of upper-division courses in other UT programs and departments) by focusing on close reading and critical writing, and by introducing formal, historical, and cultural approaches to literary texts. Students will learn how to use the online Oxford English Dictionary as well as other resources essential to literary study.

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Using Photoshop to Create Persona-Avatars for Class Blog

OyP — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:00:32 +0000

Author:

Chris Ortiz y Prentice

Image Credit:

Chris Ortiz y Prentice

Brief Assignment Overview:

This lesson uses Photoshop to manipulate creative commons images found on the Internet into an avatar which represents the persona or ethos from which the student will write on a course blog.

Type of Assignment:

In-class Exercise

Homework Assignment

Assignment Length:

One-Two Class Periods

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Creative Commons

Multimedia

Software

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

Allow students to develop a sense of self on the class blog; an ethos-creation project which facilitates better (because more committed) class conversation.

Media Requirements:

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

Adobe Photoshop

Google Images

Timeline for Optimal Use:

First Day/Week

Full Assignment Description:

First, I deploy a little litmus test and ask the students, “Who has used photoshop before?” A couple hands go up. I ask of these, “Who knows how to use the selection tool and how to select layers?” Most hands lower, but about four or five stay up. I distribute these students evenly amongst the class. The beauty of this lesson (as with many which involve teaching students how to use a new program) is that it depends upon peer instruction.

I give a short (fifteen minute) lesson to start class. I discuss creative commons, point towards the GoogleImage filter “labeled for reuse” and the condition “modification,” and show the students some online resources to find images (such as, http://archive.org/). Then I show them how to save the image to the desktop, bring it into Photoshop, rasterize if necessary, select what they want, and delete the rest.

I tell the Photoshop-familiar students that in addition to creating their own avatars they must also address their peers’ problems and help them learn the Photoshop basics. I say that I hereby deputize you to act as mini-instructors for the day, and then I encourage the other students to make use of their peers’ knowledge, not to let these deputies “do it” for them but rather make the deputy show you how to do it yourself. After

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

I recommend that the instructor have some familiarity with Photoshop before attempting this assignment. Best way to do that is to make an avatar of your own; once you get selecting, rasterizing, and sizing (and maybe some theme manipulation), you’re good to go! You’ll also need a course blog. You can check mine out here: http://texastalksvideogames.wordpress.com

Instructions For Students:

Today's assignment is to create a ‘gravatar’ for your profile. Think of this image as your calling card on the blog. (If you'd prefer not to make a gravatar--since it links up to your email and shows up anywhere you post to the internet while signed into that email--make an avatar image, but don't upload it to your profile. You should still complete the second part of the assignment.) You'll need to use Photoshop to combine at least two images, resize the image, and upload it on your profile.

Next, write a post and tell us, in about one hundred words, why you selected and made your avatar as you did. Title the post with your username, and upload an image of your avatar in the body.

Click here if you'd like some more pointers on selecting images in photoshop.

Evaluation Suggestions:

I grade this assignment on the basis of completion. I require all students to upload the image in a post which explains its significance to them.

Notes on Reception, Execution, etc.:

My class is composed of juniors and seniors and were very responsible about helping one another with the new technology. I myself learned some things about Photoshop as concerns arose (such as why you need to rasterize certain images to manipulate them). The students stayed on task and really got into making persona for themselves. The class I use this for is about the rhetoric of video games, so my students are probably predisposed to like the idea of creating an avatar, but the lesson should port well to any class with computers in the classroom, which uses a blog and is interested in digital rhetoric.

Additional Resources:

Computers in the classroom; Adobe Photoshop (CS4, CS5); should also work with opensource photoshop programs

Course Type:

Intermediate Writing Course

Course Description:

RHE309K, The Rhetoric of Video Games investigates how video games make arguments. For instance, does BioWare’s 2010 Mass Effect 2 argue that as long as cultures remain distinct, constant warfare is a law of nature? Does the game then suggest that a more peaceful world can come only through the assimilation of all cultures into one? Or does the game argue, conversely, that a multicultural nation’s greatest resource is its capacity for tactical alliances between identity groups, and that the assimilation of one culture by another therefore weakens the union? As these questions indicate, even commercial video games make serious arguments about the world in which they are produced, exchanged, and played. In this course, we use the skills of rhetorical analysis to investigate how and what video games argue. We will pay special attention to procedural rhetoric in games and analyze how games model economies, geopolitics, war, even interpersonal relationships. In order to better understand the effects as well as premises of games’ arguments, we research the critical controversies about video games, and we consider the audiences games address. Finally, students use the skills developed over the course of the semester to conceive of and propose persuasive games of their own.

Tags:

Translating an Essay Into an Infographic

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:52:55 +0000

Author:

Catherine Coleman

Image Credit:

"Dentro de la cabeza de Bob Dylan" via the Flikr stream of Sergio M. Mahugo

Brief Assignment Overview:

For this assignment students use Photoshop to create a visual depiction or information graphic (infographic) of an essay. This infographic will focus on the interrelation and visual communication of ideas rather than statistics (as in traditional/popular infographics).

Type of Assignment:

Homework Assignment

Major Course Project

Assignment Length:

One-Two Class Periods

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Pedagogical Goals - Writing:

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

Research

Invention

Organization/Arrangement

Delivery

Media Requirements:

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

Adobe Photoshop or similar image-production/alteration software as well as computers for each student (in order to introduce them to the technology in class).

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Mid-Semester

Late in the Semester

Full Assignment Description:

For this assignment students will use Photoshop to create a visual depiction or information graphic (infographic) of their second essay. This infographic will focus on the interrelation and visual communication of ideas rather than statistics.

The infographic should represent the argument and basic content of the essay, depict visual linkages between different types of ideas: their argument and use of the major approaches covered in E 314L (formal, historical, and cultural), and include at least four related images and an accompanying works cited page in a Word document. The works cited need not be a part of the infographic.

Students will essentially be developing the content for this infographic as they are working on their Essay #2 assignment. More time has been allotted for the production of this essay to allow students to create this accompanying visual representation. Teaching photoshop will take 1-2 class periods and will likely require further assistance in the form of troubleshooting and pointers. Students must also be allotted time to do a peer review, which can be performed online outside of class time.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

When introducing the assignment review the guidelines for infographic creation on Spyre studios website as a class. You might also review some infographics online, but this can be more intimidating to students than the Spyre guide because many of them (a) deal with complex statistics rather than ideas and (b) are professionally produced by Photoshop experts. The Spyre guide is efficient, concise, and clear without being intimidating.

First class period

Discuss the components of an infographic. Spyre Studios breaks down infographics as follows:

Visual:

color coding
graphics
reference icons.

Content:

time frames
statistics
references

Knowledge:

facts (information)
deductions (your argument)

Go over how their infographics will address these three areas. Remind them that their infographic is essentially "1 level deep" in the sense that they don't have to concern themselves with the work of compiling statistics, etc -- just making decisions on how to efficiently present their argument and background knowledge of the text and author visually. I do so in the following way:

Visual: Your infographic should incorporate all of the aspects in the first category. I recommend using no more than 4-5 colors – one for your argument, and one each for the approaches we’ve focused on this semester: formal, cultural and historical.

Content: Your content will be the aspects of your essay content that you wish to include in this visual "summary" of your argument and approach(es) to the text. The most important aspects to focus on representing visually in your infographic will be: the basic elements of your main claim (the work, the author, your argument), your incorporation of the three approaches we’ve focused on this semester: formal, historical and cultural, and your main claims (topic sentences) and conclusion. As far as images go, you can scan in sketches or original artwork, use Creative Commons images or attributed images, use your own photographs, etc.

Knowledge: Your knowledge of the text (informed by formal, historical and cultural approaches) will shape the infographic. You might consider information pertaining to the text itself, the definition of the genre of the text, or a emphasis on key words used by the author that reflect the topic or the tone of the work (with their OED definitions) to be formal. The history of the work itself and the context of its composition, pertinent information about the author’s life, etc would be historical knowledge. Information about its intended audience, the history of its reception or information on its current reception (inclusion in anthologies, etc) is cultural. REMINDER: Be sure to create a works cited page in Word listing all of your sources – it does not have to be a part of your infographic.

Because you will not be presenting complex statistics, your infographic will be what Spyre calls a “One-Level Deep Infographic” or a “simple infographic” that includes these “3 core parts.” You will not be working with multiple visual themes, just one that will be “common throughout the design.” Don’t try to mimic more complex, statistics-based infographics – just focus on communicating your ideas visually in a “very basic” representation

Introduce students to photoshop - focus on how to color and shade backgrounds, how to incorporate images, how to use line/shape tools and to change the color of these connectors. I recommend making several sample images and ideas available online (on a course website, Blackboard, etc) where all students can access them and then practice manipulating them.

Second class period:

Have students brainstorm ideas to represent, create a basic outline or mind-map and then sketch on paper. Remind them that they won’t be able to include all of the ideas they address in their essay and that they should focus on basic concepts of their argument and approach to the text(s) to include. Ask them to consider which background information a viewer would need to know in order to comprehend their argument? How can they express their argument in the most efficient way?

In their sketch, ask them to consider how they will link ideas? How will they orient their infographic? Look at some of the suggestions on the Spyre page – they might do a Mind-Map type orientation that is “concentric” or centered around their argument or they might consider a vertical presentation that reflects the organization of your essay and spreads out explanatory captions and boxes as viewers scroll down the image. They might even do a horizontal, timeline-like orientation that will allow you to focus on the author’s life, the process of textual creation, and the reception of the text over time.

Offer feedback and assistance with this part of the process (and Photoshop). It is better to clear up any confusions early in this process.

Remainder of second class period, homework:

Have students work on creating their infographics. You might consider allotting class time to work on the essay or infographic or recommend that students work in the Open Lab on their own time. When they are working away from computers that have Photoshop, they can continue to revise their presentation through sketches and print-outs, compile images, or reconsider how to more clearly express their ideas in a highly accessible and efficient visual format. Make yourself available for feedback/troubleshooting -- students can email drafts of their infographic at various stages, etc.

Homework, possible in-class work time

Peer Review your infographic - this is not a necessary step, but I think it is an important one. Beyond instructor feedback, students can get great feedback from their peers on whether or not their infographic makes sense. This is useful because it will help them to discern how efficient their infographic is at communicating information to different audiences.This can take place online outside of class.

Present Infographics

Infographics can be posted online in a course blog or message board or students can present infographics in class, depending on available class time.

Then, students can make final changes and submit - if desired, the presentation can be the final submission, or students can have the opportunity to use feedback to further revise their infographic and submit it via email or reposting.

Instructions For Students:

Overview

For this assignment you will use Photoshop to create an infographic of your second essay. This infographic will be different than most of those available online because it is not focused on the interrelation and visual presentation of ideas and not statistics.

A good basic overview of the history and use of information graphics is available on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics

To see examples of some infographics, I recommend the following sites. Keep in mind that the layouts and materials featured here are more complex than yours will be, largely because they are geared towards presenting complex statistics with images as opposed to ideas:

http://www.coolinfographics.com/

http://www.infographicsshowcase.com/

Requirements

Your infographic must:

- Represent the basic content of your essay

- Depict your argument

- Include at least four images

- Reflect visual linkages between different types of ideas – see suggestion below on color coding your argument and your use of the major approaches (formal, historical, cultural)

- Include a works cited page in a Word document – it does not have to be a part of your infographic

Steps

1. Review the guidelines for infographic creation on Spyre studios website: http://spyrestudios.com/the-anatomy-of-an-infographic-5-steps-to-create-...

Spyre Studios breaks down infographics as follows:

Visual:

color coding
graphics
reference icons.

Content:

time frames
statistics
references

Knowledge:

facts (information)
deductions (your argument)

Content: Your content will be your essay content, namely the basic elements of your main claim (the work, the author, your argument), your incorporation of the three approaches we’ve focused on this semester: formal, historical and cultural, and your main claims (topic sentences) and conclusion. As far as images go, you can scan in sketches or original artwork, use Creative Commons images or attributed images, use your own photographs, etc.

Knowledge: Your knowledge of the text (informed by formal, historical and cultural approaches) will shape the infographic. You might put information on the text itself, the definition of the genre of the text, or a emphasis on key words used by the author that reflect the topic or the tone of the work (with their OED definitions) under formal. The history of the work itself and the context of its composition, pertinent information about the author’s life, etc would be historical knowledge. Information about its intended audience, the history of its reception or information on its current reception (inclusion in anthologies, etc) is cultural. Be sure to create a works cited page in Word listing all of your sources – it does not have to be a part of your infographic.

NOTE: Because you will not be presenting complex statistics, your infographic will be what Spyre calls a “One-Level Deep Infographic” or a “simple infographic” that includes these “3 core parts.” You will not be working with multiple visual themes, just one that will be “common throughout the design.” Don’t try to mimic the more complex, statistical infographics featured on the sites above – just focus on communicating your ideas visually in a “very basic” representation.

2. Brainstorm ideas to represent, sketch on paper.

You won’t be able to include all of the ideas you address in your paper, so create an outline of the basic concepts you want to include in your infographic. What background information would a viewer need to know to comprehend your argument? How can you express your argument in the most efficient way?

Once you’ve created an outline, draft a sketch of your infographic. How will you link ideas? Will you draw color-themed lines or use the shape tool? How will you orient your infographic? Look at some of the suggestions on the Spyre page – you might do a Mind-Map type orientation that is “concentric” or centered around your argument. You might do a vertical presentation that reflects the organization of your essay and spreads out explanatory captions and boxes as viewers scroll down the image. You might even do a horizontal, timeline-like orientation that will allow you to focus on the author’s life, the process of textual creation, and the reception of the text over time.

If you’d like feedback at this point, bring in your sketch to office hours or show it to me after class. You can also scan it in and email it to me if you’d like more detailed feedback.

3. Work on creating your infographic

We’ll have some class time you can use to work on your infographic and to get help with Photoshop. You can also work on your infographic using Photoshop on the computers in the Open Lab in Parlin 102. When you’re working away from computers that have Photoshop, you can continue to compile images and reconsider how to better express your ideas in an accessible and efficient visual format. If you’d like feedback at any stage of this process, feel free to send along what you have or to talk with me before or after class or during office hours.

4. Peer Review your infographic

Send your infographic-in-progress to a classmate. Provide feedback on their infographic and get comments back on own. This is useful because it will help you to discern how efficient your infographic is at communicating information to different audiences.

5. Present your Infographic

We will have two course days of presentations where you will show your infographic to other students and discuss the process of creating it as well as your Essay #2 argument and topic.

6. Make final changes and submit

Evaluation Suggestions:

This assignment will receive a percentage/letter grade. Meeting the basic requirements and efficiently communicating information visually are the primary criteria.

Additional Resources:

In the assignment, I recommend that students use an online infographic guide at Spyre Studios -- this is a great introductory guide.

Course Type:

Literary Studies Course

Course Description:

In this course, we will focus on developing close reading skills through the examination of fiction and poetry written predominantly by American women on two levels, personal and social. Personally, what does it mean to be a “woman author” and what were (and are) some of the impetuses that drive women to write? Socially, how have expectations for women shifted over time, and what roles do these expectations play in what women write, especially with regard to genre, and whether or not they write at all? Furthermore, what have issues of authorship and authority entailed for women of various ethnicities and sexual orientations? These are some of the major questions that will guide our analysis.

We will build close reading, critical analysis and writing skills, all of which are vital for the English major. Students will also learn how to use the online Oxford English Dictionary as well as other resources essential to literary study. In addition to reading fiction and poetry, literary criticism and contextual readings will accompany each major text. Students will also initiate class discussion with fifteen-minute presentations on authors and texts. To fulfill the writing flag for this course, students will compose two major essays (5-7 pages) and several shorter (1-2 page) assignments in which they will demonstrate their grasp of close reading and critical analysis. Students will also critique each other’s work during peer reviews and work on developing the essential skill of significant revision.

Tags:

Infographic

Photoshop

Literature

Visual Representation

Diagnosing Digital Literacy via Student-generated Avatars

Scott Nelson — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:04:56 +0000

Author:

Scott Nelson

Image Credit:

Scott Nelson

Brief Assignment Overview:

This assignment is purposefully simple because its serves as a diagnostic for students' levels of functional digital literacy in programs like Photoshop and Jing. It also serves to familiarize some students with these programs, and with the processes necessary for maintaining their class blogs.

Type of Assignment:

In-class Exercise

Assignment Length:

Partial Class Period

Pedagogical Goals - Rhetoric:

Ethos

Visual Rhetoric

Pedagogical Goals - Digital Literacy:

Additional Pedagogical Goals:

The pedagogical goals of this assignment are to determine students' proficiency levels with screencapturing and photo editing programs. I use this diagnostic to determine the depth of later technology lessons.

Media Requirements:

Technology-Based Classroom (computers for each student)

Required Materials:

Computers for all the students; Jing or some other screencapturing program; Photoshop; a class/student blog or website.

Timeline for Optimal Use:

Useful Anytime

First Day/Week

Early in the Semester

Full Assignment Description:

I begin the lesson by directing students to a South Park avatar creator such as the ones at South Park Studios or SP Studios (two different sites that yeild similar results). I then give students abour 20 minutes to create their own South Park avatars using the applications on those sites. The only restriction I give them is that their avatars are created on a solid background, for easier cropping later.

Once everyone has created an avatar, I direct the students to Jing, a screencapturing program from TechSmith. Jing is free, but does require an email for registration. There are other ways to capture what's on the computer screen, but I like to introduce Jing as a possible avenue. Alternately, you could have students just use Command+Shift+4 on a Mac keyboard to define an area of the screen to be captured.

Now that everyone has an avatar created and saved in a file, we take them into Photoshop. The immediate goal here is to cut the avatar from its background. For this, I walk students through the Quick Selection, Magic Wand, and Magnetic Lasso tools. (There are numerous tutorials on YouTube on how to use these.) Using my own avatar, I show them the limtations of each selection technique and show them how to adjust the tolerance for the Magic Wand. After everyone has cut their avtars from their backgrounds, I have them save the files as a .gif or .png so the background remains transparent.Everyone emails me their avatar, and I make a composite image to serve as the banner to our class blog

For a final step, I have students upload thier avatar to the class blog in their introductory posts.I walk students through the process of creating a post on a Wordpress blog I've previously created, and show them how to put images into a post.

Suggestions for Instructor Preparation:

To prepare for this lesson plan, instructors should familiarize themselves with basic Photoshop techniques, particularly selection tools. For an introduction to the different types of selection tools and what each is good for, I recommend this brief tutorial. For other Photoshop techniques I always recommend You Suck at Photoshop, as it's entertaining and instructive.

Techsmith provides a series of videos on how to operate Jing.

I use Wordpress for my class blog. For instructions on how to insert an image into posts, you can visit the Wordpress Support Site.

Instructions For Students:

For the pedagogial aims of this assignment, it's best to do this as an in-class activity, but you can provide them with these instructions should they wish to continue outside of class.

For this assignment, you'll be creating an avatar for our class blog. You'll need to create the avatar, save it as an image file, edit that image file to remove the background, and post the final image within your introductory blog post.

1. Go to either South Park Studio or South Park Avatar Creator. Using the applicaiton on that page, create an avatar by clicking on various options for body type, eyes, clothes, and the like. You don't have to create an avatar that correspnds to your real visage, but you can if you like. To make later steps easier, htough, you should only have a background of a solid color, and preferably a color that contrasts with the outlines of your avatar.

2. Once you have an avatar, open Jing. Use this program to capture an image of your avatar from your screen.

3. Open the image in Photoshop, and use one of the selection tools to select only the background, and delete this background. You should now have a gray-and-white checkered background (meaning it's transparent). Save this image file as either a .gif or .png.

4. Go to the class blog, and create a new post. Somewhere in your introductory post, you should insert your avatar image.

Feedback:

Students are generally positive about this lesson. It's fairly easy, and it's fun for most to play around with these technologies. I probably won't change this assignment in the future, as its simplicity is its strength (see below).

Some students are ay beyond the skills taught in this lesson, but the assignment gives enough flexibility for them to adjust it to their level of expertise.

Evaluation Suggestions:

This assignment isn't evaluated. In fact, this lack of evaluation is necessary for the assignment's pedagogical aims; it's a low-stakes assignment for a variety of reasons. My aims in having students do this exercise early are to get them playing with Photoshop and Jing, and to have them appraoch the technologies with an open mind. A grade for the assignment would add undue pressure to achieve, and run counter to the attitude toward technology I'm trying to cultivate. Later assignments in my class require students to alter images for rhetorical effect, so this assignment serves as an introduction to some useful programs.

During the in-class work, though, I pay close attention to students' skills in navigating the programs. I feel we often assume students come into the class with stellar computer skills, an assumption that overlooks the digital divide. By paying attention to how students move easily through the programs or struggle with their navigation, I can use this early assignment as a diagnostic for some students' functional digital literacy skills.

I take note of the students who either struggle or seem to fly through the assignment. Using this as a diagnostic, I can later pair those types of students together to harness the collective intelligence of the class. I match these students up so that peer teaching can occur.

If I see a student who is struggling with basic functional literacy skills sucha s using a mouse, I'm sure to reiterate to the class that getting better at these programs increases their skills at other programs they'll later encounter, and that I'm available to sit down with them one-on-one to walk them through the process.

Notes on Reception, Execution, etc.:

Some students are ay beyond the skills taught in this lesson, but the assignment gives enough flexibility for them to adjust it to their level of expertise.

Course Type:

Introductory Writing Course

Course Description:

The Rhetoric of Video Games

Tags:

Visualization Software