![Eagen 4
narrative. Wilber seconds this approach, stating, “Because digital stories work best when
researched, scripted or storyboarded, and well rehearsed, they meet many of the goals of a
persuasive genre and can complement a piece of persuasive writing (83). The importance of the
storyboard is reflected in the assessment. The storyboard has the same point weight as the
proposal worksheet, putting visual and written constructions on equal ground. I chose ACMI
Generator because I wanted each student to have the experience of crafting his or her own video
concept, even if it wasn’t produced. Students may feel frustrated if they cannot execute the idea
that they imagine due to a lack of technical skill. Likewise, group projects may only show the
contributions of one or two group members who have the technical background to execute
quality photography or videography. The storyboard, however, doesn’t have to be elegant. It
should be organized, thorough, and well thought while paying attention to key elements of visual
rhetoric and persuasive communication.
The last technology related to this unit is the wiki, which is the medium in which the
group project will be published later in the semester. As Dana Wilber suggests, the wiki has a
number of classroom advantages for online publishing. “[Y]ou retain control over who can read
it, add to it, and edit it, and students who have access to the Internet can get to the page from any
online computer. . . . Wikis are useful for creating a space to collect links, files, and other
information; for creating a space for students to upload information and collaborate on projects ”
(55). The wiki allows students to collaborate in a safe, flexible environment with moderate
design functionality that also allows me to see the interaction in case of disputes or discrepancies
in quality.
Lesson and Instructional Materials](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/kickstarterpedagogyproject-120603232440-phpapp02/85/Course-Design-2-Narrative-4-320.jpg)
![Eagen 8
ideas on paper and into a storyboard, even if their topic is not chosen by a group. By analyzing
existing Kickstarter projects and proposing their own concept, students are better prepared to
express their ideas to each other and to collaborate on a final product. The initial proposals, if
chosen by a group, will be revised heavily by the group members and will ultimately take on a
new, polished form when published on a wiki.
Hicks’s assessment concepts influenced me greatly and served as the catalyst for this
unit. Hicks states, “In considering all the aspects of formative and summative assessment of
digital writing, we need to account for both the process and the product” (117). I initially
approached the unit as a group project to create a mock Kickstarter. However, in discussions
with friends and peers, a number of difficulties arose from the assignment being a group project.
There was too little focus on individual contribution and assessing the planning materials. It
would be too easy for one student to end up doing all of the work and others to be left behind
because they lacked either skill or motivation. I also wanted a chance for students to imagine and
to play with the potential of a Kickstarter project without the pressures of group influence or
actually producing the content.
Hicks also expresses his fondness for the utility of digital writing tools, saying “[they]
allow teachers and students unprecedented access into the writing process. . . . Thus, the process
of formative assessment has become more transparent” (Hicks 108). After seeing Hicks’s use of
Diigo and my peers’ use of the wiki, I realized the potential of these tools in a unit that built up
as an individual assignment and then later evolved into a collaborative project. Thus, this unit
developed as a way to assess students individually and for both myself and the student to witness
his or her own creativity and talent. The actual rubrics are based on those used for PRWR 7900.
The group project is effectively the “product” which will be created. However, this unit serves as](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/kickstarterpedagogyproject-120603232440-phpapp02/85/Course-Design-2-Narrative-8-320.jpg)
![Eagen 9
the “process” and the formative assessment carries the bulk of the student’s grade. Personally, I
feel that the lessons learned in the creative planning stages are most likely to build good work
habits and teach lessons that stick.
To bridge the gap between units, I included the Team Preparation worksheet that allows
students to self-evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as a potential group member. In
“Collaborative Pedagogies,” Howard provides recommendations for collaborative writing
assignments. In particular, Howard suggests “discuss[ing] methods and problems of
collaborative writing before the project begins” and have students write out their expectations of
themselves and each other as well as set goals and a schedule as a group (63-65). The team
preparation worksheet is the first step in team communication, even if it is only a private self-
reflection by students. It encourages them to perceive themselves as a potential group member,
and completing a self-evaluation will better prepare them to evaluate their peers with grace
during the group project. Howard also recommends that a co-authored assignment be an
intensive project that could only be completed by a group; it would be too challenging for an
individual to complete. Students are asked to create only the early planning concepts and
storyboard for their projects. As a group, students will create the actual video, visuals, and
numerous written components of a mock Kickstarter project.
Works Cited
Clark, J.E. “The Digital Imperative: Making the Case for a 21st-Century Pedagogy” Computers
and Composition. 27.1 (2010): 27–35. Web.
Hicks, Troy. The Digital Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2009. Print.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/kickstarterpedagogyproject-120603232440-phpapp02/85/Course-Design-2-Narrative-9-320.jpg)
Course Design 2 Narrative
- 1. Eagen 1 Denae Eagen Dr. McGrath PRWR 7900 30 April 2012 Pedagogy Project Report Overview This unit is intended for English 1101-Composition 1. It could also serve as an assignment in an upper level writing course focused on digital writing and media. The Kennesaw State University course description defines the goals of ENGL 1101 as “focuses on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation. Also includes introductory use of a variety of research skills” (English Department). This unit features several small to medium assignments that ask students to write from different perspectives, analyze information, and synthesize findings into an original Kickstarter project proposal and video storyboard. This unit would serve as the third of four units in the academic semester. The tasks for this unit serve as preparatory material for a group assignment later in the semester. In the first segment of the assignment, students take the perspective of a Kickstarter backer, or potential investor. Students are responsible for annotating the effectiveness of two Kickstarter projects in the same category using Diigo and refining their analysis in a four-page essay. In the second segment of the assignment, students take the perspective of a Kickstarter project creator. Students will complete a proposal worksheet consisting of 20 planning questions that guide them through the MAPS model and help create goals for their project concept. By answering the questions, students will have produced another 2-3 pages of written content. Students will then
- 2. Eagen 2 create a related 2-5 minute storyboard consisting of 15-30 frames using the ACMI generator. This storyboard will be a draft of the video they envision as a companion to their Kickstarter concept. Lastly, students will complete a brief self-evaluation using the Team Preparation worksheet from Joanna Wolfe’s Team Writing website materials. After the completion of this unit, I will assign students to groups to create collaborative wiki projects based on the Kickstarter proposals. I’ve chosen technology with the intent of making each tool feel like a natural accompaniment to the assignment and to allow students to approach the technology from different angles. In “The Digital Imperative: Making the Case for a 21st-Century Pedagogy,” J.E. Clark makes a case for technological awkwardness in the classroom, saying Despite their familiarity with Web 2.0 through gaming and social networking, however, some students are resistant to technological literacy in the classroom. In “A Break in the Transaction,” Ellen Evans and Jeanne Po (2007) argued that, because millennial students have not been exposed to digital texts as a part of their education, they are resistant to digital texts as part of the curriculum; in short, they do not know how to approach these texts critically or analytically in an academic context. Far from embracing digital rhetoric, many students reject it in favor of a more comfortable essayistic literacy. (Clark 32) This unit begins with a traditional analysis essay with light use of Diigo as an annotation tool. In PRWR 7900, we used Diigo as a bookmarking tool to share resources. However, I realized its potential as an annotation tool while reading Troy Hicks’s post “Reflections on Co-Facilitation a Digital Writing Workshop” on his blog, Digital Writing, Digital Teaching. He illustrates how his workshop group used Diigo to highlight and comment on a text as they were brainstorming ideas
- 3. Eagen 3 for a video. The notes are simple. However, the act of making the notes is an unintimidating introduction to the early phases of the writing process, proper essay planning, and even future peer-review workshops. The traditional essay allows students to stay at the edge of their technological literacy comfort zone while showing them how to approach the Kickstarter projects critically. Thus, the Kickstarter projects also serve as mentor texts as students, now familiar with Kickstarter and the literary concepts, move on to create their own proposals. The proposals are completed in a worksheet format to allow students to better focus on mode, audience, purpose, situation, and media of their proposal without concern for organization or cohesiveness. The initial idea for the unit entailed students creating Kickstarter projects in groups at this stage, without an individual proposal or storyboard. However, I felt that it would deprive some students of the creative experience and allow others to “skip out” on learning valuable skills and concepts. In “Collaborative Pedagogy,” Rebecca Moore Howard draws a distinction between collaborative contributions to individually drafted texts (peer-review) and co-authored texts (60-61). This unit, and the theorized group project to follow it, is an attempt on combining the two approaches. Each student is responsible for individual preliminary work. He or she creates her own project concept and can propose ideas without the burden of fully realizing the final project. As the teacher, I’m then aware of each students capabilities and can adjust my expectations for the group projects. The second technology used in this unit is the ACMI Generator, a free online tool that allows students to create dynamic storyboards for videos, including scene durations, locations, camera shots, camera movements, and scripts. The scenes can be based on sketches, photos, or using ACMI’s shadow silhouettes to depict figures. Creating the storyboard teaches students a new technical skill while also imbuing them with the same rhetorical practice of constructing a
- 4. Eagen 4 narrative. Wilber seconds this approach, stating, “Because digital stories work best when researched, scripted or storyboarded, and well rehearsed, they meet many of the goals of a persuasive genre and can complement a piece of persuasive writing (83). The importance of the storyboard is reflected in the assessment. The storyboard has the same point weight as the proposal worksheet, putting visual and written constructions on equal ground. I chose ACMI Generator because I wanted each student to have the experience of crafting his or her own video concept, even if it wasn’t produced. Students may feel frustrated if they cannot execute the idea that they imagine due to a lack of technical skill. Likewise, group projects may only show the contributions of one or two group members who have the technical background to execute quality photography or videography. The storyboard, however, doesn’t have to be elegant. It should be organized, thorough, and well thought while paying attention to key elements of visual rhetoric and persuasive communication. The last technology related to this unit is the wiki, which is the medium in which the group project will be published later in the semester. As Dana Wilber suggests, the wiki has a number of classroom advantages for online publishing. “[Y]ou retain control over who can read it, add to it, and edit it, and students who have access to the Internet can get to the page from any online computer. . . . Wikis are useful for creating a space to collect links, files, and other information; for creating a space for students to upload information and collaborate on projects ” (55). The wiki allows students to collaborate in a safe, flexible environment with moderate design functionality that also allows me to see the interaction in case of disputes or discrepancies in quality. Lesson and Instructional Materials
- 5. Eagen 5 The topic of the lesson is an overview of crowdsource funding organizations and the redefinition of “artist” to include many categories and ambitions. The lesson then explores MAPS +1, SMART goals, and basic terms for visual rhetoric. I focused on these topics to first introduce students to the idea of Kickstarter and the purpose of the platform and the projects it supports and to second introduce students to the concept with which they will need to familiarize themselves in order to complete their assignments. The assigned readings include support materials for the digital tools used in the unit as well as basic film instructions. After reviewing the materials provided by each digital tool, I felt that the resources were strong enough that students could rely on the information without me needing to create additional tutorials. During lectures and in-class discussions, we would take time to explore concerns about the tools and allow students to play with the tools before attempting the assignment. The “Kickstarter School” resource is particularly helpful in guiding students toward audience analysis and clear, focused goals in their written content. The brief overview offers valuable insights and recommendations based on hundreds of Kickstarter projects. The production resources for ACMI Generator are detailed yet accessible. I lack expertise in film production and was relieved to find that ACMI provided such helpful reference material. The “Getting Started” page offers basic pre-production guidance on developing ideas, analyzing audience, and deciding medium and genre. “Building the Concept” offers brief insights into constructing the narrative, while the “Copyright Law and Ethics” page provided valuable reminders for attribution. A secondary source might be required since ACMI is based in Australia and the copyright laws may vary, but the information is helpful. Lastly, the
- 6. Eagen 6 “Scriptwriting and Storyboards” page introduces students to basic screenwriting vocabulary and explains the purpose of different elements in the storyboard. Two supporting resources I discovered are JISC Digital Media’s “Basic Guide to Shooting Video” and J Media Group’s “Basic Film Training” that introduce students to the various stages of video production and offer instructional information for basic film shots, camera movements, and practical film concerns. These resources will be helpful to students when creating their storyboards and later when producing a group video. I relied on Troy Hicks and Cynthia Selfe while creating my instructional materials. Hicks reviews the “MAPS” model as outlined by Swenson and Mitchell (2006), with the addition of media. This revised MAPS +1 model is the basis for my lecture and instructional materials. Mode—genre of the text Audience—characteristics of those who are most likely to receive your work and what they value in good writing Purpose—specific action that a writer aims to accomplish with a piece Situation—writer’s experience combined with demands of writing task +Media—method of presentation (Hicks 56-58) Selfe’s chapter Toward New Media Texts provided helpful information on including visual elements in composition assignments. The chapter emphasized the importance of including a substantial visual aspect of the assignment in which all students could participate. “By adding a focus on visual literacy to our existing focus on alphabetic literacy, we may not only learn to pay more serious attention to the ways in which students are now ordering and making sense of the world through the production and consumption of visual images, but we may also extend the usefulness of composition studies in a changing world” (Selfe 484). Selfe also reviews visual
- 7. Eagen 7 assessment vocabulary from Kress and van Leeuwan’s Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. These terms, visual impact, visual coherence, visual salience, and visual organization, and their definitions guided the visual rhetoric segment of my lecture presentation (Selfe 487). Assignment and Assessment Tool By using Kickstarter as an educational environment, I hope to introduce students to one example of a cohesive combination of visual and written communication that exists outside the classroom and is approachable by project creators of any skill level. The purpose of technology in this unit is to serve as creative planning aids, while the lesson and instructional materials introduce students to the MAPS concepts and allow them to practice analyzing their writing task. The materials also guide students to set SMART goals, which will ultimately allow them to work better in a collaborative environment by setting clear and reasonable expectations. The assignment also introduces students to visual rhetoric and basic film lessons. While not intensive, it is my hope that these brief lessons will leave students better prepared for future assignments which involve digital media. Troy Hicks, author of The Digital Writing Workshop, summarizes the core principles of writing workshops, listing “student choice about topic and genre,” “active revision,” “author’s craft as a basis for instruction (through minilessons and conferences),” “publication beyond classroom walls,” and “broad visions of assessment that include both process and product” (Hicks 2). The purpose of this unit is to serve as planning phase for individual students before beginning the group project. Each task progressively asks more of students and familiarizes them with new literary concepts and digital tools. By prefacing the group project with smaller, intensive planning lessons, the students are able to choose their own initial topic and put their
- 8. Eagen 8 ideas on paper and into a storyboard, even if their topic is not chosen by a group. By analyzing existing Kickstarter projects and proposing their own concept, students are better prepared to express their ideas to each other and to collaborate on a final product. The initial proposals, if chosen by a group, will be revised heavily by the group members and will ultimately take on a new, polished form when published on a wiki. Hicks’s assessment concepts influenced me greatly and served as the catalyst for this unit. Hicks states, “In considering all the aspects of formative and summative assessment of digital writing, we need to account for both the process and the product” (117). I initially approached the unit as a group project to create a mock Kickstarter. However, in discussions with friends and peers, a number of difficulties arose from the assignment being a group project. There was too little focus on individual contribution and assessing the planning materials. It would be too easy for one student to end up doing all of the work and others to be left behind because they lacked either skill or motivation. I also wanted a chance for students to imagine and to play with the potential of a Kickstarter project without the pressures of group influence or actually producing the content. Hicks also expresses his fondness for the utility of digital writing tools, saying “[they] allow teachers and students unprecedented access into the writing process. . . . Thus, the process of formative assessment has become more transparent” (Hicks 108). After seeing Hicks’s use of Diigo and my peers’ use of the wiki, I realized the potential of these tools in a unit that built up as an individual assignment and then later evolved into a collaborative project. Thus, this unit developed as a way to assess students individually and for both myself and the student to witness his or her own creativity and talent. The actual rubrics are based on those used for PRWR 7900. The group project is effectively the “product” which will be created. However, this unit serves as
- 9. Eagen 9 the “process” and the formative assessment carries the bulk of the student’s grade. Personally, I feel that the lessons learned in the creative planning stages are most likely to build good work habits and teach lessons that stick. To bridge the gap between units, I included the Team Preparation worksheet that allows students to self-evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as a potential group member. In “Collaborative Pedagogies,” Howard provides recommendations for collaborative writing assignments. In particular, Howard suggests “discuss[ing] methods and problems of collaborative writing before the project begins” and have students write out their expectations of themselves and each other as well as set goals and a schedule as a group (63-65). The team preparation worksheet is the first step in team communication, even if it is only a private self- reflection by students. It encourages them to perceive themselves as a potential group member, and completing a self-evaluation will better prepare them to evaluate their peers with grace during the group project. Howard also recommends that a co-authored assignment be an intensive project that could only be completed by a group; it would be too challenging for an individual to complete. Students are asked to create only the early planning concepts and storyboard for their projects. As a group, students will create the actual video, visuals, and numerous written components of a mock Kickstarter project. Works Cited Clark, J.E. “The Digital Imperative: Making the Case for a 21st-Century Pedagogy” Computers and Composition. 27.1 (2010): 27–35. Web. Hicks, Troy. The Digital Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2009. Print.
- 10. Eagen 10 Howard, Rebecca Moore. “Collaborative Writing.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Ed. GaryTate, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 54–70. Print. Self, Cynthia. “Toward New Media Texts.” The St. Martin’s Guide to Teaching Writing. 6th ed. Ed. Cheryl Glenn and Melissa A. Goldthwaite. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2008. Print. Wilber, Dana J. iWrite. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2010. Print.