Introduction to Creative Technologies CTCH110
CREATING YOUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT
Your final assignment is based on the teaching and learning evaluation strategy called Interactive E-Portfolios. If you would like to know more about this type of evaluation, you can check out the University of Regina Centre for Teaching and Learning wiki on E-Portfolios.
http://teachingresources.uregina.wikispaces.net/Electronic+Porfolios
Your assignment for this class is a REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO, which also includes room to SHOWCASE your completed work.
This type of assignment allows you to choose the format of your responses and reflections on the course topics. A suggested tool (Blog) will be taught to you, but you may choose any online tool that you like. The E-Portfolio, like any other type of assignment (artwork, test, essay), is asking you to demonstrate what you have learnt from this course. I suggest you start with a WORKING OR DRAFT PORTFOLIO, regularly updating as you attend classes and then edit this working draft at the end of class to create a PRESENTATION or FINAL PORTFOLIO to submit.
This Online Portfolio will be judged on the following five criteria:
1. ANSWERS TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IN THE ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION—AT LEAST 5 BLOG POSTS/PAGES ON 5 CLASS TOPICS WITH ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING:
• What practices and technologies interested you in the lecture/discussion?
• Why did the artist or theorist use these practices/examples?
• What impact or implications do you think these practices/ideas might have on contemporary culture?
• What links in ideas and practices can you make between this topic and the other ones in your blog/website?
• Include relevant quotes from at least 3 readings.
2. RESPONSES AND REFLECTIONS:
Responses and reflections to both IDEAS and on PRACTICES you have encountered in this course. This might be quotes from lectures, links to artworks you found inspiring (with some commentary from you), original artwork you have made responding to course ideas, written pieces, links to videos etc. Remember, I am looking for reflection, that means asking WHAT, HOW and WHY the artist or theorist created the work or writing and telling me WHY IT INTERESTED YOU
3. CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TOPICS
I am looking for you to be able to draw common connections across the work you have been exposed to in this course. This means demonstrating how different artists approach similar concerns, technologies, and ideas. Use labels, links and other tools to show these connections, and make them explicit in your writing.
4. CREATIVE USE OF THE ONLINE FORMAT
I am asking you use this assignment as an opportunity to also develop your creative skills, thinking how this portfolio can be structured and designed. I am looking for you to try out the many options open to you with an online assignment. At a minimum I expect you to use LINKS to other websites, and think creatively about how a user can NAVIAGTE through your portfolio. Will it be arranged by topic or date or some other method? I also expect you to make a CREATIVE DESIGN, not just use a standard template.
5. DOCUMENTATION OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS EXERCISES
I have asked you to include both your first two written assignments and documentation of some of the work you have done in class. You can copy the text from your assignments into a post. You can make corrections if you like, or submit the work the way it was submitted. You can choose to link to class exercises (like your YouTube videos) or describe them in text, or any other way of documenting what you did (sketches etc.)
HOW TO CREATE YOUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO
OPTION 1: Create a Blog using the online tool BLOGGER. This tool will be demonstrated in class. Please use the Office Hours to come and see me if you would like me to personally talk you through creating the blog or need any extra help.
OPTION 2: use any other Online Tool you are familiar with that will allow you to cover the above 5 requirements as well. Some other options might be
Create a Wiki (www.wikispaces.com for example)
Create a website (http://www.wix.com/create/website might be of interest) or any other online option you can think of.
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS AND SUPPORT
Written instructions for working with BLOGGER
SETTING UP GOOGLE ACCOUNT
1. You will need a GOOGLE ACCOUNT to set up a blog with Blogger: Go to http://www.google.com and click SIGN IN and then
click SIGN UP (Remember, you will be allowing me to view this email address, so if you already have a gmail, you can use it, or you can choose to create a new one for this)
2. Fill in some (true or false) details (Note: you do not have to provide an alternate email address to Google)
3. It MAY (but not always) ask during the Sign Up process to verify yourself by sending you a text to your mobile phone number. Google has registered its privacy settings and cannot use your mobile for anything other than verifying you. You can use a friend’s mobile phone if you do not have one. Google will send a number to the mobile phone number you provide and you then enter it to VERIFY.
4. Once you have your account set up, you can return to Google at any time to SIGN IN
5. Go to Google search http://www.google.com You should see your new Google account in the top right corner to show you are signed in, or the SIGN IN button if you need to sign in.
SETTING UP A BLOGGER BLOG
1. SIGN IN with Google
2. Go to http://www.google.com and search “Blogger”
3. Click on top link “Blogger: Create Your Free Blog”
4. If Google advertises it’s Google + service at anytime with a big block ad at the top of the page, you should remove the distracting ad by clicking the X in the top right corner.
5. Sign up for Blogger by following the instructions; you will need to choose a DISPLAY NAME, and an ADDRESS for your blog (they can have the same name, and do write down your blog address, it will be whatever name you choose followed by @blogspot.com). You will also need to choose if you want email advertisements sent to you, and AGREE TO TERMS
6. Click CONTINUE and CREATE BLOG
7. Press VIEW BLOG (it will have a default template/design, this will be changed by you)
SETTINGS FOR YOUR BLOG
1. All settings are controlled by the BLOGGER DASHBOARD. When you are SIGNED IN on Google and go to Blogger (by searching Blogger in Google search, or by typing www.blogger.com), the Dashboard is what will show up first. If you go to your blog directly by typing in your new blog address and you are ALREADY SIGNED IN on Google, you can click on Design or the Home Icon in the top right corner to get back to the Dashboard.
2. On the Dashboard, you will see your blog listed. Click on the title to go into the dashboard settings for that blog.
3. Down the side bar on the left you will see all of the options you can change on your blog.
4. Click on SETTINGS
5. BASIC SETTINGS. This is where you can change your TITLE, add a DESCRIPTION, set PRIVACY, choose AUTHORS AND READERS. It is very important you consider the PRIVACY
6. PRIVACY includes choosing whether your blog will be listed on searches, who can write and who can read. I recommend setting this class exercise to not be searched, and to click ONLY THESE READERS and add my email address rebecca.caines@uregina.ca but it is certainly up to you if you want to set your blog to be public
7. SETTINGS- POSTS AND COMMENTS. This is where you can set how many posts show on your page, who can comment on your posts. You choose if you would like me or public readers to be able to comment directly onto your blog.
8. SETTINGS- MOBILE AND EMAIL and SETTINGS-LANGUAGE AND FORMATTING and SETTINGS OTHER are not important to this exercise, but you may want to scan through them.
DESIGN AND LAYOUT
1. You will want to make your blog look a certain way. Almost everything from Font to Layout to Background image can be chosen/modified by you. The main two places you change these are TEMPLATE (and CUSTOMISE TEMPLATE) and LAYOUT (which you can get to a number of different ways)
2. Click on TEMPLATE on the side bar.
3. CLICK ON CUSTOMISE. This will show you the seven main templates available on Blogger. Each one can be completely changed by changing background images, colour etc, but you will need to choose one you like. The blog will have a default one chosen for you.
4. Clicking on BACKGROUND will allow you to change/add a picture. Use the dropdown arrow under the square showing your current background image. You will see there are hundreds of different images to choose from You can also add your own background image. You can also change COLOUR THEMES
5. CUSTOMISE TEMPLATE will also allow you to ADJUST WIDTHS, LAYOUT and ADVANCED OPTIONS. You should explore what these do.
6. LAYOUT can be accessed by going back to the Dashboard by clicking Back to Blogger. It allows you to choose where different elements appear on the page and what they are. Click on “Edit” on each gadget to change the way it appears or remove it from your page. You can use LAYOUT to ADD A GADGET. You should explore what these gadgets are for yourself.
7. POSTING: Adding posts to your blog is the main way you add content. A blog creates a list of these posts, usually by date (but you can turn off the date as title if you like). Posts can be embedded videos, text, pictures, links or any combination of these. Try to give each post a CLEAR TITLE.
8. Use LABELS to create word tags to link them to each other.
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