STDV 1115 – Final Project

Week 15 Final Assessment (30%)

Objective

Over the course of the past term, we have started to discuss a number of specific topics within the much broader topic of ‘the internet’.  This assignment will have you develop an individual blog, in which you will be required to post ‘artifacts’ found online and connect them to the issues discussed throughout the course.

Task

1. Go to http://www.wordpress.com.
2. Click ‘Get Started’ and set up your blog. Ensure that you take down your login information so you can access this at a later date.
3. Complete a total of six blog postings, based on the list of topics below. Ensure that for each one, you pay attention to the assessment rubric and assignment expectations.

What is an artifact?

In this case, an artifact refers to an article, video, website, app, meme, picture (or a screenshot of a tweet, Instagram post, etc.), or piece of technology related to the intersection between culture and technology.  In this case, you will be responsible for either embedding it into the blog post or directing me to it via hyperlink.

For the sake of this assignment, you will have to touch down on three different artifact types.  This means that you cannot just find six articles, or six videos.  The goal here is to find different ways in which communication or meaning occurs in different online settings.

Each artifact you post will contain the following:

1. A hyperlink or embedded object related to what you’re discussing.
2. A 50–100-word overview of what your artifact is.
3. A 200–300-word explanation of how it relates to course content. Try to answer the following questions:
   1. Why have you chosen this to represent the specific topic?
   2. What sorts of implications does this have?
   3. How does this connect to the broader themes of digital literacy?
   4. From a cultural standpoint, why is this important?

For an example of what this might look like, check out this sample posted to a personal blog.

Defense

As part of this, students will be required to take part in a one on one ‘interview’ with their instructor, in which they will be asked questions about their assignment.  These will take roughly 10-15 minutes per student and will have students connect their chosen artifacts to what we discussed in class.  We will sign up for these timeslots in week 13.

Topics

1. Social media and how it empowers groups.
2. Social media and how it empowers individuals.
3. Social media and how it empowers businesses.
4. Empathy
5. Depression and Narcissism
6. Personal vs. Public domains
7. How memes are cultural expressions
8. Information literacy and the fake news epidemic
9. The internet of things
10. Web 3.0

Marking Rubric

/5 – Appearance

• The blog contains consistent font, font style, and background/formatting options throughout.
• The developer takes pride in ensuring that the finished product looks consistent and professional.

/6 – Features

• The developer has used both hyperlinks and embedded objects throughout their posts. These features are incorporated in a clear and distinct way.
• Each blog posting contains a short but descriptive title, outlining the artifact they are touching on.
• Inclusion of full links is kept to a minimum throughout. Instead, the hyperlinks or embedded objects incorporate content in a sleek way.

/15 Content

• Each post contains a brief overview of what the artifact is. First and foremost, it should answer the question of ‘What is this?’
• Posts also explain the significance of the specific artifact in relation to internet culture or culture in general.
• In each of the six posts, the student can connect the artifact to the broader themes we discussed (or potentially did not discuss) in the course.

/4 Mechanics and Writing Style

• The posts are written using language, style, and tone appropriate to the medium.
• Spelling or grammatical errors are kept to a minimum throughout this.

/30-Presentation

• Knowledge of content
• Explanation of process, research, findings

Total: /60

 

Word Count: 1500-1600

No. of Pages: 6