EXPLORING NEW MEDIA: USERS, SETTINGS, IMPLICATIONS

EXPLORING NEW MEDIA: USERS, SETTINGS, IMPLICATIONS MODULE 2 EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS SUMMARY This task requires you to create a 5 minute edited video clip that critically and creatively responds to one of the Module 2 topics and is informed by scholarly research. Your video must be embedded into a blog post, which will include a 600 word critical reflection on your video’s content, the strategies you employed, the challenges you faced, and what you learnt form the task. You must adhere to the assessment requirements when using images and other material at all times. Output: A scholarly blog post with an embedded video clip of your making equivalent to 1,600 words Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 10 September (5% late deduction per day will be applied in the interests of student equity). Weight: 40% of overall unit mark. ? This document includes advice on: o o o o o o How to complete the video How to write the critical reflection How to submit the exercise How to use images and other material in your blog post How to demonstrate reading and research Marking criteria Explore your options early, and experiment with different approaches. Many students will never have made a video before, so you are not alone! Further tips for success will be provided via the meLectures. 1 SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE VIDEO ? Lots of people ask me which editing program you should use – I don’t mind, it really comes down to how you make use of it (and I use several different ones myself) ? There is again a great deal of flexibility in how you approach this exercise so that you can pursue a particular theme/issue/example of interest o You might select a particular case study, such as a device, application, a media controversy, a museum, or a specific exhibit o Another approach might be to hypothesise (and even enact) a fictional scenario relating to one of the topics o You must reflect on your case study or issue analytically, constructing an argument about it backed up by reading and research within the video o You might, for example, consider the value, effectiveness, or possibilities of a particular device or application in a particular context and the problems, limitations, and/or ethical issues involved with its use o Consider that the unit focuses on users, settings, and implications of digital media, and the topics invariably engage with all three aspects o Do not attempt to cover an entire topic in your assignment – you will find that 5 minutes of film is not a very long time! o You can apply the 10% leeway rule to your video as well (so it should be no longer than 5 minutes and 30 seconds and no shorter than 4 minutes and 30 seconds) o You will want to be analytical and balanced – don’t just provide a utopian or dystopian ‘rant’! ? Your video must be embedded into your blog post (like I do here), not simply linked from it – you will lose marks if you simply provide a URL ? Use either YouTube or Vimeo (one can serve as a useful backup for the other) to upload your video and then embed it into your blog post o You must not simply upload your video file into the CloudDeakin dropbox 2 ? There is no one ‘correct’ way to create a video focusing on the topic of your choice o BUT remember that your mode of delivery needs to allow you to be analytical and put forward an argument (you can’t merely be descriptive or provide unsubstantiated opinions that are not backed up by research) o There are many creative strategies that you might employ to make a video – I’ve tried to highlight a number of these in the meLectures, but there are plenty of other strategies you might use o When creating a video, remember that you don’t even have to be on screen yourself if you don’t want to be – but if you are, make sure you don’t just read from notes! HOW TO WRITE THE CRITICAL REFLECTION ? The written component of your blog post should be approximately 600 words (with 10% leeway), not including in-text citations or listed references ? Your written component should: o Briefly outline the content of your video and the strategy(s) you adopted in creating this text (don’t spend too much time describing) o Explain your creation of your own content and/or your use of Creative Commons source material within your video o Explain how you drew on your reading and further scholarly research to inform your video o Reflect on the challenges you faced and what you learnt from the exercise ? The written component must not be a transcript of all or part of your video! ? Please note that the entire exercise is equivalent to 1,600 words, but only 600 words is to be written in your blog (with 10% leeway, and not including referencing). I have to use the larger number to conform to Deakin assessment policy (i.e. all undergraduate units can only have 4,000 words or equivalent of assessment per unit). You do not need to count the words written or spoken in your video. 3 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR EXERCISE ? Using the same blogsite you created/used for the Module 1 Exercise is recommended (this will help you build up a consistent presence!) ? When submitting, provide the link to your specific blog post (not the home page of your blog) in the Comments box of the relevant CloudDeakin dropbox o Use the QuickLink feature to make this a working hyperlink that opens on a new browser page (good practice) o CloudDeakin may require you to upload a blank document in order to complete the submission (you can provide the link here too as a backup if you like) o Also upload any signed consent forms into the dropbox if relevant ? Extensions will not be approved in fairness to all students except in extraordinary circumstances and with advance notice (all requests must be made to the Unit Chair at [email protected]) USING IMAGES AND OTHER MATERIAL IN YOUR VIDEO ? Part of the point of this exercise is to enhance your awareness of how you might properly, legally, ethically, and creatively use online material to produce a digital text o For example, you cannot simply use whatever you like from a quick Google images search (this is not only problematic, but demonstrates a lack of creativity) ? When using images and/or music, you may use one or both of the following: o Material that you have created yourself ? You may only use screenshots of your own social media profile(s), no other profiles or websites (in other words, you probably won’t be using many screenshots!) o Material with a Creative Commons licence (see details below) ? Producing your own material (e.g. photographs, purpose-shot footage) is a particularly valuable way to demonstrate creative thinking and practice! 4 ? Obtain clear written permission from anyone you identify o This would include someone identified visually and/or by name in a photograph or film footage o Create a brief written consent form for this purpose, and include scanned copies of all such forms with your dropbox submission ? You will have noticed throughout my Study Notes documents (and the meLectures) that I have been both creating my own material or using that with a Creative Commons license – and referencing these! o Searching Flickr images or SoundCloud music from here is particularly useful, but be sure to check what kind of license is provided for each image/track o Click here for a very useful video explaining the license categories o Reference any Creative Commons licensed material in exactly the same way as I have in my Study Notes, as your marker will check that you have used this material correctly! o You could include these references at the point they are used in the video, in the video’s end credits, or in the YouTube/Vimeo comments box o You cannot just include this information in your blog post, as people viewing your video might not do so from your blog Images taken without permission; identities unsuccessfully concealed Photographs by Adam Brown, 14 October 2007. 5 DEMONSTRATING READING AND RESEARCH ? You must use at least one of the set readings for Module 2 (they can be from the essential, recommended, or optional readings) ? You must draw on at least two scholarly sources beyond your prescribed or readings (i.e. at least two scholarly sources you have located yourself through your own research) ? It’s important that you clearly and explicitly refer to your sources within your video (referring to sources by author name is generally best – see how I do this in the meLectures, for example) ? Include a list of references that you used at the end of your blog post using the Harvard system ? The Deakin library holds a wealth of relevant and useful material (both in hard copy and/or electronic form, such as eBooks and journal articles) ? You may draw on websites, news media articles, blog posts, etc. as sources in your written component where relevant and useful – although these don’t count as scholarly (peer-reviewed) research ? If you cannot access a specific book of interest through Deakin, you might be able to obtain it from another university via the Bonus+ system (accessible via the catalogue), but remember that this will take several days to deliver ? Please contact the Faculty’s liaison librarians if you require assistance using the library resources ? Reference your blog post in the Harvard style using in-text citations (with specific page numbers) and a reference list ? Provide the reference list for your video (including audio-visual material used in the video and other sources explicitly referred to) in the Description box of your video upload (e.g. on YouTube) 6 A FINAL FEW POINTS ? When using digital media (particularly online sites, and even more so when it relates to making and uploading videos), it’s crucial that you do not leave assessment until the last minute (things can go wrong, and marks will be deducted for lateness if delays arise due to technical issues) ? If focusing on the topic of new media and the law, do not focus on an actual case that involves sensitive material, such as the sexual abuse of an individual. As we will be discussing as part of the topic, producing further online material on such events can actually contribute to the problem. Contact the Unit Chair about the appropriateness of your case study if you’re unsure ? Depending on the media you use, you will often have access to Help documents/pages and video demos, so make use of these – and you could even research examples for ideas on how videos can be employed effectively ? Lastly, keep a backup of everything... then you can rest easy!! Photograph by Adam Brown, 5 January 2011. 7 MARKING CRITERIA ? The following table indicates what your marker will be looking for – these criteria will be evaluated on CloudDeakin using an online rubric: ALC201 MODULE 2 EXERCISE ASSESSMENT FORM Criterion Needs Very Satisfactory Good Excellent Improvement Good Demonstrated competence in using the chosen digital media Evidence of creative and independent thinking Clear understanding of, critical reflection on, and application of, relevant theoretical concepts Evidence and use of unit readings and scholarly research Ability to develop a structured media text Relevant verbal and non-verbal skills (including volume, tone, written expression, spelling, grammar, etc.) Acknowledgement of use of source material where applicable Complete, accurate and consistent use of Harvard referencing Ability to remain within the time and word restrictions of the assessment