Unit 3 Workshops

In order to avoid missing credit for any work you've done in Unit 3, I ask each of you to email a list of links to your Unit 3 draft workshops. Here are the workshops I'll be looking for:

4/10: Feeder 3.1
4/12: Feeder 3.2 Audio
4/17: Unit 3 Project Script
4/21: Unit 3 Project Audio

For each of these workshops, locate the Google Doc in which you gave feedback on your partner's paper. Ensure that the document is shared with my correct gmail address and email a link to each document to me (just copy and paste the URL from your browser). I will contact you directly via email if any of the links do not work.

Posting Your VoiceThread to Your Blog

1. Go back to voicethread.unc.edu and click on the “My Voice” tab. Click on the VoiceThread you wish to post.

2. Click the menu icon at the top left of the screen then click “edit.” Click the button at the bottom of the screen that says “Playback Options” and enter 0 as the time to wait between slides and check the button that says “Start playing when opened.” Click the “Save” button.

3. Click the button at the bottom of the screen that says “Publishing Options.” Check the box that says “Allow Anyone at UNC to View.” Click “Save.” 

4. Click the button at the bottom of the screen that says “Embed.” Copy the code in the box labeled “Embed Code” (just clicking anywhere in the box will copy the code for you). Go to blogger.com, log in, and click the button to make a new post. Click the button on the top left that says “html,” then paste in the code you copied earlier. Give your post a title and hit “Publish.”

5. Ask a groupmate or friend to open the VoiceThread on their computer by going to your blog. If your friend can’t open it for some reason then I won’t be able to either and I won’t be able to grade your assignment! Please contact me if you have any technical difficulties posting to the blog.

Draft Workshop: Unit 3 Project Audio

4/21/12
Name:

Since many of you are at different stages of the drafting process, today you will compose all of the questions for your workshop. You can either compose new questions entirely or you can copy and paste questions from previous workshops. Please include at least 4 questions.

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Draft Workshop: Unit 3 Project Script

4/17/12
Name:

1. Does the script begin (i.e. in the first sentence) by telling the audience something they do not know? Is the author’s introduction one of the more effective or less effective introductions we talked about in class? If the script begins either with a rhetorical question or a broad declaratory statement (i.e. “Monet was one of the greatest artists of the 19th century,” “Abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock sought to combine emotional intensity with non-figurative imagery”) work with the author to compose a more effective introduction and paste it below.

2. Does the thesis statement (as the assignment requires) make a strong and specific claim about the artwork’s relationship to a specific context? Does the thesis statement merely state that there is a relationship, or does it define that relationship specifically? If the thesis statement needs to be revised, work with the author to revise it and paste the new version here. In addition, does the thesis statement provide a road map for the rest of the essay and answer the “so what?” question? 

Compose two more questions addressing specific issues you are dealing with on this particular draft. You can copy and paste questions from previous draft workshops or compose new ones.

3. 

4. 

Screencast: Assembling Your VoiceThread

Screencast: Splitting Your Audio into Multiple mp3s

Course Evaluations

We will do course evaluations in class on Tuesday, April 17.

Click here (https://www.digitalmeasures.com/login/unc/student) to access the online evaluation system. You will need to login with your ONYEN and password.

Draft Workshop: Feeder 3.2 Audio

Date: 4/12/12
Name: 

The final two questions have been left blank in order for the author to ask specific questions about the concerns s/he is dealing with in the current draft.

1. The assignment states that the focus of your VoiceThread “should be the formal qualities of the work you are attempting to explain.” Has the author adequately retained this focus? Is there significant formal analysis of the artwork in question, or does the author focus too heavily on social, political, or cultural concerns? How might the author use formal analysis of the artwork to deepen his or her argument?

2. The assignment also asks you to contextualize the artwork “within a specific historical, artistic, or cultural context.” What is the context the author has chosen? Is the connection between the artwork’s formal qualities and this context made clear in the author’s thesis statement? What about within the body of the podcast? Suggest ways in which either of these aspects of the draft might be improved.

3.

4.

Feeder 3.1 Workshop

Date: 4/10/12

Name: 

1. The assignment calls for you to explore the context of the article’s thesis statement, identifying the controversy into which the author is entering. Has the draft adequately fulfilled this requirement? Does the author give an indication of why the article is important to art historians? Could the author add any information to make this context richer?

2. The assignment also asks you to evaluate the author’s evidence. Does the draft adequately explain how the article’s author has supported his or her thesis statement? Do you feel as though you can adequately evaluate the article’s evidence with the information provided in your draft? Explain your answer.

3. Art history provides a perfect example to bring in images and other multimedia content to help aid the reader. Has the author taken advantage of this ability? Explain how the author might use additional images or multimedia content in order to make his or her argument clearer or more meaningful.

Add two of your own questions to this workshop that focus on issues on which you desire feedback. Feel free to copy and paste questions from previous draft workshops or compose your own.

4.

5. 

Intro to VoiceThread

http://unc.voicethread.com/?#q.b1546827.i8160362

Feeder 3.1 Pre-Writing

Find an article that fulfills the requirements for your Feeder 3.1 assignment. Once you have found an article, identify at least three claims that the author makes about a particular work of art and identify at least one reason that the author cites in support of that claim.

Francis Bacon: "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion," 1944

Posting Your Podcast to Your Blog

Exporting Your Podcast as an mp3


Mac: GarageBand

At the top of your screen, click “Share” and then “Export song to disk.”

Make sure the box next to “Compress” is checked, and change “AAC Encoder” to “mp3 Encoder.”

Change “High Quality” to “Good Quality.” Click Export and choose a location for your file.


Windows: Audacity

Click this link for an explanation of how to install the MP3 codec:

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php?title=Lame_Installation#Windows_Instructions

If the link to lame_enc.dll is not working you can download it here.

Once you have the codec installed, open your podcast in Audacity and go to File > Export. Choose a location and a name for your file, then where it says “Format” choose “MP3 files” and click Save. The first time you export an mp3 you may need to locate the mp3 codec you installed above.

This is a little more complicated! But if you run into problems you can rely on me and your group members.


Posting Your Podcast to the blog

Now you should have an mp3 file of your podcast somewhere on your computer. From here, follow the instructions in this screencast to post your podcast to your blog:

Unit 2 Project Podcast Workshop

4/2/12

Name: 

1. As you listen to your partner's podcast for the first time, compose a DETAILED retrospective outline of the draft. Your outline should be about half a page long.

2. How easy was it for you to compose the outline? Were the transition moments clearly signaled to the listener? How were the signaled? Were there any transitional moments that need additional clarification? In general, does the podcast feel organized? Explain your answer.

3. How has the author handled the results section? Does it feel like a barrage of numbers, or is the information easy to digest? Do you have a sense of which bits of information are the most important and which are less important? How might the author highlight the most pertinent info in the results section more clearly?

4. Does the author adequately address the strengths and weaknesses of his or her study? Does the author reformulate the hypothesis or propose how the experiment might be conducted differently next time? Do you have a sense of what the author learned from the study and why that information is valuable to the listener?

5. Last week we talked about how the Discussion section of a research report should gradually "zoom out" from the narrow conclusions drawn from the study itself. Summarize briefly how the author accomplishes this task of "zooming out." Is it clear what the reader should take away from the study and the report? How might the author highlight this information more clearly in order to leave the reader feeling more satisfied?

Unit 2 Project Script Workshop

3/29/12

Name:

1. How has the author summarized the data that she or he collected in the experiment? Does this summary feel like an onslaught of numbers? Is it disorienting, or do can you process them all as the author is explaining them? How might he or she deal with this material more clearly?

2. Does the author restate clearly the original hypothesis and how the data proved or disproved that hypothesis? How could this information be better highlighted so that the listener will be sure not to miss it?

3. How does the podcast end? Is the ending effective? Why or why not?

4. How might the author interject another voice in a way that would make the podcast both clearer and more interesting?

5. What parts of the podcast do you think will be essential to highlight with music, sound effects, etc.? In other words, what are the most important transitional moments in the podcast? Does the author indicate how s/he will deal with these effectively? Suggest ways in which the use of music and sound effects might be improved.

Feeder 2.2 Podcast Workshop

Listen to your partner's podcast at least once without stopping, then answer the following questions in the Google Doc where that person kept his or her script.

3/22/11

Name: 

1. Describe the author's implementation of the middle style. Is it a higher or lower take on the middle style? Does the author come off as a credible scientist? What aspects of the podcast contribute most to the author's voice? Be as specific as possible.

2. Do you zone out or become disoriented at any point in the podcast? At what point does the author lose your attention? Does s/he read too slowly or too quickly? Is the recording clear and easy to understand?

3. Describe how the author has implemented post-production techniques such as the addition of music, sound effects, etc. Do these help you to understand the content of the podcast or do they distract you from it?

4. Has the author done everything required for both the Introduction and Methods and Materials sections? Is this information clearly highlighted? Does the author do a good job of explaining the experiment without summarizing the results? Does the podcast sound too much or not enough like a proper scientific research report? What changes might the author make in order to enhance his or her credibility or come off as more approachable? 

Now, read these questions and then listen to the podcast again, thinking about how you will answer each question. If you need to listen again, rewind and listen to part of the podcast again. When you're done, answer these questions:

1. How does the author attempt to grab the reader's attention? Do you think the reader will be "hooked" within 10-15 seconds? Can the author's attention-getter be described as one of the more or less effective introductions we talked about? Explain your answer.

2. At what point does the author transition from the Introduction section to the Methods and Materials section? Describe how this transition takes place and how the author signals to the reader that s/he should be listening for a new idea. Identify any other transitions that are unclear or confusing. 

3. Is the hypothesis highlighted clearly? Can the author be absolutely sure that even a casual listener will understand the experiment's hypothesis? How does the author highlight this information? How might it be highlighted more clearly?

After you have answered all of these questions in the Google Doc, take 5 minutes to converse with your author, explaining both your answers to the questions as well as any more general or specific comments that didn't come up in your written feedback. Also, feel free to share any tips for using the recording software that the author might find helpful.

Example Feeder 2.2 Podcasdt

Listen to the following podcast:

http://uncquartet.blogspot.com/2010/11/charlottes-feeder-22.html

As you listen, compose a rough retrospective outline. What signals the listener that the author is beginning a new section or introducing a new idea? 

Feeder 2.1 Paramedic Method Workshop

Don't forget to write your name and date on your rewritten paragraph. Note: we're concentrating on having strong active verbs in the first sentence and thesis statement as well as steps 6 and 7.


1. Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into) 

2. Draw a box around the "is" verb forms 

3. Ask, "Where's the action?" 

4. Change the "action" into a simple verb 

5. Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom?) 

6. Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups 

7. Eliminate any redundancies.

Adding Music and Sound Effects to Your Podcast

Here's another video tutorial. As before, you'll want to make this full-screen to really see what's going on.

 

Podcasting with Audacity Part I

In case you weren't in class or you need a refresher course I've created some video tutorials to help you with the podcasting process.

The first thing you'll need to do is download the Audacity software and install it. This video will help you with what to do next. You may need to make the video full-screen to see exactly what's going on.