#wdds19 design journal blogging assignment

About the Design Journal Assignment

The Design Journal Assignment has three primary goals:

  1. to help generate a #wdds19 communities of learning in an online space that is informed by and impacts what happens in our classroom space;
  2. to help you gain confidence as you build your web design skills
  3. to help you gain access to the vast amount of helpful tips professional web designers have put online.

The assignment is informed by three Course Learning Objectives:

Objective 1: Collaboration
Students will develop their ability to work collaboratively in a variety of in- and out-of-class activities and settings.

Objective 2: Effective Communication
Students will be able to identify and employ a range of effective communication strategies to navigate audience, purpose, and context.

Objective 4: Reflection
Students will develop their understanding of the important role of reflection during the investigation, design, and communication process.

Objective 5: Risk-taking
Students will know what it feels like to step out of their comfort zones and take risks with their approaches to and understanding of digital media and non-profit communications.

Design Journal Assignment Specifics

This semester we will be creating a collaborative blog using WordPress dedicated to the web design-related issues that we discuss and read about in class. The goal of the blog will be to present informed, insightful, curious, authoritative, and in-depth multi-modal posts on these issues, much as former students have done at in the past, such as it the #wdds17 Design Journal and the #wddf18 Design Journal.

It is assumed that you are familiar with blogging because it is assumed that you have taken COM 200. If you are not familiar with blogging, please let me know and I will point you in some directions to help get you started.

Each student will be responsible for individually composing and posting 3 blog posts during the semester — and replying thoughtfully to any and all comments you receive. 

Each student will be responsible for composing two thoughtful and engaging responses PER WEEK when you are not the blogger. 

When it is your turn to blog, compose a post that discusses a web design-related tip or technique you have found online that is directly related to the readings and/or coding issues being discussed or worked on that week and, if applicable, that you have attempted to incorporate into your web design. The goal of the post is to provide other students with ideas they could possibly use in their own web designs, for us to see what it is like to try something new, and/or to help us reflect on what it is like to be a new desgner. We learn by taking risks, by making mistakes, and by trying something new. So, don’t be afraid to post attempts that have failed. As you will see, much of coding is failing–but it is through the initial failures that we get to were we want to be. In other words, have fun with this and see where your ideas take you.

Each post should:

  • be informed, insightful, curious, authoritative, and in-depth, and very well written; they do not need to be wholly serious; one of the great things about blog posts is that they can include funny material, like video and meme images, that help a more serious point;
  • be 500 – 750 words long;
  • have at least 5 meaningful tags and at least 1 category
  • features that are important to blogs and blog readers: links whenever having one would make a meaningful connection, images, video, and so on;
  • examples of the code you found and the code as you attempted to use it;
  • when applicable, screen shots of your web page with the results of your attempts to use the tip or design idea;
  • if you weren’t able to successfully implement the tip or idea, a brief reflection on what might not have worked and what you might try differently;
  • suggestions for others who might use it.

The posts should be online by classtime.

Due Dates

Each of my sections this semester will have their own Design Journal:

10:10 Section (Section D01) Design Journal

The class is broken into the following groups with posts due on the following days:

  • Group 1: MB, SB, CS, ND, TF, JG (Due: 1/30, 2/27, 4/3)
  • Group 2: AK, PK, AM, CN, SN, JP (Due: 2/13, 3/20, 4/10)
  • Group 3: SR, ES, OS, NS, ES, LZ (Due: 2/20, 3/27, 4/17)

Over the following week, each student is required to reply to at least 2 posts by engaging in a conversation (don’t just write “Wow, great post!”). The original author should reply back and continue the conversation.

11:15 Section (Section D02) Design Journal

The class is broken into the following groups with posts due on the following days:

  • Group 1: EB, AC, HL, PD, ME, RF (Due: 1/30, 2/27, 4/3)
  • Group 2: SH, TH, AH, LK, DM, AR (Due: 2/13, 3/20, 4/10)
  • Group 3: MS, PS, ST, ST, CW, SW (Due: 2/20, 3/27, 4/17)

Over the following week, each student is required to reply to at least 2 posts by engaging in a conversation (don’t just write “Wow, great post!”). The original author should reply back and continue the conversation.

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