Writing for the Internet

Fall 2015
Instructor:
Office:
Office Phone:
E-mail:
Cell Phone:
Office Hours:
Texts:

Dr. Michael Martin

110B Bakeless Center for the Humanities
570-389-4905
mmartin@bloomu.edu
570-764-7566 or Twitter: @martinm0955
M and W 2:00-3:30 (in my office and T 9:00-11:30 (SB
in the Andruss Library)
Applen, J.D. Writing for the Web
User Engagenment on the Web edited by Cheryl Geisler
PDFed reading as assigned
Lynda.com as assigned

My primary objective for this semester is provide and practice a

combination of theory, an understanding of web design and
practice to help you feel competent in the world where
technology is exploding, where people depend on technology to
manage their lives. Writing for the web is much more than
content for a web page or site. It is now developing a web of
media, a web that might include written words, audio, video as
well as the ability to connect all of it (hence the idea of web).
While there will be a variety of things to which and about which
we will attend or consider, the main hope is that you will become
comfortable with the concepts of basic coding, CSS, and
Adobe Dreamweaver to participate fully in the assignments
throughout the semester. The other concept will be to manage
the idea of connecting and creating an integrative suite of
materials for yourselves and your
clients. This class will require a
The difference
significant amount of work outside of
between utility and
class, but if you are to manage your
utility plus beauty is
projects, it is I also hope we can all
the difference
participate in lively, helpful, and
between telephone
considerate mutual discussion. When we
wires and the spider
do, we teach each other.
web.

There are some important objectives for this course.

These outcomes are the expected knowledge
and skills you will take from this course. They include:
1. acquiring skills in writing, rhetorical theory and disciplinary
conventions.
2. demonstrating software proficiency in a range of software applications
relating to document composition (specifically Dreamweaver and one
other editing program).
3. producing artifacts useful to potential or actual clients or
commissioning entities.
4. composing thoughtful papers reflecting on the theoretical foundation of
writing for web based documentation.
The Pedagogy of Experiential Learning
While a number of you have had one of my Group Three classes (a group in
the Professional Writing Minor) and I have talked about this being a different
kind of class than your typical departmental class, I would like to offer some
theoretical and pedagogical underpinning for the class and its structure.
First, as students who are GPA driven, it is often the case where you are
competing with those around you. That is not the case in this course; it is

necessary to see them as colleagues or as people involved in the same task

and working toward the same goal. As such, you are both a helper to and
dependent upon the others around you. You learn both from each other and
with each other. It is through engagement and the application of the theories
or skills that you are learning. As such, this class is what I call semistructured (while there is a syllabus and there are assignments, readings,
and deadlines), what can happen on a given evening or class period can be
determined, to some extent, by the needs and experience of the class. This
is not a memorization and academic regurgitation class (and many have
heard me say this), it is an applied experience class. It requires you to do
something. As such I am a facilitator and not a director. Verbs like reflection,
analysis, synthesis, initiative, accountability, failing, or succeeding are things
that should occur. Unlike other assignments, the outcome is much more
unpredictable and as such, it can be disconcerting, frightening, exhilarating,
shocking, or any number of options. Through doing you will explore and
experience; through sharing and reflecting you will discover and learn;
through processing and analyzing you will realize what is important;
through generalizing you will begin to see patterns and answer the
infamous so what?; through application you will prepare for the future.
The use of Lynda in the class room and the reflections are to give you
practical experience; the working with a client requires that you develop a
professional ethos and learn to work with others; the reading and lectures
provide a foundation for you be able to lean on when you are asked the
question of why?

Course Policies
Format for Handed in Work: Word-process your papers using Microsoft
Word. Since you will be turning your papers in via BOLT or D2L, its important
that you use this format. Double- spaced with an 11-12 point font. Make top
and bottom margins one inch, side margins one to one and one-quarter
inches. Please proofread your work carefully. I do not intend to make this a
style class, but I will comment on mechanical problems you may have.
Significant problems in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation or other
issues will prompt a suggestion that you work with both the grammar text
which is part of the course as well as work with the Writing Center. However,
please remember the Writing Center is not there merely to proofread your
papers.
Late Work: You must turn in your paper on its due date; I reserve the right
to dock a late paper one letter grade for every calendar day it is late. I do
give extensions when there are mitigating circumstances, however, and will
work with you, but only if you contact me by the class before the paper is
due.

Grades: Your grade will be determined by your performance on both

individual assignments and class participation. Merely coming to class is not
considered active participation. Your grade is a combination of your work in
the course which will include research, short projects and major project, class
discussion on reading assignments, and general class participation. This
means, while I will make a mathematical calculation based on the letter
grades you receive, your final grade will also reflect your overall
performance. I reserve the right to raise your grade by one half step (e.g. a
B+ to an A-) if you show dramatic improvement over the course of the
semester. Please note this is used very sparingly and therefore, may only
apply to a few of you.
I will use the following values when calculating your grade:
Assignment

Weight

Short Writing Assignments

20%

Blogging and other Public

Writing
Programming Projects

10%

Class Discussion and

Participation
Final Project and Presentations

20%

TOTAL

100%

20%

30%

Attendance: All English Department and Digital Rhetoric and Professional

Writing courses are conducted by discussions in which students are expected
to listen, speak, and contribute. Regular class attendance is required.
Students who miss more than 2 classes will not receive full credit for the
course without providing an adequate explanation for their absences. This is
essential as the course only meets once a week. If you miss a third class, you
will be asked to drop the course; if you should choose to remain in the
course, you will not pass. Remember, emailing me and telling me that you
will not be present does not constitute an excused absence. These are the
absences that will not be held against you:
Death in the family
Your illnesswith proper documentation
Serious illness of a family member where your presence is neededwith
proper documentation
Documented participation in a university-sponsored or university-sanctioned
event

Documented participation in a job interview or job fair

Documented, mandatory appearance in court
Documented participation in National Guard/Reserve training
There may be other reasons to miss class that I have not included on this list.
If you think you have a valid reason to be excused from class, come and talk
to me about it. Basically, too many absences (for whatever reason) during
the semester may significantly impact your grade.
You are responsible for the information presented in any class you miss.
Please keep track of your own absences; I will not inform you when you reach
your limit on absences.
Plagiarism: Talking over your ideas and getting comments on your writing
from your friends are NOT examples of plagiarism. However, if you use
anyone elses ideas, concepts, phrases, words, art, visuals, audio, any media,
or research without attributing it to them or giving them credit, you are
plagiarizing. I consider plagiarism of any kind a serious offense. Any
plagiarism can result in at least failing that assignment to failure for the
course or a hearing in front of the Student Standards committee or expulsion
from the university. If you plagiarize, it is likely I will ask you to drop the
course. I will use Turnitin during the semester and policies regarding that are
in my BOLT documentation for this course.
E-mail or other Media: I do not feel an electronic memo can take the place
of a face-to-face talk and this is part of my reason for office hours. In
addition, I have created a communal space in BOLT for basic informational or
specific questions you may have missed during class. I will only email you if I
have a specific question. Consequently, please use my email address for
brief messages only. I prefer that you come by during an office hour or call
me on the phone. While I will gladly respond to short questions regarding
your papers or scheduling requests, I will delete unread lengthy pleas for
changes of grades and other special considerations. You may also contact
me by text message (my cell is here) or by Twitter.
Electronic Devices: I will only make an issue about your personal
electronic devicescell phones, iPods, or laptops, which you are welcome to
bringif they are a distraction in class. I cant confiscate them, of course,
since they are your personal property. But if there are problems, I reserve
the right to dock points from your grade and/or count you as absent for the
day. Because of the nature of the class, it is helpful to have a smart phone
and we might use them in class from time to time.

Permission: If you make a special request, such as extending the due date
for a paper, you need to receive written approvalusually in the form of an
emailfrom me. You will then print out this email and hand it in with your
late paper, show it to me when you explain why you havent really exceeded
your absence limit, etc. You do not have permission until you hear from me,
so dont assume that sending me an email and not getting a response is the
same as getting permission.
ADA Statement: I am committed to doing everything I possibly can to help
students with disabilities or other special needs. Please see me soon if you
need any special considerations.
Class Schedule (all assignments are due at the beginning of class time)
Week One
August 24th

Class Topic
Class Introduction:
Syllabus,
expectations, and
hopes for the class

Week Two

Web History and

Design
Understanding the
web as more than
surfing
Growth of the Web
Labor Day

August 31st
Week Three
September 7th

Week Four
September 14th

Week Five
September 21st

Week Six
September 28th
Week Seven
October 5th

Week Eight

Pieces of a Page
Understanding the
Architecture of a site;
developing a file
system
Templates
Basics of usable Web
sites;

Readings
Claiming an
Education; WFTW,
Intro material and
Chapter 1; UEW, Intro
material and
Principle 1

Assignment
Create your Blog and
place a profile picture
in BOLT; research
plug and play web
sites

WFTW, Chapter 2;
UEW, Principle 2 and
3;

First Short Paper

Assigned

WFTW, Chapter 3;
Pdfed reading from
Learning Web
Design, Chapter 2

Blog due at class

time; develop
presentations for
next week

Pdfed reading from

Learning Web
Design, Chapter 3

Understanding
Coding
HTML, CSS, Java,
Bootstrap and . . .
Rhetorical Strategies
Design, Image,
Language: the
rhetoric of
technology
Writing for the Web

Presentations

USW, Principles 4-6

Blog due at class

time; Presentation of
your Storyboard for
your site

LWD, Chapters 11,

16, and 19

Conferences

Reading will be
PDFed and in BOLT

Blog due at class

time; you will need to
use Lynda.com this
week; second paper
assigned

October 12th

Its more than a

paragraph; its more
than an image; its
more than a color

Pdfed reading from

Content Strategy for
the Web; WFTW,
Chapter 4

Midterm Discussion
Board; midterm
survey in BOLT

Week Nine
October 19th
Week Ten
October 26th
Week Eleven
November 2nd
Week Twelve
November 9th

Week Thirteen
November 16th
Week Fourteen
November 23rd
Week Fifteen
November 30th

Developing a Suite
How social media
affects a web site
Usable Images
Understanding the
differences: jpg, tif,
png
Hashtagging
Its more than a
symbol;
understanding the #
Intellectual Property
What makes it
usable? Rhetoric,
Law, and Power

UEW, Chapters 9-10

Blog due at class

time;

Pdfed Reading TBA

You will need to use

Lynda.com this week

Pdfed Reading TBA

Blog due at class

time;

Pdfed reading from

The Rhetoric of
Intellectual Property,
Chapters 1,2, and 8

Web-based
ePortfolios
Weebly, and
WordPress or Wix,
oh my!
Presenting your Sites
Presentations to
classmates

Class Visitation from

Working
Professionals

Blog due at class

time
Final Paper due at
class time in BOLT;
final discussion board

Final Thoughts and

Public Presentations
Open House for the
Class

What do some of these words mean to you??

Assignments
Discussion Boards and Blogs

Discussion boards are found in BOLT and are part of how I will determine if
you are doing the assigned reading for the class. In order for you to get full
credit for a post, you must post on time and you must add something of
significance to the discussion. The two discussion boards are significant as
they will ask you to consider what you have learned both in theory and
application for the course and to write a well-reasoned and thoughtful
response. Therefore, merely posting to agree or repeat what has been
already written is not considered significant. Because this is an English
course, you should proofread and use appropriate rhetorical strategies when
posting. Lack of proofreading or merely agreeing does not constitute an
acceptable posting.
Both the discussion boards and blogs require a different type of writing. In
your blogs, you will be required on blog weeks to post twice and the due
dates vary a bit depending which section you are in, so please check these
deadlines carefully. You should write a minimum of 550 words per blog
posting and it must be relevant to class. As this is an upper level course, I do
expect you to do some research to support your blog postings as basic
citation is required. I would encourage you as upper class students to look at
tech forums in some of the various news outlets to inform some of your
writing. This forum is one way in which you demonstrate both the ability to
think critically and to engage your audience in a thoughtful and appropriate
manner. There is a deadline for posting and late posts will not receive credit.
Short Writing Assignments
Each short assignment for the class will follow the same pattern; you will be
required to research and write about a specific topic related to Web Design.
These short writing assignments (somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-5
pages each) are where you will have to do some research and apply and
combine theory and practice. You are also welcome and encouraged to use
the Writing Center for help on your drafting processes. All papers submitted
to the instructor will come in through BOLT; I will not accept any hard copy
papers. I also expect that you will email your drafts back and forth to each
other (this is my own commitment, personally and as a faculty member, to
try to lessen the carbon footprint we all make).
Short Programming Assignments and Lynda
These programming assignments will be focused on skills you will need when
you are putting together your final project. There will be a number of small
assignments that you will need to create and then write about your creation
process. Again, you should probably bring a jump drive to class and have a
couple of copies of your assignment, so you can learn about the specifics of
creating and keeping files and other things that are needed to create a

working web document. We will not generally be doing workshops in class

and those programming assignments (and I use that term loosely) will be the
basis for some discussion board responses. We will be using Lynda.com as a
tutorial process and this is a requirement. It is required that you will use
Dreamweaver for your basic site. You make use another site for your
ePortfolio site.
Class Discussion and Participation
Each of you is a significant member of the class. This is because writing is a
communal exercise and no good writing or creating occurs without the
feedback of others. So it is when we are discussing projects and theory,
working on research and application, there is a process going on. It is
certainly my hope that if you are not sure of something you will find it
possible to ask questions for clarification. There are reading assignments
that you will be expected to read as they are assigned. If I call on you during
class and you cannot answer the question, I will assume you are unprepared
for class. Please note above the weight which is placed on classroom
participation. That amount should speak volumes about the importance I
place on lively classroom discussion and debate.
Final Project and Presentations
The final project, which is creating your own web site as well as posting it
and then providing a rhetorical analysis of that site is the culmination of this
course. In addition you will create a web based ePortfolio site. These
presentations will be held at prescribed time as listed in the university
schedule and is a required assignment. As noted above these projects and
your presentation of them will count 30% toward your final grade. More
about that will be discussed during the final weeks of the semester.
Class Assessment
Assessment of Learning Objectives may include in-class writing and/or
homework, responses to reading, formal presentations, or other focused
projects. Assessment of student work will provide a clear sense of how the
course is achieving the desired outcomes. In addition, the course assessment
will use the best practices as noted in the external programmatic review
conducted in spring 2013.
This syllabus provides a significant overview of the semester and the dates
on the syllabus will not be changed.

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