MY

STORY ON THE WEB

COMM 10310-780 Online
Fall 2017


Instructor Laura Fong Email Address ltorchia@kent.edu Office 478-301-2935
Office hours by phone or on Skype Laura_c_Fong


COURSE GOAL My Story on the Web is a first course in understanding the Webs impact
on our private and public lives. It investigates simple web design, storytelling,
multimedia, copyright, intellectual property, ethical considerations and social media.
Students develop practical web process, design and storytelling skills for presenting and
navigating both textual, visual and multimedia content.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Plan, organize, and deploy a web presence appropriate to a diverse online audience
2. Use basic design principles to conceptualize, evaluate, and effectively present
multimedia online through web-based projects & peer/self-critique
3. Manage content and information using an online content management system
4. Create, edit, and produce original and repurposed photographs, audio, and video for
online distribution using industry standard software techniques
5. Gain media literacy through understanding fair use and copyright laws in order to
ethically and legally integrate multimedia content as well as skeptically critique
online multimedia

OFFICE HOURS are by phone or appointment. I live in Georgia, where I teach full-time at
Mercer University. If my inability to apply makes you miss a deadline, I will work with
you, so dont worry. Im happy to meet with you at any time by phone, or meet on
Skype at Laura_C_Fong.

It is assumed that you will come to me if you are struggling in this class or if you are
falling behind. Online learning takes some getting used to, especially if this is your first
time, and Im here to help you to be successful in this class.

ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD Students are required to create major assignments for this
course using the Adobe Creative Cloud software suite. It is available at a discounted
student rate from Adobe for Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X computers. The student
rate requires a year commitment. However, you may also purchase month-to-month
single app access through a business account without any commitment. Units in this
course are designed so that you only need to access any piece of software used by the
class for one month. Therefore, the single app access, while costing a slightly higher
monthly rate, is the cheapest method for our course.

Note: Adobe Premiere Pro CC, used during our final unit in the course, requires a 64-
bit operating system with 8GB of RAM. Mac users must have MacOS X version 10.10
or higher. Full technical specifications are available here.

CLASS FORMAT
1. You will receive regular instruction from me each Monday by email, with the
details on what you should be doing, whats due coming up, etc.
2. Quizzes will be available from Wednesday am until Friday midnight.
3. All Assignments will be due Saturdays at Midnight on BlackBoard

WEEKLY INSTRUCTIONS Each Monday morning you will receive weekly instructions that
will update you on whats due, what tutorials you should be watching, and any links and
resources for you to watch that will be helpful for whatever we are working on that
week.

YOUR KENT EMAIL ADDRESS is the official form of communication while you are a
student at Kent. This is where you will receive your weekly instructions. You are
responsible for checking your @kent.edu email address for all communications
regarding this class. I will get back to you as quickly as possible. Please note that emails
and voicemails left after Friday at 5pm are likely to be returned the following Monday.

TEXT BOOK You have access to the entire Lynda library as a registered Kent State
student. You can access it at any time by going to http://lynda.kent.edu/
Log in with your Flashline Username and Password. You will be given a list of required
Lynda Tutorials as the class progresses. When you complete watching a tutorial you will
earn a certificate of completion. You can find them under the certificates of
completion option under the My Courses tab. You will see the option to email the
certificate, please email them to ltorchia@kent.edu. Certificates are due by the last day
of exam week if not otherwise specified.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS All assignments are to be submitted using BlackBoard.
Click on the Assignment title, paste the URL to your completed assignment (the URL to
where your assignment is located on your WordPress site) in the text box below the
assignment description, hyperlink it, and click submit. Late assignments will be
penalized.

MISSED OR LATE EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS Late assignments are unfair to those who
are prepared. As a rule, if you submit an assignment on the scheduled day and time, you
will receive a full letter grade deduction for each day late (including weekends). The
schedule for assignments is located later in the syllabus.

E-MAIL AND COMMUNICATION I will use Blackboard Learn for class updates. Please
check the Announcements forum on Learn regularly so you can keep up-to-date
assignments. I answer e-mail during regular business hours (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-
5:00 p.m.). Please allow 24 hour for e-mail responses. E-mails sent during non-business
hours (e.g., evenings, weekends) will be answered the next business day.

QUIZZES Over the course of the semester there will be three quizzes. If you keep up
with the tutorials and materials given each week, these will be very easy.

WORDPRESS You will build your own WordPress.com Website where you will post all of
the course assignments. The website that you create will serve as a resource to feature
your assignments in this class, but can serve as the beginning of your online branding
for yourself. You will be able to customize, refine, develop and re-purpose the content
over time to meet the needs and expectations of your academic and professional
careers.

ONLINE CLASSES Its easy to fall behind, because it may seem there is less work involved
in an online class. In fact, it takes discipline to keep up week-by-week to succeed in this
class. If at any time you are struggling, it is up to you to contact me about it. You will
have regular instruction from me each Monday, Quizzes will be available Wednesday am
until Friday midnight. All Assignments will be due Saturdays at Midnight.

GRADING Grades are based on the quality of your work, ideas, effort, technical ability
and creativity. Most assignments include points for following directions and completing
the assignment on time.

92- 100 = A 90-91.9 = A- 88-89.9 = B+ 82-87.9 = B
80-81.9 = B- 78-78.9 = C+ 72-77.9 = C 70-71.9 = C-
68-69.9 = D+ 60-67.9 = D Less than 60 =F

FINAL EXAM There is no final exam in this class. You will be graded on your completed
WordPress sites where all assignments will be posted.


ACADEMIC HONESTY Use of the intellectual property of others without attributing it to
them is considered a serious academic offense. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a
failing grade for the work or for the entire course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal
from the University. University guidelines require that all infractions be reported to the
Student Conduct Officer on our campus.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES University policy 3-01.3 requires that students with
disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to
course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations,
please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements
for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility
for these through Student Accessibility Services. If you would like more information
about the office of Student Accessibility Services or would like to schedule an
appointment with one of our staff, please call our main office number at (330) 672-
3391 or send an e-mail to: sas@kent.edu.

GRADING CRITERIA

ASSIGNMENT POINTS
Part 1 COPYRIGHT/WORDPRESS
WordPress Blog Creation 50
Copyright Quiz 100
150
Part 2 PHOTO
Adobe Photoshop Tutorials 50
Photo Gallery 50
Draft Photo Story 50
Final Photo Story 100
250
Part 3 AUDIO
Adobe Audition Tutorials 50
Draft Audio 50
Audio Quiz 50
Final Audio 100
250
Part 4 Video
Adobe Premiere Tutorials 50
Draft Video Story 50
Video Quiz 50
Final Video Story 100
Final Website 100
350
Total 1000










Tentative Course Calendar

Week Topics Assignments Due Due Sat 11:59pm

Introduction to class
Create WordPress
Week 1 Aug. 28-Sep. 1
Blog
WordPress & Blogging

Copyright Quiz
Copyright & Fair Use
Week 2 Sep. 4-8

This I Believe

Unit 2/ Photo / Adobe Photoshop

Visual Storytelling


Week 3 Sep. 11-15 Photoshop
Photography &
Tutorial
Composition

Creative Commons
Images, gather a photo
Photo Collection Photo Gallery
Week 4 Sep. 18-22 gallery



The Photo Story/
Photoshop basics

Story Feedback Draft Photos
Week 5 Sep. 25-29 Draft Photo Story
Photoshop


Week 6 Oct. 2-6 Story Final Due Final Photo Story




Unit 3/ Digital Audio / Adobe Audition

Intro to Audio and recording Audition Tutorial
Oct. 9- 13
Week 7

Week 8 Oct. 16-20 Interviewing

Raw Audio
Audio Storytelling Footage

Oct. 23-27
Week 9
Audio Recording Draft Audio
Story

Audio Editing/Interviewing Audio Story

Feedback
Week 10 Oct. 30-Nov. 3
Creative Commons Audio
Final Audio Story

Unit 4/ Digital Video / Adobe Premiere

Week 11 Nov. 6- 10 Multimedia Fundamentals

Premiere
Week 12 Nov. 13-17 Editing Digital Video
Tutorial

Raw Video
Compressing, exporting and
Footage &
sharing video
Week 13 Nov. 20-24 Storyboard
(Thanksgiving)
Exploring Digital Effects
Draft Video

Video Feedback
Week 14 Nov. 27-Dec. 1 Draft Video

Week 15 Dec. 4-8
Final Site Due

Finals Dec. 11-15 FINALS