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Syllabus

NGOs, journalists, activists and governmental agencies among others understand that Internet and mobile technologies allow them to spread knowledge in new and innovative ways. Multimedia Web sites, Podcasts, Social Networks and mobile devices are changing the way information is produced and consumed.

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Last Update: 8/31/10
Instructor information, Class Requirements and the University’s Academic Integrity Statement are included in this document.

Who creates and consumes these relatively new forms of media has radicalized the responsibilities and reach of organizations both large and small, and changed the role of those entering them.

Tubes, Code and Content: Creating Media in Our Digital Age is designed to give students a hands-on experience creating content for the Web, experience in promoting such content, and an understanding of Open Source trends, legal frameworks and cultural developments in what is commonly referred to as Web 2.0 or the Read/Write Web.

Over the course of the semester, students will contribute to the class’ online publication, learn how to integrate multimedia into their storytelling, explore social media strategies and tools to promote their work, understand the significance of digital reputation, and explore how Internet protocols and languages produce not just a series of Web sites, but a rich, global distribution and communication platform.

Upon completion, students will understand how to utilize rich media production and distribution to participate in – and affect discourse on – the world’s pressing issues.

Note that the syllabus will be in flux and updated throughout the semester. Changes will occur due to news events, the need to focus more deeply on specific topics, etc. You will be alerted in class to changes that do occur.

Class 01 – Hello, World: Internet Mathematics

Part 01 – Course Overview

An introduction to the course, themes and topics covered, expectations and general outline of the semester.

Part 02 – Hello, World

We all know what the Internet is. We’re on it most every day. But do we know how it works as a dynamic, growing communications platform that’s constantly in conversation with itself? A look at where the Web came from and its transformative social, political and economic effects.

Part 03 – Introduction to TubesCodeContent.com

An introduction to the Web platform we’ll use throughout the semester. Including how to author and publish your weekly ideas and course articles to it.

Assignment

  • Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks, Buchanan, Chapters 1-6.

Class 02 – Small Worlds and Social Networks

Part 01 – Small Worlds and Social Networks

Social networks have exploded over the past few years with hundreds of millions using one or more of the many available platforms to connect with friends, colleagues and collaborators on projects large and small. How do networks form though? How do we leverage them? Natural ecosystems, small worlds and network theory provide many answers and help guide our use of these valuable platforms as we seek to communicate with and engage target audiences.

Part 02 – TubesCodeContent.com and its Place on the Social Web

Exploring how TubesCodeContent uses Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and other technologies to connect with the Internet’s content ecosystem.

Assignment

  • Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks, Buchanan. Chapters 7-13.
  • Video: The hidden influence of social networks, Nicholas Christakis. 2010. TED Talks.
  • Weekly Blog Post: Create ~250 word post on TubesCodeContent.com

Class 03 – Internet Architecture

Part 01 – Internet Architecture

The Internet’s architecture has traditionally been an open system where Users could create what they want, go where they want and do what they want but a number of countries and companies are are attempting to close, or limit, this previously open system.

Part 02 – Case Study: Iranian Elections

The 2009 Iranian elections thrust social media, citizen journalism and what some call “We Media” to the forefront of global news coverage in the elections’ aftermath. What significance did these online ecosystems play in our understanding of what was happening on the ground. And did it prove that the Internet is a key outlet for dissent in authoritarian regimes.

Assignment

Recommended

Class 04 – Open Source Software & The Social Web

Part 01: Open Source Software

Open Source Platforms, from blogging engines to Content Management Systems to Wiki’s to community sites are powering much of the Internet. What is Open Source and what are some its philosophical and legal principles. A look at some of the more popular platforms, what they are, when you would use them and how you would leverage them.

Part 02: The Social Web

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn are Social Media and Social Networking’s big players. But others such as Tumblr, Orkut and LiveJournal have either content niches or geographic penetration that are worthwhile to know. Then there’s a universe of bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon and others that can be leveraged.

A look at participatory media and “earned” marketing strategies using the Social Web.

Assignment

Recommended

Class 05 – Guest Lecture

Part 01: Guest Lecture

Rachel Sterne, Founder and CEO of Groundreport.

About Rachel: Rachel Sterne is CEO of GroundReport, a global citizen news platform that empowers journalists to publish original, intelligent reporting to an audience of millions. She founded GroundReport in 2006 with the mission to democratize the media and help the world share its stories. In 2009 Rachel was named one of America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek, and in 2010 she served as an American Democracy Institute fellow.

Part 02: Presentations

Five students present their articles to the class for a roundtable discussion.

Assignment

  • Article Due: 750 word reported article on an NGO or news organization using innovative communications technologies to reach their target audiences and/or how an NGO or news organization is responding to issues and ideas discussed thus far in the semester.

Class 06 – Producing & Consuming Content

Part 01: The Code of Content

The content we produce isn’t just appearing on Web sites. Words, images, audio and video now find a home on mobile devices as well. What does this mean for the producer, and what are the Internet protocols that make it all happen. A look at content as “atomic units of consumption,” the significance of metadata and simply how we format content for digital consumption.

Part 02: Case Study: Datavisualization

Much of what we research, write and try to express to others is filled with opaque data sets often distributed through spread sheets. There’s a better way. It’s called datavisualization and powerfully transmits information we want our audiences to know.

Assignment

Class 07 – Communication, Collaboration and Creation Tools

Part 01: Entering the Cloud

More and more applications are becoming Web-based and this includes those used for creating, editing and distributing audio, video and images. A look at a variety of platforms and how organizations can use them to organize themselves and communicate with the world.

Part 02: Case Study – Haiti and Crisis Mapping its 2010 Earthquake

When disasters strike, managing relief efforts across agencies is a monumental logistical task. New tools are emerging that utilize all forms of digital communication from email to Twitter posts to SMS text messages to Web-based data entry that enable concerned citizens and relief workers to communicate and collaborate across organizations.

Assignment

Class 08 – Copyright and the Creative Commons

Part 01: On Copyright and Other Difficulties

If the digital medium allows anything to be shared, copied and manipulated, where does fair use end and copyright infringement begin? Are there even clear boundaries? A look at recent cases involving news organizations and entertainment companies, and how and why this affects advocacy organizations.

Part 02: Free Culture & the Creative Commons

Remix culture, collaboration and the Creative Commons are giving individuals and organizations dynamic new ways to find, create and adapt content. An exploration of what this means and how it works, and why groups ranging from individual bloggers to the US Library of Congress are getting involved.

Assignment

Class 09 – Guest Lecture

Part 01: Article Presentations

Five students discuss their articles in a round table format.

Part 02: Guest Lecture

TBD.

Assignment

  • Article Due: 750 word reported article on an NGO or news organization using innovative communications technologies to reach their target audiences and/or how an NGO or news organization is responding to issues and ideas discussed thus far in the semester.

Class 10 – Cat Meet Mouse: Censorship and Authority

Part 01: Censorship and Authority

Censorship comes in many forms be it crackdowns from authoritarian regimes or copyright and libel lawsuits from legal regimes. A global look at how technology is being used in a cat and mouse game between content creators and those who wish to silence them.

Part 02: Case Study – WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks is an international organization that publishes leaked documents submitted to it by anonymous users. The organization burst to prominence during the first half of 2010 when it published videos and files relating to the war in Afghanistan. Doing so raises a series of ethical and legal questions, and has altered the practices of traditional media with which it has worked.

Assignment

Recommended

Class 11 – Network Neutrality

Since the Internet was first founded, anyone with access to it was treated equally whether a corporate giant or a single activist blogger. US telecommunications companies would like to change that by providing tiered access based on their chosen variables. A look at what this means and how it could affect both content producers and consumers.

Assignment

Recommended

Class 12 – Going Mobile

While the Web gets a lot of well-deserved buzz it’s the mobile phone that’s truly connecting the world. More people have access to mobile phones than to computers and that divide is expected to grow. What type of content is being produced for these devices and how they are being used to help solve humanitarian issues around the globe.

Assignment

Class 13 – Guest

Part 01: Article Presentations

Five students discuss their articles in a round table format.

Part 02: Guest Lecture

TBD.

Assignment

  • Article Due: 750 word reported article on an NGO or news organization using innovative communications technologies to reach their target audiences and/or how an NGO or news organization is responding to issues and ideas discussed thus far in the semester.

Class 14 – The One Trillionth Page

In 2008 Google announced it had indexed it’s one trillionth page. We’re well on our way to another. What issues and trends are we going to encounter as we get there.

Assignment

Recommended