August 25 - Welcome to Digital Tools

Dear Grads,

I wish I could be there with you tonight, but am confident that Justin Boyd is going to take great care of you.  If all goes as planned, I should be on the other side of giving birth & at home with my newborn daughter.

We will not meet face to face for the first 8 weeks, but I am available via email-- please do not hesitate to contact me.  We'll spend the first half of the class exploring the text (see below).

My email address is: leslie(dot)raymond(at)utsa(dot)edu

Obviously, replace the (dot) for . and (at) for @

There are a few orders of business to take care of tonight so that we can get everything up and running smoothly.  Though I can't make any promises (never having had a baby before), I will do everything I can to be available by phone/email tonight to insure that we can get our business done.

Last I knew, the password for grads on the machines in the New Media Studio (1.01.30) was: zoetrope

Syllabus-------->do this tonight while in class!<---------

Justin will pass this out.  Look it over, sign the form at the end, tear it off & give it to Justin.  Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.

Textbook-------->get it tonight at the bookstore!<---------

For the first half of the term we will be reading Digital Tools by Christiane Paul, and having online discussion with some specific lines of inquiry designed to enhance our understanding of digital media.  Please note that you must have the SECOND EDITION of this book.  The bookstore should have it in.  If they do not, let me know right away & I will post a .pdf of the first reading in the shared googledox folder (see below).

Gmail Accounts-------->set this up & email me tonight while in class!<---------

Everybody is going to need a gmail account because I'm going to put all of the class documents into a googledox folder.  If you don't already have gmail, get it set up. Pass along your gmail address to me right away (tonight).  If I'm not online now, know that this is my A-1 priority and I'll be on it later tonight or first thing tomorrow.

Class Website-------->we may be able to complete tonight while in class!<---------

This is it.  I'll use your gmail address (unless you prefer something else for some reason) to invite each of you to be an author to it.  Look for an email from blogger.com with said invitation, and get yourself onboard as an author right away by following the link.  Once everyone is in, I'll make this site private so that only our class can access its contents.

Personal Online Journals-------->set this up tonight while in class!<---------

Everyone will create their own online journal using blogger.com.  You will be posting 250-350 words every 2 weeks, for a total of 8 journal entries this term.  I will assign the first post, but aside from that you will decide what to write about, provided that there is a connection to your work, particularly in relation to what you are doing in here.

If you already have a blogger.com account, use your existing blog or set up a new one for this class.  Once you get your author access to our class website, add the link to the "everyone's blogs" area here on the right by signing in and clicking on the wrench-screwdriver icon.

A Side Note

Why aren't we using Blackboard, the UTSA online web tool, for all of this?
Good question!

The most important reason is that you should all be comfortable using these free, easy, handy and ubiquitous online tools that will continue to serve you long after you leave UTSA.

I have a rough schedule for the first half of class worked out, but want to start out slowly to see how things go.  Please visit this website often to help you stay on top of readings, assignments, discussion, etc.

Again, we will not meet face to face for the first 8 weeks.  I am available via email-- please do not hesitate to contact me.  If you are in need of a phone conference, please let me know.

Feel free to use the New Media Studio (1.01.30).  Your student ID should get you card key access-- if you have any problem after the "census date," send an email to me AND greg(dot)elliott(at)utsa(dot)edu.  New Media equipment is also available for you to check out at the Visual Recourses Collection on the 3rd floor.

When we do begin meeting in person on Monday & Wednesday nights, there will be plenty of studio time, demos and other presentations, experiments, critique, etc. Our first meeting will likely be a work-in-progress critique, so that we can have a look at the direction your work is going in relation to the digital skills/tools you have set out to conquer.  I have lots of plans and ideas, but please do let me know if there is anything special that you want to do.  As always, I aim to tailor the course to suit your needs.

Thanks for pioneering the online coursework with me-- just one more facet of the new digital paradigm to explore.  A bit overwhelming for the first night?  If so, simply slow down, breathe deeply and take your time going through it.  I think it will prove to be simpler than it might seem at first glance.  I am so looking forward to working with all of you this term!

Welcome to Fall 2010!
-Your Prof.
Leslie Raymond

PS - the first assignment is set to autopost at 7:15pm tonight.