Class Projects: Blogs, Wiki and News Reader

Project Logistics.

Each student is required to create a 'blog' around a specific topic to which you are passionate. Examples can include: your favourite sports team; your favourite band; etc. You need to get my approval for your blog theme (via E-mail). Once your blog is set up E-mail me your blog URL. I will then link to your blog from this blog.More on how to set up your blog. This must be completed by September 7.

Each student is also required to set up an account on Bloglines, in order to manage blog and news subscriptions. Your account needs to be established by September 7. The account needs to be made 'public'. Once public, e-mail me the URL. More on how to do this. This needs to be accomplished by September 14.

Each student will participate in a team and will be responsible for one chapter of work for our class wiki. Your first wiki entry needs to be accomplished by September 14.

Project Scope.
Blog
You are required to accomplish the following throughout the course of the semester with your blog:

1. Set up your blog and your bloglines subscriptions (Wednesday September 7)

   
   

2. Create an introductory post, which includes a hyperlink to an outside resource (the University of Delaware for example). How to create a hyperlink (Wednesday September 7)

   
   

3. A second introductory post that explains the purpose of the blog, being a part of a course project and focused on a particular theme. This post should include a link to this blog. (Monday September 12)

   
   

4. Minimum of one post per week throughout the semester.

   
   

5. Minimum of two posts referencing and commenting on posts from other blogs related to the same (or similar) topic. These posts would include the ‘permalink’ of the post to which you are referencing.

   
   

6. You are required to 'comment' 6 times throughout the semester on blogs of other students in the class. All student blogs will be listed on this site. You should plan to comment on blogs with topics of particular interest to you. You should subscribe to those blogs (via bloglines) and list them on your blog.
   

   
   Comments are to be thoughtful responses to the entries posted by the blogger. Each blogger is also responsible for responding to the comments posted by classmates (and others who may comment). If you comment on blogs outside of this class I will ask you to provide me the URLs of the blogs at the end of the course so I can review your comments. Please keep a record of where you comment (specifically the permalinks of the specific entries will be useful). These outside comments can be used as part of the 6 comment requirement (you should add these blog links to your template and subscribe to the blogs).

   
   

7. Your blog should include links, in the template, to each of the class blogs which you choose to comment. You also need to link to your wiki chapter, and other relevant resources. The following illustrates how to add links to your template.

   
   

8. Extra credit 1: If you find your blog is in any of the following search engines (google, technorati or feedster), by the last day of class (December 1) e-mail me the URL. This is worth an additional 1% to your grade.

   
   

9. Extra credit 2: Take your current template and edit it to reflect the class template. More details regarding this assignment will be forthcoming. This is worth an additional 1% to your grade.

   
   

Wiki

1. You will be assigned a team, which will comprise three students. Each team will be assigned a chapter from the text, your team's charge is to become the 'expert' for that chapter.

   
   

2. Each team will have a 'space' on our class wiki: http://buad47705fall.jot.com/. Your team will be responsible for all the content on your space (i.e. for Chapter One, your wiki is at http://buad47705fall.jot.com/ChapterOne). You will also be responsible for the individual pages you create from the chapter page. Each of your pages should include a link back to the initial chapter page and your team mates additional pages. Quick tips to get started.

   
   

3. You must read your chapter thoroughly before beginning this assignment.

   
   

4. You need to make your first wiki entry, an introduction of you and your group members, a links to each of your blogs, and each of your individual chapter pages (each team member will create your own chapter space to host the article summaries you create). This will be under the heading 'Team Introduction'. The total word count for the introduction of all team members should be 200 words, + / - 10 %. (wednesday, September 14)

   
   

5. Each team member needs to create an additional page, which will host the article summaries of that team member (instructions).

   
   

6. Each team member is required to identify three articles from the web that are relevant to the chapter he / she is assigned. For each article, you should link to the article, write a brief summary of the article, which also cites the chapter material you are referencing and the relevance to the material of the article selected. This should include page numbers from the book. At least one of these 'article summaries' must be created before the chapter is to be discussed in class. The exception for this is for those assigned Chapters 1, 2 , 3 and 4. Each student's first article summary must be posted before Wednesday, October 5. Each student's second article summary must be posted before Wednesday, November 2. Each student's final article summary must be posted before Wednesday, November 23. Each student's set of article summaries should be hosted on one page as indicated #5.
   

   
   

7. Each team member must contribute to four article summaries created by fellow team members. This is in terms of adding additional insights and examples that further illustrate the topic that is being addressed. This contribution must be added within 10 days of the most recent update for that article summary. To do this, you will edit your class mate's individual chapter page to add your insights.

   
   

8. Each team member is responsible for the overall quality of his / her original entry and the final entry for each article summary and the overall individual chapter page. This will be in terms of the insights that are offered, the number of contributions, and writing style.

   
   

9. Each team will present their wiki space, by selecting three article summaries to present, during the team presentations at the end of the semester. Each presentation will contain 3 slides: one for each 'article summary'. Each team member must select one of his / her own 'articles summaries' to present. The presentation should include a summary of the chapter topic; the content of the article selected; the intersection of the two; and the evolution of the 'article summary' through the semester. Content from these presentations will be included on the final exam.
   

   
   

10. Each team should meet once the team is formed to create some 'rules' in terms of how they will 'design' and 'behave' within their wiki space. While this project can be completed online and individually for the most part, it will be important to establish some ground rules to begin. Each 'space' should begin with the introduction of the 'authors', this should then be followed by each of the article summaries on the individual pages of team members.
    

    
    

11. Extra credit: Create an account on wikipedia.org Make a sustained contribution to an entry. E-mail me upon completion and I will add 1% to your grade. Include in the e-amil your account name and the entry to which you contributed. Note: it makes best sense to work on an entry that is aligned with your blog theme.
    

News Reader
You are required to accomplish the following throughout the course of the semester with your bloglines account (how to do this):

1. Set up your bloglines account; add this class blog to your account (wednesday september 7)
   

   
   

2. Make your bloglines account public and e-mail me the URL (wednesday september 14)

   
   

3. Add a minimum of five classmates' blogs to your bloglines account (monday september 19)
   
4. Add additional marketing and technology related resources to your bloglines account (monday september 26)