Prof. Cameron Blevins

Introduction to Digital Studies
HIST 3260/5260 | COMM 3081/5081
M/W 2:00-3:15pm
North Classroom 1608
Office Hours: W. 3:30-4:30pm
TA Office Hours: M. 12:30-1:30pm

Assignment Overview

In this project you will research and communicate how technology (broadly defined) has changed or otherwise influenced a specific aspect of society in the past five years and communicate your research through a 5 minute multimedia video.

The goal of this assignment is twofold. First, thematic: you will learn about the interplay between technology and society and its impacts on culture, economy, business, etc. Second, you will develop skills and strategies for both effectively communicating and consuming content through this medium.

You have wide latitude to choose the topic. You might, for instance, study how camera-equipped drones are being used to shoot Hollywood films or player tracking technology is being incorporated by NBA teams. Your presentation should have a clear message or interpretation about the technology’s impact and use concrete, compelling examples to illustrate the change.

In-Class Presentation

Prior to completing your media project, you will first give a 5-minute presentation to a small group of classmates on Mon. March 6th. You should make a short slideshow to accompany your presentation. The purpose of this step is to get you to complete your research ahead of time and have some practice in how to convey your findings to a broader audience.

In-class Presentation will take place on March 6th

Video File

The final product is a 5 minute multimedia video that includes the following elements:

  • Voiceover narration of your topic
  • Additional audio (music, sound effects, etc.)
  • Still images (photographs, vector graphics, charts, etc.)
  • Video supporting your narration (video clips illustrating your concept, video of yourself talking, etc.)
  • Text of words, phrases, numbers, etc. supporting your message

Wordpress Page

You also need to make a page on your personal website:

  • Title it “Media Project”
  • 2-3 paragraphs giving a short overview of the topic you chose and documenting your process (how you approached it, challenges you ran into, strategies you used, etc.).
  • List of sources you consulted
  • Optional: if you would like to embed your video directly into your Wordpress page to use it as part of a portfolio, you can use Vimeo to do so. You’ll need sign up for a Vimeo account, upload the video, then following these instructions to embed it in the page.

Upload a URL of your Wordpress page AND the multimedia video file to Canvas by March 17th at 11:59PM

To submit this on Canvas you’ll need to do multiple submissions on the assignment page:

  1. Website URL: Copy and paste the URL to your Wordpress page and hit the Submit Assignment button.
  2. Multimedia video: Click New Attempt on the assignment page, go to the Media tab, click Record/Upload Media and go to Upload Media -> Select Video File in the pop-up window. Then click Submit Assignment button.

Note: if the file is too large to upload to Canvas, please re-export the file with a smaller size (instructions).

Resources and Tutorials

Video

Audio

Text and Still Images