How To Write Up Assignments Like a Blogging Champ


cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by I am marlon

In the main part of a ds106 class your task is largely choosing your own tasks from the Assignment Bank This guide gives you some criteria for what we are looking for in your blog posts where you summarize your work- it is more than just saying “here is my assignment”. Just posting the results without anything else is not satisfying the ds106 criteria for writing up your work.

The Three Parts of a Great ds106 Blog Post

The three main portions students must cover to receive full credit (open participants, you of course are free to do whatever you like) include:

  • The Work Itself
  • Telling the Story Behind the Story
  • Narrating the Process

In terms of the blog post, we want you to post it with a descriptive title that is more than “My Visual Assignment”- the title of your post is what people will glance at from among many other blog posts, so think of it as a headline. Be clever with your post titles. Use metaphors, plays on words, cultural memes, aim to grab someone’s interest. If you glance at something called “Visual Assignment 2” what does that do as a hook o bring you into its story?

Also, be sure to include a hyperlink back to the original assignment, this allows others to see its prompt, as well as the other examples and tutorials related to it. Think links! In addition, it is best to describe in your own post how the assignment is written, so a reader knows the context of the work you are posting. One way is to copy the description and put it in a blockquote tag on your blog.

In the body of your post, we want to hear you write about the meaning of your work and how it is related to the concept of digital storytelling or just your own connection to it. Your post should include hyperlinks to reference material(e.g. a link to the Internet Movie Database for a movie, a link to previous work if you have built upon something done earlier, a link to media sources used).

Hyperlinks should be within the context of your sentences, not just a URL or “Click here see it” text.

Telling the Story Behind the Story

As part of your writeup, we want to see evidence of the thinking behind it. Use a few paragraphs to describe why you chose the assignment or the topic, or what the thing you made means to you. What is its context? What is the story it tells? What does it mean to you? to society? to other media? Why did you even make it?

Think of this part as the part of a DVD that includes the extras- behind the scenes, out takes, director’s commentary.

The Work Itself, Media

What you created ought to be embedded into the body of your post, not just hyperlinked. See Blogging Tips to learn how media is embedded when you write your posts. You will want to write an introduction to your creation, more than “My assignment” – see what happens if you make your assignment part of a larger narrative. Write around the media, reference it.

The most key thing is that you include the specific assignment tags that are provided on each assignment. For example, the Design Your Dream Animal assignment, you must add the tags DesignAssignments and DesignAssignments394 to your post. Feel free to add any other descriptive tags, but the base tags are required.

assignment-tags.jpg

You can enter these separated by commans in ther Tags box and click Add.

tagged.jpg

Including these in your post does two important things- it enables your own post to be added to the list of examples on the original assignment. Also, the general tag “DesignAssignments” provides a simple way to link to all of your Design Assigmments- if your blog is

http://ds106ruleztheworld.org

then the link for all of your Design Assignment work is

http://ds106ruleztheworld.org/tag/DesignAssignments

Narrating the Process

Again, your task is more than the final product. Include in your assignment blog posts a description of how you created it, the software used, techniques/tools within the software, the sources of any media, etc. Think of it as a guide to someone else who might want to recreate what you did. This the part of the DVD extras menu like “The Making Of My Groovy Assignment”

Remember that part of your class requirement may include writing up a tutorial, so if you do a complete description of how you created your work, a writeup can also count as a tutorial (We recommend you do a full blown tutorial as a separate blog post; note that tutorial also have a specific set of require tags listed on the assignments page).

If You Like Rubrics… We have One

  • Blog Affordances, use of media
    (10%)

Exemplary

  • Creative title that attracts interest, assignment and related media embedded, relevant and extra information provided via contextualized hyperlinks

Accomplished

  • Original title, assignment media embedded, some hyperlinks present and contextual

Developing

  • Title paraphrases assignment, media is linked; none to minimal use of hyperlinks; most hyperlinks via URL

  • Narration of Idea and Storytelling Elements
    (30%)

Exemplary

  • Inspiration, influences and evolution of idea narrated, linked to related concepts; connected to larger ideas or works included; strong connection of storytelling elements

Accomplished

  • Inspiration for the idea described as well as how it evolved; connection cited to storytelling elements.

Developing

  • Singular source of idea described; Storytelling elements not clear.

  • Media Created for Assignment
    (30%)

Exemplary

  • Media created is a novel or even opposite interpretation of assignment, justified in write up, shows experimentation with special features/techniques of tools; fine attention to media assemblage, graphic details, transitions, sound levels (where appropriate).

Accomplished

  • Media created uses a creative interpretation or unexpected view of assignment, shows experimentation with features of tools; Media assemblage shows effort to blend together.

Developing

  • Media created satisfies literal interpretation of assignment, makes use of basic features of tools. Media assemblage is linear, cut and paste.

  • Narration of Creative Process
    (30%)

Exemplary

  • Techniques and methods are explained in sufficient form to help someone else do a similar assignment, explained as narrative steps, with supporting screenshots or screencasts. Sources of external media cited by name and URL.

Accomplished

  • Specific techniques listed as narrative with screenshots. Sources of external media cited by URL.

Developing

  • Lists name of tools used, brief text summary of steps. General sources of external media used listed

Got Examples?

Here are some well written up assignments from previous ds106 students that model the ds106 way of doing assignments

 

Comments

  1. Isabelle

    April 2, 2014

    this website didnt help me at all

    • cogdog

      April 2, 2014

      Sorry, we cannot please everyone all the time. What where you looking for?

  2. Emily Connor

    March 30, 2016

    Nice way to make sub-parts of the blogging activity here!
    I really like the concept. It’s simple – you understand what you’re supposed to do in each phase/part – BAM! Your blog is ready.

    Thanks! :)

  3. assignment masters tips

    September 24, 2016

    Hello Isabelle, I think you should have to check out Assignment Bank page then your opinion will be change about this blog because there is lots of unique work & you will enjoy this blog…!!!

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