Intro Interactive – ICM501a

The following assignments are tentative, and subject to change. Be sure to keep up with the blog, where updates will be posted. Also, many of these items, including the audio lectures and various assignments, will get their own blog post, so following the blog will help.

Module 1: Development of Interactive Technologies

Week 1 (8/31 – 9/6):

• Read the syllabus. link (by 9/6)
• Write a post on your blog introducing yourself (or your alter ego). link (by 9/6)
• Create an account on twitter, and tweet something with the #501a hashtag. link (by 9/6)
• Add this blog and the Recommended Reads to your aggregator, then pick at least one more blog to add, and tell us about it on your blog. link (by 9/6)

Week 2 (9/7 – 9/13):

• Listen to a lecture on what an ICT is and why we call it interactive communication. link (by 9/8)
• Read Bush, V. (1945). As we may think. Atlantic Monthly, July. link (by 9/8)
• Read Licklidder, J.C.R. (1968). Computer as a communication device. Science and Technology.pdf (starting p. 21) (by 9/8)
• Watch the Engelbart Demo. link (by 9/8)
• Write a response to the readings and video on your blog. link (by 9/8)
• Read How to Blog Effectively (2009). Webdesigner Depot. link (by 9/13)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (by 9/13)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 9/13)

Module 2: Mass Interaction

Week 1 (9/14 – 9/20)

• Listen to a lecture on the relationship of mass society to mass interaction. link (By 9/14)
• Read Beniger, J. (1986). Control Revolution, Introduction (pp. 1-27). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pdf (By 9/14)
• Write a response to a blog post by someone–anyone–OUTSIDE the class (be sure to link!) (By 9/14)
• Be ready to give a one-sentence idea for a website project at our meeting. (By 9/14)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 9/14 and 9/20)

Week 2 (9/21 – 9/27)

• Read Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture, Introduction: “Worship at the alter of convergence” (pp. 1-24). New York: NYU Press. pdf (by 9/21)
• Read Benkler, Y. (2006). Wealth of Networks, Introduction. New Haven: Yale University Press. link (by 9/21)
• Watch Blaise Aguera y Arcas Photosynth demo at TED. link (by 9/21)
• Be ready to give a different one-sentence idea for a website project. (by 9/21)
• Try Delicious by signing up for an account and tagging at least one thing relevant to the course “501a” Tell us about your experience on your blog. (by 9/21) link
• Write a response to the readings and video on your blog. link (by 9/21)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 9/21 and 9/27)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 9/27)

Module 3: Games, Simulations, and Interactions

Week 1 (9/28 – 10/4)

• Listen to a lecture on the place of gaming in interactive communication. link (by 9/28)
• Read Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review. July-August. pdf (by 9/28)
• Read Abt, C.C. (1970). Serious games (selection). New York: Viking. Selection. pdf (by 9/28)
• Play at least two other games that you have not played before, and write about your experience in learning the game, its construction, how it might be improved, whether the skills you use are transferable, what makes it (or doesn’t) enjoyable, etc. You might start with emulators of classics like Spacewar (with a friend) or Zork, a small Flash-based “occasional” game, or a console or PC game of your choice (America’s Army is free paid for by your tax dollars), or go for something in a low-rez, high-concept. link (by 9/28)
• Record and post an audio entry. This may be a response, a response to a response, or any other sort of entry. (by 9/28)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (Between 9/28 and 10/4.)

Week 2 (10/5 – 10/11) Meeting in Second Life

• Read Malliet, S. (2007). Adapting the principles of ludology to the method of videogame content analysis. Game Studies 7(1). link (by 10/5)
• Read Excerpt from Stephenson, Snow crash. pdf (by 10/5)
• (Optional) Read Hinton, A. (2006). We live here: Games, third places, and the information architecture of the future. ASIS&T Bulletin, August/September. link (by 10/5)
• (Optional) Watch “What we can learn from games.” (by 10/5) link
• Write a response to the readings and videos to your blog. (Post before Tuesday night.) link (by 10/5)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (Between 10/5 and 10/11.)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 10/11)

Module 4: Informing Professions

Week 1 (10/12 – 10/18):

• Be ready to provide a abstract of your final project idea, with a list of your teammates if you are working in a team, and who is taking the lead position. (by 10/12) link
• Listen to a brief overview of the question of media professionalism. (by 10/12) link
• Read Sunstein, C. (2004). Democracy and filtering. Communications of the ACM, 47(12), 57-59. pdf (by 10/12)
• Read Bruns, A. (2006) Wikinews: The next generation of alternative online news? Scan: Journal of Media Arts and Culture, 3(1). (by 10/12) pdf
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 10/12 and 10/18)

Week 2 (10/19 – 10/25):

• Read Scoble, R. & Israel, S. (2006). Naked Conversations. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 1-62. pdf (by 10/19)
• Read Greenburg, A. (2007). The secret strategies many “viral” videos. TechCrunch. link (by 10/19)
• Write a response to the readings on your blog.  link (by 10/19)
• Record and post a video entry. This may be a response, a response to a response, or any other sort of entry. (by 10/19)
• Put together analysis of benchmarks and competitors for your final project. Post this analysis to your blog, and link to it on your teammates’ blogs. (by 10/19)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 10/19 and 10/25)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 10/25)

Module 5: Interactive Production

Week 1 (10/26 – 11/1)

• Listen to a lecture on architecture and design. link (by 10/26)
• Read Saffer, D. (2007). Designing for interaction. Berkeley: New Riders, pp. 1-68. pdf (by 10/26)
• Read the Wikipedia article for Web Design — you might find the “discussion” tab interesting as well. (by 10/26)
• Review Garrett, J. J. (2000) The Elements of User Experience. pdf (by 10/26)
• (Optional) Read The Website Development Process (2005). link
• (Optional) Read Kangas, E. & Kinnunen, T. (2005). Applying user-centered design to mobile application development. Communications of the ACM, 48(7), 55-59. pdf
• Record and post a video entry. This may be a response, a response to a response, or any other sort of entry. (by 10/19)
• Put together analysis of benchmarks and competitors for your final project. Post this analysis to your blog, and link to it on your teammates’ blogs. (by 10/19) link
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 10/26 and 11/1)

Week 2 (11/2 – 11/8):

• Tohidi, M., Buxton, W., Baecker, R., & Sellen, A. (2006). User sketches: a quick, inexpensive, and effective way to elicit more reflective user feedback. In Proceedings of the 4th Nordic conference on Human-computer interaction: changing roles (pp. 105-114). Oslo, Norway: ACM. pdf (by 11/2)
• Watch David Kelly: The future of design is human-centered (TED. link (by 11/2)
• Listen to Talk by Don Norman. link (by 11/2)
• Write an overview of user needs for your project and how they are being served today and post on the blog. Be ready to discuss in class. (by 11/2)
• Write a response to the readings and videos on your blog.  link (by 11/2)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 11/2 and 11/8)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 11/8)

Module 6: Legal, Ethical, and Policy Issues

Week 1 (11/9 – 11/15)

• Listen to a lecture on policy. link (by 11/9)
• Watch Larry Lessig, How creativity is being strangled by the law (TED). link (by 11/9)
• Watch Humanity Lobotomy (2nd Draft). link (by 11/9)
• Watch Steal This Film 2. link (by 11/9)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 11/9 and 11/15)

Week 2 (11/16 – 11/22)

• Read Story, L. (2007). To aim ads, web is keeping closer eye on you. New York Times. link (by 11/16)
• Watch CNBC on Big Brother. link (by 11/16)
• Read Halavais, A. (2009). Search engine society. Cambridge: Polity Press. Chapter 6. pdf (by 11/16)
• Indicate whether there are legal or ethical dimensions to your project (copyright, privacy, commerce, effect on users), and how you will address those. (by 11/16)
• Post a response to your blog. link (by 11/16)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words. (between 11/16 and 11/29)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit. (by 11/29)

Module 7: Future of Interactive Communication

Week 1 (11/30 – 12/6)

• Listen to a lecture on media futures. link (by 11/30)
• Read Rheingold, H. (2002). Shibuya epiphany (pp. 1-28). Smart mobs. New York: Perseus. pdf (by 11/30)
• Watch Neil Gershenfeld, The beckoning promise of personal fabrication (TED). link (by 11/30)
• Listen. The persistence of memory.link (by 11/30)
• (Optional) Read Gershenfeld, N. (2005). Fab (Selection). New York: Basic Books.pdf (by 11/30)
• (Optional) Read Gemmell, J., Bell, G., & Lueder, R. (2006). MyLifeBits: a personal database for everything. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 89-95. pdf (by 11/30)
• (Optional) Read Wired interview with Nick Carr. ink (by 11/30)
• (Optional) Watch Ray Kurzweil, How technology’s accelerating power will transform us (TED). link (by 11/30)
• Write a response to the readings and videos on your blog. link (by 11/30)
• In total, posts, comments, and tweets totaling at least 300 words.
• Be ready to give your final pitch. link

Final Presentations: 12/9

• Present your proposal in class, along with any support materials. (12/9)
• Write a self-assessment for the unit and the course. (by 12/10)