Twitter

Each week, you will tweet a link to an outside resource and then elaborate on your choice of source in a short-ish paragraph posted to this site. Find an outside source (work of art, newspaper article, video, podcast, website, peer-reviewed journal article, Instagram post, tweet, archival source, etc.) that you think relates to the week’s readings. Write a short tweet to introduce your chosen resource to a public audience: does it add to class readings or discussions or offer new information? Did it help you understand a topic in a new or different way? What is helpful about the source? Be sure to add the hashtag #bcsfh20 to your tweet!

This Twitter list includes all class members: Science, Forward

This Twitter list has been compiled (and will be updated): Blinded Me With Science

TBA: a Twitter list containing archives, open access data, maps/cartography, and more!

Your Eportfolio Post

After tweeting your outside source, write a post for our course eportfolio site that describes the source, explains your rationale for choosing it, and relate the source to the week’s topics, themes, or the course overall. This is a low-stakes writing assignment — your post should be more casual or informal than a formal paper while still providing your original insight into the topic or reflect your understanding of the course material. Scroll down for some guidelines and suggestions for formatting and writing your post.

Here is an example of a post about an outside resource that I tweeted using the #bcsfh20 hashtag: “Houston’s Flood Is a Design Problem” by Ian Bogost, The Atlantic (August 28, 2017)

Here are two examples of a low-stakes post about an outside resource that were previously written for the eportfolio for Seminar 4 taught by Prof. Gaston Alonso (Spring 2017):

Where can I find outside resources?

Anywhere! Be creative! You might start with the list Blinded Me With Science but don’t be afraid to go deep into Youtube, or the members included in another Twitter List, Archives & Open Access.

This space will be updated with more ideas and resources and contact your ITF with your suggestions!

Benefits

As you progress with your research for the final research project, you might find sources relevant to both the class as well as your individual research project and use these posts as a write-to-learn exercise.
Gain experience using social media in a professional context.
Develop critical thinking and writing skills when selecting a source and explaining its connection to the course readings.
Be more prepared for class and ready to contribute with a richer understanding of the texts.
Gain in-depth understanding of the research for your research assignment by writing annotations of sources that relate to both your assignment and the class topics.
Increase digital literacy and research skills by researching and selecting sources.
Broaden writing skills by writing low-stakes posts intended for a public audience.
Enhance creativity and broaden your comfort zone by writing about something you don’t write about too often, like a work of art or map or movie.
Contribute to creating a lively and supportive class environment (in class and digital).
Collaborate with classmates to a unique digital project that can be used as a resource for future Seminar 3 students.

FAQs

What counts as an outside source? What do I write about?

Literally, anything: videos, songs, works of art, photos, archival resources, tweets, Instagram posts, podcasts, academic articles, newspaper articles — whatever the internet has to offer. Be creative, find some interesting connections, and explain those connections to the audience.

You can compare this assignment to writing an annotation for an annotated bibliography: briefly describe the source, and explain the source’s key concepts or relevance to the topics covered in class. It should be clear to your reader why you chose this source: does it relate to the historical moment described in the readings? Does it remind of you of a particular quote from a text? Does the outside resource add to your understanding of a class topic or even change your mind about it? You might choose a song that captures the mood or tone of the readings – just explain how it does that. By the end of the semester everyone’s posts can function as an digital and multimedia annotated bibliography that can be organized by category (video, song, article, etc.) or subject (communication, regulations, history, and so forth).

Does this count towards my final grade?

Yes! You need to post and tweet 1x/week (15 total by end of the semester). This is an informal assignment but standard spelling, grammar, style rules still apply.

Help create a supportive and interesting digital space! Comment on each other’s posts – if creates a sense of goodwill and encourages others to do the same. There’s no set number of comments that you have to make but remember, more is more! Create what you want to see in the world by taking the time to write a few smart comments on stuff posted by your classmates, and you’re doing your part to create an awesome digital environment.

Posting guidelines

Make sure you’re signed up as a site user. If not, please click here to sign up.
Include your tweet in your post. You can link to your tweet, embed it within the post, or upload it as a screenshot.
Format your link to make your post easier to read. When you link to an outside resource (your own tweet or otherwise), copy/paste the text into your post. Highlight the link then, above the space where you’re writing your post, click on the little chain in the top row of the formatting toolbar. When you hover your mouse over it, a box appears “insert/edit link.” Click the little chain, add your URL to the URL box, and then write the title of the link – this is what your audience will see.
Write for a public audience. Write concisely, clearly, and assume your audience doesn’t know anything about what you’re writing about. I like to tell students to pretend as if you’re writing for your mom (or sister, or friend, etc.).
Embed the media source. Whether you’ve chosen an audio source, video, or photograph, please use the WP plugins to embed your media. For example, when I posted the sample post (here), the plugin WPAudio turns all .mp3 links into an embedded audio player. If you post a journal article, embed the document into the page. Note: if your chosen source is a movie and only available through a paid service like Netflix then find a trailer for the movie via Youtube/Vimeo and provide a link.
Cite your source and link to it. Give credit where credit is due: good research practice and good manners! Don’t forget to format your link!
Format long quotes as block quotes. A general rule of thumb is that any quote longer than two lines needs to be a block quote. Here’s a sample post that uses a block quote. You can create a block by highlighting the excerpt and using the paragraph indentation button in the post formatting bar (click here for a pic).
Include the class! If your post references a post previously published by a classmate, link back to it; if your explanation includes a comment that was said during class, paraphrase the comment, name the person who said it, and clearly explain the relationship between that comment and your chosen source. By including the class discussions and linking back to related posts, the eportfolio becomes a space that acts like an extension of our class.
Title your post. A simple title is a million times more helpful than a “catchy” (or “clickbait-y”) title. A good title will tell the reader what the post is about and your angle.
Categorize your post. Before you publish your post, click the “Student Post” category along with any other relevant categories.
Add tags to your post. Adding tags helps people navigate the site and find all content related to, for example, “videos.” Generally speaking, tag your posts with your name, student post, the title of the resource, the topic, what type of resource it is, etc.
If your post is long, use the “Read More” option. Above the space where you write a post, look for the icon (see figure below) that adds a break to the post with a “Read More” link that, when clicked, opens to the entire post.