July 9, 2006
Theatre Appreciation
Group Web Page Assignment
Each student will work with other students during the semester, in a group to be assigned by me, to complete two "wiki" web pages on two different specific aspects of theatre.
You will work with a group of
other students in the class to create two web sites. Each site will present a theme about a specific
aspect of theatre selected by the group. One project is due in Week 9, and the other
in Week 15.
Purposes:
There are five purposes for the web site group projects:
· To learn how to work collaboratively in a group.
· To learn how to research a topic using primary and secondary sources.
· To learn how to plan and prepare a thematic presentation on the web.
· To learn about an interesting aspect of theatre beyond what’s covered in the course materials.
· To learn how to learn on your own.
Directions:
Begin planning the projects with the other members of your group. You may use your group’s private discussion forum or you may create collaboration sessions (instant messaging) to work together. You will construct the web sites in this wiki, a web site hosting, construction, and editing tool that allows multiple authors and doesn’t require extensive technical knowledge.
Everyone must contribute approximately equally in selecting the theme, in researching the topics, and in designing and building the actual web pages. Here is an excellent resource on working collaboratively to help you be productive as a group. I will be available to clarify project directions and to help you use the tools. I will observe but not interfere in your group process, unless you reach a serious impasse that you have tried and been unable to resolve yourselves.
Here is a list of the basic tasks and guidelines to get you started:
1. Decide your topic and your theme or point of view. Your web sites should convey a clear theme, or argument, or point of view about your topic – not just an encyclopedic presentation of information. Here are some research and project ideas.
2. Decide what research you need to do to support your theme. Decide who will research each item. Use a variety of sources from print, periodicals, and web sites (at least one of each per group member). Use sources that are appropriate for your theme.
3. Perform the research.
4.
Plan the web site. Decide how many pages you will have, what images
and text you will need, and how it will be arranged. Drawing pictures and diagrams of the pages (called
storyboarding) may help. Decide who
will write which sections or prepare which images. Be careful not to plagiarize or violate copyrights;
see
5.
Build the web site. I will create a site for you at pbwiki.com and
post its web address and password on your group forum. Here are the directions
for how to create and edit wiki pages in general. Go HERE
to get to our wiki site You MUST use the Wikiwide password to be able to edit
your pages ("SPD141" [no quotes]) and
you MUST enter your e-mail address in the space provided so that your contribitions
to the wiki page may be tracked.
6. Notify me by email when the project is complete.
Evaluation:
Each group web site project is worth 10% of your grade in the course. I will award each of you up to 100 points based on the following criteria:
· 20 points for clarity of theme presentation
· 20 points for number and quality of links to relevant sites (at least 3) and images (at least 3)
· 20 points for number, variety and relevance of research citations (at least one each print, periodical, and web source per group member)
· 20 points for logic of argument and conclusions
· 20 points for how well the group collaborated.