Digital Remix Project

http://academic-simulations.weebly.com/

Peer Evaluation 1: John McDowell Inquiry Essay

Does the rhetorical situation address the key audience concerns (demographics, stance, publication)? Is this a realistic academic audience?

People that need rapid inter-organizational communication- second to second basis (more im-esque) high-ranking officers with different technical terminology & language differences.  Addressing a current problem

What about the introduction makes you want to keep reading? Does it introduce the topic/issue and establish exigence? Describe the exigence. Is the exigence personal (relating to the writer as an individual) or is it about wider public and social concerns that the audience might research?

Begin with a narration that demonstrates the problem and establishes the importance that lack of immediate communication poses. 

What inquiry question does the essay pose for the audience to consider? Does the draft pose no questions or too many directions for readers? Are the inquiries open-ended?

How communication between public serving organizations affected by today’s trends of more information, sent faster, and in brief segments?

How does this topic relate to Writing in a Wireless World? Does this essay relate to the course theme?

Modes of communication

Draft Workshop: Kayleigh

1. Overall Effect of the Visual Essay
1. Essay has moderate level of overall impact and presentation is moderately effective.  The header image gives an indication to the content of the website, Paperless Future.  The dark background may be perceived that the future is looking bleak.  Based on the content of the website, that may or may not be want to revised.
2. Composer Feelings/ Development
1. Essay provides modest information about the composer's  developments/ feelings.  It is difficult to determine what the conclusive feelings are towards the paperless future.  It might be helpful if there is an indication given if a paperless future is a positive or negative thing.  
3. Visual Coherence
1. Essay needs more visual coherence.  At the moment, the background colors are relatively dark, with the exception of the spectrum of colors at the beginning of the webpage.  The text is in different fonts and white color.  It is difficult to determine if there is significance to these factors.  
4. Visual Salience
1. Essay doesn't identify 2-4 major points.  It is a little difficult to determine the various points/ thoughts that were originally tackled in the inquiry essay and are now in website form.
5. Organization of the Essay
1. Essay's organization is helpful and clear.  There is a link to washingtonpost.com and an online survey to be filled out.  Below this is a Youtube link, followed by a picture of a stack of newspapers.  It may help the website if this was a little bit more elaborate. 
6. Documentation of the Images
1. Images not correctly documented.  Perhaps a Work Cited page?

Transduction Justification

For my inquiry essay, I inquired about what about websites makes its visitors keep coming back.  Given my focal point of my inquiries was regarding websites, I thought it would be a wise decision to create a website for the digital remix project.  I felt that a website would be the easiest form to convey my inquiries since I would be able to break up my different thoughts within my essay into different web pages on the website.  In order to make an effective website, and not appear that I simply rewrote my essay, I plan on adding graphics that are representative of my inquiry essay to make it appear like a cohesive website. 

            However, as I began the transduction of my essay, I realized that there was limited potential to expand my inquiries in my original essay.  Therefore, I switched my topic to the effectiveness of computer simulations in academics.  While the subject of this inquiry is not as directly related as the previous inquiry, using a website would emphasize the role that computers play in our lives.  Increasingly, our lives are becoming dependent on computers.  The prevalence of simulations as teaching tools is growing in academics.  We are using these simulations to understand the compounding effects that certain actions have in the real world, and not the theoretical world.  Since I will draw on examples from various classes and different areas of academics, it would be beneficial to make a website.  It is a methodological way to group and box information so that information and inquiries can be conveyed to the audience successfully.

Digital Remix Rubric

Design
Effectiveness
Use of Graphics
Incorporation of Pathos (color, typology)

Content
Relevancy to Inquiry Essay
Expands Inquiry Essay
Use of different Modes
Grammar

Overall
Flow
Presentation
Clear Organization
Completion

Rhetorical Situation

1.) Writer:
I am a senior at the University of Maryland.  I would be considered a digital native, and therefore have grown up with digital technology.  Growing up in this age, I have becoming reliant on the Internet, and have first hand experience with many websites.   

2.) Audience: 
My audience are working professionals in their 40s-50s.  Since they are working professionals, they will have an a proper educational background, and will be relatively familiar with digital technology.  This group of people will be diverse, and will have head different experiences, but are at the same point in their lives currently.  


3.) Subject:
I am writing about the format of websites and what makes a successful website.  

4.) Context:
This is a relevant topic because many peoples are slowly becoming reliant on the Internet.  But how do they people choose which website to go to?

5.) Genre: 
Inquiry Essay







6.) Purpose: 
I am writing this argument because I wanted to know what can a website do to make its visitors keep coming back.

Inquiry Essay

Maitreyi Agashe

September 20, 2010

ENGL278Z

Geary

Websites by Immigrants?

            Gmail, Facebook, Washington Post, and the Weather Channel.  Without fail, these are the websites that I visit every morning.  Gmail, Facebook, TV Guide, Youtube, ELMS.  These are the websites that I am regularly on every afternoon.  It is a reasonably safe assumption that I am dependent on these websites, whether it is to keep in touch with friends, watch music videos, or get assignments for class.  But why is it that we choose to visit certain websites over others?  There are many alternatives to my regular websites that offer the same service.  For example, there are other social networking sites and news sites that I could visit to stay in touch with friends (LinkedIn) or to get up to date news (CNN.)  But why is that that I have my chosen sites?  What are the appealing aesthetics of a website that keeps readers coming back?

            What are the elements of a good website? According to Vitaly Friedman of Smashing Magazine, the key to a good website is the usability and utility that it offers to its clients.  Friedman explains that since it is only users view and operate a website, their understanding and ability to operate functions are the only things that matter when designing a website.  Friedman goes on to outline 10 principles that are important to a good website.  Half of the principles are user-centric and emphasize the importance of catering to your audience.  The other half focuses on the simplicity website.  However after reading the article, I was not impressed.  Most of the principles seemed like common sense to me.  However is that because I am a digital native?  Are articles such as “10 Principles of Effective Web Design” the bridge between digital natives and digital immigrants?

            What is a digital native?  According to Marc Prensky, a digital native is someone that is “fluent in the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet.”  He also refers to a digital immigrant “one that is not born in the digital age.”  Even though one can never truly shed an “accent”, one can become very fluent in the digital language.  The website, www.webpagesthatsuck.com, outlines some of the worst mistakes that a web designer can make.  The biggest problems that occur are that the designer designs an over the top website and does not understand the audience of the website.  Are these mistakes more inherent to digital immigrants rather than digital natives?  Websites and the Internet are second nature to digital natives.  Therefore, they don’t feel the need to over embellish a website.  For them, it is solely a tool to convey their thoughts and information, hence does not require fluff.  However, digital immigrants do not view websites with the same purpose because they have not grown up with the same digital technology.  By designing such designer-centric websites, are digital immigrants trying to prove that they have mastered the digital language? 

            Having a well designed website is not about just aesthetics, but rather promoting efficiency.  In today’s digital world, everything is about efficiency since there is limited time for everything.  Everyone is pressed for time and nobody wants to spend 30 minutes looking for something when it can be done in 5 minutes.  A website can be aesthetically unappealing but if it accomplishes its purpose of conveying its message efficiently, then it is satisfying its consumers’ needs.  When needs are satisfied, then the demand for the website will increase, thereby insinuating success of the website. 

            So what are the appealing aesthetics of a website that keeps readers coming back?  I have come to the conclusion that in addition to being simplistic and being user-friendly, it is important that they are designed by a digital native.  When a native designs a website, he or she is able to design with a purpose and do not have an accent when designing. 

Works Cited

"Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 - from Web Pages That Suck - Learn Good Web Design by Looking at Bad Web Design." Web Pages That Suck - Learn Good Web Design by Looking at Bad Web Design - Home Page. Web. 19 Sept. 2010.

<http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/biggest-mistakes-in-web-design-1995-2015.html>.

Friedman, Vitaly. "10 Principles Of Effective Web Design." Smashing Magazine. 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Sept. 2010. <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/>.

Prensky, Marc. "Listen to the Natives." Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: 9-13. Print.