The document outlines the structure and assignments for the KCB201 Virtual Cultures unit, focusing on new media environments and skills. Students will engage in social bookmarking using del.icio.us, scholarly blogging on Blogger, and contribute to a new media wiki throughout the semester. Assignment details, including submission requirements and grading weight, are provided for each task, emphasizing critical evaluation and sharing of online information.

1. KCB201 Virtual Cultures Dr Axel Bruns [email_address] Please press the green arrow below to start the podcast…

2. Unit Structure Key components: Blackboard site with all unit information Weekly podcasts – available on Blackboard Weekly readings – available on Blackboard do these before lectures and tutorials, please 1 hour lecture/workshop – Thursdays 9 a.m. 2 hour tutorial/lab class – Thursdays/Fridays

3. About KCB201 Virtual Cultures Key focus: new media environments and their effects advanced new media skills and literacies finding, evaluating, sharing online information searching & tagging analysing & critiquing communicating & networking social bookmarking, blogging, wikis preparation for KCB202 New Media Technologies in second semester

4. Assignments Assignment 1 (due week 6): finding, evaluating, sharing information using del.icio.us – social bookmarking introduction in week 2 tutorials from then, ongoing del.icio.us work until week 6 in week 6, submit portfolio of best five resources + annotations (200 words each) best three network contacts + explanation (100 words each) using template document on Blackboard site

5. What is del.icio.us? Social bookmarking: open sharing of bookmarks + descriptions enables others to see what you’ve found, and vice versa tagging with relevant terms helps with finding information you can also browse and subscribe to other users’ bookmark feeds, to see what they’re finding notable users include Internet researchers Clay Shirky and Howard Rheingold, and many more our unit bookmark feed is at http://del.icio.us/KCB201

6. Using del.icio.us What you’ll do: from week 2, find and bookmark resources – at least five per week: must be relevant to the weekly / unit content must have a description (255 letters max.) and relevant tags (around 5) also look for other users: with interesting and useful bookmark feeds and add them to your network at the end of week 6: submit a portfolio (using a template from the Blackboard site) include five best bookmarks with description and tags add your reasons for choosing them (200 words each) include three best network contacts add your reasons for choosing them (100 words each) ~ 1500 words in total – worth 20% of your final mark

7. Assignments Assignment 2 (due week 10): discussing, evaluating, sharing knowledge using Blogger – scholarly blogging introduction in week 5 tutorials from then, ongoing blogging work until week 10 in week 10, submit portfolio of best three blog articles (500 words each) your reasons for choosing these three articles (300 words each) best three comments on other people’s blogs (200 words each) using template document on Blackboard site

8. Using Blogs What you’ll do: from week 4, write blog articles (posts) – at least one per week: must be relevant to the weekly / unit content, and/or to the material you’ve bookmarked on del.icio.us posts should be around 500 words each can be personal and subjective, but must address unit themes also read other users’ blogs, and leave comments: can be blogs of other students, staff, or outside bloggers comments must be relevant to unit themes, and appropriate in style at the end of week 10: submit a portfolio (using a template from the Blackboard site) include three best blog posts (500 words each) add your reasons for choosing them (300 words each) include three comments (200 words each) ~ 3000 words in total – worth 50% of your final mark

9. Assignments Assignment 3 (due week 14): evaluating, sharing, contributing ideas using the new media wiki – knowledge management introduction in week 9 tutorials from then, explore the new media wiki space focus on topic areas which you’re particularly interested in evaluate the quality of the existing wiki’s coverage of those areas research the area and identify possible additional topics in week 14, submit a proposal for a new or updated wiki entry identify strengths and weaknesses of the existing wiki in the area of your chosen topic suggest a new entry to be added to the new media wiki provide your reasons for why this entry should be added to / updated in the wiki ~ 2000 words in total – worth 30% of your final mark