Here you will find student assignments that require applications of rhetorical principles in a digital medium. See examples of their best work.
Blogs
Students write blogs for a number of pedagogical reasons: to become fluent in the conventions of a more immediate, interactive genre, to become adept at utilizing a variety of online media, to think reflectively about current trends and topics being discussed in the broader world outside of class and to more thoroughly engage with their own disciplines.
Blogging enables students to join the read/write digital culture of the 21st century and enhance social media skills. The interactive nature of blogging also allows us to create online communities through written conversation. See examples.
Portfolios
According to a Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey (2012) over 90% of recruiters perform an online search of a candidate before setting up an interview. Essentially, a portfolio is a “redesign” of the one-page resume, offering a far richer alternative where students can showcase their work and demonstrate their skills. Portfolios are also an opportunity for students to create (or possibly re-create) their own online identity as educated, thoughtful and professional individuals.
Students complete their portfolios at the end of the course. This way, they can utilize all the rhetorical strategies that we have learned, including strong attention to audience and purpose; clear, effective prose; sophisticated application of organizational patterns, website and document design, accessibility, readability, typography and more. See examples.
Videos, Recorded Speeches, Podcasts.
Videos help students experiment with rhetorical skills and professional genre conventions in a multi-media format. When working on these types of projects, my students and I work extensively with Media Commons at Penn State. Media Commons personnel provide workshops, tutoring, supervision and trouble-shooting. The Media Commons facilities, equipment and services are top-notch. See examples.
Designed Documents
Because audiences see documents and make judgements on them before reading them, fluency in visual rhetoric is becoming a necessary communication skill. Students not only write reports and documents, they also design them. Visuals such as charts, graphs, images, gifs, and infographics are necessary elements in many types of professional communication. My students use a variety of designing technologies to practice proficiency in visual rhetoric. See examples.
You must be logged in to post a comment.