Writing in the Digital Age: Crafting Multimedia
Radical changes in all forms of publication have given people an opportunity to “write” in many different ways, but what is required to create effective materials in this wide variety of media? In this writing seminar, we will critique examples of the various ways of writing and distributing materials in the digital age, from e-texts to blogs, podcasts and screencasts. Students will then have the opportunity to craft different types of multimedia texts themselves and refine them with the help of their peers and the instructor. In a way that will be engaging for both the tech-savvy and the technologically challenged, students will learn to use tools for creating multimedia and will begin to develop a digital portfolio that they can build upon in the future. The seminar will also encourage students to examine the advantages and disadvantages of different applications and distribution channels, such as WordPress, iMovie, CreateSpace, iBooks Author and others. Along the way, we will consider the issues of intellectual property, copyright, fair use and plagiarism and see how these issues are evolving in the digital age. About the Instructor: Elizabeth Scheyder holds advanced degrees in both Engineering and Educational Linguistics and works in the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn. As a specialist in Instructional Technology and someone who publishes regularly in multiple forms, she is an expert in a variety of multimedia tools.