BTMM 150: INTRODUCTION TO CYBERMEDIA
Dr. Robert Marshall
Office: TT 218
Office Hours: Wed, 4:00-5:00 and by appointment
Voice: 555-1212 Fax: 555-2121
E-mail: rmarshall@university.edu
"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts...A graphics representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system... Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data..." --Willaim Gibson, Neuromancer
Logistics and Formats
As an online learning class, this is a course about cybermedia using cybermedia. We will use the minimum amount of physical distribution of paper as possible. Instead we will rely on electronic distribution: e- mail, news groups, and Web sites.
Thus, all assignments will be made via the BTMM Web site or via the BTMM150 Listserv. Your assignments will be sent to me by e-mail or posted on your personal Web page.
You will naturally need convenient access to a PC and modem in your home, room or office. There are many facilities at the University, including the Computer Labs at the School of Communicationsas well as the Library and the Student Computer Center. You will be expected to spend considerable time every week online. You will be expected to check your e-mail box at least at a minimum daily during the week.
Prerequisites
I presume that you are already familiar with computer basics. In practical terms, this means that you use e-mail, a word processor and printer, and use at least one other application such as spreadsheets, graphics, video editing, design or communications. If this does not describe you, you may need to quickly take on extra work on your own to get up to speed.
Workload Expectations
This course does not have the baggage of a fixed class meetings. Still, there will be weekly readings, assignments, and even class participation. Indeed, because so much is changing so rapidly in the digital world, there is much to learn and stay current on. You should not expect to do less work than in any demanding three credit course.
How much time you actually spend, of course, is up to you. As a rule of thumb, one should expect to spend two hours weekly per credit, plus the equivalent of the time you would ordinarily be in class.
Thus, it is reasonable to expect to spend, on average, about nine hours per week on BTMM 150. You may get interested enough to spend more. It is unlikely that you can meet the course goals with much less.
Required Readings and Materials
Ernest Ackerman, Learning to Use the World Wide Web. Wilsonville, OR: Franklin, Beedle & Associates, Inc., 1996. This is a spanking new (and by definition, already outdated) primer on the Web. It is a useful resource for understanding the basic components of the Internet and some of the issues. The author's Web site (see hyperlink at book title), supplements the book. It provides hot links to the many sites covered in the book, saving you lots of keyboarding.
Nicholas Negroponte. Being Digital. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. Available in ppaerback. The founder and head of MIT's Media Lab collects his thoughts and visions. Opinionated and thought-provoking. Just because he says it, doesn't make it so -- but he might be right, too. The link goes to Negroponte's CyberDock site that supplements the book.
William Gibson. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984. The first book by the god-father of cyberspace. getting into he feel of the book may take some time, but it's worth it. Think about how you would write about a nonlinear, three dimensional space using only conventional linear words. The link is to a recent interview with the author.
A three month subscription to The Interactive Wall Street Journal. The first two weeks are a free trial. The cost thereafter is $4.95/month ($2.95 if you get the print edition). You will need to subscribe for three months beyond the trial.
A subscription to The New York Times Online. There is no cost at the moment, but you will need to register and get a password.
Other readings will be sent via e-mail,or provided at the course Web site, or through links from the syllabus.
PC-Related Materials
You will of course need an e-mail account and access to the World Wide Web. If you are on a dial-up basis, you should have a minimum of a 28.8 baud modem.
Browser: Netscape 2.0 or 3.0 or Microsoft Explorer 3.0 (both available via Web download)
Plug-ins and applications: RealAudio 3.0, Shockwave, VDOLive, Pointcast, Headliner. You may be assigned other applications later.
PC: sound card and speaker
Listserv
The primary method for contacting everyone is via the BTMM150 Listserv, called OLL-150. This will be used for assignments, notices, as well as a discussion forum. You are responsible for any readings or assignments made via the Listserv. It will also be used for "discussions" within the class. You have already been signed on to this.
We will be discussing Listservs later in the semester. For those of you new to this tool, think of it as a distribution list. Any message sent to OLL-150@vm.university.edu will be received by everyone in this class. Do not use the Listserv when you want to contact me or another course-mate privately.
I will expect you to use the Listserv extensively (see below). Your "presence" in this course will be largely through your contributions to the class via the Listserv. There will be times when you will have specific assignments due via the Listserv. Even without a specific assignment, I will expect each of you to have at least one major post to the Listserv each week. This may be a comment or reaction to an assignment, a contribution of some item you come across that has not been assignment (a site you found that is germane to something we have been talking about, for example), or some issue that is appropriate.
"Attendance"
Obviously there is no attendance in the traditional sense. Your presence can therefore be measured only to the extent you participate in course events on the Listserv or via private e-mail. Certainly the quality of what you post to the Listserv is most important, but there is a quantity factor as well. That is, out-of-sight, out-of mind. Contribute often and contribute thoughtfully.
Grades The final grade will be based on:
40% short papers and projects
30% exams
30% course participation Listserv
updated 1/17/97