During the Fall 2012 semester, students in the class posted blog entries to The Center for Civic Media Blog.
In general, this reflection should focus on the week’s theme and tie together assigned texts, class discussion, posts on the course blog, additional materials, and your own interests. Additional instructions will be provided each week based on the topic.
First Blog Post
Introduce yourself, reflect on the 10 points workshop, and include your own definition of ‘Civic Media.’ Elaborate what you believe to be the (3–5) core principles of Civic Media - provide links to examples, with short explanations. In your entry, discuss your interest in the topic, write a bit about why you chose to take this course, and explain what it is you hope to gain by the end of the semester.
Near the end of the semester, we’ll revisit and rework our first posts on the nature of civic media, integrating ideas and examples from across the course syllabus. Blog post (required): Reread your first blog post for the course (your definition of Civic Media), and write a revised version with commentary. What changed, and what remained the same? What frameworks do you find most compelling? What are the key spaces for intervention in the future of Civic Media?
Second Blog Post
We’ll post our model of digital inclusion, to be developed in class. As a comment to that post (or as a standalone post if you prefer), attempt to use this model to analyze the hometown/neighborhood you grew up in, in terms of digital inclusion. Don’t attempt to be exhaustive - just use the model as a tool for reflection. What information and data sources would you draw from? What does the information ecology look like? What are the key inequalities, and are they interesting civic media projects or practices?
Your blog post can be a comment, or a standalone post. Be sure to select the category ‘Intro to Civic Media’ when you create posts!
Third Blog Post
Take feedback from the project proposal workshop, think about it, choose the project you’re most excited by, and write a blog post about it.
Fourth Blog Post
What is your theory of change? What role does civic media play in this? Create and post a diagram of your theory of social change. You can create your diagram however you like - pen and napkin, gliffy, your favorite tool, it’s up to you!
Fifth Blog Post
For this post, describe your model or progress on your final project.
Sixth Blog Post
Where are you with your project? Write about your progress.
Seventh Blog Post
If you wrote a case study draft for the Civic Maps toolkit, please complete that. This week you’ll complete a final draft.
Make a NewsJack, or series of NewsJacks. Write a short blog post (one page) analyzing your remix (es) in terms of the power relationships you chose to critique, reflect on, or reproduce.
Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Blog Posts
Project updates.
Blog Post Revision
Near the end of the semester, we’ll revisit and rework our first posts on the nature of civic media, integrating ideas and examples from across the course syllabus.
Blog post (required): Reread your first blog post for the course (your definition of Civic Media), and write a revised version with commentary. What changed, and what remained the same? What frameworks do you find most compelling? What are the key spaces for intervention in the future of Civic Media?
