Weez Blog

Capstone experience

I have the opportunity to moderate the capstone projects for this year's New Media students.

Rather than have them break off and decide whatever they want to do, I'm thinking I want them to make a concerted effort upon one topic - building community.

Starting assumptions-

• technology has transforming capabilities (in this last year IM and blogging has changed the degree of my interactions).


• these students have been instructed in graphic design...


• and interface design...


• and various technologies...

Now to use their powers for good.

We have enough brain and talent to attack this large problem- or at least aspects of it. There is also opportunity: I can broker collaboration with ITS. They've been charged with improving RIT's web presence, as well as developing a "student portal".

Vagueness. Currently, the focus is upon implementation of widgets that will ease some tasks. Not the high level vision we could be aiming for.

Students don't need a door (portal)...they want a home with windows to the world that they can design. A place to invite their friends to chat, and perhaps share experiences...but I digress.

Building community will be the overarching theme - provided the other two co-teachers buy into this. We can approach student government, the college activities board, residence life...some? all?

Life on this campus is far from dead. The students find one another. The profesors do as well. We make our islands of humanity assuming that they are few and far between. I don't believe that is the reality.

Reading student blogs, talking with others outside of IT- hell, just going to the gym, I know there is a lot going on. Can we ease the means to interconnectedness if we make this a conscious effort?

Note, not a word of a specific technology. I will not lecture on how to set up an IRC, chat space, dynamic blah blah... Grades will be based upon percent increase in student government vote, in the increased percentage of participation in recycling programs, in the increased attendance at the hockey games over the winter, by...

Anyway, I woke up excited about what we could do. We can. Note to self: find out what the theme is this year in senior seminar. Possibly dovetail with that. Futher note to self- tie New Media capstone to senior seminar theme annually?

Change title of capstone experience to "Brokering Change", "Newly Mediating Society"...

Posted by weez at October 13, 2003 07:24 AM