This is What We
Did in Our Class
Litception: Reflection on a Web Essay
Collaboration
Sydney Stegall
Sydney Stegall explores a group essay
and presentation.
Transcript
[00:00]
[This video contains no audio narration] [Music plays.]
[On screen text:]
The Job: Create a group web essay. Incorporate media. Present it to the
class.
LITCEPTION
Step 1: Assemble your team.
List team members: Katie, Sarah, Sydney, Michela
[00:30]
A picture of the group working together. Underneath: "Michela,
Sydney, Sarah, and I each did bring our own unique writing styles,
ideas, and opinions. However, rather than clashing, I feel that this
essay is a powerful collection of our different talents."--Katie.
Screenshot of Google doc. Text onscreen: Online communication opened
the door to collaboration. Thank you, Google docs . . . all 8 of you.
Zoom in on comments placed on each draft.
Text: Writing became a process of feedback, comments, suggestions, and
revision.
[01:00]
Step 2: Pick a topic.
Screenshot of Google doc text, notes, and edits. Text on screen:
"Brainstorming yielded lots of ideas, one of which became the focus of
our first draft."
Zoom in to underline, "Exploring the unconscious in films."
Zoom in to highlight, "Inception
(or another) is THE text - use this as a discussion for film and
literature."
[01:25]
Step 3: Research and write.
Back to video screen captures of Google docs.
A text bubble: Initial Research Distribution: Sydney &
Katie--Psychological elements of the film. Sarah--Possible literary and
cinematic influences. Michela--The making of the film & director
background.
Class website, cursor clicks on web essay draft. Text: FIRST DRAFT.
Scroll through pages.
Text bubble: Each one of our four original sections represented an
interesting aspect of Inception,
but
the
essay lacked cohesiveness and a strong central idea.
[01:56]
Step 4: Feedback.
Highlight Dr. Anderson's thoughts and our responses.
Text bubble: Heading towards a stronger thesis.
[02:20]
Step 5: Presentation.
The video introduction to the presentation, including clips from Inception, plays.
Text bubble: Part 1: Intro. Our presentation opened with a short
performance in which we viewed a "dream" on screen. It introduced our
audience to Inception and the
exploration of illusion vs. reality.
Screen opens on a Prezi presentation and zooms through slides.
[03:06]
Text: Part 2: Prezi.
Text bubble: "Prezi is not only simpler than PowerPoint, it looks
cooler and provides a new medium for a presentation."--Sarah.
[03:40]
Step 6: Redirection.
Screen shows a scan of our new outline.
Text bubble: Building on performance feedback, we decided to go in a
different direction entirely. Our new thesis idea: How do films,
specifically Inception, act
as lucid dream-like experiences?
The most difficult part of the experience was letting go of our
writing, for the sake of the larger thesis.
Screenshot video of the new essay.
Text bubbles: After adding a new introduction and deleting what
detracted from our central idea, this is our current project.
[04:23]
Last lesson from the group web essay: Together student authors create
and collaborate organically to produce sophisticated scholarship.
On screen: Assemble your team. Pick a topic. Research and write.
Feedback. Presentation. Redirection.
Collaborate. Compose. Create.