NMIX 2020, INTRODUCTION TO NEW MEDIA, FALL 2010
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
2:30pm - 3:20pm
101 Student Learning Center

INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Scott A. Shamp
Office 414
4th Floor Journalism Building
e: sshamp@uga.edu
v: 706.680.NMIX(6649)

TEACHING ASSISTANTS:
Kiley Dorton
Cindy Reynolds
e: NMIX2020TA@gmail.com

OBJECTIVES
To become technowledgeable.
To make Athens a better place.

TEXTS
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard Chip & Dan Heath -- available in bookstore.

You will be expected to read the New York Times each week for technology articles. Each week there will be a quiz on these articles.

You will also be required to listen to the NPR Technology Podcast -- (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=4819382) each week. New Technology Podcasts are posted each Wednesday at 11:15p). You will encounter questions from these podcasts on your tests.

SCHEDULE
The WebCT space for this class (NMIX2020Shamp) contains a calendar for this class. This is a tentative listing and will change greatly throughout the semester. But it provides a good overview.

PROJECTS:
Each student will participate in a TEAM project that will be presented in class. Yes, you are going to be working on huge teams. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, I think you can handle it.

GRADING

	Exams
	There will be two exams during the semester. These exams will be objective and machine scored. For the exams, material will be taken from lectures,readings, and student presentations. Anything we cover in class (including the comments of fellow class members) will be fair game for exam items. Exams are not comprehensive. The final exam will be administered during the exam period published in the exam schedule - final exams will not be given at any other time.
	Final Project
	Each member of the class will participate in a final group project. Each group will develop a technology proposal. Each group will then present their proposal to a group of investors (the rest of the class). Presentations can take any form and will take place during class. Each group project will also include a web page.
	Quizzes
	Each student is expected to read selected articles each week in the New York Times, Atlanta Journal/Constitution, and other publications each week (you can find these articles online by following the "Tech News" link on the NMI Home page http://www.mynmi.net). Every Friday morning quizzes will be posted online. This quiz will be self administered on WebCT(check out the Academic Honesty Policy below) and timed. Students must complete the quiz by 5P on Monday.
	Exam Futures
	Each student in the class will have an opportunity to invest in the future of exam scores of other students. Before the first two exams, each student will have the opportunity to pick (or bet on) a student they think will do well on the exam. You will receive a bonus based on where your selected student finishes in the class rankings. * Top 5 = 3 corrected answers on your exam * Top 10 = 1 corrected answer on your exam In addition, the 5 students selected the most often on both exams will receive 3 correted answers on their exams.
	Misc. Assignments
	Throughout the semester, students will be called up to perform small assignments (such as turning in a question to ask a guest speaker, participating in an experiment, bringing something to class). These projects will require you to be present in class to receive these points and they cannot be made up.

DISTRIBUTION OF POINTS
	Exam #1	15
	Exam #2	15
	Quizzes	20
	Group Project Final Grade	25
	Individual Grade on Project	15
	Miscellaneous Assignments	10
	Total	100

Agents of Sharing
You are expected to attend class every day. Each day I will randomly select 2 or 3 agents of sharing from the class. These individuals will come to the front of the class and share -- a media technology experience, something interesting you have read, a provocative opinion. Sharing will be rewarded in the following ways. For coming to the front of the class and doing an adequate share the agent will receive one CHIT. At the end of the semester, CHITs may be redeemed to correct an answer on any exam. Although we will try, there is no guarantee that all students will be called on to be an agent of sharing.

Business/Personal Cards
Each student in this class must have at least 100 standard size (3.5" X 2") business cards. This card should must contain your name, email address, major, and one other piece of interesting info about you. Whatever else you want it to include is up to you. They will be your way of receiving CHITS throughout the semester. You can purchase these cards at Kinko's locally or online (FedEx Online).

Seating Chart.
You must be in your assigned seat at the exact time that class begins. We will be using a seating chart to make to facilitate taking attendance. Don't like seating charts? Think of it as a way to get out of your comfort zone so that you can meet someone new.

Class & NMI Listserv
You must subscribe to the NMIX2020 Listserv and the NMI Listserv. You will be subscribed automatically. You must read the emails sent to these listservs -- I will use the listserv to make announcements that you will need to know about. You must also join the NMI's Facebook page -- we will be posting assignments through it as well.

NMI Scouts
These individuals will voluntarily help with a variety of tasks in this class (taking attendance, researching for lectures, leading projects, etc.). Did I say voluntarily? Why do it if you don't get class credit? The NMI offers the New Media Interdisciplinary Certificate. It has proven very valuable in helping graduates get jobs. Each semester we have about three times as many applicants for the program as we can serve. Wow! Think of it. It might actually improve your chances of getting into the program if you are a NMI Scout, right? I can't make any guarantees -- but how could it hurt? There will be a meeting during the first week of the semester to talk about the NMI Scout Program -- I will announce it in class.

Make Up Exams
Only medical emergencies or a death in the family will qualify for a make-up exam. Students must provide written documentation of the reason they could not take the test at the given time.

STANDARDS OF PRACTICE
Classes in the New Media Institute will teach you about new media. But they will also teach you how to be successful professionals in whatever field you choose. Below you will find some standards of practice for students in New Media Institute (NMIX) classes. Adhering to these rules will not only make you a more successful student, practicing them in your career will make you a better professional. If you feel that you cannot conform to these practices, please consult with your teacher - maybe a New Media Institute course isn't right for you.

Class Conduct. You bear a major part of the responsibility for making a large class like this a pleasant experience. If you feel the compulsion to read, talk, sleep, or engage in any other type of disruptive behavior, DON'T COME TO CLASS. If I have to ask you to change your in-class behavior, you may be asked to drop the class. If you find you cannot be in your seat at the beginning of class, please drop the class. If you repeatedly come to class late, you may be asked to drop the class.

Attendance. Good workers come to work. Your class attendance not only helps you learn more, it makes the class better. But sometimes things happen. You have leave time for your classes. You may be absent from 10% of your classes with no automatic deduction from your grade (although you will still be required to complete all work you missed in a timely fashion - deadlines don't care about attendance). However, missing more than four classes will result in an automatic reduction of your final grade by a single letter grade. Missing more than six classes will result in an automatic reduction of your final grade by two letter grades. If you miss more than eight classes, you will receive no credit for the course.
We have several creative ways of keeping attendance this semester. But truthfully, none of them are infallible. However, if you should try to game the system (and I think you know what that means) you could pay a significant price. Faking or forging or manipulating attendance is a violation of academic honesty.

Coming Late. Good workers arrive on time. You must come to class on time to receive the full benefit from your class. Continued tardiness could result in your being counted absent for the day.

Cell Phones Off. It is unprofessional to allow outside interruptions to disrupt meetings. The same goes for class. Turn your cell phone off before you enter class (or at least turn it to vibrate).

Challenging Evaluations. In your jobs and your classes, you will be evaluated. How you handle and use these evaluations will greatly determine your eventual success. There is a professional approach for addressing evaluations (or grades) with which you do not agree. First, take some time to consider the evaluation. After you receive the evaluation, think about it for at least 24 hours before doing anything - this cooling off period will help you present your case in a positive manner. Second, formulate a rational argument for why you deserve a better evaluation. Develop at least three points that you think prove you deserve a better evaluation. And third, first present your argument in writing (email is cool) then request a meeting to discuss your evaluation. Hey, your teacher (or supervisor) might buy your argument and you won't need to have a meeting at all! Handling disputes constructively is the mark of a true professional.

These are the standards of practice for students in the New Media Institute. Learn them, love them, live them.

Academic Honesty
“All academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture of Honesty.” Each student is responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing
any academic work.”

In this class, we will adhere to the University of Georgia's Academic Honesty Policy. You can read the entire policy online but the short story is don't cheat. You will be expected to do your own work and to report individuals who do not do their own work. You will have several assignments where you will not be monitored but that does not excuse appropriating other individual's work. The punishments for violations of the Academic Honesty Policy are severe. Frankly, the pay off ain't worth the risk - don't do it.

NOTE:
The syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.