ASCG-101-02 Introduction to Interactive Media

Course Description:

This course is designed to build a foundational toolset for interactivity as it applies to screen-based media. We will default to conventional input devices and focus on the content and interconnectivity of interactive projects. You will learn the processes of developing interactive websites with sitemaps, flowcharts and prototypes; implementation will cover various web programming languages and basic programming logic. At the end of this course you will be able to:

understand strategies of existing websites and art projects
map out and plan interactive projects
utilize a variety of existing web resources as a medium for expression

Required Reading:

Digital Art by Christiane Paul Publisher: Thames & Hudson (July 28, 2003) ISBN: 0500203679

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug Publisher: New Riders Press; 2 edition (October 13, 2000) ISBN: 0789723107

Required Supplies:

A USB drive with a capacity of at least 256MB.

Recommended models:

Lexar 256MB Jumpdrive Sport USB 2.0 Flash Drive, $13.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1649076&Sku=L61-3443

or, for larger projects, Lexar 1GB Jumpdrive Secure USB 2.0 Flash Drive, $49.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1056236&Sku=L61-3518

Class Conduct, Rules and Grading: Students are expected to participate in class discussions, and to provide feedback on fellow students work.

Attendance:

Timely attendance is mandatory. Three or more absences constitute failure, and each lateness results in a reduction of points in your overall grade. Assignments: Assignments must be handed in on time. Late assignments result in an automatic deduction of points from your grade. Missing or incomplete assignments are unacceptable and may lead to failure.

Plagiarism is not tolerated in this class, which is defined as overtly copying code from another source in its entirety and representing it as one's own work. Copying small code samples is acceptable, but only if it is thoroughly commented, as all your work needs to be.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Interactivity

An overview of technologies used on the internet will be covered, as well as a discussion of online social communities. We will examine the idea of interactivity as it exists in natural phenomena, and of what kinds of interactive spaces are possible online. Students will have a better understanding of what the growth of the internet means and how it can be a starting point for new emergent paradigms of interactivity and modes for artistic expression.

HW: Make a MySpace (www.myspace.com) account and invite your classmates on it. Personalize it as much as you can (code copying is acceptable for this assignment). The class's profile.

Lesson 2: Usability and Website Analysis

Analysis of web experiences and what works (or doesn't). Coverage of website conventions and how they are used. We will break down essentials of information architecture and how it is used as a blueprint for larger web projects, and what other steps are involved in the process of website development. You will understand the basic structure inhererent to all sites and what makes them usable; a basic vocabulary for conventions will be established.

HW: Read Chapters from 3 to 6 from Don't Make Me Think. Find two websites online that relate to one of your interests. Analyze it in terms of usability, and print out the front page and mark out the modular sections of the website.

Lesson 3: HTML and CSS

We will cover the Document Object Model, current web standards, HTML, and CSS. We will also go through the UNIX directory structure and basic commands used for navigation within it. By the end of the class, students are expected to be able to mark up webpages, and through in-class group collaboration will learn the value of legible and well-documented code.

HW: Make a simple four page website by drawing upon a theme and expressing that through code. Create blueprints and design sketches of the site before building it out. If you decide to parody another site, emphasis will be placed on your technical accuracy.

Lesson 4: Branding and the development of a product

Products on the web have a number of variables involved in their triumph or failure. We will look at thematic projects and examine the technologies behind them. Blogging will be covered as a means of free advertising and a voice for one's expression. This will give insight into the power and presence of online utilities and how to reach an audience.

HW: Make a post to a blog, or create your own, about a web project that you have seen online. Analyze it in terms of usability and impact and include a link in your post back to that project. Create a design for your website.

Lesson 5: Javascript

An introduction to basic programming techniques and logic. Variables, functions and arrays will be covered by utilizing the javascript language. By referring to the DOM we will understand the hierarchy of webpage elements and how to address them. Students will have a understanding of programming logic that is applicable to other languages.

HW: Create javascript functions to implement within your site which are either functional or mini-art projects. Comment extensively.

Lesson 6: Dynamic Webpages with PHP

We will look at how PHP can be used within html pages as well as on its own, and will carry over some of the programming concepts that we covered in the last class. A breakdown of loop structures and how variables are passed to other webpages will be essential for understanding scalability on the web.

HW: Create php pages to make your site dynamic. Create a flowchart for an online portfolio of your work.

Lesson 7: Introduction to Flash I

A brief introduction to the interface within Flash, and how to begin coding in Actionscript; we will dissect the object model and how the timeline movieclips work. Event based detection is also discussed. At the end of this lesson students will be able to understand how to create simple applications of flash that can be used within websites.

HW: Create a flash module that reveals your expressiveness using a simple visual vocabulary. Experiment with possibilities for animation. Continue to refine your flowchart and begin branding your online portfolio.

Lesson 8: Introduction to Flash II

We will delve deeper into using functions within Actionscript that make coding easier; analysis of existing Flash sites and a discussion of the programming styles used will provide insight into creativity and expressiveness within Flash.

HW: Continue to develop your flash modules from last week by tweaking and refactoring the code.

Lesson 9: XML

XML is a structure similar to HTML, and we will learn how websites are made dynamic by parsing through an file on our own site. This class will explore the possibilities for parsing through existing rss feeds and using that data in creative ways.

HW: Take an existing RSS feed and use it to create dynamic content on your site. Think about how you will use it on your portfolio, and how you can take into other resources to provide your own portfolio content. Read Chapter 1 from Digital Art.
flash review

Lesson 10: Game Design

Games are learned cultural sequences with roles, rules, goals, rituals, language and values. We will discuss what a game is and isn't; what motivation there is to play a game.

HW: Put together a idea for a game that you would like to develop. Make sure that you have rules and a defined goal for the purpose of the game.

Lesson 11: Game Design II

We will analyze types of computer games, discuss game structure and development, and the importance of playtesting. Design techniques and an understanding of relationships between opponents will be essential for creating interesting gameplay.

HW: Develop a small Flash game that carries through your game proposal from last week.

Lesson 12 ~~Overview of Database Design~~

~~Fundamentals of database design will be covered; we will discuss when databases should be used, and how to use PHP to add and retrieve data.~~ more javascript

Lesson 13 Search and Email

We will discuss the two most popular uses of the Internet, and of how the need to communicate and the desire to find information can be used thematically. These themes are intrinsically tied to the medium of the internet and we will analyze how they differ from other media, and of ways to leverage the power that we now have.

Lesson 14 Careers in Interactivity and Beyond the Web

This lecture will discuss the career options available for programmers, designers, information architects and other possibilities for interactivity outside of the internet. We will also cover how physical computing allows artists to create interactive artworks that make use of physical space.

HW: Prepare for next week's critique.

Lesson 15 Class Critique

Students will each be given 10 minutes to present their final portfolio and each of the pieces. Students must cover the blueprints that they developed for the site, the methodology for the coding, and the themes and inspiration for the pieces and how they were executed. Feedback will follow for each presentation.