Web Unit Criteria and Stretch Goals

Work to have done:

Work on your websites, and push a preview to GitHub: in-progress docs folder with html file(s), css file(s), and any other assets (e.g. images), plus a screenshot, text description, and updated credits/list of desired assets.

Plan for the Day:

Reflective writing (5 min)
Websites we’ve liked – within reach (5 min)
Gathering criteria (20-25 min)
NEW! Studio while I synthesize (30 min)
Confirming criteria (10 min)

1. Reflective writing (5 min)

In your own space – you won't have to share this unless you want to – do a little writing about your website in progress. What's exciting about it? What's challenging about it? What are you unsure of?

2. Websites we’ve liked – within reach (5 min)

Shift now in your writing to think about the websites you navigate every day. What seems to make them easy to get through, to find what you need? What causes frustration? How do you think its structure might be related to its audience? Jot down some notes.

3. Gathering criteria (20 min)

Primed now by that writing and thinking, I’m going to ask you to get in groups and brainstorm in pursuit of baseline and aspirational criteria for this unit.

3a. Crowdsource ideas (10 min)

To bring all our notes together while allowing for real-time collaboration, head into our google doc: bit.ly/cdm2020spring-criteria.

Take 10 minutes in groups to make some lists: given the goals of the unit, what should we set as our minimum criteria for full credit? What are some ways we might push beyond that minimum – not just in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality? That is, I really want you to see these aspirational goals as opportunities to stretch yourselves and your skills, not just to do more of the same. Think about what would be new and potentially exciting, but not required for everyone.

3b. Comment and Discuss in the Doc (10 min)

Quickly read through the other groups’ notes, adding collegial comments in the margins to upvote or propose modifications.

As you see consensus forming, propose an official version for our list of shared criteria. If debates emerge, maybe we can use mutually exclusive aspirational goals…

4. NEW! Studio While I Synthesize (30 min)

After Dr. Vee’s visit during our last criteria day, she and I discussed the ways that energy flagged at this point in the lesson. So instead of dragging everyone along through every possible criterion, I’m going to work solo to write up a list that reflects your consensus in the comments, while you all work solo (or in small groups) on your projects and tutorials.

Then we’ll reconvene at the end of the class to ratify or modify what I’ve come up with, in one fell swoop.

5. Confirming criteria (10 min)

Let’s head back to the doc…

Homework for next time:

Do more of the tutorial, including at least the section on Semantic HTML (12) if you haven’t yet: it’ll get you out of div soup!
- Optionally check out the section on Web Typography (14), e.g. if you’re trying to bring in a custom font; and if you’re having trouble getting something to position properly even after working through Flexbox (8) and the Grid tutorial in Medium, try the section on Advanced Positioning (9).
Work to bring in a full draft: a solid attempt at a complete website, ideally meeting baseline criteria. Rough edges are still welcome.
Continue taking periodic screenshots and posting meaningful commit messages in Git
By Thursday after break, push a full draft, with the same parts as the preview: docs folder with html file(s), css file(s), and any other assets (e.g. images), plus a screenshot, text description, and updated credits/list of desired assets.
- NB: As I mentioned in the readme file inside the docs folder, your home page should be called index.html to properly load in the browser.
- Also: I’m only suggesting all-caps for special files readers might want to find quickly; it kind of loses the effect if everything is in caps. Better to be all lowercase, if you have to choose.
Bring a camera (phone is fine), to take photos of feedback received