In this Discussion Assignment, you will start thinking about how you can best convey your message through digital media such as video or slide presentations, which rely on both text and visuals to highlight a main message. If you are not readily familiar with digital media tools, KUWC has resources that you can review, such as "PowerPoint Basics" or "Advanced PowerPoint." If you want to try different tools beyond the basic slide presentation, the Internet has several free tools to consider, such as Animoto, Prezi, PowToon, WeVideo, or Fotobabble; you can search the Internet for more information about these tools.

When considering both the tools and visuals to include, keep in mind the following requirements of the Unit 8 Discussion Assignment, where you will share your digital media project

Contains research from at least two reliable sources to support the main message of the digital media project

• Contains at least one visual (e.g., photo, table, diagram, chart, etc.)

• Cites research and visuals in APA citation format, both in-text and on a References slide or separate Word document

• Has a clear message related to your argument for change in your community or workplace

• Designed to reflect the needs and interests of a specific audience to help motivate them to take action

Prior to completing the Discussion Assignment, be sure to review the resources noted below. The resources from Kaplan University Writing Center (KUWC) will focus on visual rhetoric, which is the use of visuals to convey a message, and how to create multimedia or slide presentation projects. You can also review a resource on how to create a Public Service Announcement, which is a form of communication that often relies on visuals and text to convey information to a specific audience.

DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT 1-

As noted in the Reading, a great deal of thought should be put into the selection and use of visuals and text in digital media projects. Therefore, you will write a detailed plan for the digital mediaproject that you will create for your Discussion post. The digital media project is not to be submitted; rather, you will complete the planning stage of creating the project.

Respond to all of the prompts below in the context of your potential digital media project on your argument for change in your community or workplace:

• What are the characteristics of your specific audience for the digital media project? How will these characteristics impact the visual and text content you use?

• What primary message from your argument for change do you want to convey in your digital media project?

• What text will you include in your digital media project? You may want to even write the script or text that will appear in the project so that you can receive feedback from your peers and instructor.

• What visuals might you include in your digital media project?

• Which content that you plan to use in the digital media project might also be appropriate for your Final Project? Which content would not be appropriate for use in the Final Project?

• What digital media tool (e.g., PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) will you use to create your project?

LEARNING SPACE ASSIGNMENT 2-

The Learning Space is an area for you to write freely in response to the provided prompts without concern about your grammar or content organization, though the content should be appropriate for an adult learning environment since your peers will be able to see your post.

Write at least 200 words in response to the prompts above, as on-topic writing and word-count are evaluation criteria for this assignment.

Although you are not required to respond to your peers, feel free to contribute any related insights, questions, or resources that may further help your peers.

Digital Media Experiences

As technology continues to work its way into your daily life, especially by way of the Internet, you are likely to have encountered forms of digital media. Some examples may include a link to an interesting video that a family member shared through Facebook, going to a work related meeting where the presenter used slides to convey text and images, or helping your child with reading exercises through an educational website. Digital media's combination of text and visuals is a method of communication that students and professionals need to critically assess in order to determine how successful the communication conveys a message.

Think about your encounters with digital media and respond to the prompts below in the context of your experiences:

• What forms of digital media are you familiar with?

• How does the combination of text, visuals, and possibly audio impact how you respond to digital media content?

• What characteristics of digital media do you find most and least appealing?

• What are the weaknesses of using digital media to reach a specific audience?

DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT 3-

Be sure to answer all of the questions in the thread in an in-depth, well-thought-out manner (150-200 words). Make at least one reference to the course material. Engage in on-going, productive conversation with a minimum of two of your classmates throughout the unit.

Remember that we will learn more by sharing ideas. Your grade will be based on how well your posts further the discussions by stimulating thought and understanding in others.

Imagine it is July 20, 1969 and you are watching the moon landing live on national television with a close friend of yours. Your friend asks you two sincere questions:

Topic 1: Why did we go through all of the trouble of landing on the moon in the first place?

Topic 2: Why didn't we use the money we spent going to the moon on improving the conditions of poor people here in the United States?

Do some independent internet research on NASA and the US space program. Reference your findings from that research in your responses to the discussion board questions.