IDT 575 Class Reset -- Please read and review as soon as possible
Steven Schneider
Folks,
I’ve given our class a lot of thought this week, and I’ve concluded we need a bit of a reset, as I don’t get the sense, after 4 weeks, that the class is really clicking for the students. Nothing about you: I think all have made significant efforts to find your way, engage and learn, but I am not happy with the learning environment I’ve created for you this semester. So, rather than live with it, I’d like to change it.
None of you are, in any way, required to go along with the shift / reset, and you can certainly continue to follow the path set out: complete additional versions of Exercise 4 as Ex5 & Ex6, develop a project, and complete the semester as previously suggested.
Or, feel free to work on this different path with me for a few weeks, and let’s see where it goes.
So, here’s my suggested alternative. It has two components.
Part 1: I will begin a three-week tutorial / discussion focused on the best book I’ve ever read exploring the intricacies of hypertext.
Part 2: I invite all of you to spend the next two weeks working through GrokTiddlyWiki, “the definitive TiddlyWiki learning resource … that helps you build a deep, lasting understanding of and proficiency with TiddlyWiki through a combination of detailed explanations, practical exercises, and spaced-repetition reviews of prompts called takeaways.”
Let’s look at both parts in more detail.
Part 1: Reading From Papyrus to Hypertext: Toward the Universal Digital Library, by Christian Vandendorpe. This 1987 book is structured as a series of 40 essays over 166 pages (not including footnotes). I’ll reread / annotate in the class Xememex 1-3 essays per day (about 8-12 pages), organizing my thoughts by essay, and inviting comments and thoughts in the Google Group (one thread per essay, ) as you parse it with me. If you could more-or-less keep up and review these materials at your own pace over the 3-week period, that would be great (I want to emphasize that I do not intend to create any pressure to establish a daily presence in the Google Group. I don’t want to add a burden of keeping up with an active group discussion, but I’m sure we will find some essays much more provocative than others, and some folks will want to discuss. But keep your focus on Vandendorpe, and then secondarily on the discussion).
(The book is available in pdf, online loan from the Internet Archive (download pdf by authorizing your computer after borrowing for 14 days; then return so others can use it) hardcopy in the SUNY Poly Library or purchase from various booksellers for $10-$15.
My hope is that, having now spent several weeks poking on TiddlyWiki, and discussing some of the essential characteristics of hypertext, Vandendorpe’s book will give you some depth about the theoretical aspects of hypertext, and a break from having to make it yourself.
Part 2: Using GrokTiddlywiki, and working through the tutorials and lessons over a 3-week period, will provide a very structured way to move through the intricacies of TiddlyWiki. The textbook, as constructed by the author, is very well done. I will open a thread in the Google Group on the major sets of exercises, invite students to comment (in the Google Group) on their progress and raise questions on specifics.
I've created a Xememex space for each of you into which you can upload GrokTiddlyWiki by following these steps, or if you prefer, follow the directions in Grok and install TiddlyDesktop instead. Here’s how to get Grok running on Xememex in four steps:
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Go to https://groktiddlywiki.com/read/#Downloading%20Grok%20TiddlyWiki
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Click the save icon at the end of the 2nd paragraph, as illustrated below, and save the file on your desktop (it will be called tiddlywiki.html
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Goto xememex.com and navigate to a new Xememex file created for you called groktiddlywiki-sunypoly-sitnet as illustrated below
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Open your new Xememex file, and drag the tiddlywiki.html file you saved in step 2 onto your Xememex file. Ignore the warning. Wait for 15-30 seconrd, or until the server status icon changes from red to grey (indicating the server has saved the new tiddlers) and refresh the page. You should have a GrokTiddlywiki space now on Xememex. Click home to get started.
In Conclusion: A reasonable question is, why didn’t we start the class this way? I had considered it, but at the end of the day, I opted to use Xememex as a structure, and to continue my tradition of immersive use of the platform as a way to jump-start understanding. I had not appreciated the difference that Xememex makes, and while it is overall a positive addition, I now understand that it failed to give you the opportunity to build skills and understanding that my previous students had enjoyed. So -- I’m punting!
Before we go off on this 3-week tangent, I wanted everyone to give it some thought and respond here (in the Google Group) if you’re ok with this plan.
If all goes as planned here, we will then have the week of March 6-10 for students to plan out and propose projects for the 2nd half of the semester, take a week of for spring break, and come back on March 13 ready to start their projects with a newfound understanding of TiddlyWiki and appreciate for the beauty of hypertext.
What do you think? Let me know here, and if at least a few or you are interested in this path, I’ll start rereading Vandendorpe & posting on Sunday.
Thanks!
//steve.
Steven Schneider
Screen
Shot 2023-02-11 at 1.27.24 PM.pngSent: Saturday, February 11, 2023 1:43 PM
To: desig...@googlegroups.com <desig...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {{Tiddlywiki @ Poly}} IDT 575 Class Reset -- Please read and review as soon as possible
This google group supports SUNY Poly IDT 575 Spring 2023 class, and is associated with the https://xememex.com/tiddlycampus/ project. Please email st...@sunypoly.edu for more information.
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