Sunday, April 05, 2009

mapping haight ashbury assignment

mapping haight ashbury assignment for digital media production


1. over the course of spring semester, you have learned how to share photos via flickr, how to share ideas via blogs, and how share your work via google maps. now is the time to work and create collaboratively.

2. last tuesday, we formed into groups of three. last thursday, we took a field trip to haight ashbury.

3. working in groups, annotate a single google map of haight ashbury. the map should reflect your individual efforts, your group's efforts, and, most importantly, the class-as-a-whole's efforts.

4. the map should incorporate the design and story-telling strategies we have discussed throughout the semester. how you all make this happen is up to all of you.

5. although the map will reflect the work and perspectives of all of you, it should have a single or unitary design. again, how you all make this happen is up to all of you.

6. one of the key points of this assignment is to learn how to work together creatively, effectively, and collaboratively. another key point of this assignment is to collectively create something inspiring with very little input and guidance from me. good luck.

7. once the map is finished, share your work with a thick tweet that includes a link to the map.

8. be prepared to demo your collective work in class on tuesday. (our lunch field trip, originally scheduled for tuesday, will be rescheduled.)

hint: the more you work together, the better your work will be. trust me.

rule: if you have not contributed to the map, do not come to class on tuesday.

update! here's what my students created:


View Documenting Haight Street in a larger map

4 comments:

Irina G. said...

sweet!

Jay Fienberg said...

That's quite excellent! It's interesting getting a sense of time reflected in what's on the map: some of the locations have a history, and they are described with different senses of distance in time--some with a sense of the present, and other with a sense almost like "this is ancient history."

I don't know if you'll have this opportunity, but it'd be neat if each year's class created their own map of Haight Ashbury, and then, at some future time, one could layer them on top of each other. It'd show not only change in the objective facts about the area, but also in the subjective points of view about it.

TSeeley said...

Great map! And I'm sure everyone will start telling you what oughta be on there that isn't. Here's my list: Red Vic Movie Theater, Citrus Cafe, Booksmith, Zia's, Jorge at the shoe repair shop, Gus and Georgia at the Haight Street Market, Blue Front Cafe, the Anarchist Bookstore, Murio's, and Aub Zam Zam! Now you can teach me to make my own map.

Shawn said...

Brilliant work folks. I've lived in SF for 20+ years and its experiences like this that remind me how lucky we are to be in this wonderful city.

Not criticisms, just observations:

- There are not very many people in your photographs. For me, more photos like "New age hippie and skull wall art" bring the streets and the neighborhood alive.

- Picking up on Jay's observations, there are significant differences between upper and lower Haight St. and these differences reflect one of the most beautiful things San Francisco has to offer - incredible diversity in just a few blocks. Maybe a walk down the hill next time could be a way to show this diversity?

Many thanks and keep up the great work!