Aug. 26

Introduction and Syllabus

Assignments, due before class on Wed Aug. 28

  • Introduce Yourself on Slack. I’ll invite you to the Slack team and make a channel for each question that you will respond to over the session. Use the #general channel at codingcomm.slack.com.
  • Read NYT Journalism That Stands Apart. What do you think are the most important elements of the 2020 plan? How do you think they are doing? Respond in the #nytreport channel.
  • What do you want to learn? What do you already know? Fill out this form

Aug. 28

Web Development and Responsive Design

Make sure you refresh your memory on things you learned in Web Design, like Responsive Design and Bootstrap. You will be using these techniques throughout the semester. There are some tutorials on basic HTML/CSS/Responsive Design at CodeActually.com. We will be referring to other tutorials on this site throughout the semester.
  • Bluehost/Reclaim – make sure you still have access to your Web host. If not, you will need to contact them to restart your site or get a new account/domain. You will need to do this on your own before class on Sept. 4.
  • Responsive Design Review

Responsive vs. Mobile Site vs. Mobile App

Responsive Web Design – A List Apart by Ethan Marcotte

Review Topics:

Assignments:

  • HTML/CSS Review – watch Tutorials on the CodeActually.com site to refresh your memory.
  • Watch HTML Forms Tutorial Videos on CodeActually.com
  • Begin working on your updated, redesigned personal site; review Bootstrap and WordPress information. It is due Sunday, Sept. 8. See more info on Assignments page.

Sept. 2: Labor Day – No Class!

Sept. 4 

Questions about Bootstrap and Responsive Design

HTML Forms

We’ll go over the elements to make an html form for text inputs, radio buttons, checkboxes and dropdowns. This is the foundation of a user interaction interface.

Assignments

  • Read the report Mobile First News: How People Use Smartphones to Access Information. What are the trends uncovered in the report in terms of how people consume news via mobile devices? Respond on #mobilenews Slack channel.
  • Complete your redesigned personal site. You can use WordPress, Bootstrap or any other method. Improve content, design, functionality, so you have a portfolio site to showcase your work. Due on Sunday, Sept. 8. Submit your url with this Google Form.
  • Finish Exercise: Create a form that includes all the elements we described. Take some time to create the form in a nicely designed page. Consider what makes a form well designed and why that is important.
  • Do the JavaScript: Intro to Programming and Interactive JavaScript tutorials at CodeActually.com
  • Sign Up for an account at GitHub.com. Remember your username and password. We will be using GitHub later, but you can connect your GitHub account to Glitch, which we will be using next week.

Sept. 9

Review HTML Forms Exercise

Programming Basics and Interactive JavaScript

Document Object Model
Document Object Model Handout
What is the DOM? – CSS Tricks
What is the Document Object Model – W3C

Using the Chrome Developer Tools

Manipulate the DOM with JavaScript chart

Sept. 11

Using Glitch
JavaScript, continued

Online Assignments:

  • Read the Introduction chapter from the 1st edition of the Data Journalism Handbook.
  • We will be reading chapters from the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Read Introduction and Doing Issues with Data sections (read all available chapters under each section). Find some other examples of interactive data journalism and post on the #datajournalism channel. Discuss the design, data, interaction. Due by Sunday, Sept. 15 at 11pm.
  • Review the  Making an Interactive Quiz tutorial on CodeActually.com. If you need to review Intro to Programming and Interactive JavaScript to be sure you understand all the concepts.
  • You will each be assigned students’ websites to provide comments and critique. Consider design, content, functionality and the extent to which he/she used advanced features learned in Web design. Use the #personalsites channel. Imagine you are an employer considering this person for a job. Be sure to include the person’s name and url that you are reviewing. Do this by Sunday, Sept. 15 at 11pm.

Sept. 16

Continued, Interactive JavaScript Lessons

Assignments

Work on Another Exercise from Interactive JavaScript lesson on your own. We will review on Wed.

Sept. 18

Review exercises

Making an Interactive Quiz

Assignments

  • Take Quiz 1 on TRACS – this will cover HTML/CSS Review, responsive design and Intro to Programming.  You will have 30 minutes to take the quiz once you start it. MC/T or F. Do this by Friday, Sept.20 at 11pm.
  • Review  More Interactive Examples  (no video for this, just reference and code) tutorial on CodeActually.com. Review any of the other Tutorials we have covered.
  • Watch the Tech Trends presentation from ONA 2019. #techtrends – which of the trends do you think are the most important/will have the most impact and why? Which (if any) trends make you feel skeptical? Due before class Sept. 23.

Sept. 23

More Interactive Examples

Assignments:

  • Work on Web App project

Sept. 25

Review

More Interactive Examples, continued

Assignment:

  • Begin work on your Web App project. Have at least beginnings of design and form elements in a file before coming to class on Monday, Sept. 30.

Sept. 30 – Oct. 2

You will have time to work on Web App Project

Assignments:

  • Complete Web App project by Oct. 7 before class; fetch to a subdomain and submit your url with this Google Form.

Oct. 7


Git/GitHub

Assignments:

  • Review the JQuery tutorials on CodeActually.com for Wed.
  • Post link to your GitHub repository for Project 2 on the #github channel on Slack.

The following videos explain the Advanced Upload features of GitHub. We will not cover in class. This is just FYI.

Oct. 9

More Advanced Applications

Finish More Interactive Examples

JQuery

Extra Tutorial for Advanced Study: Interactive Chart Example: Do this on your own, if you want to get an advanced look at how basic charts are made. We will be using charting packages for your projects, but this will allow you to better understand DOM manipulation.

Assignments:

  • Take Quiz 2 on TRACS – You will have 30 minutes to take the quiz once you start it. MC/T or F. Due Oct. 11 by 11pm.
  • Attend Mass Comm Week panels – see below

Oct. 14-18  Mass Comm Week – you will have panels assigned to attend. 

You will write about your experiences during MC Week on the #mcweek channel. Include images and links. You are required to write about panels you attended during our class time, but also include any other panels you attended. You are expected to be prepared to ask questions during these sessions.

  • On Monday 10/14, we will meet in class at 2pm to have an informal discussion with some alumni coders. Be prepared to ask questions during this session. Then we will move to Alkek 250 with them at 3:30 for a panel with more alumni.
  • On Wed 10/16, you are welcome to attend my 11am class with our discussion with Pablo Mercado. We will not meet in class at 2pm, but there is a session with PR alumni available at that time. At 3:30pm, we will have another session with Pablo Mercado in Alkek 250. Join us then, if you can.
  • On Tues/Thurs – I will be doing VR Workshops with Jon Zmikly from 9:30-11am. Sign up for a session at http://www.txstatemcweek.com/vr-workshop-sign-up/. There is also a drone workshop with Dale Blasingame.
  • You have events to attend with assignments – write about MC Week panels you attend and post at #mcweek on Slack. You must attend the panels during our class time and hopefully many more. See the MC Week schedule. Discuss the events you attended during Mass Comm Week. Who did you see, what did you learn? Post photos that you took during the sessions and any relevant links. Also, be sure to participate with the #mcweek and #mcweek19 hashtag by posting on Twitter and Instagram!

Oct. 21 

For further training on JavaScript:

The World of Data Journalism

A History of Data Journalism

This Is What the Best of Data Journalism Looks Like – 2018

Google News Lab – Data Journalism Course

Flourish– Google data visualization program

Google Data Studio– layout reports and dashboards that include charts and data presentation

Google Public Data Explorer

Google Trends Datastore

Data.World

Assignments

  • Read the Assembling Data section (read all available chapters in this section) in the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Write a Slack post about the type of data story you’d like to use in a project. Where is the data? Why is it interesting? What do you think you will find? What do you need to know to use it. Use #assemblingdata channel on Slack. Due Oct. 23 before class.
  • Try the W3Schools Quizzes. This will help you see what you know and what needs more work. Be sure to “Check Your Answers” when you complete each quiz. These are just FYI. No grade will be given for doing these quizzes.
    HTML Quiz – 40 Questions
    CSS Quiz – 25 Questions
    JavaScript Quiz – 25 Questions
    JQuery Quiz – 25 Questions

Oct. 23

Using Excel

Excel Handout

Assignments:

  • Review Google Chart Examples
  • Read the Working with Data and Experiencing Data sections (read all  available chapters in this section) in the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Make a Slack post in the #experiencingdata channel discussing the things you need to know about the data you select to be able to create an effective and engaging experience for the user. Due by Oct. 28 before class.

Oct. 28 

Making Interactive Charts with Google Charts

Assignments:

Oct. 30

Google Charts, continued

Review Charting Project

Nov. 4

Final review of Google Charts tutorial

Work on Charting Project in class

Assignments:

  • Read the Investigating Data, Platforms and Algorithms section (read all  available chapters in this section) in the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Write a Slack post on #investigatingdata covering your impression of the main points of this chapter. How do social media and associated algorithms affect storytelling? What are the challenges of using social media data? Do this Nov. 5 before class.

Nov. 6

Filtering Large Data Sets

Assignments

  • Charting Project due Nov. 13

Nov. 11-13

Assignments:

  • Read the Organizing Data Journalism and Training Data Journalists sections. (read all  available chapters in these sections) in the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Write a Slack post on #organizingdata covering your impression of the main points of this chapter. How do you plan to deliver data in your final project? Discuss your data and how you would like it to be presented to the user. What will be the interactive elements. Provide a good description of your final project that includes the user interaction as well as the algorithms you will use.
  • Charting Project due 11/13
  • Take Quiz 3 on Friday Nov. 15 by midnight – updated

Nov. 18

  • APIs – CodeActually Tutorial
  • Spotify API Console – use console to get Related Artists json and convert to csv. You will need to apply for an OAuth Token and you will need to look up Spotify Artist URI on Spotify (right click on Artist and choose Share, Copy Artist URI on Spotify Desktop). You’ll need a Spotify account to get this information.
  • More info on APIs

These sites do easy conversions for you from one format to another.

Nov. 20

Accessing APIs on Your Website

Assignments:

  • Read the Situating Data Journalism and Reflections section. (read all  available chapters in this section) in the 2nd Edition of the Data Journalism Handbook. Write a Slack post on #situatingdata covering your impression of the main points of the chapters. How should we measure the impact of data journalism? Now that you have been through the course, what is the purpose of data journalism and how do you think it will evolve?  Complete by Sunday Nov. 24 at midnight.
  • Begin Product Management Assignment for next week.

Nov. 25 Online Assignments  – we will not meet in class

Product Management 

Best Practices for Product Management – American Press Institute.
Managing Digital Products in a Newsroom Context – ISOJ
Watch the Video: The Hunt For News Products of the Future

Slack Post – Read Product Management Articles and watch videos. What are the characteristics of a product manager? What do you think about the emerging role of product management in news and media organizations? How do you think it compares to that role in a technology company? Do you think it is a role you’d like to perform in your career? Use specific examples and references from the videos and readings. Use #productmanagement on Slack. Complete by Nov. 25 at midnight.

Nov. 27 Thanksgiving Break – no class

Dec. 2-4

Creating Your Own API with Firebase

Heading Into The Future
News Nerd Jobs

Future Concepts – ways you can continue to learn to code

Join Coding and Data Skills Facebook group to stay in touch!

Project Work

Dec. 9 Final Project Due

You will be able to work on it during finals. Lab hours are available with faculty assistance, but you can also work in 106A any time it is open. Cindy will be available during finals week to assist.

Final Project – Use more advanced data concepts in an interactive presentation. Find some interesting data and figure out an interactive way to present it on a website. A story (to include text and that should include interviews, images, multimedia) should accompany. Data must be interactive (manipulate the DOM), which must include ways to sort and filter data AND present it interactively with charts. Site should have both an interactive table generated by json data with form to select and multiple interactive charts. Site should use responsive techniques that we discussed (fluid layout, fluid images and media queries). See more description and grading criteria on the Assignments page.