Syllabus
Can I get the link to the full syllabus please?
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Please click on Schedule on the top menu to view the syllabus
document.
Reading Responses
When are the reading responses due?
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Starting from Week 2, reading responses will be due on
every Wednesday at 8PM ET. This applies to everybody
regardless of which CC Lab section you’re in. All the readings are
listed under Resources/Library and we encourage you to read
ahead.
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Assignments
Will there be group assignments?
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We plan to run a lot of in-class group activities in CC Lab, and
there will be occasional, light collaborations outside of class such
as Assignment #1 and #4. Although most assignments are not group
assignments, we encourage you to get in touch with each other and
find times to exchange feedback and work together.
How are the readings & the assignments linked?
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TLDR; All the assignments are designed to be open-ended. We have our
own ideas of how the two connect, but we would love to see you
connect the dots through your own reflection on the readings and
apply them into the assignments in ways that’s creative and
empowering for you.
The long answer: as a course that
values code, design, and criticality equally, we shouldn't wait to
explore some of the most urgent issues in contemporary computing
— this includes developing critical thinking skills around
algorithms, AI, biometric surveillance, and evaluating the impacts
of machine learning and networking. However this doesn't mean we are
ready to build an artificial intelligence (yet). Learning to code
takes time and we need to be patient and build technical knowledge
from the ground up and make sure that the process of learning is
inclusive of everyone in this class.
The open-ended
nature of the assignments imply that you can take them into any
number of directions that fits your skill-level and background. In
addition, once we finish midterm and start working with external
APIs, you will begin to find many direct relationships between the
readings and the assignments.
CC Lecture 1-1 Meetings
What will we be discussing during the 1-1 meetings?
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This is a chance for Katherine or Xin to give you feedback on
assignment(s) you've worked on / planning to make. We only have 20
minutes so please come prepared and be clear about what you're
hoping to get feedback on.
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Should we schedule an appointment with an idea of a project? What
should we prepare for the meeting?
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You can schedule an appointment without a project idea. But before
the meeting please prepare materials for us to look at together so
that there are concrete things to talk about.
Open Projector
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Do the 6 responders need to prepare anything before CC Open
Projector?
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You don't need to prepare anything special. The only thing we are
asking from you is to attend the class and be ready to offer your
attention and constructive feedback to the presenters.
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What are other opportunities to present besides Open Projector?
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You will have the opportunity to present in CC Lab. And on the last
day of class, you're expected to complete your CC Portfolio and
present all the work you've accumulated throughout the semester.
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Do we get marked on our performance every week?
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Yes.
Programming
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Are there any additional books I can refer to as a beginner to
coding?
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Absolutely. Xin recommends
Getting Started with p5.js
for beginners and
Generative Design
for intermediates. We have added the digital versions of both books
under Course Reserve on CC Lecture’s Canvas.
To access
the materials, log into your CC Lecture course on Canvas, click on
Course Reserve on the left-hand side:
Then click on My Courses/Critical Computation, and scroll
down to Course Items. Find the book you'd like to read, and
click on View Item:
A new page for ProQuest Ebook Central should pop up. Select
Read Online or Download Book. Enjoy!
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Are we only learning p5.js in this class?
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We will learn the foundation of object-oriented-programming and
interactivity on the web through p5.js for most of the semester.
After midterm we will begin to sprawl out and learn more about HTML,
CSS, and working with external APIs.
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Are we required to use the p5.js web editor or can we use our own
IDE?
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You're welcomed to use your own IDE, however due to the size of this
class, please make it very easy for the instructors / DT tutors to
view your p5 sketches in the browser, so that no additional copying
/ pasting / downloading is required on our end.
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Can we use other programming languages to complete some of our
assignments?
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If you have previous knowledge in programming, you can use other
languages as long as you're still including p5.js and working in the
web context. So additional HTML / CSS / Javascript / external JS
libraries are acceptable. If you do decide to go this route though,
just know that our capacity to support something that's outside of
the scope of this class might be limited.
Open-Source Policy
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I'm a little confused about the open-source policy. If I'm learning from tutorials / examples, what's the best way to determine when attribution is needed?
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We would like to suggest that you credit as many sources as it is possible. Lauren McCarthy, the creator and former project lead for p5.js said that it is important to "reinforce the idea that all of this work is built on collaboration and sharing open-source tools. It's very different from the individual genius artist in their studio framework of the art world".
If you're remixing someone else's code outside of the tutorial context, please make sure you don't use code that doesn't have an open-sourced license such as the MIT license or the GNU license. And it's best practice that you list their license type in your attribution, e.g. "This project is licensed under a GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1".
In concrete terms, you can credit your sources at the top of your source code as well as on your portfolio pages. Click on the links to see the examples.
Zoom
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Do we need to turn on the camera during class?
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CC faculty have been teaching / learning remotely since the Spring semester, and based on our experience, it makes a great difference when everyone can keep their cameras on, so that at the very least we can be pixel-present. We'd like to be accommodating and supportive as long as it's within reasons, so if you have a specific reason as to why you'd prefer to keep your camera off, please contact your instructor to discuss further.
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