ENG2720 Writing with New Media Project 5: Markup and Markdown Dr. Jason W. Ellis

In the next project, we will perform transformations of your original think piece essay using two different standards for online writing: the markup language of HTML and the text-to-HTML conversion tool Markdown.

In Project 5, you will prepare your original think piece manuscript for publication online in HTML format first. Then, you will create a second version of your think piece essay using the Markdown syntax and convert this document into HTML using a text-to-HTML conversion tool. In both cases, you will arrive at a similar output, but the process of creating each draws on different methods of composition, and as new media practitioners, you will want to know both so that you are empowered to manipulate your compositions directly and troubleshoot errors inadvertently generated by the tools of composition you might be called upon to use in the workplace.

1. Learning HTML: During this class, we will create a sample HTML page to help you learn the different tags that you might use in the first part of this project. (in-class on Mar. 31)
2. Applying HTML: During class, use a raw text editor such as one on your flash drive. Copy-and-paste your think piece essay into the text editor, add HTML formatting tags, and save the document as “yourlastname_index.html”. Test your completed HTML- formatted in IE, Firefox, and Chrome. Look for differences in appearance. (in-class on Apr. 5)
3. Learning and Applying Markdown: During class, we will discuss how Markdown differs from HTML, and then, you will use a raw text editor such as one on your flash drive to create a new document saved as “yourlastname_markdown.txt”. Copy-and-paste your original think piece essay into this document and format it using Markdown syntax. Then, using a text-to-HTML conversion tool, create the HTML for your Markdown document. Copy-and-paste the output HTML into a new document in your text editor and save it as “test.html”. Open this test.html file in IE, Firefox, and Chrome, and note any differences in appearance. Finally, copy-and-paste this HTML below your Markdown in the same yourlastname_markdown.txt document. (in-class on Apr. 7)
4. Archiving: Create a blog post on our OpenLab site with a catchy and engaging title for your online video project followed by your byline. In the body of your post, describe in your own words the purpose of this project and the two online composition technologies that you used, and how those two tools are different and complementary. In the next paragraph, write a 250-word reflection on your process of composition on this project, how using these online writing tools influence how your message is presented, and how web browsers affect the presentation of your documents potentially in different ways. Publish your blog post and email your two documents (lastname_index.html and lastname_markdown.txt) to jellis@citytech.cuny.edu to complete the assignment. (due before class on Mar. 31)