Communication Project

A Communication Project is a work requirement for Units I and II English in the Victorian Certificate of Education. The purpose of this work requirement is for students to:

• extend their capacities to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing;
• present a project to an audience other than the teacher in a form appropriate for the selected intention and audience;
• interact responsively, critically and confidently with a familiar or unfamiliar audience other than the teacher, in a situation with some complexity of purpose, procedure and subject matter;
• pursue a specific and/or vocational interest in an aspect of the study;
• organise their time and activities effectively;
• develop initiative and responsibility for their learning;
• reflect critically on their use of language.

To achieve the purpose of the communication project, students should:

• choose and define a topic for the project which also establishes the communicative intention and chosen audience;
• plan the project;
• record the work undertaken in completing the project;
• present the project to a chosen audience;
• evaluate the audience response;
• review their progress and performance and complete a written report.

Rationale

We have chosen this project because the finished product will be something we can use to our benefit. It will be fun to undertake, but is something that should be done anyway. The project will both benefit and publicise our band, and ties in neatly to the VET course we are both currently part of, the Music Industry Certificate.

When finished, we hope to have learned more about HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) programming, successful advertising and publicity techniques, effective data layout strategies and on-line efficiency. To undertake the project, we will need to research advanced HTML and JAVA programming, find world wide web servers with free e-mail and web site hosting (for example Geocities and Iname), and attain shareware or freeware programs for audio and visual editing.

Already, we have some knowledge in HTML programming, use of the Internet and e-mail and image editing. The Music Industry Certificate has also taught us the principles of marketing and publicity. We hope that the worldwide audience will have fun while taking the chance to listen to and learn about a young band from Australia.

Topic

We plan to build a band home page which will be published on the World Wide Web. This will include articles, pictures, sound files, history, links, song lyrics, MIDI files, a down-loadable desktop theme, information about Squifer� guitars, information about CPs and the VCE, and a guest-book for on-line evaluation. Intention By undertaking this project, we hope to achieve the successful publicising of the band, and the ability to direct potential employers to the web site if they require background information. We intend to inform as well as entertain.

Audience

The audience for the project will be users of the worldwide web; more specifically those interested in rock/alternative music and the Australian music industry. They can be from anywhere in the world, and could be of any age although we expect most visitors to be between the ages of thirteen and twenty due to musical interest. If the site is publicised well, an adequate number of people will visit and many of those will contribute feedback. If there are not enough 'hits' to the page before the completion date, we will organise a class session in the computer centre to browse the page, however this is a last resort.

During the construction of the page, a guest-book will be open for feedback. The comments made there will be taken into consideration during development. Part of the guest-book will include specifying an e-mail address or another on-line contact address. If a person is particularly useful in their initial comments, they will be invited to participate in the final evaluation. Form of Presentation This project will be in the form of several pages written in HTML, enhanced with images, sounds and possibly video. It will be placed on a free hosting server, and will be given a 'redirector' address for easier access (for example ML.org).

Resources

To develop this project, we will need a computer with a modem and Internet access, Internet browsing software, HTML developing software, a JAVA compiler, image editing software, a word processor, sound recording and compressing hardware and software, a scanner, a printer, web space and a band e-mail address. If we feel the need for video on the site, Paul or I will need to contact companies regarding pricing for digital video. Acquiring software, web space and an e-mail address will be done using on-line forms with no interpersonal contact involved.

There are several resources that a member of the audience will require including a computer with a modem and Internet access. Graphic display drivers, sound drivers and speakers or headphones would also be recommended. These do cost money, but are readily available for cheap or free usage in schools, universities, libraries or cyber-cafes, and are becoming more common in households.

Workplan

Before we undertake the main part of this project we will need to obtain web space and an e-mail address from one of any number of free servers. We will look for a good balance between capacity and compulsory advertising (intrusive banners automatically placed on each page of the site). We can study on-line manuals for further assistance and advice. The major stages in developing this project are:

Gathering Resources
This will entail the assembly of manuals, software, web space and an e-mail address.

Planning
Planning will include the layout of the site as a whole and the design of individual pages within it.

Construction
We will need to create all images, sounds and MIDI files, as well as build all pages. As a page is completed, it will be up-loaded and made available for public evaluation.

Publicity
Publicity will include placing entries into search engines, banner exchanges and web directories.

Evaluation
Apart from completing a written report, evaluation will entail creating a guest-book suitable for final evaluation of the site. The evidence that will be the most useful will be that which is entered into the guest-book. It is convenient and attached to the site and includes a great range of input types including text boxes, links, check-boxes and radio buttons.