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Mass collaboration at the OU-a Project

This event took place on 15th June 2009 at 11:00am (10:00 GMT)

On June 15th the Computing Department will be webcasting a four-hour session devoted to an unusual mass collaboration project inspired by the success of Wikipedia. The webcast will consist of talks associated with a project in which 79 students have, for the past six months, been writing a book on computer art. The book that they have developed describes how to use a Java-based system known as Processing to develop complex works of computer art. It takes the reader from ground zero to the point where they are capable of programming some very sophisticated animations.

The day will be divided into two two-hour sessions. The first session (11.00 to 13.00) will consist of Ira Greenberg describing his journey from an artist to a computer programmer and then looking at the Processing system in a little detail. Ira is the author of the iconic book on Processing and is involved in a movement in the States which promotes the use of computer art as a medium for teaching programming to novices.

In the afternoon, from 14.00 to 15.45, there will be a number of sessions that are devoted to the mass writing project. Darrel Ince who leads the project will describe the rationale behind it and its successes and failures. He will then be followed by four students who will describe their involvement in the project.

Follow the relevant link below for a replay of either the morning or afternoon session.
11:00 am Ira Greenberg
1:00 pm Lunch
2:00 pm The mass writing project

The webcast was open to 300 users