Assignments
Assignments
Blog:
A blog is a place for unconventional news, tidbits and observations. You can post items here about our class, the school in general, your political views or even what you had for dinner. The point is to create a community.
As your professor, I will be blogging right along with you. I hope that you find this to be an open and engaging forum.
This semester we will blog the events of the semester online. Each student will be require to make at least 5 posts during the course of the semester. The more posts you make, the more likely you will to get full credit.
Due: All semester
Honors: Each honors student will act as an editor on the blog for the entire semester. As an editor you will be responsible for commenting on other students posts and generating new discussion topics with post of your own. You will need to make at least one post each week (15 for the semester). You will also be responsible for providing a blog budget each month, listing the most interesting topics posted from your fellow classmates.
News Site Critique:
Critique four Web news sites (2 print, 2 broadcast and 1 blog). Rate the sites in order of best to worst. Provide the name and URL of the site. Include an analysis of these factors:
Due: Thursday, Feb. 16
HTML Resume:
Format your resume as a web page using the HTML techniques we learned in class.
Due: Thursday, March 9
Short Story:
Edit a story tailored for the web. This story should be roughly 400 words upon completion. This story should be completed as a web page and must include a photo online.
Due: Thursday, April 6
Honors: This story should be completed as a web page and must include a photo online.
Final Project:
Honors Readings:
Honors students will be expected to complete all reading found on the syllabus. In addition, they will be asked to complete the following readings and come prepared to discuss their reading in class as part of the weekly lecture.
Week One:
Gates, Dominic. "Newspapers in the Digital Age." OJR May 5, 2002
Lasica, J.D. "Blogging as a Form of Journalism." OJR April 29, 2002
Week Two:
Moses, Monica. "Why Usability Matters." Poynter.org August 12, 2002
Week Four:
Stevens, Jane. "Backpack Journalism." OJR April 3, 2002
Week Seven:
Stone, Martha. "Breaking News and Breaking Even." OJR Feb. 1, 2002
Working as an interactive newsroom with your classmates, you will be creating an online story package for a working news site. This package will have a main story and at least two sidebars. Your project must include original work created by you and will be published on the Internet. The package must be engaging and interactive and will need to incorporate all of the elements of Internet publishing that is discussed in class. Finally, you will have to write a short critique on your experience as an online journalist. In this critique you should discuss how you think the creative process worked and if you think your web package could be a competitive and interesting if posted on a news site.
Honors: Working with your department in our virtual newsroom, you will also be responsible for building a section front for the Digital Pride web site. This channel front will include links to other stories in your section as well as a calendar of upcoming local events.