Back on Track

Sorry about missing last Friday’s class. I think I’m feeling better now and am looking forward to getting back on track.

Tonight we will have our review discussion of everyone’s Project 1 Newsletters. Please bring the notes you took while looking each of your classmates’ newsletters.

After the review session, we will briefly discuss Project 2. As per our discussion last week, you will produce an audio story based on your newsletter that is between 3 and 5 minutes long. One half of the story should feature a straight read of one of your stories (1.5 – 2 minutes) and the other half should be a vox pop based on another of your stories (2-3 minutes). You are welcome to do something different. I only ask that you consult with me beforehand. The due date for project 2 is July 29.

We will conclude the class with our first quiz.

 

Class details – June 11

Tonight will feature student led discussions about chapters 5-8.

After that, I will share the instructions and questions for assignment two which is due on June 22.

I’ve also got a study guide for Friday’s quiz.

I realize I’ve not been blogging as much as I’d hoped to for this class. I have recently found some resources I’d like to direct your attention to and will be doing so before our next lesson. Please make sure to subscribe to this blog in an RSS reader such as Google Reader and check it daily.

Also, I’m hoping to see a bit more active blogging and commenting from all the students.

Announcing Project 1

Title: Newsletter about your life as a student at TUJ

Due date: June 13, 2012 (Wednesday)

Objective: Use InDesign to create a 3-4 page (A4) newsletter which reports on various aspects of your life as a student at TUJ. Please write about yourself in the third person. You should give yourself a pen-name as the writer of the newsletter. You are even welcome to write as multiple authors – each with a slightly different viewpoint and voice. Additionally, you might consider using a fictitious name for the student you are reporting on if you are concerned about your name showing up in Google in the future.

First Steps: Take a look at several different newspapers and newsletters to get a sense of formatting and layout. We will be discussing such design questions in class. Your newsletter should be easily recognizable as following a newsletter format. Pay close attention to how pages are presented to the readers in terms of the following: banner at the top of the first page, how headlines are written for each of the stories, paragraph formatting and indentation, use of columns, use of images, other elements such as announcements and advertisements.

Standards: I am looking for two things in this. First is the level of creativity and imagination you use in designing the layout and presentation of the information in your newsletter. Second is the quality of writing. It should be error free and written in a contemporary journalistic style. You are encouraged to consult tutors at The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) to assist you with the development of your ideas and the revision of your writing.

 

 

Updated Due Dates

As mentioned in yesterday’s class, I’ve revised the due dates for Assignments 1 & 2, and Projects 1& 2. Below are the new due dates:

• Assignment 1: now due 6/6 (was 6/1)
• Project 1: now due 6/13 (was 6/6)
• Assignment 2: now due 6/22 (was 6/18)
• Project 2: now due 6/29 (was 6/27)

Please, let me know if you will have difficulty meeting any of these deadlines.

Sprucing Up The Blogs

 I’m really pleased with how quickly you guys picked up the different things I asked you to do last night to get your WordPress blogs squared away. I realize my demonstration was a bit rushed. I thought it would be useful to post a list of the points I covered. Please check the  list and make sure you’ve done all of these things by the end of the week.

• Edit or save your about page as a draft – I don’t  want to see the default about page message when I look at your site
• Delete the “Hello World” post that was automatically generated when you set your blog up
• Add links to you classmates and instructor in the sidebar of your blog
• Adjust the time zone in the setting section of the blog – it should be set to GMT +9
• Remove or edit the default tagline for your blog

That’s all I can remember now. Was there anything else?

I look forward to seeing how you make use of the blog during the semester. Please don’t forgot to post at least one question from each chapter of the text book. For tomorrow (5/30), you should have questions for chapters 1-3.

Image: 50 Golden Blogging Tips for Business by Kris Olin through CC Licensing

Historical Newspaper Archives

One of the choices for assignment 1 involves analyzing an old newspaper article. You can consult either of these two great online archives:

• United States Online Historical Newspapers provided by Google
• Chronicling America from the United States Library of Congress

Let me know if you find any other good online resources for historical newspaper archives.

Welcome Aboard

Welcome to JOUR3708: Newsroom Management for the 2012 summer semester. My name is Scott and I will be your instructor through the course (that is not me in the picture to the right). Though our enrollment is small, I’ve been assured by the authorities that the class will continue to run for the duration of the semester.

For tonight’s class I would like to cover the following:

• Getting started: sign in, email to instructor, partner interviews and introductions, course syllabus and text book
• Looking at the online tools we’ll be using: WordPress Blog and Storify
• Set up student blogs and Storify accounts
• Homework: Introduction blog post (details will be provided), email me your blog URL and Storify account username

I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and hope this semester will be just as much fun as taking a Caribbean cruise.