Working on all digital platforms
The Poynter Institute offers a number of courses (many free) for journalists worldwide. One looks at how the “Multi-dimensional Journalist” covers the 24-hour news cycle. It says journalists must be able to report, write and edit on all platforms, including social media.
Class activities:
Flashlight: Visit Poynter’s News University and find free courses you like. Share the course descriptions with your classmates. Try one, such as News Sense or the Be a Reporter game. Have a class discussion about the courses you would create for high school journalists. How might you cater these course objectives to your high school newspaper or yearbook?
Spotlight: Compare NewsU with other e-learning sites. Can you find better digital classes for journalists? Is it one-size-fits-all, or are there different places for different types of skills or learning styles? Blog your recommendations.
Searchlight: Will every journalist use every form of media? Is specialization dead? Compare journalism to fields like music, medicine, education and the law. Are there others fields where generalists are in demand? Split the class into groups so all student can present their ideas.
Extra credit: The Knight and Mozilla foundations are creating teams of journalism technologists to develop open-source experiments in newsrooms during 10-month fellowships. Meet their 2014 fellows. What skills do they offer newsrooms? Are they specialists or jacks-of-all-trades? What courses at your school teach some of these skills?