Educators confront tough decisions on how much scarce time in a semester should be spent on teaching software tools vs. teaching reporting and writing. But first, one has to define what online journalism is -- and what makes it unique.
By Mindy McAdamsPosted: 2004-04-12
You may feel excitement or dread -- or a combination of the two -- if you have been charged with creating a new course about online journalism. It's a tall order, and as you try to decide what to include in the course, you're likely to wish you had at least three semesters in which to cover everything.
Related Stories on OJR
This article assumes that you must fit it all into one semester (possibly even a 10-week quarter) and that this course will offer students in your program their sole opportunity to learn about online journalism. Yikes! Where should you begin?
First, ask some basic questions:
• Will the students produce an online publication as part of the course?
• Will the course include some lab time, no lab time, or will it be taught entirely in a computer lab?
• Are there journalism prerequisites, such as a reporting course?
• Are there computer science prerequisites, such as a basic Internet course?
The answers will help you figure out how much of the course can or should be devoted to skills, such as basic HTML, Dreamweaver and Photoshop. If the course will be a large lecture with only one hour a week in breakout lab sessions taught by grad students, you probably cannot produce an online magazine. If the primary goal of the course is to produce an online journalism site, you might spend the first half of the semester teaching skills and the second half on reporting and writing.
After you have determined how much of the course, or how much of each class meeting, will be devoted to instruction in producing online journalism, you will know how much time is available for lecture and assignments about practicing online journalism.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Teaching Online Journalism: How to Build the First College-Level Course
Educators confront tough decisions on how much scarce time in a semester should be spent on teaching software tools vs. teaching reporting and writing. But first, one has to define what online journalism is -- and what makes it unique.
By Mindy McAdamsPosted: 2004-04-12
You may feel excitement or dread -- or a combination of the two -- if you have been charged with creating a new course about online journalism. It's a tall order, and as you try to decide what to include in the course, you're likely to wish you had at least three semesters in which to cover everything.
Related Stories on OJR
This article assumes that you must fit it all into one semester (possibly even a 10-week quarter) and that this course will offer students in your program their sole opportunity to learn about online journalism. Yikes! Where should you begin?
First, ask some basic questions:
• Will the students produce an online publication as part of the course?
• Will the course include some lab time, no lab time, or will it be taught entirely in a computer lab?
• Are there journalism prerequisites, such as a reporting course?
• Are there computer science prerequisites, such as a basic Internet course?
The answers will help you figure out how much of the course can or should be devoted to skills, such as basic HTML, Dreamweaver and Photoshop. If the course will be a large lecture with only one hour a week in breakout lab sessions taught by grad students, you probably cannot produce an online magazine. If the primary goal of the course is to produce an online journalism site, you might spend the first half of the semester teaching skills and the second half on reporting and writing.
After you have determined how much of the course, or how much of each class meeting, will be devoted to instruction in producing online journalism, you will know how much time is available for lecture and assignments about practicing online journalism.
By Mindy McAdamsPosted: 2004-04-12
You may feel excitement or dread -- or a combination of the two -- if you have been charged with creating a new course about online journalism. It's a tall order, and as you try to decide what to include in the course, you're likely to wish you had at least three semesters in which to cover everything.
Related Stories on OJR
This article assumes that you must fit it all into one semester (possibly even a 10-week quarter) and that this course will offer students in your program their sole opportunity to learn about online journalism. Yikes! Where should you begin?
First, ask some basic questions:
• Will the students produce an online publication as part of the course?
• Will the course include some lab time, no lab time, or will it be taught entirely in a computer lab?
• Are there journalism prerequisites, such as a reporting course?
• Are there computer science prerequisites, such as a basic Internet course?
The answers will help you figure out how much of the course can or should be devoted to skills, such as basic HTML, Dreamweaver and Photoshop. If the course will be a large lecture with only one hour a week in breakout lab sessions taught by grad students, you probably cannot produce an online magazine. If the primary goal of the course is to produce an online journalism site, you might spend the first half of the semester teaching skills and the second half on reporting and writing.
After you have determined how much of the course, or how much of each class meeting, will be devoted to instruction in producing online journalism, you will know how much time is available for lecture and assignments about practicing online journalism.
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