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"I don't so much
mind
that newspapers are dying - it's watching them commit suicide that
pisses me off."
- Molly Ivins
Course
Goal & Description
This
course’s goal
is to build on the
foundation
from your reporting, fact-finding and basic-editing classes to help you
reach a
higher level as you continue the lifelong process of becoming a
careful, precise and collaborative editor who understands the many
problems of doing journalism that face editors daily. This will involve
exploring such things as:
- Understanding the roles of editors.
- Understanding how the contemporary newsroom
works.
- Understanding the straits, challenges and
possible
opportunities of contemporary journalism.
- Thinking innovatively.
- Thinking critically.
- Digital Tools for Journalists.
- Digital organization of the flood of information
available
to you.
- Expanding your vocabulary, both in general and
the
jargon of journalism.
- Expanding your Web-based knowledge, both for
fact
checking
and keeping up to date on the discourse surrounding the problems of
journalism.
- A more intense revisiting of editing’s
first-order –
the nuts and bolts of grammar, punctuation, spelling, style, headline
writing, and the visual aspects of news presentation.
- Higher-order content-editing skills.
- Making yourself employable and knowing where to
look
for a
job you will love.
Office
Hours
I am available to you this semester
– and
beyond –
to talk about this
class, to talk about journalism and communications, to talk about your
career, or to just talk. My office hours are are on my schedule:
- Here
is a Link
to
my schedule
- Or
just
stop by – my door is pretty much always open, and if I am in and I am
free, we can
talk.
- You
should also
note that I check my e-mail once in the morning and
once in the evening Monday through Friday.
Required
Texts and Supplies
- The
Associated Press Stylebook -- Required & you are required
to bring it to every class.
- Supermedia:
Saving Journalism So It Can Save the World by Charlie Beckett -- Required
- Other
readings as
assigned
each week (see tentative schedule below).
- The Gainesville
Sun and the New
York Times, and sign up for and read NewYorkTimes.com
at http://www.nytimes.com/
and check out the more digitally oriented Annotated
New York Times
- We talk about the
news
in
this course and if you are not reading news, what will you have to say?
Optional
Texts
Attendance
Class
attendance is required.
More than three absences may
result
in an incomplete for this course. For sure, after your first absence,
every lab you miss means your grade drops a level – A becomes B+ and B+ becomes B and so on. Arriving late or leaving early will
be
considered an absence. To receive credit for tests and quizzes, you
must attend and be on time. No
make-ups will be arranged for unexcused absences or tardiness. In addtion, whether the absence is
legitimate or
not, there will be no classwork make-ups. Life is just too darn
complicated as it is, and when I have 20 students juggling
deadlines - well, it is just too complicated. The key here is whether
your absence is legitimate or not.
Note:
University-approved absences must be documented (in advance, if for an
approved university activity) according to official university policy.
Obtaining written verification for an excused absence is your
responsibility.
Grading
Your
final grade is
based on:
- 80% on your:
- Various
editing
exercises and quizzes
- Entrepreneurial
Media
Ride-Along Report -- including your powerpoint or slideshow
presentation.
- Blogging
on Readings
- Case-Study Write-Ups
- Your Midterm and Final Assessments
- 20% on
your Participation, which manifests itself in such things as:
- Attendance
- Preparation
- Blogging and use of
digital tools we go over during the semester
- Classroom
demeanor
- Willingness to
work with and collaborate with others
- Participation in
class discussions
- Ability to follow instructions
- Contributions to the class in whatever form
that may take
- Note: I
take this participation requirement quite seriously because this class
partly involves tapping into the knowledge and life experiences of
fellow students. I have been know to give a zero to any student who
spends the semester acting like a dead appendage to the class.
- Also Note: While
you
will not be notified beforehand, not everything you do will receive a
grade.
Grade
Scale
See Grades
and Grading Policies re UF's new policy
on minus grades
A = 100 to 93 |
B+ = 89-87 |
C+ = 79-77 |
D+ = 69-67 |
E = 59-0 |
A- = 92-90 |
B = 86-83 |
C = 76-73 |
D = 66-63 |
|
|
B- = 82-80 |
C- = 72-70 |
D- = 62-60 |
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Also
Note
Not
everything you do will receive a numbered grade. Sometimes you will see
an
"X" in the grade book, which means you satisfactorily completed the
assignment. Other than that there is no number grade. The only number
grade is
zero, which means the assignment was not completed by deadline or not
satisfactorily completed. Then when I run the calculations, the X is
not
figured into the average, but the zero is.
What
You Can Expect During This Semester
1. In-Class
and Take-Home
Grammar & Punctuation & Editing Exercises and Quizzes. AP,
class discussion and WWC are largely the source for this, on readings
both
assigned and the news. These
are each worth 10 points for a cumulative total of 100 points.
Learning objective: Hone your skills in the
nuts and bolts
of journalism to make you better journalists.
2. A Midterm Assessment and a Final
Assessment. Each is worth 300 points. These will include such
things as editing exercises, short essay answers related to the topics
we have covered to that point, and a grammar-writing exercise similar
to the one you did the first day.
3. New Media Tools for Journalists: These
tools
are certainly not all inclusive. They change or are added to every
day. And certainly, if you know of anything your fellow journalists
should know about, don't hesitate to express yourself.
Learning objective: Get you
acquainted and comfortable with some of the online tools available to
journalists while also pushing you to think about journalism and its
future in the 21st century as pixels replace the atoms of paper and
ink.
4. Case Studies. Occasional
in-class
discussion of case studies relevant to the issues of
editing. Silence in these discussions is not golden. Once done, you
have 30 minutes to blog on the case study. Keep in mind, I will be
looking for flawless editing as well as critical thinking, and will
grade accordingly for deficiencies in your editing.
Learning objective: Develop the skills of focusing,
reading closely, thinking critically and expressing yourself about the
issues of editing specifically and journalism generally.
5. Blogging on Readings : On even
numbered weeks you will
write a blog outlining all that
week's and the
previous week's assigned readings and file it to your blog. It should
(1)
show me you read
the
reading(s) (2) that you have thought about what you read and (3) and,
when relevant, you
are
thinking about how the digital world can be applied to the doing
of journalism. These are each worth
20 points for a cumulative total of 100 points. Here you
should know I grade
your reading abstracts both on the editing and
the exposition of deep thinking on your part. Here is the basic rubric
from which I work (of course, flawed editing of these could bring that
score down):
- A flawlessly
edited blog item that is description only would garner 1 to 10 points.
- Description
with
some
basic analysis would get you 11
to 15
points.
- But
generalization to the issues of journalism based on your own
knowledge drawn from experience or your readings in and out of class
will garner 16 to 20 points.
Keep in mind that in addition fo critical thinking, I
will be looking for flawless editing and will grade accordingly for
deficiencies in your editing.
NOTE: Blog
posts on the readings
are due
by Sunday by 11:59 p.m. of odd-numbered weeks in your blog. See bold
note below on odd weeks as reminder. I will set them
up so as soon as you
file they will pop up on my reader with date and time. Also
note: I do not want to hear the question: "How long should they
be?"
Learning objective: These will largely deal with
journalism and
the tools of online media
in order to get you thinking in this mode. It is my hope that you will
then be able to speak knowledgeably about these issues with potential
employers.
6. Case Study Write-Ups: Whenever we
have a case study, you will afterward have a few minutes to go to your
blog and post something about the case study. For what I am looking
for, look back at requirements on blogging on readings.
7.
Book Report on
Steroids on
"Supermedia:
Saving Journalism So It Can Save the World" by Charlie Beckett.
Be ready to offer a short oral report in class. Report of at least
1,000 words will be filed to
your blog and is due Week 14.
Your
report will deal with the book "Supermedia" and any number of the
readings about the digital world of journalism you are assigned this
semester. The report will consider the arguments of the book and the
readings, but it will show how, when taken as a
whole, singular, synthesized text, they shine a light on a question
currently important to journalism in an ever-changing world of digital
media. This essay will include at end a list of sources
referenced. Keep in
mind, I will be looking for flawless editing as well as critical
thinking, and will grade accordingly for deficiencies in
your editing.
You also might find
helpful:
Learning
objective: Introduce you to
some of the pressing issues facing your work as a journalist,
and start you on a path to thinking innovatively in what is -
essentially - an undiscovered country.
8. Media
Ride-Along
Report with a media entrepreneur. Use as a template for
your
research: The
New West FAQ for Online Community Journalism Entrepreneurs Due
Week 15. Also, analyze the Web site. Familiarize yourself
with the site,
and then interview a significant staffer there to learn how it is
created and maintained. File to your blog a
1,000-word report on your findings and include URLs that are linked.
Be prepared to give a 10-minute slideshow
or powerpoint presentation (I will cut you off at 10
minutes). Start as soon
as possible to set this up. Only one student per site, so have a
backup.
Learning
objective: Give
you a
hands-on, face-to-face look at journalism as it is being done outside
the
venue of traditional newspapers.
FYI: Here is a
sampler of new ways of doing journalism:
9.
Resume
and
Cover Letter: Due in
e-Learning before Friday of Week 9. Your
grade is based on
how well you present yourself and on whether the resume and letter are
flawlessly edited.
I want a professional
looking and well-edited copy of an updated Resume, a template Cover Letter that
would accompany an application for a position at a media outlet, and a
link to your completed LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/). No pink,
scented resumes. Why? Check this out.
Learning objective: Discern
the best practices when it comes to the sometimes confusing world of
resumes -- and help you find a job.
What I
Expect From You
Your
presence in this
class:
Class attendance is required. No make-up work will be
arranged nor late assignments accepted. Obtaining written verification
for an excused absence is your responsibility.
That
you return work on
time. It
is essential that you observe deadlines. Good writers
and editors are a highly prized commodity, but writers and editors who
miss deadlines are not. No extensions, no excuses. This is
journalism, and deadlines are a fact of your professional life.
That you work
collaboratively. If
it is your intention to go into some media/communicative field (unless
you plan to sit in a garret and write novels), you need to develop the
ability to work with others.
Good
academic conduct: Commit
yourself to honesty and integrity if
you haven’t already. If you
engage in any form of academic misconduct, including, but not limited
to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and aiding and abetting, the
penalties could be severe
You are required to read Academic
Honesty. I will work under the assumption that you have done so. In
addition, read the Honor Code
at
this
link.
NOTE:
Always put your name
and e-mail on all assignments. No name and e-mail, no grade.
Accommodations
Please let me
know
immediately if you have
any kind of problem or
disability that would hinder your work in this course. I will do my
best to help you. Students requesting classroom accommodation must
first register with the Dean of Students Office, which will provide
documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation
to the instructor when requesting accommodation.
Campus Helping Resources
See links
on front page.
Caveat
Sometimes a
class
such as this
will deal with controversial
topics, so be warned that words that may be considered offensive may be
spoken in the context of the subjects we are discussing. As a teacher,
I have no political or social agenda, so do not try to answer in a way
you believe might comport with what I want to hear or read. Feel free
to advocate any position as long as you remain respectful of others'
opinions, and always be able to defend your point of view.
Policy
on Electronic Devices
I do not allow electronic
transmission
devices, such as
beepers, cellular phones and computers of any size in my classes. You
must have
all such devices in the "off" mode and stored away when in class.
COURSE
SCHEDULE* = this is still a bit
tentative but it is 90 percent there
E-Learning
Web site: https://lss.at.ufl.edu/
*Subject
to change, and I will notify you.
SOCIAL EDITING:
Help me out by notifying
me of any spelling problems or dead links below. |
Week
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In
Class
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Homework
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Week
1
Jan. 5-8
Wednesday
New Media Biblio
Journalist's Toolbox
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Questionnaire
Intro to class, moi, and one another
New Media Tools
AP Style
Practice from Doug Fisher:
Journalism
Instructor at University of South Carolina. Go
through both of these excellent summaries of the basic AP style issues
most writers and editors have a problem with. Master these and you have
mastered 90 percent of AP style.
AP
Style Practice Quizzes No. 1: http://breeze.sc.edu/apstyle1
AP
Style Practice Quizzes No. 2: http://breeze.sc.edu/apstyle2
Common AP Problems
Fake AP Site
Copy
Editor's Lament (The Layoff Song)
Close Editing
Yourself: Grammar-Writing
Exercise Week 1 (in e-Learning)
(Two full pages at 1-inch margins in 12 point Times
Roman) Due in e-Learning by end of class. And like everything else,
save a copy in your Gmail account. (Goal: Assess your writing and grammar
skills & your ability to follow instructions and think critically -
all on deadline.)
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Take-Home Quiz 1
(in e-Learning)
Set up a
Google Reader account.
How? Figure it out. See this link:
Video
on Using
Google Reader
Read
Optional Reading
FYI
If you are
interested in becoming an editor, you might consider joining the
American Copy
Editors Society (ACES). Its web site is at: http://www.copydesk.org/
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Week
2
Jan.
11-15
Wednesday
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Edit
Exercise No. 2 (in
e-Learning)
- Error
Exercise – Find 57 errors of fact, grammar, syntax and style (in
e-Learning)
- 30
MINUTES – STOPWATCH
L-Drive
Assignments
Lecture: Design Basics (in e-Learning)
What's
a Head Order?
Cuts
& Dummies
Page
Designs from Past
Today's
Front Pages
Video: Helvetica
New Media Tools:
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Take-Home
Quiz 2 (in
e-Learning)
Read and Blog No 1 (covers this week and
last) Due by Sunday of Week 3:
Read and then on your blog, summarize, analyze and extrapolate, which
means to generalize, which means to draw from specific cases (these
readings) for more general cases (in this case the art and craft of
editing, especially in an increasingly digital world). In other words,
hone your skills at thinking critically.
FYI
If you have
an interest in design, become familiar with this site: http://www.newsdesigner.com
Also, check
out the award-winning designs at the Society of News Design’s Web site:
http://www.snd.org/
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Week
3
Jan. 18-22
Wednesday
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100 Things
Lecture:
Headlines (in e-Learning)
Kinds
of Headlines
News
Search SEO
Edit Exercise No. 3 Head Exercises (in
e-Learning)
Lecture: Common Errors
New Media Tools:
Lecture: Protocols (in
e-Learning)
Case Study
Protocols
Anecdote
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Take-Home Quiz 3 (in
e-Learning)
Create
an AP Account
Before next lab, create your own account at AP
Exchange.
Go to: www.apexchange.com
Username: 101870
Password: ap116
Then you will be taken to a
screen on
which you can create your
own account. Your username will be your e-mail account. I suggest you
use your G-mail account.
Peruse through the AP Exchange to
see
how it works both for stories and images.
Read:
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Week
4
Jan. 25-29
Wednesday
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100 Things
Edit
Exercise No. 4 Suicidal
Blonde (in
e-Learning)
Lecture:
Cutlines (in
e-Learning)
Writing
Cutlines
Cuts
& Dummies
Writing
cutlines or captions
Writing
Cutlines Practice
Case
Study: How Graphic Shall We Be?(in
e-Learning)
New Media Tools:
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Take-Home Quiz 4 (in
e-Learning)
Read and Blog No 2 Due by
Sunday of Week 5:
Optional Reading
- The
Rise and Fall of South Florida's Daily Newspapers
- This is an optional read, but if you have any
interest in the past and future of Florida journalism, this should
enlighten you. Also, I note an irony. This reading starts with all the
troubles at the Post - and just recently I was forwarded an e-mail from
a Post editor that said, in part:
"We’re
looking for a senior copy editor with more than 5 years experience.
Someone who
is great with headlines and display type, as well as copy editing
skills...
"Do
you know of anyone like that looking for a fulltime job (fairly stable
paper, great benefits?)? I would think there are quite a few folks, but
we’ve
had problems finding one. Let me know if there’s anyone you can think
of, and
please pass the word along."
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Week
5
Feb. 1-5
Wednesday
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New
Media Tools:
Lecture: Editing Wire & Cut &
Compile (in
e-Learning)
Edit
Exercise No. 4:
Cut & Compile (in
e-Learning)
Cut & Compile Cutline (in
e-Learning)
Case
Study: Eagle Snatches Dog Editing Exercise (in
e-Learning)
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Take-Home Quiz 5 (in
e-Learning)
Read:
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Week
6
Feb. 8-12
Wednesday
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New
Media Tools:
Case
Study
Google Alert
Anecdote
Joey's Letter
Lecture: Redundancy (in
e-Learning)
Redundancy List (in
e-Learning)
Edit
Exercise No. 5: Concision (in
e-Learning)
Concision Lecture re
Exercise (view in
e-Learning)
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Week
5 was last of quizzes for now
Read and Blog No 3 Due by
Sunday of Week 7:
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Week
7
Feb. 15-19
Wednesday
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Review
Concision from last week.
New
Media Tools:
Lecture:
Passive Voice 1
Exercise: Passive Voice 1 Fish Devour Fish Quiz
Lecture: Passive Voice 2 Fish Devour Fish
Edit
Exercise
(Passive Heds) (in
e-Learning)
Submit to e-Learning, but print copy.
Check in class
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Read :
New
Ways of Doing Journalism
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Week
8
Feb. 22-26
Wednesday
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Lectures:
Subjunctive
Subjunctive
A
Subjunctive Quiz
Edit
Exercise (in
e-Learning)
Find
someone to edit each exercise below.
Sit with him or her during the second-edit
Editor must put name on assignment.
Trend Story 1 - library
Trend Story 2 - tooth fairy
Critique (Critical
Thinking)
Trend Story 3 - Critique this story. Write your thoughts on top. No
edit. Think critically about what is being asserted. Discuss this with
people on both sides of you.
Case Study Trend Stories (Slug blog
post with this title)
Where Did The "Sext" Panic Come From? http://ralphehanson.com/blog/archive_09_02.html#022709_questions
(Another) Bogus Trend of the Week: a Plague of Shoplifters! – http://www.slate.com/id/2207504
Bogus Trend of the Week: Booming Evangelical Attendance – http://www.slate.com/id/2207294/
Bogus Trend of the Week: Teens and Bombs – http://www.slate.com/id/2206517/
Bogus Trend of the Week: Dudes With Cats – http://www.slate.com/id/2201764/
Newsweek's Bogus TrendspottingIs there really an increase in teen
prostitution? – http://www.slate.com/id/2086925/
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On Resumes & Networking
NOTE: Write
and flawlessly edit
a resume and template cover
letter and bring them to class Week 10 for a Resume Workshop.
Read and Blog No 4 Due by Sunday of Week 9:
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Week
9
March 1-5
Wednesday
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Midterm
Assessment
1. Editing Exercise 1 (Story/Heds)
2. Editing Exercise
2 (Compile Obit)
3.
Midterm Grammar-Writing Exercise
Grammar-Writing
Exercise (Two full pages at 1-inch margins in 12 point Times
Roman) Due in e-Learning by noon Friday. And like everything else,
save a copy in your Gmail account. (Goal: Assess your writing and grammar
skills & your ability to follow instructions and think critically)
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Midterm Grammar-Writing Exercise due in
e-Learning by noon Friday.
File resume to e-Learning before Friday of this week.
Look at this.
No homework! You're welcome.
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SPRING BREAK
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Week
10
March 15-19
Wednesday
Helpful Editing Sites
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Resume Workshop: Bring in copies of your resume.
UF Career
Resource Center
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Read and Blog No 5 Due by Sunday of Week 11:
Neighborhood
Blogs / Hyperlocal / Citizen Journalism / Citizen Media
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Week
11
March 22-26
Wednesday
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New
Media Tools:
Dropbox
rr194602 / J1
Lecture:
Reported Speech & Sequence of Tenses (Lecture in e-Learning)
BBC
Style Guide (click on Reported Speech.
This is a nice, brief
explainer)
Campfire: Reported speech practice
Other readings to confuse you about reported speech:
Edit Exercise (in
e-Learning)
Palin Speech Editing Exercise:
Write 500-word story from speech
Keep in mind the concept of reported speech
Edit another's story
Ensure both the writer and editor's name is on the story
Case
Study: Palin
Speech - The Edited Version (Slug case study blog post Palin Speech.
Discuss this edited
version of
speech. Answer such questions as (but do no restrict yourself to these):
- What are the
problematics of speeches vis-a-vis the reporter and the editor?
- What does this say about
the role/importance of editors/editing in general?
- What things (plural)
have the editor done with this speech.
- Has the editor made it
better. If so, how? If not, why not?
|
FYI:
Career Fair Thursday, March 25
Journalists as Entrepreneurs
Read: (This is FYI - no need to blog on this)
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Week
12
March 29-
April 2
Wednesday
Helpful Editing Sites
|
Work on your Media Ride-Along
ALSO: Be sure to
do the following:
New
Media Tools:
Wordle
Wordle
and Elections
Obama
vs. Bush
Inaugural
Speeches
Wordle Tip
New Media Exercise:
Wordle Your Own Work on Blog and Put on Exercise in e-learning.
Put several of your blog posts together on a Word doc and then Wordle.
Due by April 4 at 6 p.m.
Case
Study
Wordled
Speeches: Slug your blog post Worldled Speeches and briefly talk
about how you might imagine Worldle (or similar text analysis tools)
might be used in doing journalism.
|
Study
Nit Won,
Pearl Too: Homographs,
Homonyms, Homophones, Heteronyms and Stressonyms
Read and Blog No 6 Due by Sunday of Week 13:
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Week
13
April 5-9
Wednesday
Helpful Editing Sites
|
Wordle
Review
Jeopeditry Challenge:
Homographs,
Homonyms, Homophones, Heteronyms and Stressonyms
New
Media Tools:
Facebook
Case
Study Jimmy in e-Learning
- Complete the red flag
assigment and submit it as you would an exercise for grade.
- Post a case study on
your blog re this - after reading the three items slugged Jimmy's World
in e-Learning Case Studies folder.
- Do you see how this
might be similar to bogus trend stories?
- What does this case
studey reveal to be the skills demanded of an editor with everything he
or she edits.
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Read:
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Week
14
April 12-16
Wednesday
Helpful Editing Sites
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Book Report Discussion: Be ready to talk for no
more than five minutes about your book report.
Final Assessment
1. Editing Exercises
2. Short, but thoughtful answers.
3. Close
Editing
Yourself:
Grammar-Writing
Exercise (Two full pages at 1-inch margins in 12 point Times
Roman) Due in e-Learning by end of class. And like everything else,
save a copy in your Gmail account. (Goal:
Assess your writing and grammar
skills & your ability to follow instructions and think critically)
|
Read and Blog No 7 Due by Sunday of Week 15:
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Week
15
April 19-21
Wednesday
Wednesday
April 21 last
day of class |
Readings discussion
Presentations on Media
Ride-Along
Report with a media entrepreneur
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Read But Not Blog This Week:
Continuing Education of the Journalist:
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Lecture:
The Wire
Jeopeditry AP
Access the Wire
Your
newsroom could learn something from TMZ
All department heads prepare daily news budgets—lists
of their major stories for the coming issue. Budgets are discussed at
the managing editor's daily budget meeting.
News Budget 1: Five-story budget
for front page of paper that appeals to students at a Florida
University.
News Budget 2: Five-story budget
for front page of paper that appeals to readers in a small, rural
farming community in Florida.
News Budget 3: Five-story budget for front
page of paper that appeals to readers in a large urban city.
News Budget 4: Five-story budget for
front page of a sports section. Think diversity.
News Budget 5: Five-story budget
for front page of a national newspaper.. Think
diversity.
- Explain why you chose each story
- If there is any art (the page needs some art)
- Possible graphics
- What is lead story?
|
a Swiss Dots production ;
in association with Veer ; a film by Gary
Hustwit ; produced and directed by Gary Hustwit. |
Published: [London]
: Swiss Dots Limited ;
Brooklyn, NY : Distributed by Plexifilm, 2007. |
Summary:
Helvetica is a documentary film about
typography, graphic design and global visual culture...see
more |
dvd |
ARCHITECTURE/FINE ARTS LIBRARY
DVD
|
Z246
.H45 2007 |
Available (3-Day Loan (resv))
|
|