Herbert Lowe | Telling Stories One Tale At A Time
  • SHORT STORIES
  • MY STORY
  • CURRICULUM VITAE
  • #LOWECLASS
  • RESOURCES

Joining With NewsU to Help My Students

9/8/2011

3 Comments

 
Picture
The Poynter Institute's e-learning project, News University, was among the first places I turned to before starting my first semester as a journalism educator in January 2010. (I found great syllabi to pull ideas from at NewsU's syllabus exchange and recommend it to all beginning journalism educators.) Recently, I called Vicki Krueger at NewsU to learn more about how my two digital journalism courses could best employ its offerings this semester. That conversation and subsequent ones with Howard Finberg at NewsU and Diederich College Dean Lori Bergen and journalism department chairwoman Karen Slattery have in a two-week span led to something phenomenal.

Here's what I wrote in my syllabi for my Digital Journalism I and Digital Journalism II courses: "As part of an experimental effort between the Diederich College of Communication and the Poynter Institute’s News University, students in this course will have the chance to earn, along with a grade, a certificate from the nation’s premiere journalism think tank. Poynter says its NewsU certificates help the instructor supplement other teaching material and evaluate each student’s understanding of essential journalism skills and best practices. The custom certificate created by the college and Poynter consists of seven online modules. To earn a certificate, each student must pass the assessments for each of those modules. Poynter describes the assessments as rigorous and designed to test comprehension and not memorization. Earning this certificate will be of immediate value to each student, as it will look great on a LinkedIn profile, especially when time to apply for internships and or that first job after graduation."

My students know a good thing when they see it and are excited about the certificate opportunity. In each class, the initiative is required and accounts for 15 percent of the final grade. While each course will have seven modules formally accessed, I'll also use several other NewsU modules as interactive learning guides during class time. Essentially, the modules serve as textbooks; I lead the class discussion same as with any other online resource.

On Tuesday, both classes engaged in our first module, "Handling Race and Ethnicity." We looked at how we view these critical matters, how and when they should appear in news stories, and describing suspect identification and the way people look. I found it interesting that so many of my students consider themselves German; I wouldn't have suspected the number would be so high just by looking at them – that's part of the lesson, for whomever engages the module, no matter their level of journalism or life experience. What did not surprise me is how seriously my students took to what the module offered, as they definitely seem to care about diversity and portraying people accurately.

I hope to write about this certificate experience in this blog through the semester. Another lesson: don't have the students look at a module on their classroom computers while I'm doing the same from the projector. At least a couple of them will move ahead of the lesson and know the correct answer before I ask for it. Students!

3 Comments
Brynne Ramella
1/18/2012 10:27:45 am

These modules were a little bit tedious at times, but the idea behind them is very good. Very nice that Diederich gave us this program for free!

Reply
Rebecca Hixson
1/18/2012 02:03:32 pm

I agree, Brynne. These modules were very detailed, but I would not have taken as many notes or paid more attention if I had not known the questions would be straight from the module.

Reply
Kaitlyn Farmer
8/29/2012 01:51:43 pm

The modules take up a lot of time, and ask very detailed things. They were very time consuming with all the D2L quizzes you assigned to us this year. I did find them helpful and felt very accomplished when I received my certificate. However, I am not exceedingly thrilled to have to complete another semester of PoynterU.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Welcome

    My journalism DNA remains strong as I learn and teach new ways to tell and present stories, especially via digital and social media. This blog is where I share what happens in my classroom and my life and, from time to time, offer my views on current events. I appreciate your feedback – either as comments herein or in an email to herbert.lowe [at] marquette [dot] edu.

    Tweets by @herbertlowe

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    Branding
    Digital Divide
    Digital Storytelling
    Emerging Media
    Graduate School
    Journalism
    Journalism Education
    Journalism Education
    Live Tweeting
    Marquette
    NABJ
    NewsU
    NNS
    Poynter
    Sports
    Storify

    RSS Feed

© Copyright 2017 Aim High Media | All Rights Reserved | Site Design by Aim High Media