(Update: you may want to read a post I wrote reflecting on my experiences teaching this convergent journalism class in fall 2012; in that post I outlined changes I’ll make to the syllabus next time I teach the class)
Week 1 (8/27): Overview: Multimedia Reporting
Lecture:
- Get to know digital reporting: multimedia package, audio photo slideshow, data visualization, Google map, live blogging, Storify curation
- Twitter 101
Samples/Readings: What is digital/multimedia journalism?
Lab:
- Set up accounts: WordPress, Twitter, Youtube, SoundCloud
- Write/post blog, upload video/audio clips, embed video/audio clips into blog post; tweet on smartphone or computer, follow each other, use hashtag
Week 2 (9/3) Labor Day break
Week 3 (9/10): Writing: Print vs. Web
Lecture:
- Basic print news writing
- Why web writing is different
- Web writing tips on blog, photo caption, headline, and social media
- Writing for search engines: SEO basics
Lab: print/web writing exercises; practice creating/sharing contents for your social media accounts
Reading assignment: Kobre chapters 1, 2
Week 4 (9/17): What makes for good digital storytelling
DUE: Web writing (WordPress post)
Lecture:
- Difference between digital storytelling and regular news reporting
- How to find and evaluate a “digital story”
Reading: Quick guide on Zoom H2 audio recorder
Lab:
How to use digital audio recorder: record audio clips, upload to SoundCloud, embed in WordPress, share to Twitter/Facebook
Assignment:
- Record interviews and nat sound for next week’s editing session
- Read Kobre chapters 3, 11
Week 5 (9/24): What makes for good digital storytelling (continued)
Lecture:
- Successful story topics
- The production process
- How to conduct interviews
Reading: Audacity tutorial
Lab:
- Learn to edit audio using Audacity
- Upload and share edited audio projects
Week 6 (10/1): How journalists use social media
DUE: blog post w/ embedded audio
Lecture:
- Storify and content curation
- Best practices in content curation
Readings:
- The most popular Storify story, with more than 3 million views
- Do’s and Don’ts for using Storify
- 5 “rules” for journalists using Storify
- A structured Storify story about Tend City in Lakewood
Lab:
- Create a Storify story and share it via blog, email, Twitter, FB
Reading assignment: Kobre chapters 8, 9
Week 7 (10/8) Columbus Day break
Assignment: Live-tweet GCU Homecoming ’12 (Thursday 10/11)
Week 8 (10/15): Audio photo slideshow
DUE: Homecoming Storify story
Lecture:
- How to frame shots
- How to take shots in sequence
- What makes for a good audio slideshow
Lab:
- Take photos; record audio
- How to edit/optimize photos
- Learn to create audio slideshow with Soundslides
Readings:
- How to shoot photos for an audio photo slideshow
- Tips on making a good audio slideshow
- Critique: a student slideshow project
- Soundslides tutorial
- Convert your slideshow to video
- Free web hosting of your slideshow
Class discussion: story idea for audio photo slideshow
Assignment: Prepare photos for next week’s production session
Week 9 (10/22): Audio photo slideshow (continued)
Lab: Continue working on audio photo slideshow: shoot, edit, share
Reading assignment: Kobre chapters 10, 13
Week 10 (10/29): Online video storytelling
DUE: Slideshow project
Lecture:
- What makes for a good video narrative
- Field video production basics
Lab:
- Video editing using iMovie
- Shoot b-rolls, interviews; edit, upload, and share
Class discussion: story idea for a video story
Readings: Sequence & variety shooting in video storytelling
Reading assignment: Kobre chapters 5, 6
Week 11 (11/5): Online video storytelling (continued)
Lab: Continue working on video story: shoot, edit, and share
Week 12 (11/12): Data visualization
DUE: blog post w/ embedded video
Lecture: What is data visualization and data journalism
Lab:
- How to create a basic interactive Google map
- How to create interactive data viz using Infogr.am
- How to use Wix to put together a multimedia content package
- Create an interactive map using Google Maps
- How infogr.am visualizes a data set
- Use Wix and ImCreator to create a multimedia story package
- Updated review of Wix and ImCreator
Week 13 (11/19): Work Day: Wix multimedia package
Put together your first multimedia package using Wix. The package should contain: Audio clips, photo slideshow, audio slideshow, video story, map, data viz
Class discussion: Final project ideas
Reading assignment: Kobre chapters 14, 15
Week 14 (11/26) Additional topics in digital journalism
DUE: Wix package; blog post w/ embedded Google map
Lecture:
Impact of digital technologies on the journalism profession
Law and ethics issues for digital journalists
Introduction to emerging topics in digital reporting
- advanced data visualization (Google fusion table; Tableau)
- mobile new gathering and reporting
- mobile live streaming
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy
- interactive timeline
- creating infographics
- Coding for journalists (HTML/CSS/javascript)
- Other emerging digital reporting tools
Week 15 (12/3): Work on final project
Week 16 (12/10): Work on final project
Week 17: Final project due