Recent posts for Journalism.net
Reblogged: The power of authenticity
This piece was originally published by the Macarthur Foundation on their Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning blog (original link).
One of the things we know about creative thinking is that creative thinkers these days use sophisticated tools: graphic designers use Photoshop and Illustrator, architects and engineers use CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, urban planners use geographic information systems, managers use gantt charting tools, accountants use spreadsheets, and everyone uses word processors, Web browsers, and email.
So it makes sense that to learn innovative and creative thinking, you need to use these tools and you need to learn to use them.
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“Be the Reporter” in minutes
In the journalism epistemic game, science.net, players spend days and sometimes weeks learning to think like reporters by taking on this professional role and writing, and ultimately, publishing stories. So I was a bit anxious when I learned that The Poynter Institute and News University were providing an online game called “Be the Reporter” (BtR) that promised to “help users understand some of the basics” in only 15 minutes! After playing the game a couple of times through (and taking nearly an hour), I’m less anxious and more excited by the interesting design elements built into this intriguing mini-game.
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Cell phones in school? For news?
Over the holidays, the BBC reported that London middle school students are taking part in a BBC project that brings journalism into the classroom. The 8th graders researched local news in daily newspapers and websites, collected interview information with their cell phones’ mp3 recording capabilities, and took photographs with camera phones. Once they had gathered all of their source material, they used technology available in their classrooms to write broadcast reports on deadline and record audio/video the files (mpeg4) for placement on a BBC-affiliated website, School Report.
Wisconsin Science Journal
The Wisconsin Science Journal game – a pre-cursor to the Journalism.net games – was played twice by Madison-area middle school students during the spring and summer of 2004. While playing this series of two 12-hour games, players researched topics of their own choice, interviewed friends or neighbors to learn about their opinions, and wrote two feature stories for one of three desks: Environment, Health, or Technology.
In the WSJ games, we investigated whether the practices of professional journalists could provide a framework for middle and high school students to develop scientific and technological literacies. These games also provided pilot data that helped us build a better 45-hour science journalism game: Science.net.
Neighborhood Net
The Neighborhood.net epistemic game – a civics-based Journalism.net game similar to South Madison Times – will take place in 2007 within the curriculum of an urban charter school. Players who participate will become local reporters, learning the craft of journalism from newspaper editors and reporters – and along the way, they will learn about their neighborhood’s history, values, and issues by interviewing citizens and neighborhood leaders.
