Multimodal Journalism
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
Before we begin, please take this pre-course survey.
Now, ask yourself: where do you get the news?
If you thought about Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, websites, or television, you are not alone. As a modern news consumer, you have probably noticed that your interactions with the news are becoming more and more digital and multimodal[1].
To meet the needs of the changing wants and needs of readers, we will use this course to build upon our basic knowledge of journalism and to explore ways of incorporating multimedia elements into our stories.
Don’t worry! You will still be able to write about what you want; you will just be writing in new and exciting ways. Not only will this be a unique experience for you, this will be a unique experience for our readers. Finalized and approved projects will still be published on uhsecho.com to keep our readers in the loop!
Comment: Where do you get the majority of your news from? What are the pros and cons of this source?
Update: Find an example of a modern news source that inspires you and write a reflection/description of its strengths and weaknesses. It can be a website, blog, Youtube channel, social media account, podcast, anything. Be sure to link to and/or embed your source and include all necessary citations.
Rationale:
This learning module is designed for a second-semester high school journalism class. At this point in the year, my students will be familiar with the basics of journalism: law and ethics, finding and evaluating sources, interview technique, and basic article writing (hard news, features and profiles, reviews, editorials, and sports).
As an elective, this class typically consists of independent learners with strong reading and writing skills (no one who hates writing is signing up for Journalism!). Because of this, I scaffold much less with these students than I would in a typical English class.
Although we produce physical publications quarterly, the majority of student writing is published on our website. Because we are hosted by Wordpress, some of the materials in this learning module are tailored to that platform.
In this learning module, the majority of Updates will serve as opportunities for peer reviews. Unless otherwise stated, students will post their drafts to Scholar for peer comment and review. From there, students will edit and final pieces will be posted on our Wordpress.
Overarching Common Core Standards
Reading
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Notes/Tips:
This learning module will need to be tailored to results from the opening survey. For example, if most students are unfamiliar with iMovie, more class time may need to be spent on the logistics of working that program.
Because of individual needs, this learning module give less information on pacing and structure of daily lessons, but instead focuses on large-picture elements of multimedia journalism.
Additional Resources:
Attached is the Pew Institute Research study on Modern News Consumers. It goes into much more detail than mentioned on the student side and may serve as inspiration if you are looking of ways to adapt this learning module.
Recently, claims of “fake news” have been all over the place. Yet, this is not something that is new. Read the story below of the true history of fake news. Read the article below, noting the timeline of fake news.[1]
As we have read, fake news is not a new idea. Yet, many are blaming the modernization of journalism for its proliferation. As you view the videos below, consider the positives and negatives of a new, modernized news force:
How the 21st Century Changed Journalism:
How to Spot Fake News:
How False News Can Spread:
Comment: Respond to a main idea from one of the videos. What do you think is the role or purpose of journalism in modern society? Is fake news a by-product of digital journalism? What are pros and cons of a more digital system? of digital journalism? What do you think is the most pressing issue with modern journalism?
Update: Find and analyze a fake news story. How are readers manipulated into believing this story is real? What are tells that this story is fake? Be sure to link to and/or embed your source and include all necessary citations.
Rationale:
In modern media, perhaps no term is more popular now than “fake news.” As the public's opinion of journalism is called into question, this is something budding journalists must consider and reflect upon.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
The conversation about fake news can quickly become political as students most associate it with Donald Trump. It is important to utilize students’ inevitable passions about the subject while reminding them that ultimately a journalist’s job is to be objective.
Additional Resources:
The following websites are great resources for your own perusal, but can also help students to develop their ideas in relation to this topic.
Journalism in the Digital Age (a website Stanford about the history and future of journalism and its role in society[1])
The Transition to Journalism (a database from the UC Berkley Graduate School of Journalism that links to a myriad of other studies, stories, and sites about digital journalism[2])
With the internet, the world is at our fingertips. Help your readers by including sources for your articles directly in your story.
Read this article, from Jezebel, being sure to click on each embedded link (there are 12!)[1]
Be prepared to discuss the following in class:
Comment: Why do you think more and more stories are linking to additional sources/resources? Be sure to consider what we’ve talked about in the course thus.
Update: Post your rough draft for peer comment and review. Be sure to include all necessary links, embeds, and citations. As your read and comment on peer Updates, consider not just the article as a whole, but the use of this unit’s media focus.
Peer Reviewers: Be sure to refer to the rubric in your comments!
Rationale:
Embedding sources is one of the greatest parts of modern journalism. Especially today when the veracity or objectivity of so many stories are called into question, directly linking to sources can establish a story’s credibility.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
In my journalism class, we begin each news cycle with a weekly- to bi-weekly “Newsroom” in which students bring ideas for stories. Each student shares topics they want to write about, the possible angles of their pieces, and brainstorm sources to help them reach their goals. At the end of the newsroom, editors assign stories to journalists and they begin working. This structure will continue throughout this learning module. Students will still be in charge of choosing what they want to write about, but they will be incorporating new elements into their stories.
The article I chose in the student side may not be appropriate or engaging for all students, but at the time of this writing, we had recently had a discussion about this in class. The beauty of using digital media is that it is so easy to keep materials current. A quick Google search and you’re there!
Additional Resources:
Read the following study from Pew Research Center to familiarize yourself with the data on social media usage.
Continue to read from a journalist’s standpoint: as a journalist, what can you take away from this data? Be sure to fully explore the data: each section has clickable sub-sections to show more information under the main headings[1].
For our purposes, we will be focusing on Twitter. Watch the following videos and consider Twitter’s role in breaking the news.
Comment: Write about a key takeaway from either the Social Media data or the Twitter videos. What does this mean for modern journalism? What are pros and cons of these developments?
Update: For the next week, use Twitter to write consistent updates about your chosen topic (at least 2 per day). As you proceed, reflect on your practice. What was challenging about this? What did you like about this? Dislike? What would make this experience better? At the end of the week, write an Update reflecting on this practice.
Rationale:
When researching digital media and journalism, social media continually come up. More and more people are reading news through these platforms. As the Pew study (referenced in the Introduction) shows, the younger the reader, the more likely they are to receive news from these sources. It naturally follows that new journalists adapt to this changing landscape.
As the majority of my students are proficient (and seemingly preoccupied!) users of social media, this strategy will utilize their strengths and interests, while helping them to see familiar platforms in a new way.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
Based on your own survey data, this section may need to be adapted to incorporate other forms of social media. Because of discussions with my students, I know that every student in my journalism class uses Twitter, which is why I chose to focus on this platform over another such as Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat.
Additional Resources:
This link contains a list of the best breaking news Twitter accounts as ranked by Mashable[1]. This is an excellent resource for showing students how journalists use Twitter to give the news. In class, I will show these to students to discuss how they give the news and what we can learn from their style and function.
In recent years, podcasts have increased in popularity. For those unfamiliar with the form, below is short video explaining a podcast:
Serial, an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, brought podcasts to an all-time high in popularity. Additionally, this podcast legitimized the form by winning a Peabody Award for it’s innovative telling of a long-form nonfiction story.
So you may be wondering, why are podcasts so popular when we have television? Read the two stories below that explore that concept[1][2]:
Comment:
Update: Post your rough draft of your podcast for peer comment and review. Be sure to include all necessary links, embeds, and citations.
Peer Reviewers: Be sure to refer to the rubric in your comments!
Rationale:
Podcasts have increasingly become more serious forms of journalism, even winning prestigious awards such as the Peabody. Additionally, with the decline in radio as a source of news, podcasts have become more important in broadcast journalism. This gives students the chance to practice “old-school” journalism in a more modern context.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
Audacity is a great free resource for recording and editing audio. See Additional Resources for a tutorial video on how to use this platform.
In my classes, many students consider themselves budding rappers. This is something that could easily be integrated into this unit. Instead of a typical news broadcast-style podcast, students could integrate music and lyrics to tell their stories. Soundtrap is a free resource students can use to create beats for their projects.
For this unit, in addition to uploading their podcasts to our Wordpress, students who are more interested in podcasts or music could also create accounts and upload projects to Soundcloud, a free social sharing site for both music and podcasts.
Additional Resources:
What’s in a Name (a short explanation from NPR on how they were shying away from the name “National Public Radio” as radio becomes more and more uncommon as a source of news and entertainment[1].
Audacity Tutorial:
How to Make a Podcast:
Rubric for Podcasts:
In this unit, you will be using only images to illustrate a news topic of your choice.
Because you will only be using images, it is important to start with a strong idea. Even though we are not writing, you will still need a clear lead, angle, and headline.
As you interact with the texts below, keep these terms in mind. How are the article writing skills we've been practicing still evident in photojournalism?
Is Photography Storytelling?
How to Tell a Story Through Photographs:
Finally, explore these strong examples of photo storytelling[1]. Choose 3-4 to reflect deeply upon before making your admin comment.
Comment: Which photo essay from the website stood out to you the most? What made it a strong piece? How does it incorporate the same elements of storytelling that we use in standard articles? What can you take away from this for your own project?
Update: Post your photo essay rough draft for peer comment and review. Be sure to include all necessary links, embeds, and citations.
Peer Reviewers: Be sure to refer to the rubric in your comments!
Rationale:
Photojournalism is increasingly becoming more popular as people get their news online. Many articles are accompanied by photo galleries that illustrate events being discussed.
This project is also a great way to differentiate for students. Those who aren't as skilled at writing may feel more comfortable expressing themselves through this more creative outlet.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
When asking students to choose a topic for this unit, be sure to highlight that the topic must be practical. A student choosing a world event would not be able to capture images (unless they have planned a vacation!). Instead, ask students to use those types of stories as inspiration. For example: If a student wanted to cover women in the Olympic games, they could instead cover our local university’s or high school’s women’s sports teams. Even more generally, they could record images of women in their communities doing things that they are skilled at.
Additional Resources:
When discussing the role of photojournalism in news, it might be a good idea to discuss the ethics behind the field. The following materials illustrate conflicts that photojournalists may find themselves in:
How to make a photo gallery on Wordpress:
iMovie Basics
As we've discussed in earlier units, television continues to be the most popular form from which people get their news. In addition to television, the popularity of YouTube and Snapchat further highlight how much people love watching video.
To begin, read the following article on the 9 key elements of video storytelling[1].
Next, view the two exemplars of video storytelling from UC Berkley's Graduate School of Journalism. As you watch, think about the 9 key elements.
Comment: Analyze one of the videos in relation to the 9 key elements. What can you take away from these texts as you plan your own project?
Update: Post your rough draft for peer comment and review. Be sure to include all necessary links, embeds, and citations.
Peer Reviewers: Be sure to refer to the rubric in your comments!
Rationale:
Despite the popularity of social media, websites, and podcasts for getting the news, television still remains the number-one format for news.
Because of this, it is important for students to work on broadcast journalism skills in addition to written journalism skills. Although we cannot produce and telecast our stories, we can utilize web-based platforms to accomplish similar goals and practice similar skills.
Objectives:
Additional Resources:
In Scholar, create a work that contains your strongest and weakest pieces from this semester.
For each piece you choose to include, write a rationale for why you chose to include it in your final portfolio (What made it so strong? What made it so weak? Be sure to refer to rubrics and peer feedback in this portion). In additon, include a section for each piece that describes what you learned through creation and revising processes.
Rationale:
I included this portfolio assignment because writers should always be developing their portfolios.
I did not include a peer review of these portfolios as the individual pieces have been finalized. I want students to put their full attention of self-reflection here.
Objectives:
Notes/Tips:
Throughout the unit, we have focused on different multimodal ways of communicating in journalism. With this portfolio, highlight for students the role of hybrid media.
This is also a great opportunity to ask students what they think the future of journalism will look like.
