First Class and First Assignment

Welcome to Publications! I am so sorry not to be in school to welcome you to the class in person. Since I’m not there, you’ll work independently today. If you’re here because you couldn’t get into Google Classroom, please see Mr. Zlomek today for help with that. 

First, if you aren’t sure what the Pebble is, follow this link to see past issues of the magazine, and look around the website. Pay attention to the kinds of stories that have been written and the issues that have been covered. For The Windmill, follow this link to a PDF of the last issue from 2016. 

Then, think about what you want to contribute to either the Pebble or The Windmill, or both. (Everyone will work on the Pebble to some degree; those who are interested may also work on The Windmill.) Is there a specific "beat" you want to cover for the Pebble—arts? sports? school news? student news? something else? Or is there a particular area of the magazine you want to work on—layout? social media and internet presence? copy editing? something else? With The Windmill, do you have an interest in a particular genre of creative writing? Poetry? Personal writing? Fiction? Or are you more interested in the visual arts? Or do you want to handle the design and layout of the magazine? 

Next, write down some specific ideas about how we can make the Pebble relevant and significant for its audience. Be sure to explain how your ideas are significant for the audience. For example, you could write something like, "The Pebble should do a story on . . . because its audience is interested in . . ." (Just as an FYI, the current issue of the Pebble in production focuses mostly on food and politics.)

For Thursday’s class (and you can start working on this today), go to the 2018 Online Journalism Awards, and read any two of the award-winning or nominated stories. Click on the blue “View Entry” button on the left side of the page for the article you’re interested in. The categories below are especially relevant for the Pebble. 

Knight Award for Public Service 

Breaking News 

Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling 

Excellence in Immersive Storytelling 

Explanatory Reporting 

Feature 

Online Commentary

After reading them, answer the following questions for each article and turn in your responses in Google Classroom: What did you think of the article? What, to you, made it a good piece of journalism? (A few well-developed sentences for each question will be sufficient.)

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 21

Look at the article posted below, which we looked at in class, and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of presenting a story in this manner. Think, in particular, of its benefits and drawbacks in comparison to digital news stories that you scroll down to read and printed news stories. How does the subject influence the effectiveness of this format? Can you think of any stories for the Pebble that would benefit from this format?

Arming School Teachers, The Washington Post

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 14

Specify the topic for your first piece, then develop your interview list, and refine your questions for your interviews. Email this to me by the start of Friday's class with the subject line "Pebble homework."

Also, read this article on writing effectively for a deadline.

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 7

First, think about what you want to contribute to the Pebble. Is there a specific "beat" you want to cover for the Pebble—arts? sports? school news? student news? something else? Or is there a particular area of the magazine you want to work on—layout? social media and internet presence? copy editing? something else?

Then, write down some specific ideas about how we can make the Pebble relevant, significant, and urgent for its audience. Be sure to explain how your ideas are significant for the audience. For example, you could write something like, " The Pebble should . . . because its audience is interested in . . ."