POV X 3: Helping journalism students juxtapose author, actor and audience

Asking journalism students to create stories with a strong point of view means requiring them to do three things at once. Compelling news writing triangulates between the perspectives of author, actor (the person who is the subject of the piece) and audience. This article examines an in-class activity that prompts students to elaborate on a single story from multiple points of view and then reflect on the choices they have made. This mix of creative collaboration and analysis encourages learners to think and act as “reflective practitioners” (Schön, 1983) while trying on a variety of professional identities related to multiple communities of practice (Gee, 2004)

Mentorship Modes: Strategies for Influencing Interactive Learners

In the age of the Internet, students are clamoring for immersive and participatory learning experiences, but how can teachers share autonomy without losing control of their classrooms? In an effort to address this important question, this article suggests three mentorship modes that educators can employ in order to effectively engage with today’s interactive learners. Lecture-based instruction is a single mode form of teaching in which information is disseminated by a lone authority-figure. In contrast, learning-centered mentorship is a three-mode process in which autonomy is shared and authority flows in multiple directions at once: bottom-up (modeling), laterally (collaborating), and top-down (organizing and supervising). This work draws on research and theories related to student-centered pedagogy, as well as the trial and error experimentation of the author and interviews with successful participatory educators working at Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Chicago, a school devoted almost exclusively to problem-based and project-based learning

Thermal Safety of Childrens Outdoor Play Equipment

A literature review looking into the newer field of research in the thermal regulation of children’s outdoor play equipment and its effects it may be causing to the health of children

Designing Journalists: Teaching Journalism Students to Think Like Web Designers

The authors introduced 80 university-level journalism students to a web design program called Klynt and supervised the creation of multiple interactive documentaries. They discovered that fledgling reporters could effectively design interactive media while creating work that reflects their own candid and extemporaneous ethos. Building on the insight that journalism in the digital age must give rise to modified best practices, this study examines the complex production processes from which multiple i-docs emerged. The authors conclude by suggesting four tentative “new best practices” for journalists attempting to think and act like web designers