First Assignment and some other Thoughts

Greetings,

Thanks for clicking on to this.

I want to take this space to clarify what I want for the first assignment and to give you a few links I found to help you get started.

I would like for you to prepare a memo to me identifying and briefly discussing what you see as major issues that should be considered as we plan the department’s online magazine. Examples are in the syllabus. Feel free to use some of those, but if you do, get into them deeper and add subcategories.

Here is a format but you can use your own if you prefer:

Memo to: Professor Jay Rochlin
From: (your name)
Re: Issues for Investigation
Date: January 18, 2006

I’ve identified the following x issues that I believe that the class should research and include in its final report and recommendations to the department for consideration as it launches its online magazine in the fall.

1 --- (Whatever you choose) This issue is important because --------------.
There are several subcategories that also need to be considered when considering (this issue). Those include: xxxxxxxxx, xxxxxxxxxxx, and xxxxxxxx .
I found several sources that address this issue. Just a few include:

(repeat several times with other issues)

Then add something like:

I am quite interested in (the issue of) _________ and, if possible, would like to be assigned this topic as my major research effort for the report.

or

I am interested in learning more about xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxxxxx, or xxxxxxxxx, but would rather serve as part of another person’s team, rather than take the lead myself.

or

Although I think the issues surrounding xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx, and xxxxxxxx, are important, I’d rather not take the lead or even serve on someone else’s team as they consider these subjects.

or

I really don’t have much of a feel for where I’d like to put my time for this project. I’m open to anything. Please assign me to projects where you think I might do the most good or would personally benefit.

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O.K. That’s enough of that.

Here’s what I plan for Wednesday’s class:

1. Go around the class and introduce ourselves to each other.
2. Collect everyone’s correct email addresses.
3. Go around the table and talk about the issues we all identified.
4. Get started on settling in on the issues that will be included in the report (making sure that there is at least one important topic or subtopic for everyone in the class) .
5. Discuss how to set up teams (or if that is even a good idea).
6. Have some discussion about the class and the semester.

Also, I want to set up individual appointments with all of you during the next week or two. I’ll figure out how to do that. Don’t know yet.

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Some random thoughts about the class and the project:

I am excited about how good a job we can do collectively. At the end of the semester I hope to have a thick professional report with all of our names on the opening page as authors. I can’t tell you how impressive that kind of thing will be to a future employer and how much good it will to for the department.

I also see a prototype web magazine that will set the course for the department and future journalism students for years into the future.

And, I hope we will all be experts on at least one topic, near experts on two or three others, and conversant with all the issues involved in online publishing.

My main concern is that only about five or six of you will really get into the project. Other faculty members around campus tell me that happens and that I should just deal with it. I hope you give our project your best shot. It’s more fun for everyone that way and it results in better work for everyone.

Also, one question from last Wednesday’s class kept popping up in my mind. I think it was raised by Patrick. He asked about whether we might do all of this work and have the rest of the faculty just blow it off, or change whatever they wanted. I think the answer I gave in class was fine, but I’ve thought about that question a lot more.

Yes, the faculty together, or the department head, can alter any recommendation we come up with. That’s our/their responsibility as faculty members and professionals. However, if we do as good a job in identifying issues, researching them, and making recommendations based on good solid evidence and reasoning, I simply don’t see that happening.

Say, we have recommendation X in our report and someone says, “I don’t think we should do it that way. I feel my way is better and what the class came up is wrong.” Our response would be something like, “Well, we think your opinion has merit, but we’ve looked into that issue and considered that and many other alternatives. According to Dr. XX at the University of Missouri, Prof. XX in an article for the Poynter Institute, and xxx, editor and chief of the online publication xxxx, our plan to xxxxxx, is the best way to do it for these five reasons.”

Any faculty member would be hard pressed to argue further.

We’ll talk more about this in class. Thanks for bringing it up.

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OK, here are just a three links I though were useful just to get started:

Professor Scadron turned me on to Mindy McAdams. She is kind of an online journalism guru who teaches at the University of Florida. If you get into her site, you’ll find references, readings, and examples of the kinds of things we need to know.
http://mindymcadams.com/

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This is an online publication about online publishing put out by USC’s Annenberg School of Communications.

http://www.ojr.org/

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And, the more time you spend on the Poynter Institute’s website, the better. Here’s a place to get started.

http://www.poynter.org/subject.asp?id=26

Finally, that’s enough.

I’ll see you in class.