As I was just saying in a comment to Leslie's entry, I think the New Media Journalism site needs more information for new journalism majors.
With that said, I think I've come up with part of a solution. I think we should link to a page or a series of pages with articles that have errors, which we write ourselves or which we find from another source, then have the corrected version of the article online with the corrections made explained.
Bad idea, good idea?
Insights?
For Project one in EL405, I'm am proposing an Interactive Fiction game. I'm not exactly sure where I want the game to be set. I have two thoughts, in the classroom (probably 3rd grage) or at recess at an elementary school. The character, I'm not sure yet if it will be a boy or a girl, will encounter different problems throughout the day.
Each of the problems will be a lesson on a principal of Catholic Social teaching (CTS). CTS deals so closely with humanity and daily ethics that I felt an elementary school would be the optimal place to have the game set, since it makes for easy incorporation of CTS. Children learn a lot of the social skills they carry on through life while in school.
The student will encounter his/her peers, a bully, a disabled student, a teacher, somebody in trouble, etc. The player will be prompted to do certain actions when encountering these characters, and if they help the characters successfully, they will learn a new lesson in CTS.
If somebody is unfamiliar with CTS, this game would be an easy way for them to learn the basics. I want to learn how to make a help menu, I'll probably bug Evan for that, incase players are unfamiliar with Interactive Fiction.
Below is a collection of my best blog entries for EL405: New Media Projects.
Coverage, Timeliness, Depth, Interaction:
Koster-
A theory of Fun for Game Design
Wrapping up A Theory of Fun for Game Design
Darby-
Reading Make Amazing Games in Minutes, in Minutes!
McAdams-
Flash Journalism Case Study 2 (The Star Tribune)
Developmental Journal for Project 1:
Project 1: Catholic Social Teaching issue
Xenoblogging:
Amanda Cochran on videogaming for fun
Wildcard:
1. Lab Report: Setonian Sunday's and Freshman Workshop
On Sunday, October 8, 2006, Setonian arts and entertainment editor Stormy Knight stopped by the
Publications Office to copy-edit. “I’m calling my plan of action Setonian Sunday’s,” Knight said.
According to Knight, Sunday’s are going to be her dedicated time to stop by and help out with production,
aside from writing articles and the usual tasks that come with being an editor. “I was able to copy-edit the entire
paper in two and a half hours,” she said.
“I know one day out of the week isn’t much, but it’s better to have one day where I’ll definitely be there than 3
days which I say I may stop by, and don’t.”
"Stormy really made an effort to be in the office. I know it is hard for her because she is a commuter, but she
really came through on this one,” said Leslie Rodriguez, sports editor.
Non-stop copy editing for over two hours put some of the production work in perspective for Knight. “I
usually just edit my own section. This time, I wanted to be able to say that I edited every article in the paper, and I
didn’t realize how long it actually took until I sat down and did it,” she said.
Knight admits she thought most of production was dedicated primarily to the layout, which is an aspect she
has yet to learn much about.
“If every article has to be looked over at least twice, as well as the entire paper after the first corrections are
made, that alone takes days. I now know I can stop by at almost any time in production and there will be something
to edit,” she said.
Time in spent in the office is not all about work for Knight, it’s about sharing the experience with her peers
and friends as well. “I love that we’re able to laugh together even though we’re all stressed out,” she said.
Aside from copy-editing the paper, Knight and news editor Valerie Masciarelli ran a workshop for freshman
Media Lab students on Friday, October 13. “Four freshmen came, and we honestly thought that nobody would
come,” said Knight.
“It's good to see some of our new people coming around to us and taking an interest in copy editing,” said
Masciarelli.
The workshop was on copy editing and Associated Press (AP) style. “We gave them four old Setonian
articles from different sections to edit, then went over the corrections with them,” said Knight.
“I am sure they will take into account what we taught them in the very short hour we spent with them,” said
Masciarelli.
Knight said that her experience with the workshop was similar to that of production in the sense that she
was able to get to know the freshmen better. “I think it is exciting Seton Hill has 6 freshmen majoring in New Media
Journalism,” she said.
“It was also a great opportunity to interact with them and let them know we're nice people and we won't bite
their heads off if they drop by the office during production,” said Masciarelli.
2. Going Live by Philip Seib
Chapter 3- the news filled net
Chapter 5- my blackberry is better than yours
4. Highschool Contact information
Hempfield Area Senior Highschool
(724) 834-2590
Newspaper: The Royal
Advisor: Mrs. Valerio
I love how the chapters in Going Live flow seamlessly together. Chapter five inspired got me thinking about something I wanted to write about in my entry on chapter 4, but merely forgot to.
Cell phones also boosts the popularity of Internet news. I use the Internet on my RAZR just as much as I do on my desktop PC. My phone is way faster than my computer, and way better looking. My monitor is covered in duct tape.
My boyfriend, Nate, and a handful of our friends have Blackberrys. The screens are huge and clear, and Blackberrys are so user friendly. Tons of corporations give their employees Blackberrys, I know the company I work for does. Any time I need to Google something, I reach for Nate's hip where his precious phone sits nestled in a leather case. I use the full keyboard to type my search, and in a second I have my results. It's literally news on the go, anytime.
Why would you want to pay for a newspaper when you can just use your phone? Okay so maybe $250 for a Blackberry is a bit much, but then you can argue whose is better if you get one, like my friends. "Your Blackberry sucks" is a common text message I see. Dorks.
My favorite quote from chapter 5 is on page 122, "The personal computer is moving from desk to pocket."
Boy is it ever. Nate works for T-mobile(yes, they gave him his Blackberry), so I get the latest phone scoops before the phones even hit the market. It's nice to be in the know. Recently on TV I saw a device that displays a digital image of a keyboard on any flat surface, it's totally portable. Just type on the image like a normal keyboard and it relays the information to a number of devices it is compatible with.
Chapter four of Going Live discusses the head to head competition between print papers and online news sources. Personally, I never read the newspaper. I barely ever watch news on television either. I go to the Internet first and foremost, as I'm sure so many people do, for my news. For me, it is just convenient, even though my computer moves at the pace of a dying snail.
I'll admit, most of my television time is usually between the hours on midnight to 3 am, so there's not much news on anyway. If my television is on during the day, it is usually because my boyfriend is playing XBox360 and I'm sitting here at the computer (which is the case at this very moment).
Despite that fact, I don't think newspapers will completely "vanish" as it is suggested in the introductory paragraph to ch. 4. Even though the Internet attracts a phenomenal amount of new users at a countinuous rate, there will always be a number of the population who do not have access to a computer, and rely on print as an additional news source.
Now that I say that, it has me thinking that someday this generation of people who do not have/cannont operate a computer will fade out. I mean, that's just how things should progress, right? I'll always know how to use a computer now. My children will, and their children will. My mom can shop online, that's a start. Even my step grandmother uses a computer, which I have yet to see and I probably will not fully believe it until then.
One question I have is what about the smaller print papers, such as student papers or papers devoted to news by townships? I don't think smaller publications are in much jeopardy because of their intimacy with the readers. I know if I couldn't walk toward the 2nd Maura Lounge and pick up a Setonian on distribution day, it wouldn't feel the same. Smaller publications deal with news that is so closely related to a concentrated area of readers, that I don't think the Internet could compare. The Net is a tool used to reach the masses. The thought of making the Setonian stricly online makes me shudder a bit. It would be a great experiment I think, but something would be missing if we couldn't share the news in print as well.
The Internet does give print a run for the money because of the mass marketing done on the web. Advertisers have much greater opportunity online, which ultimately means more dough for the news organization. Seib explains this on p. 109.
Timelines also comes into play in the online v. print argument. Stories can be updated with the click of a mouse button online. For print, viewers have to wait for the evening edition, or perhaps even until the next day, for any sort of update.
Chapter three of Going Live by Philip Seib praises the Internet as a fundamental news medium. The section I found to be most important was on page 89, under the subheading More than a Delivery System. Seib explains that the Internet allows interaction between viewers and news organizations unlike print and television news. I would include radio on that list, but I feel radio news does allow for feedback more easily through listeners calling in and commenting on the air.
The Internet has been an incredible source for news since its creation because news organizations do not want to be left behind technologically. Millions upon millions of viewers access the Web first for their news, so it would only hurt a news station to not have an official web site.
I can personally relate to this because of the Setonian online. Evan, the online editor, has recently revamped the page, and included a distinct button for "Your Voice." This is where we hope to have Setonian readers give us feedback which we all feel is vitally important to the paper. After all, if you're not publishing what your readers want to see, you're not running a successful publication.
Viewers of television news don't have the ability to reach through the television, and choke Larry King when he becomes irritating, or pat Connie Chung on the head for an outstanding broadcast. Television doesn't allow room for error, when it's live, it's permanent. Seib even explains that corrections made to stories on the air are usually very "haphazardly" done (p. 89) because there is only so much time to broadcast information between commercial breaks, it leaves little room for any additions.
The Internet also allows news organizations to incorporate multimedia tools which allow the user to interact with the news the site is providing. This can be done through streaming video, and most importantly, Flash presentations. Not only are these tools aesthetically pleasing, but the Internet allows news to be updated instantly, thus providing a more timely service.
For New Media Proejcts, project 1 is to create a game about an issue of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) . I wanted to start by actually researching CST first. Below are valuable links I've found
CST deal primarily with the treatment of humanity. I originally stated I wanted to do a Flash presentation on CST, and now I'm thinking of doing an Interactive Fiction game instead. One where the reader must encounter instances of CST throughout the plot and learn the core principals of CST through playing.
I think the main character will interact with several characters- an elderly woman, a bully, a disabled student, etc., and help them in different ways with objects in the game. Every time the player successfully helps somebody, they will be told about a different cornerstone of CST. That's just a rough idea, I'm just typing the thoughts as they stream in.
"If I have to open up a linear Flash file and tweak stuff, that takes time. The tool takes it out of my hands and puts it back into the editor's halds." --Dave Braunger (McAdams 317)
This is the quote that instantly attracted me to case study number 2, Star Tribune Slideshow Tool, in Flash Journalism by Mindy McAdams. I myself am the Arts & Entertainment editor for The Setonian, and by reading this quote I felt I may aqquire personal gain from this particular case study.
I was right, too. A lot of the details in the case study I could relate to from being part of a student newspaper staff, and as a student learning to use Flash. The Star Tribune uses Flash to bring news to their viewers just as so many news web sites do, but they had a problem with only four designers to work on the entire site.
As I'm learning, developing Flash is quick, but it takes time to master in order to execute the final project in a timley manner, AKA as soon as possible in the field of journalism's standards. With only a limited amount of designers, the Star built a template so that more staff members could edit Flash files.
This case study taught me to give the viewerd what they need, be it sound clips to accompany a pictre, or maybe a caption is a better choice- it all depends on the situation. It is a helpful tip for Project 1, for EL405, where I'll be presenting Catholic Social Teaching information in a Flash file.
Also, the Star's Flash presentations are very clean, they use a lot of white. This prevents view destraction, and lets them focus on the most important areas of the slide.
Braunger, a designer for the Star, also cautions the use of flashy transitions. There should be a point to the transition, something for the reader to look for. If there is not, the reader keeps looking ahead instead of focusing on the present slide. Another tip I will keep in mind for Project 1.
I can't wait for today's Flash workshop after reading part of Flash Journalism by Minday McAdams. I'll admit, I didn't really know what to expect while making Flash, but my mind is now at ease.
The book opens up with the design goals of Flash journalism; I now know the different methods of using captions and sound, and how sound and images affect the viewer.
Flash journalism stands alone in the news medium category. McAdams empasizes the effect that control has on viewers; with Flash, the audience chooses what to click and when.
Even though subconciously I knew this information, sitting down with a book that presents these pertinent Flash elements gives me some direction and ideas for our project.
I think I may use Flash for Project one, as I think it will be better for communicating educational information.
Flash Journalism discusses how Flash journalism is a combination of older mediums. I particularly like McAdams's likening of Flash to old projectors, the mouse click being like advancing a slide on a projector, on pg 4.
While reading the case studies, I found the screen shots of the Flash program to be enticing. They looked fairly simple, and hopefully learning Flash will prove as a valuable tool in my career as a journalist. I like to write and create things that evoke emotions in people, and Flash is the perfect tool for doing so both visually and through audio.
I: Useful News Links
I’ve found this site useful because it has a link to journalism resources. The sources include journalism tools from the Committee of Concerned Journalists, a list of good journalism schools, ethics codes, and advice for journalism students.
2. American Copy Editors Society
This is a very useful site that contains links to a multitude of journalism blogs, such as the Writing Coach and Copy Editing Corner. There are also tons of links to tools such as an online spelling test, grammar guide, and links to several style books and dictionaries.
This site is a page dedicated to the work the editors do. It includes stories with real world editors as the sources. Today, the front page articles included headlines like “The Value of Editing” and “The Brains of Reporters, Assigning Editors and Copy Editors.” The site emphasizes the importance of copy editing.
One of the best site’s I have found for the budding journalist. The site’s webmaster, Julian Sher, is an award-winning tv producer as well as an author and internet trainer. Sher shares (no pun intended) tips on how to cover every type of story pertinent in the media, from the economy to the war on terror. Also on JournalismNet are links to job tools and updates on search engine technology.
5. Journalism
Wikipedia has been a Godsend to me ever since I was introduced to it freshman year. This is a great source because it’s not necessarily a teaching of the skills of being a journalist, but rather a write up on the history of journalism. It’s broken down by every type of journalism. The wiki also includes information on the legalities of being a journalist, and segments devoted to both online journalism and the use of blogs as a journalistic tool.
* I found all of these links starting at one site, clicking through, and picking the sites I felt were valuable. I was happy to see when I Googled for ‘journalism,’ some of these sites were on the first page. I just thought that was pretty cool, for lack of a better word.
II. Online College Papers
1. The Gazettehttp://www.gazette.uwo.ca/staff-2006.cfm
The Gazette is published by the student council of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. Given the size of the staff, I’d say it’s an extremely large university; there are at least three editors per section. The first thing that caught my eye was how streamlined the site was. It was primarily white with shades of grey, black, and areas of interest in purple. On the right hand side, a poll, the local weather, date and time, and links to recent articles broken down by section were included. The bulk of the page included vivid pictures with a caption or article snippet, and a link the full article- all front page content from the most recent issue.
The site also included a link to places on campus where the print issue could be found, staff contact information and profiles, a full production schedule (which I would love to be accessible online!) as well as links to advertising information. The site was easy to navigate and professional.
The news content included the local news of London, not only school news, which I found impressive. The A&E section I found to be particularly inspiring, and just the thing I would like to do but was too scared to voice. It included an article on the way scent affected sexual attraction, which was interesting and entertaining. I would love to have this type of editorial in the section. Also, there was an album review, a concert preview, and a preview of a local director’s movie release.
Yale’s student newspaper, The Yale Daily, has done a fair job with the layout for their online version. The header contains links to the paper’s sections, information about the paper, as well as advertising. Two small pictures appear, and news headlines and article blurbs are so plentiful that it makes the home page seem jumbled. Also on the front page are links to the Daily's most read articles (The Gazette had links to their staff’s favorite articles) and archives.
The best part of the front page was the way their Arts and Entertainment, or as they call it, Scene, articles are displayed. There is a box with several tabs that can be clicked, each click automatically takes you to a subsection which contains links to it’s articles.
The content for Yale’s A&E section was also innovative. It is called “Scene- your guide to arts and living.” The sections include Scene cover, Music, Film, Performance, Scenic views (a collection of witty editorials) and Living. One hilarious article I found was about a paid massage therapist who had come to Yale on three different accounts, for $1.50 a minute. I suppose at Yale, this sort of thing is a real possibility, at first I thought I was reading a satire! Students were probably asked a question like, “would you let a massage therapist into your dorm?” The resulting quotes were priceless. In the news was also a mixture of student and national news, mostly on policitcs. One things I noticed, Yale Daily doesn’t use “a sophomore.” It’s “‘10" for them.
III. NMJ site proposals
I think the NMJ page could definitely use informational links to journalists tools and tips, as we’re trying to complete. Also, I think the site could be tied into the school more, perhaps links to the University catalogue descriptions of the NMJ major and it’s required courses. Maybe the site could link to the blogs Dr. Jerz makes for each of his classes as well. A sort of, “What is New Media Journalism” page or blurb on the site would be useful also. I think there should be a short description on the main page about what the site actually is- how it came to be. The Setonian should have a link to their online version, too.
I usually never comment too much on the writing style or format of a text- but Make Amazing Games in Minutes is giving me a little trouble because of the type of learner I am. I like to sit down with a page of directions, "if you want to do this, this is how you do it."
For The Games Factory 2 project, my game is based on the cartoon Family Guy. For the first level, Peter slides up and down the bar catching falling beer drops in the mug he's holding. So far, I have a rough image of Peter moving back and forth, and I've seemed to cease progress there.
I look at Make Amazing Games in Minutes and I become frustrated by the mere sights of paragraphs and Figure 1.whatever. I feel like I read everything and remember nothing. I need to go back and re-read to figure out how to do something.
Instead of plain screen shots, why not make it a diagram? The objects are referred to in the written instructions, but personally it would be easier to look at a diagram and instantly know what the instructions are referring to.
I'd rather just follow a list of directions, step-by-step. I know that's not the concept Darby was aiming for though. I just can't learn software by reading a book. I have to be shown, then do it myself repetitively enough to remember. Sometimes I wish we could contact Dr. Jerz like using the Geek Squad:
It's 1 am and I'm working on my game, Peter is bouncing and shooting beer drops instead of sliding and catching them! Oh no! What do I do?
Call Dr. Jerz. Haha.
I think the Games Factory needs a user helpline. =)
I just haven't quite clicked with it yet the way I did coding Interactive Fiction. I think that's partially to the hours on end Leslie and I spent initially coding it. Plus Inform and GF are two completely different types of sofware.
Is there a manual for the Games Factory, anybody know? Tomorrow's payday and that would be a great purchase and an excuse to get an overly expensive latte at Barnes and Noble.