EL 227 Homework Reminder
I was happy to see all of you (some of you for the first time) in class this morning. I look forward to a stimulating class.
You can find the course website by clicking this link:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227
The easiest way to use the course website is to begin with the "Outline"
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/outline/
Just click on the day devoted to a particular class meeting, and you'll find a list of all the assigned readings, due dates, and class topics scheduled for that day. Here's the link to the first class:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/2005/08/29
Note that the last part of the URL is the year, month, and date. You can go directly to a date by typing it in the URL, or you can click on the calendar.
I won't do this for every class, but here's a reminder of what's due for Wednesday.
First of all, here's is the link to the web page that shows all of Wednesday's entries:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/2005/08/31
1) On Tuesday (tomorrow), watch WTAE Channel 4 local news at 5, 6, or 11. See more details on this page:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/010252.php
2) Also on Tuesday (tomorrow), pick up a copy of the Tribune-Review (free copies are outside the cafeteria; an issue is always on reserve in the library; and they are also easily purchased all over town). I'm asking you to pay attention to certain sections. More details are here:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/010253.php
3) Write Exercise 1. First, jot down a list of ways that the TV news, the print version of the newspaper, and the online version of The Tribune-Review differ. Choose one of those differences, and write a 400-word essay on it. (There were some missing words in the printed description of "Ex 1: Media Analysis" that I handed out this morning... I've corrected the oversight now.) Important details are available on the website – for instance, I want you to bring two copies. I'm not to repeat all the instructions in this e-mail, so be sure to check the website:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/010254.php
4) Read up to page 28 of The Reporter's Notebook. [Note: I mistakenly called it "The Reporter's Handbook" in my e-mail. Sorry. --DGJ] It's a very quick read, and I’m asking you to fill in some of the blanks in the book. More details are available on this page:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/010255.php
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them directly on the course website, or reply to this e-mail.
As I said in class, you will all receive individual weblogs before long. If you've never blogged before, don't worry -- plenty of people in this class are experienced bloggers, and I'll have a set of step-by-step instructions to follow.
Peer Blogging
Recent activity on the blogs of all students in this course. This page will update regularly, though it won't always show the most recent entries. To force an update, post a comment anywhere on the EL227 or the NMJ website.50 Recent Peer Entries
Bethany Hutira on speed-writing
I wanted to share with the class this reflection I found on Bethany Hutira's blog.
BethanyHutira: Speed-WritingI never realized before, but our "Crime Reporting" lab exercise provided me with a breakthrough in crime writing.
Holiday offers reunion for those separated in hurricane
The turkey, potatoes, stuffing and gravy that grace the Thanksgiving table aren't the focal point of the holiday for Ryan Jones.
He's going to spend time with his girlfriend in Richmond, Va., after months of separation because of Hurricane Katrina.
In late August, the 21-year-old Loyola University student shared an apartment with his girlfriend in New Orleans' historic Garden District. Katrina split them up. --Amanda Cochran
Holiday offers reunion for those separated in hurricane - PittsburghLIVE.com
[This is a timely example of a news feature. Note how the first paragraph grabs the reader by defamiliarizing something that will be very familiar to folks today. Then the second paragraph immedially follows up on that by explaining the point of the story.
Very efficient. Very crisp. First the article hooks us, then tells us why we should care, and only then does it start giving the gory details.
Amanda, of course, is The Setonian's News Editor. Good work, Amanda! --DGJ]