Thursday, 3 December 2009

Homework from lesson 3/12/09

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8389896.stm

Read this article. Relate it to any or all of the theories we have studied to explain what implications you think it will have. What do you think the future of online news is, paid or free? Most importantly, why do you think this? What theories/quotes can you use to back your thoughts up. All of your ideas must be backed up by a theory, a quote or some primary research.

Thursday, 22 October 2009

http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/digitalMedia/newsimpact.html
http://www.dailysource.org/about/impact
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/9/0/9/1/p90915_index.html

A few links you may find useful. Try searching for impact of the internet on news, rather than simply online news.

Good book.

A useful book to read for this topic - Andrew Marr, My Trade

Thurs 22nd October

Due to my being absent last lesson, this lesson we will be having the discussion we missed from last lesson, see previous post.

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Lesson Thurs 15th October

Discussion lesson about your findings from last lessons research and your homework.

For each news media consider the:

Advantages
Audience
Reliability
Ease of use
Interactivity
Acessibility
Convergence

Homework: Create a table using the above headings and complete for each media, based on our class discussion.

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Lesson 5 - 8/10/09

Comparing newspapers and the Internet.

Different types of news website, some attached to newspapers (Times, Telegraph etc), others to television (BBC, Sky) others just web (yahoo).
What advantages do news websites have?
Do the audiences differ between the newspaper and the online version?
Does the content differ? Why do you think this is?
Does the audience consume the news in a different way? (non-linear)

Complete the following tasks and write up your findings.

Find a specific article in the newspaper and online - how did you do this? How easy was it?
Find articles related to it
Discuss the articles with other people who are interested.
Research background information about the article
What implications does this have for the reliability of information?

Homework

Interview at least 5 people in detail about their news consumption. Try to choose a variety of people. Make sure that you choose people who do consume news, and a majority that use online news at least some of the time. Write up your findings. Hand in on Fronter by next wed evening please.

Lesson 4 - 1/10/09

Continue with your research on the history of news.

Thursday, 24 September 2009

Lesson 3 24/09/09 The History of News

Research the History of news using the Internet and books. Make notes on your blogs of your findings.

Points to include (this is only a starting point)

What was the first national newspaper in this country?
When was the first news broadcast?
What restrictions were there on this broadcast and why?
What was the first news company to have a website?
When was this?

Create a timeline to show your findings.

Homework

Use a camcorder/mobile phone camera to create a min 2 minute news broadcast that explains how news has developed into what we are used to today. Hand this in on fronter by next wednesday evening.

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

Lesson 2 17th Sept The Pubic Sphere

Powerpoint shown in lesson is in student resources on Fronter

What is the Public Sphere?
How does it relate to web 2.0?

Read essay (student resources, fronter)

On your blog explain what the public sphere is.

Start research for h/w

Homework
Using links provided, essay and your own further research rewrite the essay given to you, considering the advances in web 2.0 technology. Hand in on fronter by next wed evening.

Links
http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/public/summary.html - Very good website with lots of information, use links on left to explore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_sphere
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/papers/habermas.htm



http://www.newmediastudies.com/ - details of a book that you may find useful, try southend library

Thursday, 10 September 2009

Lesson 1 - 10/09/09 - Web 2.0

Web 2.0 refers to webpages where the user can edit the content. This differs to the original static websites that simply displayed information. On the web today users are able to post comments, add reviews, photos and video.

Examples of websites that use web 2.0

Amazon - product reviews
You Tube - User created videos, then other users comment and rate
Social networking sites - Facebook etc
Google Docs - Applications via the web, sharing files, access from any computer
Wikipedia - Anyone can edit articles

Advantages

There are many advantages of web 2.0 over static webpages. User reviews mean that potential buyers can see what others thought before buying. You tube provides a place for people to show their work to an audience, that was previously only available to film studios, as well as allowing family and friends to view home videos. Social networking sites allow people to keep in touch. Google Docs means that people can easily collaborate on work, as well as providing a free version of basic software packages. Wikipedia allows a variety of experts to share their knowledge on topics to create a comprehensive information bank.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
http://www.theory.org.uk/aboutweb2-0.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNXg7Vt-ig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObiWCDqAld0&feature=channel_page

Homework
Read the following article about wikipedia. http://www.theory.org.uk/aboutwikipedia.htm Choose your own example of web 2.0. Describe it, explain it's history, why it is an example of web 2.0, who uses it and why.

Next lesson
Habermas and the Public Sphere