AConversation Editorial Handbook

Start Here

Dear Class,

The remainder of the course will be built around a single project, an article for a class publication called, AConversation.

Our course publication is modeled on TheConversation.Com and to Vox.Com, two sites that specialize in explanatory journalism.

In this unit, we’ll explore the creative and critical potential of digital media to bridge an academic and general audience. You will create, write for and edit an article that combine audio, vsual, and textual elements.

Learning Outcomes

You will

Be able to use a critical, rhetorical approach the content and design of online texts
Identify an issue in terms of its timeliness
Identify a conceptual or practical problem in terms of its “so what” value to a potential audience
From a conceptual or practical problem in terms of a disruption to the status quo and the costs and consequences of the that disruption
Be able to identify audio, video, textual and graphic forms and how they serve communication in a multimodal text
Use a critical rhetorical approach and knowledge of multimodal texts to design and compose their own online publications
Draft, write, plan and revise an article that bridges academic argument and a general audience in an digital environment
Create visual and audio elements that complement a written text
Integrate credible research into your article

The course guide you are reading is like a textbook– we will not be using every section, only those assigned.

You’ll be finding most of what you need in the course guide, however, you’ll be invited to the following:

A course site where you will blog
A google folder which makes it possible for me to link certain kinds of material and make them available to you
MyCourses, which will host our discussion boards

The first days of class help you get acquainted with the kind of project we will be doing and familiarize you with the digital platform we’ll be using, Atavist. Then, by the beginning of next week, you’ll be diving into the creative work. But I’ve found it’s best to make sure everyone understands the moving parts first.

By Monday, you will be using our textbook. It’s important that you have it. The book is called The MultiMedia Journalist: Storytelling for Today’s Media Landscape by Jennifer George-Pallilonis.

Since we’ll be working with technology and since some of you will be new to online classes, expect glitches and hitches. Don’t get stressed. Contact me immediately, though, and we can sort things out. I read email throughout the day. If you email me after five, I’ll respond the following morning. Always make a leap though. Unless you’re unable to do an assignment, take your best shot: it’s better to show what you understand. It makes it easier to help. Likewise, if you’re confused about an assignment, don’t simply write “I’m confused”. Instead, tell me what you think the assignment asks of you and how you intend to approach it. Most of the time, you know what you need to do, but may feel unconfident about your choice. In any case, if I know what you understand, then I can help you out. If only know that you feel confused, I won’t know where to start.

To start, please read the syllabus and visit our schedule. You’ll find the work you need to begin to find your way assigned in the schedule. Follow the schedule carefully and please, send me any questions as you have them.

Best,

Robert

rdanberg@binghamton.edu

What is AConversation.Com

About AConversation

A Conversation (aconversation.com) is an independent, nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis, authored and edited by for the general public. We publish short articles (1000 to 1250 words) by undergraduates on timely topics related to their research. Our mission is “to promote truthful information and strengthen journalism by unlocking the rich diversity of academic research for audiences across America.”

We specialize in “explanatory journalism”. As described on Vox.com, a similar publication,

We live in a world of too much information and too little context. Too much noise and too little insight. And so Vox’s journalists candidly shepherd audiences through politics and policy, business and pop culture, food, science, and everything else that matters.

What is we looking for in an article?

We react to the news with expert analysis and help set the news agenda with ideas originating in academia.

Our editors consider four things in a pitch:

Is it of interest to a general audience? Our articles are read across the United States and
internationally by non-academics. What does a lay person want or need to know?
Is the idea timely? Timeliness can mean many things: new research, analysis of something in the news, commentary pegged to historic anniversaries. Why should a reader care now?
Is the writer doing thorough and credible research on the topics they are writing about?
Can the academic cover the topic in 1,200 words or fewer? Our articles are not comprehensive, but rather make critical points that the public needs to be aware of.

Who are our editors/writers?

You and your classmates will divide into section editorial teams to pitch to and develop articles.

In your editorial group, you’ll help your colleagues develop there ideas and their stories. You’ll read submissions to provide feedback as part of the revision and rewriting process.

The editorial process is a collaborative one. You will develop your proposal with an editorial group for your specific section. You will submit your proposal to your group and to the editor-in-chief, Robert Danberg. Once your proposal is approved, you’ll work with your sections editors to establish the angle and structure of thepiece.

In the final weeks of the semester, you will help to line edit pieces for clarity and accuracy. Each piece is read by a second editor and copy editor before publication.

Why write for AConversation?

AConversation is meant to bridge the world of academia and a general readership who view the problems our world faces as ones best faced when people collaborate to the solve them. While readers may not always agree with one another or the writer, they value thorough, well-researched pieces that raise or confront issues in the spirit of productive disagreement.

How To Write For A Conversation

If you can answer the “why should we care?” question well, it will greatly improve your chances of an effective article.

Process

You’ll submit your article in stages. First, you’ll submit a preliminary pitch through the pitch form. You’ll receive feedback from your colleagues and the editor-in-chief. Your preliminary pitch will be followed by a form proposal. Comments on your proposal will help you compose your article, which you’ll submit for feedback.

Form and Format

Conversation articles are 1000 to 1250 words long. Each article consists of four elements,

Headline
The article text
A chart that supplements the article and can be read separately from or alongside the article. You may include additional multimedia elements
An audio element that explains and contextualizes the chart.
Embedded links that take readers to articles or other material you refer to
A works cited section in MLA format
Usually the article text is roughly 900 to 1000 words and the audio element is 250 to 350 words.

Referencing

If you make contentious statements, please back them up with research. The same goes for facts and figures. We provide references with online links that readers can click on, preferably to full research papers, but to abstracts or news stories if the full

paper isn’t available. You’ll embed links and include an MLA style works cited section at the end of your article.

How to end

The last sentence should aim to summarize or reiterate the point made in your opening paragraph. Or you can just raise the question of what should happen next. Check to be sure you’ve stayed within the agreed word count.

Headline tips

Your fellow editors will help you write a headline, but if you want to do a first draft, the following tips can help:

Keep your headline simple and direct – it should be seven to 10 words at most, with the most relevant and important words at the start.
Avoid puns and “smart” headlines, unless it suits the story. Instead, aim for an accurate and engaging label that neatly summarizes the content.
Names of people, things and places are good. Don’t abbreviate these.
Aim to employ active verbs, which lend muscle and emphasize the “actor” in the story, e.g., “Aspirin cuts cancer risk” or “WikiLeaks reveals flaws in government legislation.”
Think of ways to distinguish your article. Does it answer an important question? Would you read it? Remember, you are writing for an online readership. Ask yourself what keywords you would use in a search to find your story. Assuming you find it, would you then feel compelled to read beyond the headline? If not, try again.

Writing tips

Work hard on the first paragraph to grab the reader’s interest. Start with a short, sharp statement of the article’s essential facts, in no more than two sentences. Start with what’s new, relevant, or surprising. Readers want to know Five Ws: who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes how. The first few paragraphs of the article should make your main point and/or address what questions you’re exploring in the piece and why it’s important.

Make a brief sketch of your main points and stick to them. Put the most important information first. That allows readers to explore a topic to the depth that their curiosity takes them (not everyone reads to the end).

Tone

Write how people talk. A person should never “disembark from a vehicle” when they can “get out of a car.” Explain complex ideas. Don’t get too technical. Avoid jargon.

Author Profile

Your article will include a brief author profile, fifty to seventy-five words.

Embedded Multimedia: Samples and Examples

Embedded Multimedia

Your article in AConversation is an example of embedded multimedia.

In this form of storytelling, there is a main story, usually text, told in a linear fashion, and with multimedia elements integrated into the main story so they’re viewed at appropriate points in the narrative.

The multimedia usually is embedded in the story rather than being pushed to the side. Thus the multimedia is designed to be viewed while the story is being read, not afterward.

The result is a more seamless transition between text and video or graphics and back to text, with the multimedia a part of the narrative, rather than separated out.

(https://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/taxonomy-digital-story-packages/)

Samples and Examples

Sample Expert Requests

From TheConversation.Com

Reading and Writing an Expert Request. Listen to this recording before your read the requests below and take your project notes. Here is a transcript of the recording: Reading and Writing an Expert Request.

TheConversation.Com, the publication we model ourselves after, makes expert requests. If you look at Binghamton’s Dateline, you’ll see them posted regularly. Faculty scan them for a fit, then pitch an article to the Conversation if there is a fit between the request and the faculty member’s expertise.

Here are a list of recent expert requests.

1. Low-dead volume syringes and Pfizer: The honeymoon between makers of vaccine and providers and patients couldn’t last. Now that a sixth dose of vaccine has been found thanks to a low-dead volume syringe, Pfizer is changing its stance on how many vials of vaccine it is going to deliver to the U.S. This is already causing fear and dread among oldsters waiting for their second or even their first dose. What does this mean for vaccine distribution in the U.S. and also going forward? Not everyone is using the syringe that allows for six doses, for example.

So how do Pfizer and the U.S. come to an agreement on dosing and vials?

2. Filibuster history: As the Senate grapples with calls to eliminate or keep the filibuster, we’re looking for a history of this procedure in the Senate, including notable examples of its use. We’re not looking for an argument about whether to keep or get rid of it.

In case you missed it, we are still chasing:

3. Hank Aaron’s death: Baseball great Hank Aaron has died. There are going to be many obituaries, so we’re looking for a scholar who has studied and written about Aaron to write a short article about *one* aspect of his life or legacy that might get overlooked or underexplored.

4. Rate of spread of new COVID variant: We are looking for an epidemiologist or other expert who can do a short interview explaining how much faster the new COVID-19 variant(s) can spread, when they can expect to see a rise in cases, and what can be done to reduce its spread.

5. Getting vaccines moving: We’re looking for a scholar/s to discuss innovative ways states are organizing and carrying out the vaccination of their populations against COVID-19. This could focus on one technique being used now or it could take a broader approach.

6. Percentage of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with long term symptoms: We’re looking for a researcher who can write about the prevalence of long-term symptoms in COVID-19 patients, specifically referencing this paper that found that 76% of hospitalized patients still had symptoms after six months:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32656-8/fulltext

. Other papers/perspectives on the same topic are welcome.

7. Black History Month: As Black History Month approaches, The Conversation US is looking for scholars with new or interesting angles on Black HIstory that deal specifically with education. Don’t hold back on ideas. From desegregation to the early years of Black sororities, from whitewashed textbooks to Black student activism from years gone by, we’d like to hear your best pitches for stories that illuminate aspects of Black history in education that are often overlooked.

8. Chinese New Year: We are looking for a scholar to do a short interview for our Curious Kids series about what Chinese New Year is, why it’s different from the Jan. 1 new year and how it’s celebrated around the world.

9. Defense Production Act: President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan includes using the Defense Production Act. We’re looking for a scholar of history, policy or law to discuss what type of production the Defense Production Act is most useful for and what it might look like in practice for COVID-19. Have there been drawbacks for quality in the past?

10. History of the Indian dosa: In a viral video, Vice President Kamala Harris cooked cooked this traditional Indian dish. We are looking for a food historian to explain the history of the dosa and its cultural significance.

11. Longevity research – senolytics: We are looking for a researcher working in senolytics to give a brief introduction to the field. What are senolytics and how do they work? Can you explain the biological process of senescence and how it relates to aging? What is the status of the field: What results have been achieved, what still remains unknown, what challenges are you facing? We are not looking for a hype piece about anti-aging wonderdrugs, but a realistic and informative explanation of this interesting science.

12. A COVID-19 Valentine’s Day: For Valentine’s Day, we’re looking for scholars who have done empirical research on romance/relationships during the pandemic to write an article about their work and what they’ve found.

13. Sequencing new viral variants: Iceland is sequencing all SARS-CoV-2 viruses to monitor and combat emerging variants. I’m looking for a scholar to explain why the U.S. isn’t doing this and what it would take to implement this in the future.

14. Why do we sneeze?: For our Curious Kids series, we’re looking for a scholar who can simply and engagingly answer this question posed by a child but wondered about by people of all ages. Here we are looking for biological reasons that people sneeze? And why does this sometimes happen in weird circumstances like exposure to bright sunlight?

15. What was the Great Awakening and are we seeing it again?: We are looking for scholars to describe the Great Awakening, a religious revivalist movement, and whether we are seeing it in a different way at this time.

16. Internet cookies: We now see an annoying pop-up everytime we visit a new website to ask for permission to use “cookies.” But what are these pop-ups asking for? Why are we seeing them now? How important is it to pay attention to these pop-ups? And what should one do to ensure their data is safe and private?

Instruction Manual Notes

When you take notes, you read with a purpose in mind, so your note taking should serve that purpose.

The notes that you’re taking have a practical purpose: you have to write an article. You need to have a clear sense of what you’re being asked for. This approach will be useful to do in professional and academic settings alike. Often, you’ll be asked to write memos, produce reports, legal briefs, social media content according to very specific guidelines. You want to collect enough information so that you can answer these five questions:

What I am being asked to do?
How is it like something I’ve seen or done before?
How is it different than what I’ve seen or done before?
What will I need to learn to do it?
What questions do I need to answer?

Instructions:

In your project notebook, label your notes Instruction Manual: Name of Reading and date them.

You want your notes to be clear and concrete. Remember, your purpose is to be able to answer the questions above. Make a list of items– imagine these items were for a future self, one who only will want to refer to the reading for further clarification.

Choose items based on their significance to you
Be concise and direct
If you use any special phrase directly from the reading, put quotes around it
Define terms you use that might be unfamiliar
Note questions and things you are reminded of
Use examples if they are helpful

Research Blog

Overview:

You will post your research blog entries on the site where you entered your introductory blog post.

Given the short time we have together, we need to dive into the process pretty quickly, so you’ll be reading story packages and about them, as well as learning the components of the final package as we go.

But everything (everything!) depends on the content, your mastery of it, and your point of view. To a reader, the rest will appear as window dressing if there isn’t an authoritative writer who has command over subject matter.

How does that happen– read and write? No shortcuts. But it would be a mistake to decide “Hey, I did X. I did that in my thus and such class.” OnTime, as a journal, has a specific editorial purpose and point of view. Have a quick look at Vox’s Show Me the Evidence page and some of the other stories there to get an idea of what that means: the audience comes for something, expects to find that something, and expects that Vox will do what they say they will do.

Instructions: Step one? Re re-read the assignment sheet for the Exploratory Story package. Read the whole thing. Note that it’s all about Now. All of the issues listed have been in the papers for weeks. Remember, though, these are topics. You’re looking for an angle on them, which means you need to read widely and deeply.

You can do something different, of course, but if you are, you’re going to have to do what the authors of the Show Me the Evidence pieces do. They demonstrate that these are questions people want sorted.

For Monday, July 10, you’ll return to our site and post three separate posts on three articles you find on topics drawn from the assignment sheet that might interest. You can do more than one topic or the same one. I want you to start with the the publication on the day you search. For example, if you look at the NYTimes on July 8, see what’s in that issue. Then search with in the publication for the previous days. If you’re not sure how to search, I urge you to find resources online to help. For example, google “how do i search the ny times this week?” and see what you find.

I want you to start with the following publications before you start googling around.

Vox.Com
Pro Publica
The Guardian
The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
The Washington Post

Create Your Annotation:

Go to the site. In the subject line, put the name of the topic. The topic for this source is: Should the federal government subsidize college?

In the entry itself, start with the citation information and a link to the article. The annotation should be between 125 and 175 words. It should give background on the place the source is published, the author, in two or three sentences describe the major points made by the piece, indicate why it’s a credible source, and describe its value to your work. You’ll find an example of the format and how to write the annotation below and on the site. Notice that at the bottom, I’ve listed “Tags.” Google sites doesn’t use tags, however, if each of us lists tags at the bottom of our own entries, we’ll be able to use the “Site Search” function to comb through the entries.

Leonhardt, David. The Upshot: College for the Masses. New York Times, 24, Ap., 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/upshot/college-for-the-masses.html?_r=0 Accessed: April 17, 2017.

The “Upshot” is a regular column in The New York Times. The writer of the piece, David Leonhardt, edits the column. The piece explores several questions about how much the United States should commit to subsidize college educations so that it can answer a larger question, “What kind of support enables ‘at-risk’ students to succeed at four year institutions?” Rather suggest that college “isn’t for everyone,” the data in the piece cites suggests that a college supports greater income and employment. Data suggests that the US should invest more in community colleges. The piece contains data on cut-offs for college students and the effect of cut-offs on graduation, as well as graduate rates, employment rates and income for graduates from credible researchers from Harvard and the College Board, as well as quotes from expert scholars from places like MIT. The article provides me with information to help support my argument that we need to support at-risk student’s efforts to achieve a college education.

Tags: C

Research Blog: Source Evaluation

Source Evaluation

Overview: The sources you use for background need to be credible. Below, you’ll find resources to help refresh your memory of how to determine a credible source. Each of the sources must meet the criteria below. Please review the linked page: CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation.

Summary of the CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

Credibility Trustworthy source, the quality of evidence and argument, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source; a source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.

Accuracy Up-to-date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday); a source that gives the whole truth.

Reasonableness Fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably; a source concerned with the truth.

Support Listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made; a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it).

Task: Using the criteria above, compose an annotated bibliography that evaluates the criteria for three sources you might use for your digital essay. The annotation should be between 125 and 175 words. It should give background on the place the source is published, the author, in two or three sentences describe the major points made by the piece, indicate why it’s a credible source, and describe its value to your work. On the following page, you’ll find an example of the format and how to write the annotation.

Example of an Annotation

Leonhardt, David. The Upshot: College for the Masses. New York Times, 24, Ap., 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/upshot/college-for-the-masses.html?_r=0 Accessed: April 17, 2017.

The “Upshot” is a regular column in The New York Times. The writer of the piece, David Leonhardt, edits the column. The piece explores several questions about how much the United States should commit to subsidize college educations so that it can answer a larger question, “What kind of support enables ‘at-risk’ students to succeed at four year institutions?” Rather than that suggest that college “isn’t for everyone,” the data the piece cites suggests that a college supports greater income and employment. Data suggests that the US should invest more in community colleges. The piece contains data on cut-offs for college students and the effect of cut-offs on graduation, as well as graduate rates, employment rates and income for graduates from credible researchers from Harvard and the College Board, as well as quotes from expert scholars from places like MIT. The article provides me with information to help support my argument that we need to support at-risk student’s efforts to achieve a college education.

Research Blog Feedback

Overview: Think of this as a virtual editorial workshop. Consider your feedback to have the following goal: to reflect back to the writer possible lines of inquiry and interesting stories. Our goal as a group is to sharpen our approach to the work we’ll publish and to support writers in their efforts to produce good work. In this kind of meeting, the goal is not to critique, but to reflect back to the writer what strikes you as fruitful in their approaches, to offer topic knowledge you might have or suggest lines of inquiry you think might help the writer accomplish their work. That last bit is key: you want to help them find their own work, not imagine what they might do if they were you.

Instructions: In the Research Blog, read your classmates entries. They may only have posted three at this point since the Friday entry is not due until 11:59 pm. Choose two classmates entries to read closely (skim them all to make sure you have something to say). At the bottom of their pages, in bold face, write a paragraph long letter along the lines below. You can respond to someone else’s letter, too. If you find that someone already has two letters from classmates, move on to someone else. The limit per person is two.

Thinking like an editor: What interesting stories come to mind when you read their entries? Editors think about their audience’s interests and make suggestions based on their knowledge of the writer’s area of expertise and their own understanding.(which in our case, would be the kind of audience that reads publications like The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times– educated, whether formally or self-educated, up to date on political, social, and cultural events and trends. Don’t mistake this characterization to mean they are knowledgeable on all issues, just open to reading about many different kinds of events and issues). Try to cite specific elements that you see.

Thinking like a colleague: Suggest sources or ways to think about the topic that might supplement your colleague’s work. In this respect, you don’t want to take the approach of correcting colleagues. You want to share knowledge, point out places they might look for information, or suggest ways you might think about the things that interest them.

Length: 50 to 125 words.

Format: Put the letter in bold face. Start as you would a letter– Dear So and So. End with your name, as you’d sign off an email.

Reflection: Story Analysis

Analysis Assignment

Overview

Your Reflective Essays for the the first two weeks of the assignment sequence will have looking closely at how the pieces in TheConversation.Com are written. Something that you should keep in mind is that your professors write for TheConversation. I spoke withe one of the editors for the site and he was very clear: your professors find the process of writing like pieces like this a challenge. They are used to writing for peer reviewed academic journals.

Two readings will help you with your analysis, “Writing” from The Multimedia Journalist and “From Questions to Problems” in The Craft of Research. “Writing” is linked in the assignment schedule. You have purchased The Craft of Research for class. These two selections will help you figure out what to pay attention to in your reflection. While you are not writing your article as a reporter and the articles you’ll read are not written as news reports, much of what you’ll find in The Multimedia Journalist will help you write your piece.

Before you write your Reflective Essay, be sure to complete project notes on the piece.

Purpose Of This Document

You’re producing a report, which means you’re telling me– and your editorial group mates– what you’ve found in an article so that you can learn to write one for yourself. Expect that you’ll be discussing what you’ve learned with your group. As a writing group, you’ll help one another figure out how to approach your own projects.

Format

Times New Roman, 12 point Type
Single spaced
No heading necessary
Title should be on the first line. The title should be the name of the article, centered, and underline.
After the title, skip two lines and begin the report
Length: 300 to 400 words

Instructions

Use the following sections. The headings in bold face below should be bold faced headings in your report.

Author Ethos

Briefly describe the author’s background– one or two sentences. Answer the question, “Why is the author an authority on this subject?”

Content Summary

Describe central question you think the writer answers, the writer’s “angle” and how how you think the writer answers the question, “Why should readers care.” and the kinds of evidence the writer uses. To help you, read pages 112 to 113 of “Writing” from The Multimedia Journalist. Pay special attention to the sections “Establish Your Angle,” “Stay on Point,” and “Provide Context.”

In the opening of from Questions to Problems (before 4.1 starts) the writer introduces a “Three-step Formula” that includes “Topic/Question/Significance.”

Pretend you are the writer and use the formula to write a “Topic/Question/Significance” sentence.

Main Points

Bullet points are okay. List the writers main points. Think back to the “Says” or “Says/Does”. You might go paragraph by paragraph to identify what you think the author’s main points are. You might look at the section “Organize paragraphs in order of importance” in “Writing” (p. 113).

Describe the Narrative

Refer to the section “Establish a Fluid Narrative” in Multimedia Journalist “Writing” (p. 112 to 113). By story, or narrative, we don’t mean the kind of chronological accounting you’d see in a a piece of fiction. Think more in terms of “How is it told?” or “How does the writer set up the flow of things for the reader?” or “How is are the writer’s main points developed?” Think back to the “Does” part of “Says/Does”. Paragraph by paragraph, or section by section, how does the writers tell us the story of their ideas and main points?

What does the writer think the audience knows?

Briefly describe what you think the writer anticipates about the readers knowledge of and attitude toward the subject is. Be sure to give an example or two that supports your answer.

How would you describe the author’s stance on the subject and the author’s voice?

In a few sentences, tell us what you think the author’s attitude toward their subject is. Describe the author’s voice. Include an example or two that supports your answer.

Lead Paragraph

Describe the writer’s approach to the first paragraph, or lead.. What strategy does the writer use and what information does the writer include to get the readers attention. Page 109 to 112 (through the end of the heading “Quotation” will help you with this.

Is it a Research Problem or Practical Problem?

In From Questions to Problems, the writers define two kinds of problems, Research and Practical. Pay attention to 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2, 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.

The writer of the article framed a problem and addressed it. Do you think it’s a research problem or a practical one? Use the terms that you find in “From Questions to Problems” to explain your reasons.

Exploratory Story Package Assignment Sheet

Assignment Overview

You’ll be creating an “Exploratory Story Package,” which you’ll research and write over the next five weeks. It’s by creating this story package that you’ll learn how to create a digital text using images, text, and sound combined in different modes, to tell the story of a problem to an audience.

As a class, we’re going to create a publication using the digital publication platform, Atavist. (Over the first days of class, you’ll be learning how to work with Atavist by setting a Project Journal in Atavist where you’ll post some of your course work).

The publication we’ll create is called “On Time”. In this publication, the audience finds multimodal articles (what we, behind the scenes, call an exploratory story package). In Atavist, a page is called a “Section”. Your story package will comprise a section. The articles covers issues that are in the news now, but that the audience might find hard to understand or difficult to research. Our approach is to present audiences articles that explain and inform, by writers passionate about issues with a stake in them.

1,250 word textual element (that’s approximately six pages, typed, double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman) with links to other texts and definitions of concepts
A digital essay (250-350 words of text with no more than 10 slides)
Infographic
Graphic elements, such as a slide show, graphics you did not create but found in other sources, and images

Models

Here are models for the text you’ll create.

Topics:

Our time is so short that a long period of exploring issues that are important to you in particular– which often takes time to brew– can be for some of you impractical. As is the case with publications, On Time is interested in certain issues, although you are free to pitch your own. Something to keep in mind though is that, even in the case of these topics, you’re going to have to find an angle you think interests the audience. Your piece has to get people’s attention and keep their attention– a report or summary will fail to do so. We are not creating annotated bibliographies or research reports.

Below are topics that interest the publisher of OnTime:

Opioid Epidemic
The Future of Medicare
Crises or Issues that Face States that Already Legalized Marijuana
The Current State of the Travel Ban
The Issue of Cultural Appropriation
Amazon as a Commercial Entity: Why does it matter
A piece on a specific city, town or region that illustrates some broader trend important to the country
North Korea’s Military Capability
The Health Safety Net and Mental Health Treatment
New York State’s Proposal for Free Tuition
Gerrymandering and the Supreme Court
Women in the Tech Industry
Germany’s Current Political Relationship to the US
NATO
City Funded Local Sports Stadiums
Charter Schools
You are free to propose a topic of your own, but are just as welcome to choose among those above.

The Role of Research:

OnTime, the publication we’ll be making, sees itself among the same family of publications as Vox.Com, TheAtlantic.com, The New York Times and Aeon when it comes to exploratory story packages. They rely on the most current information, the most qualified and considered opinions, and a mix of scholarly and non-scholarly, but credible resources. It assumes writers have the capacity to assesses the validity of resources– the editorial board of OnTime, of which you are a member, will do the same through peer feedback.

Over the next several weeks, you’ll take your research through several stages appropriate to your place in the writing process. You can think of roughly four stages:

Identify a Topic: You begin by reading among two to four possible topics to identify the one you’ll focus your effort on.
Find an Angle/Make a Proposal: Once you identify your topic, you’ll look for an angle. Your work reading other published exploratory story packages will help you figure out what we mean by “angle.” You’ll be trying to figure out your focus, the question you’re trying to answer for the audience that you know matters to them and can motivate your piece.
Develop Expertise/Further the Focus: Through this part of the process, you develop your understanding of the issues, how it’s discussed, and what makes your angle rich and real for the audience. You’ll be coming up with plans and drafts at this point.
Subtract/Add/Integrate: Your focus is on writing and planning. You begin to draft the piece at this point, to integrate your sources into the writing, looking for additional sources if you need them and dropping what doesn’t work.

Number of Sources

By the time you complete the project, you’ll have at least seven sources cited as part of the final project.

Type of Sources

Paramount is credibility. You’ll likely find you need to use, however, some combination of government sources, scholarly sources, and general sources depending on what you need to do in your piece. I’ll be assessing your sources as we go and offer you direction.

Form of Citation

You’ll cite your sources in two ways, In-text Links and Works Cited.

In-Text Links

In text you’ll link appropriately within the document, which you’ll see in your reading of similar texts is how work is cited in general readership publications.

Works Cited

You will also create a works cited document using MLA Format.

Elements of A Story Package

Rdanberg

The Elements of Your Story Package

1. Point of View

What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author? Point of view is an angle on things, an attitude or stance, toward the subject. It should be strong and clear and reflected in the angle of vision you provide the reader.

2. A Dramatic Question

What is the key question that keeps the viewer’s attention and will be answered by the end of the article. This is the compelling reason why the subject is important to the audience.

3. Emotional Content

What issue come alive in a powerful way and connects the audience to the story’s subject? The most compelling articles are ones that have emotional content that the audience can connect to and understand. The article offers details and stories that brings the subject to life.

4. The Gift of Your Voice

How does the writer’s stance on the issue come to life for the audience?

In an article, voice is an important part of the telling. You don’t have to be dramatic. In fact, it’s likely that if you’re overly dramatic, you’re more likely to tell the audience more about how you feel and turn them off. Your voice comes through in how you bring the article’s subject to life for the audience. It’s important to speak the story in a way that shows how it matters to the audience’s community.

5. The Power of Detail and Evidence

What kind of appropriate information and credible supporting evidence do the writer provide to help the reader experience the subject? Your goal is to bring the subject to life for the audience. The audience relies on you for information. To be powerful, though, that detail and evidence must be credibly source and offered without immediate judgment.

6. Structure

How are the parts of the piece organized and how is the piece organized into logical parts that enhance the reader’s experience of the article? Effective structure depends on the purpose being clear to the reader and on the writer providing the reader with just enough direction to read confidently and make sense of the journey through the piece.

7. The Power of Story Forms

How do the various elements combine to provide readers with different ways to connect with and interact with the subject matter? Each element may play a different role within the content of the story and the context of the telling, but together they form a whole that engages the audience.

8. The power of the “lede” and the closing.

How does the writer open the reader to connect the audience to the story and close to leave the audience with a strong impression?

Articles like the ones you write open and close powerfully and emphatically. The opening, which is often called the lede, connects the audience to the subject. Similarly, the last moment you have with the reader. It should be vivid and and powerful, leaving the reader to ponder the implications of what they have learned.

9. Navigation and Architecture.

Is the reader able to easily find her way around the various story forms and feel control over the experience of the story? An advantage of the story package, or at least an aspect that can make it a uniquely powerful experience, is that readers can control the experience of the story. They can read from beginning to end, but they may choose to look at elements separately or navigate the story in their own way.

Textual Element Style Guide

Submitting the First Draft

When you submit the first version of your textual element, submit it as a google doc in a folder in your submissions folder in our drive. Name that folder Textual Element.

Title: At the top of the page, I should find a compelling title. I would like to versions of the title. One should be in form of a question. The other can be in the form of a statement or phrase– your call.

The Lead: The piece requires a lead. Please don’t write your lead until you’ve read the reading for today, pages 109 to 112 (including the section called “Quotation”. These pages offer several different possible ways to write a lead. I want you to write two different leads based on the suggestions you find on those pages. Beneath each of those possible leads, please tell me what kind you chose and why you thought it might work.

Body of the Story: We’ve worked extensively on how to construct the piece. I would like the piece to be broken up into sections, either beginning with a subheading or a question, as per the pieces we’ve read. Please put those subheadings/questions in bold in the draft.

From pages 112 to 117 you’ll see tips for writers and an annotated story. Adopt these tips as part of our style guide. I want you to attend to the following in particular:

Establish your angle.
Stay on point.
Provide Context.
Use quotes wisely.
Avoid unsubstantiated statements.
Please also review the tips on 102 and 116.

One thing we haven’t looked at much is the how paragraphs work in these stories. A close look and you’ll see that they typically are two to three sentences long. Our text book’s author writes: Write brief paragraphs of two to three sentences each. This is not an essay, it is a news story. So instead of separating paragraphs by topics, think of the paragraph as an independent unit of thought. I would like you to experiment with this, even if all of your academic training pushes back against this requirement. Think musically, in fact– in terms of emphasis, the rhythm of the piece, and how your reader’s eye moves across the page. If you’re uncertain at any point, trust your gut and make a choice. But this is what I want to see.

Concluding the Piece: We’ve discussed endings. While you can can sum up in several ways, for example, talking to the reader about a new point related to the piece that makes more sense having read the piece (see the digital essay on teen pregnancy), or talking about the implications of the information you’ve presented is something is done or not done, or describing the implications of the information for related issues. What I do not want to see: Simple repetition of what you’ve already said. A sudden change of voice to an impassioned outcry. An assertion that something is right or just that you think your audience ought to agree to without discussion.

As with your lead, I want two different versions of an ending to choose from.

Citations: Embed links into the appropriate phrases throughout the piece as you’ve seen it done in other pieces. At the bottom of the piece, center the word “Citations” and list them in MLA format.

Note Other Elements: Use the comment function through out to note where other related story elements might go. For example, if you have a paragraph that describes some type of legislation and intend a graph related to it, use the comment function to say “Graph that shows….” or “Image that ….” or “Digital essay that reviews…” or “Infographic that summarizes….”

Infographic/Image CollectionAssignment Sheet

Overview: Your story package needs images, which can come in the form of infographics or collection of images. See pages 117 to 119 in our

Infographic: Use one of the programs we’ve worked explored to create an infographic, graph or chart that can be used in your story packages.

Image Package: Collect five images that can form a powerful part of you story package. In the end, you may not use them all. It is conceivable that a graph or chart you’ve found can be one of them, but it must be uniquely powerful or valuable. Avoid stock images for “decorative” effect. For example, a story about teachers with a picture of a teacher behind a desk chosen from Google Images. Curate powerful images we otherwise wouldn’t find.

Submit: Upload your Infographic or Images into a section in your project folder. Each should have a caption or cutline as described in our textbook reading listed in the overview. Include citation information in the caption.

Audio Element To Accompany Image or Chart

Overview: A single image video story is a simple and often powerful way to incorporate image and sound. For us, it’ll be a step towards a lengthier digital essay. At this link, Single Image Digital Stories, you’ll find the genre well explained, along with some technology instructions. I offer additional considerations about technology with respect to Atavist below under the section Technology. For the first draft, however, you won’t have to record.

Heading: Write a title on the top line, centered and underlined. It should be a title that reflects the story. Don’t call it “Single Image Digital Story”.

Length: 250 to 350 Words

Instructions: Choose an image or graphic that you believe can contribute powerfully to an understanding of your topic or you point of view. Write a script that elaborates upon, interprets or contextualizes the image or graphic. Consider what your voice and the information you can impart adds to what, for the viewer, might otherwise be a visual experience alone. Consider, also, that you want the image and audio to work in tandem: Keep asking yourself, “What can my voice offer that the image can’t?” But also ask,”What kind of image would spark interest on its own, but be even more interesting with information added.”

It is conceivable that you can do this with video. If there is no soundtrack, you can add one. If there is a soundtrack, you can fade it.

Submit: In your submissions folder, create a document “Single Image Video Story.” At the top of the page, insert the image by using the Insert drop-down menu at the top. Underneath it, write any citation information. Beneath it, past your script. If you have a video, upload it into your submissions folder and indicate that I can find it there.

Recording voice: A voice recording can be done in several ways. You can record your voice on your phone, then download it to your computer and later, upload it to Atavist.

Getting Started With Atavist

Go to Atavist.com.

Note: After you’ve entered content, select “Save”. Do not “Publish”. When you publish, the document becomes available on the web. As long as you don’t publish, it remains in the project stage, open only to the class and me.

Create Your :

Name it <351 Last Name> example: <351 Danberg>

Create your project folder

Adding Text and Saving

Adding text is easy. You can type directly into Atavist or paste text into it. With your early drafts, I suggest using Google Docs. Atavist is a terrific streamlined publishing program, but not a word processing program. You can’t revert to previous drafts as you can in Google Docs. It has not function for spell or grammar check, outlining or commenting. If I am writing something brief for a document like the course guide, I might type directly into Atavist, but even so, when my internet connection is slow, I type my content into a Google Doc then copy and paste.

After you’ve entered content, select “Save”. Atavist doesn’t save automatically so do save periodically. You can see how things will look once published by choosing “Preview”. But do not “Publish”. When you publish, the document becomes available on the web. As long as you don’t publish, it remains in the project stage, open only to the class and me.

Choose a project theme and navigation type

Review Atavist Help Videos

Set Up and Basics

JMU Communications Consulting

0-0:50 Opening up Your Project
0:50-2:05 Add Text 1, Intro to blocks to add images, video, sound, etc.
2:05-5:42 Set up a section (think of it as a chapter); Give it a title and subtitles; Choose a Title Design; Choose a Divider Color (Slightly different than video. Divider color appears only if you choose a design that is not “Simple” which is the default); Paragraph indent Save and Preview

Adding Text and Images

JMU Communications Consulting

0- 2:05 Create Your Project, Give it a Title and Add Author’s Name
2:05-8:00 Title Design (Choosing Your Title Page), Navigation Bar (Left or Top Table of Contents– Slightly different than the Video: to see the choice between paginate and scroll, you must choose left or top table of contents– choose paginate); Theme (Type and style of the text in the document; 8:00-end Preview

Review Atavist.Com Help Resource Documents

https://docs.atavist.com/– Choose “How to…”. The Atavist help pages are excellent and are good examples of multimedia documents of the kind you’ll produce. The writing is clear and organized, the page designs favor easy reading and navigation, and video/graphic elements are apt and easy to use. We’ll primarily be concerned with “Compose,” “Manage,” and “Design”.

Creating Your Digital Essay or Slideshow with Voice Over

Creating your Digital Essay or Slideshow with Voiceover:

Recording a digital essay or slideshow with voiceover is fairly straightforward. Whether you use Imovie, MovieMaker, PhotoStory, Power Point or any other slideshow program, you’ll work with two tracks, a track for your images and a second for audio. Your first submitted draft is a rough cut. A rough cut is subject to revision. It won’t have opening titles or closing titles. Although it’s not required in your piece, it will not have sound effects or a sound track.

Make sure you have access to your completed story board and that your images or graphic elements or organized for easy access while you work.

Below you’ll find links to instructional videos.

In principle, these programs work the same way. Imovie and MovieMaker have more capability than PhotoStory or a program like PowerPoint but PhotoStory, PowerPoint and programs like it serve perfectly well.

The programs all work in similar ways. Within the each program there are separate tracks or timelines for each kind of element. There will be a track where you will place the visual elements, and a track for you to place your voice over. You can create additional tracks for a soundtrack or sound effects.

You’ll build each track separately by importing elements, which you then place on the timeline. Your first step will be to import the images you wish to use. Place them on the timeline according to your story table.

After you’ve created the visual timeline, create the audio timeline. The easiest thing to do is to import record your audio in another program and import it.

People record their audio tracks in two different ways.

The record their entire script following their story board. When they do, the pause between frames so that if they want to make cuts later, they can.
They record the script in chunks, one for each frame of the story table. Then, they import each separate clip and align it with their images. Some people find that this makes it easier to manage the timing between images and video.

Infographic Plan

Overview: Piktochart gives you the ability to create graphs, charts, and other visual elements than can be used in your piece and in your digital essay. You are welcome to use images you create for your digital essay in your story package. So, for example, if you’ve created graphs for use in your digital essay and found compelling images, you may repeat them.

However, I want you to create at least one more comprehensive infographic of the kind we have viewed and seen in our text book, one that explains, describes, or narrates some element of your story. It may simply be a representation of some aspect of your story. For example, it may be a timeline of key events with explanations. It may be a “before and after”. It may break down a complex idea into components or compare approaches to legislation or law enforcement.

Instructions: Create a folder in your google drive called “Infographic”. Inside it, create a document called “Infographic Plan.” Use 117 to 119 in our book for a reference, particularly “Anatomy of an Infographic” on 118. You must look at that chart to complete what you are asked below.

Answer the following questions:

Choose a specific infographic we’ve looked at together, either as part of our infographic discussion or a piece we’ve looked at, a template from Piktochart or an infographic that you have seen and consider a good model. Explain how it’s a good model or starting point for what you intend to do.

What is the point of the infographic? Describe it’s visual layout and components.

What will the headline be?
How does it complement your story?
What will the text tell the reader?
Describe the “chatter,” if any?
What kind of “explainer” text will it include, if any?
What kind of “callouts”?
List the sources you’ll use.

Recording Voice

Recording Voice: There are several ways to record voice. Perhaps the simplest is to use your phone or a recorder, then download your file to your computer and, finally, upload it, in our case, directly into Atavist. (Tip: No matter which technology you use– phone, recorder, direct to your computer– you get clearer sound that is easier on your listener if you use a mic. No need to invest; even a mic on earbuds gives clearer sound than recording on the internal mic on a computer). There are several programs for recording voice on your computer that can give you editing capability as well, a capability that can enable you to make changes without re-recording the whole, to cut or add, and to add sound effects or a soundtrack easily.

Mac Users: Macs come with GarageBand loaded onto your computer. It’s fairly easy to use and YouTube is full of instructional videos. When you make a GarageBand recording, however, you need to remember to export your file to your computer as an Mp3 file to upload to Atavist. If you’d like me to put together a brief tutorial for you to refer to, let me know. You can also use QuickTime to record video, but QuickTime requires one extra step to make an Mp3 file. You need to put export to Itunes, then use Itunes to convert. QuickTime doesn’t allow for the same ease of editing.
PC Users: For PC users, I recommend downloading the free version of Audacity to record audio. You can make the Mp3 you need to and also have access to editing. Audacity is also available for Macs, but GarageBand does the same work you need.

Imovie/Moviemaker: VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS

Imovie Digital Story Basics

This video is about 12 minutes long, but it is comprehensive and worth viewing through if you’re going to use imovie.

This moviemaker video is about ten minutes long.

Mock Up Example: Project Report Two

Section 1: Opening– computers programs to aid college writing instructiong instruction. Breakthrough or loss?

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Section 2: The promise of Computer Assisted Writing INstruction

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Sidebar that Defines key tech

Section Three: What the research shows

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Mock up Instructional Video

Use this video to prepare the mock up of your story package

Project Folder Assignment Sheet

Project Folder

To create your story package, you need to identify an issue that benefits from the rich possibilities that multimedia storytelling affords. In your journal, you’ll start developing your ideas. I’ll read your journal and, every other day, reply with a few sentences: thoughts, suggestions, questions. Whatever I think might help.

Format

In your project folder, create a section called “Journal”

For each day, put the date in bold-faced. Under it, start your entry.
If you discuss a source, give source information: Publication or site where you found the source, date when it material was published and when you accessed it, the name of the piece, and the author’s name. You don’t need to put this in the form of formal citation entry. Treat this as simply telling you reader what you have found and will talk about. Names of publications should be in bold and names of articles or blog entries or any kind of title should be in italics.
Feel free to upload videos or images or provide links.

Project Report One

Project Report One is your first effort to articulate your story package– the final project that you’ll submit.

To access the instructions you need to complete it, follow this link:

Project Report One

When you write this, keep the final product in mind. Review the Story Package Assignment Sheet. Consider the stories we analyzed in the first week, which scrolled down a single page made up of parts in which the story elements were embedded. Although the text book alludes to other kinds of design and architecture, mentally translate into what we are putting together.

This project report is a multi-part document. I and your classmates will offer responses to it to help you develop your story. I may ask you to revise.

Conference Memo

Overview: Our conference will be concerned with talking through your project. Write me a 150 to 200 word memo that provides me with the information below.

Instructions: Your memo should do the following.

Paragraph One: Use this boilerplate sentence: “In the following, I summarize our conversation, outline my plans and describe the steps I intend to take next.” The next sentence or two should say what I will find in the body of the memo, for example: “I describe how I intend to focus on the role that computer-assisted writing technology can help dyslexic students. I also describe my next research steps, which are to identify specific technologies and find first-person and research accounts of how they are used.”
Paragraph Two: Summarize what we discussed about the project, including any concerns either of us expressed or things we agreed.
Paragraph Three: Describe how you see your project’s topic, what you believe your audience needs to know, and the story elements (video, graphic, image, audio, etc.) that you think you’re think you will include.
Paragraph Four: Describe the information and content you’ve collected and what you feel you need to find.
Pargaraph Five: Write a one sentence closing paragaph. Thank you for reviewing my project. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or comments.
Closing: Sincerely, Your First and Last Name.

Heading: Use the heading that you used for your Pitch Report.

Submit: Create a section in your project folder for the memo.

Infographic Peer Review

Overview: Your classmates have created infographics using one of the programs that we explored or put together a package of images. In the peer review, your goal is to reflect back to your classmate what you observe in their images or graphics.

Instructions: Go to your classmates project folder and find the page for the assignment. At the bottom of the pages, write your classmate a note in response to the following. Remember that you yourself have tried to accomplish something similar, so think in terms of your efforts, what the textbook has said, and what you have seen elsewhere. Try not to read your classmates notes, so that the creator of the graphic you’re responding to gets each individual response.

What story does the graphic element tell, that is, what is meant to show, tell or explain to viewers?
How does the graphic element tell the story or portray the information?
What features of the graphic element do you see as most effective (color scheme, mode of representation– bar chart, pie chart, images in a particular order, cutlines and captions)?
Is there anything you can suggest that you believe can enhance or make the graphic feature stronger or clearer?

Peer Review: Digital Essay/Slide Show

Watch the Digital Essay/Slideshow in your class mates’ project folder. As with the other peer review, your goal is to reflect back what you “get” so the creator knows if he or she has accomplished their goals.

Write a note that does the following:

Express what you understand to be the central question that the piece answers.
In a short narrative, describe from memory the narrative arc of the piece– beginning, middle, end?
What do you consider the strengths of the piece? Be specific and explain what makes that feature effective.
What would help you, as a viewer, become more engaged in the piece? Where do you think the creator can develop (voice, graphic, order of slides, timing, etc.)?
Are there any questions the piece raises that you think the creator might answer?

Sections and Examples from The Conversaton.com

Below you’ll find examples of articles from TheConversation.Com, the model we’ll use for our publications. There is an example from each of the sections.

Arts and Culture

Why Would Anyone Buy Crypto Art– Let Alone Spend Millions On What’s Essentially A Link To A JPEG File?

Economy and Business

Young ethnic minorities bear brunt of recessions, and it’s happening again – here’s how to stop It

Education

Going forth with standardized tests may cause more problems than it solves

Environment and Energy

Power outages across the Plains: 4 questions answered about weather-driven blackouts

Ethics and Religion

Why white supremacists and QAnon enthusiasts are obsessed – but very wrong – about the Byzantine Empire

Health

Women’s health is better when women have more control in their society

Politics and Society

How Black cartographers put racism on the map of America

Science and Technology

6 tips to help you detect fake science news