Beyond the Printed Word
Module 2, Activity 1.6 - Comparing Print and Electronic Journalism
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Introduction:

In this lesson, the students will respond to several types of questions about the differences between print and electronic journalism.

Resources:

- a list of questions to write responses to in (. doc) or (.rtf)
- computers if you do the shift task
- a list of questions for the anchor of the panel discussion in (.doc) or (.rtf)

Activities:

Task One - Putting it all together
Students have done several activities including the comparison chart in Characteristics of Electronic Media and the rewritten stories in Electronic Media and Style. Now they are ready to complete some questions regarding the differences between print journalism and electronic journalism. The questions focus on various levels from basic comprehension on up.

Task Two - Talk Back
In this activity, students can participate in a panel discussion or a threaded discussion. Information about each type of discussion is found on the student page for this lesson. They are participating in the discussion following an individual assessment so that teachers have the opportunity to track their learning before and after sharing. You might choose to have them complete the questions, then participate in the discussions, then add to their responses on the individual questions in a different color of pen. This would allow you to track what students learned through the process of the discussion.

You can choose to have your students follow the guidelines for a panel discussion or a threaded discussion. Each type of discussion has its benefits and issues:

Advantages of a
Panel Discussion:

• more students participate than in a teacher lead discussion
• students practice facilitating discussions
• answers are more often informed opinions than they are in a traditional discussion
• many teachers find panel discussions easier to set up than on-line discussions

Instructional Strategies:

Task 1 - Assigned Questions (Independent)
Task 2 - Panel Discussion (Interactive) or Threaded Discussion (Interactive)

Advantages of a
Threaded Discussion

• students who are not oral learners are able to track the discussion more easily
• more students are willing to participate (shy students don't have to compete to have a voice)
• teachers can track who says what and in what order

Assessment and Evaluation:
Task One has marks associated with questions. Teachers should use this task as a marked summative assessment only if students have had the opportunity to engage with the concepts on several prior occasions. Note that there are two previous lessons where the ideas are explored.

Task Two can be assessed in several manners. The teacher could keep a record of frequency or quality of participation. In addition, concept acquisition could be assessed by having students add to their individual questions after wrestling with the issues through discussion. If the additional written comments were in a different color, teachers could assess how effectively the discussion built student understanding.