Yesterday I asked the Creative Communications Journalism majors to propose stories in a traditional “story meeting,” then research and write them the same day.
Story Monday, in CreComm-speak.
I also assigned them to use Twitter in their research or writing, posting at least four tweets during the day.
The resulting topics ranged from curling to polar bears (Canadian, eh?) to senior citizen benefits and International Mother Language Day.
So how did the students use Twitter?
Some used it to seek interviews, successfully or not. Some reported their whereabouts during the day, GPS-like.
Some teased their stories. “Did you ever wonder how teams get seeded for the mens prov. curling champs? I'm finding out today, stay tuned for more,” tweeted Terryn Shiells.
As I followed the students’ Twitter feed I noticed several graduates of our program, now professional journalists, tweeting during their assignments.
As soon as I mentioned them online, I was deluged with “Me, too” tweets from other grads. Naturally, I had to retweet those messages.
Story Funday, student Emily Wessel called it.
The take-away? Work + social media = fun!
