Instructor: Cindy Royal, Ph.D.
Week of July 6
Description: We have spent a lot of time describing and justifying the need for product management in journalism and product-focused curriculum. But what might that look like in your program? In this module, you will get a chance to confer with other fellows on your priorities, needs and desires for curriculum innovation. You will be organized into groups to schedule your own Zoom meetings. See the email that provides group information and links to your group’s Jamboard (a free Google product). You can use any Google login, like your gmail.
Objectives
- Identify the goals of media curriculum
- Consider the types of students, skills and jobs for which the curriculum should be preparing
- Develop the elements of a new curriculum. What does your dream degree include?
- Organize into a new curriculum plan
Think about this question as you watch the videos: How Might We Develop Curriculum with a Digital Product Focus in Mind?
Videos
This is a presentation that I give to our DMI students to prepare them for the new job roles of the future. I think you will find it interesting in the types of positions for which our students should be qualified.
A. After watching the videos, on your own, go to your Jamboard and find the board with your name at the top. Take three minutes each to answer the following questions. Create a post-it in the corresponding color for each individual idea.
- What are the goals of a digital media, product-based curriculum? Use yellow post-its.
- What types of students will you hope to develop? What should they be able to do? What kinds of jobs? Use green post-its.
- What are the elements of this curriculum. Consider traditional and emerging concepts and skills. Use blue post-its.
Just take about three minutes for each question. Don’t think too long on each idea. Just get it down on a “sticky.” The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, for later discussion.
B. Your group’s leader should email each member of your team (there are four) to find a time when you can compile and discuss your ideas on a Zoom.
- One by one, identify your 5-6 most important ideas from each question and move it (copy and paste) to the board corresponding to that question. The yellow post-its go to the board for Question 1, and so on… Remember, there’s no judgment in brainstorming, so be open to any ideas or comments.
- Group the common post-its on each board and discuss.
- Identify the elements of your “dream” curriculum and do a write up in the Slack channel.
- Take the link for your Jamboard, and any description to post your group’s curriculum on #designcurriculum Slack channel. The group leader will post it for the group. If you want to keep your work for future reference, you can use the menu under the three dots and choose Download as pdf.
- In your discussion and Slack post, also consider the following questions: How is your proposed curriculum different than curriculum that you are familiar with? What needs to change, what needs to go? What would prevent this from happening? What are risks if it doesn’t?
C. After all the groups have posted by July 10, each person should review and comment on the other groups’ curricula that were developed. We will discuss briefly at the beginning of the group Zoom next week on July 17.
Additional Resources
Able, Allowed, Should: Navigating Modern Ethics, Medium, 2018 – this article addresses some of what we have discussed about infusing engineering and product management with journalistic ethics and sensibilities, as it relates to Facebook’s privacy issues.
Product Teams Have Taken National News Organizations by Storm. What’s Happening Locally? Nieman Journalism Lab, 2019
Product Management for Journalists, chapter in Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Why Product Management is the New Pivotal Role at Publishers, Digiday, 2018