Journalistic

Definition of a Journalistic Task
"Is there is a specific event at the core of what you want your students to learn? One way to craft a WebQuest is to ask your learners to act like reporters covering the event. The task involves gathering facts and organizing them into an account within the usual genres of news and feature writing. In evaluating how they do, accuracy is important and creativity is not." [1]

Tips for Journalistic Tasks
"Some people are well into adulthood before they realize that there is the potential for bias in all reporting, that all of us have filters that affect how we see things and what we choose to look at. A well designed journalistic task will require your students to: To design such a lesson, you'll need to provide the right resources and establish the importance of fairness and accuracy in reporting." [1]
 * maximize accuracy by using multiple accounts of an event;
 * broaden their understanding by incorporating divergent opinions into their account;
 * deepen their understanding by using background information sources;
 * examine their own biases and minimize their impact on their writing.

**Examples of a WebQuest with a** Journalistic Role
[|Computer Science Project Research and Development WebQuest] This WebQuest allows the students to take on rolls of project leaders in a programming company. The point is to introduce the students to new language and terminology.

[|The Grapes of Wrath WebQuest] This is not strictly a journalistic task, but it is one of the many tasks that this WebQuest has to offer.

[|Time Travels with Forrest Gump] This WebQuest is a fun mix of journalism, pop culture, and americana.

[|Civil War Battles: A Reporter's Perspective] This WebQuest is a great way for students to experiment with journalism, in a historical context!

[|Great Gatsby WebQuest] This WebQuest allows the student to research the era in which //The Great Gatsby// takes place.

[|The Crucible WebQuest] This WebQuest is a powerful one that asks students to become journalists and research incidents of mass hysteria. Students have a few great tasks to complete, and have the opportunity to see how mass hysteria is relevant throughout history and even today.

[|Let Me See a Piece of Greece WebQuest] Students are given the role of a person who has been separated from their family while on a trip in Greece. Students must keep a journal of their travels and adventures while away from their parents, as well as write about the country's culture and share it with the class.

[|Lily's Crossing] This WebQuest is a good example for how a WebQuest should be set up. It is about a set journal entries that must be completed along the lines of the setting of the book "//Lily's Crossing//".

[|Blogs&Journalism]
This WebQuest is meant to determine whether blogs count as active journalism. The task is focused around reading various blogs and newspapers to find one's own definition as to what journalism is.

[|OETZI the Iceman] This WebQuest puts the students in a chosen role giving a press conference on the discovery of a man found frozen in a glacier for thousands of years. Much research has been done to tease out the secrets of his life and death. The task is to research the story and compile the information and present it as if you were the police officer, scientist, park ranger, government official, etc. and be prepared to answer question from the reporters.