Ron’s Story

Ron French wrote a curated story about Betsy DeVos, that is used as an example for journalism students to study . Within his story he uses multiple sources to create a narrative where his subsequent paragraphs all have an introduction to his sources and contextualized links.

Unlike Bestsy DeVos, he had multiple sources included in his article. One source is from National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). This source includes how Michigan schools compare in subjects like math and reading as opposed   to other schools.

 

Another great source Ron French used in this article besides  Bridgemi.com is Professor Brian A. Jacob who is the professor of education policy, professor of economics and professor of education at the University of Michigan. This professor created an analysis that researched testing scores that have declined over the last 12 years.

The way he uses contextualized links as a way to introduce articles and people is nothing short of genius. He gives a quick summary of the points that are the main focus of the linking article and person. Rather than simply saying “click here” as if click bait, he uses phrases in the sentences to link. In my opinion this also helps the audience understand what they are going to be reading about.

Overall, Ron French made great use of curation techniques within his story that enables the audience to read through the article seamlessly, all while being able to check his sources to ensure they are facts and not speculation.

 

 

 

Whats the Real With Betsy DeVos

Ron French digs deep into U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos !

Senior writer for Bridge,Ron French, used information and used a interview with U.S. Secretary of Education , Betsy DeVos, asking about the current state of the educational crisis with in the State of Michigan. A special interview was conducted by “60 minutes”  correspondent Lesley Stahl , where she asked the question to DeVos,” Have the public schools in Michigan gotten better”. DeVos responds saying, ” I don’t know , overall I cannot say that they have all gotten better”.

Ron French proceeds to give supporting details by bringing in out sources that in fact contribute to the statements in which DeVos is saying. Some of his main sources are extracting data from the NAEP ( National Assessment of Education Process) which gives statistical data between the years of 2003-2015, the State of Michigan has been last in its math and reading proficiency. French then brings in other sources of information such as educational budgets , and other professional input.

French introduces continually linked people towards his story such as gaining insight from people such as Brian Jacob, a University of Michigan professor of economics and education, and having a linking story to his biography , and some of this other research pertaining to this data set.

Area code locator is a verification tools

They are always coming up with new verification tools due to technology advancing every day.  You are probably using verification tools daily and don’t even realize. Facebook can be a verification tool if you are using it to learn information on someone. There are tools to see if you are reading fake news?

The verification tool I researched is area code locator.

It helps you pinpoint states and cities that use a certain area code. Area codes are important. If you don’t have the correct area code you will not be connected to the correct person. It shows how many people are using that area code, usage, and the carriers.

Betsy Devos’ interview calls for curated article by Ron French

Aggregation and curation develop Ron French’s article in Bridge Michigan as he formulates a “cheat sheet” for United States Secretary of Education Betsy Devos’ interview on “60 Minutes”.

French aggregated in order to support information he provides throughout his article and guides readers to these aggregated sites in order to maximize understanding in each point he makes.

French aggregated sources like himself when he mentioned that Michigan school test scores were not improving which contradicted Devos’ statement about the advancement of scores as students move districts by school of choice. French approached this by first stating who did the research, Michigan State University in this case, and then linked an article he wrote that summarized the research within the phrase, “didn’t improve test scores”.

Another aggregated source French includes in this cheat sheet is another finding that supports Michigan’s poor test scores. He presented the information by introducing the analyst, Brian Jacobs, who put the study together. French summarized his findings in a short sentence in this article but linked Jacob’s faculty page to a phrase that described him professionally. If readers wanted to find out more about Jacobs, they could then click the link and read up on him.

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Ron French links a directory detail of analyst Brian Jacobs after describing data found by him.

 

Advocacy for families overcoming disabilities

For my podcast, I chose to focus on supporting the families that have a child with a disability and helping them become a functioning member of society. Along with supporting families, these podcasts by attorney Bernard Krooks focus on special education teachers and programs.

I listen to this podcast while doing homework/lesson plans. It is important to know that others are going through the same things you are. They keep you updated on the latest research, therapy, give tips, and classroom advice. BE THE VOICE!

  • The link provided above has more than just podcasts available.It has planning, newsletters and were to find services. If you need more support they give you advocacy centers.