News quizzes are difficult. I wasn’t really aware of this until I began giving weekly current events quizzes in my introductory public relations course. Some students did quite well on the quizzes and even said they looked forward to them; other students struggled.
I teach in a mass communications program, and my students want to be media practitioners. So, I naively assumed my students understood the importance of being informed.
You know what happens when you assume, don’t you? I do now.
To help solve the problem, I developed this list of eight apps students can use to stay informed about current events.
1. USA TODAY
I’m not a huge fan of USA Today as a publication, but their app is well organized and a wonderful way to get a quick, easy buffet of the biggest news happenings.
2. NEWSOK
NewsOK is the app for our state newspaper, The Oklahoman. Obviously, this would need to be altered slightly, depending on your university’s location. But it’s critical for students to remain up-to-date on local news in their region, state and city.
3. MEDIAOCU
In the same way that students should be informed about local happenings, they also should be informed about hyperlocal (campus) happenings. MediaOCU is the app for our campus student media. I almost always ask at least one quiz question from campus news.
4. AP MOBILE
The Associated Press breaks news in real time and only reports on the most important issues. I recommend that students not only look at the AP Mobile app, but also allow it to send breaking news alerts to their phones.
5. CNN
Although I look at CNN, I find that most of the content there already has been covered by USA Today or AP. I could just as easily skip this one, since I read the others first. But it is a legitimate news source and a place for additional information.
6. MASHABLE
Tech news is huge. Mashable does it best. I usually pull at least one quiz question from something I’ve read on Mashable. Many times, it’s also something covered in the Tech section of USA Today.
7. HUFFINGTON POST
Huff Po is becoming a more legitimate news source by the minute. I usually take a look at Huff Po just to see their take on things I’ve been reading elsewhere. Some of the unusual stories provide interesting classroom discussion fodder.
8. THE SKIMM
Ok, I sorta cheated on No. 8. The Skimm is not an app. It’s a website introduced to me by my students. All you do is log on and enter your email address, then you receive a daily digest of news (on email) in your inbox. It’s awesome!
BONUS: PR DAILY
Since the students taking my news quizzes are in a public relations course, it’s important for them to keep up with PR news. I recommend that my PR students read Ragan’s PR Daily, which is a wonderful source for all PR happenings.
There you have it. The eight apps (or at least types of apps, plus a bonus) that can keep students informed on current events. Hopefully just being reminded of the list will prepare students for news quizzes and help them be more informed citizens.
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