News in the classroom
Together, we can make a difference.
We can start by re-engaging students to responsibly share the news again.
We know that posting news articles can cause unwanted friction and that’s why we had to build Topico from the ground up to be a safe, friendly environment for everyone to begin to feel comfortable sharing news in the classroom.
This required us to make a foundational shift.
Mindful
We are advocates for data protection.
Topico doesn’t ask for any personally identifiable information in order for every student to safely enjoy the experience of sharing news in the classroom.
Our value comes from understanding the relationship of topics, and not from our member’s information.
Aware
We are aware of online abuse.
There isn’t a way to message, comment, or even interact with other students on Topico to create a safe environment to share news within the classroom.
We want everyone’s experience to be friendly, focused and frictionless.
Responsible
We are topical media.
To curate articles we believe that we need to shift away from social media towards topics rather than social engagement, providing context and a focus on relevant content, rather than opinion.
Lets safely connect students and classrooms to share news, and learn more about the issues.
‘The News of the Day’
The University of Texas at Austin
At the University of Texas at Austin, the journalism class J301F is implementing Topico as an optional way for students to view the articles they’re sharing on international, domestic, state and local news. Topico is a safe, friendly way for students to curate their own news in the classroom.
Watch our introduction video on how classes at the University of Texas at Austin are implementing Topico within their ‘News of the Day’ program.
Interested in Topico for your classroom?
We’re here to answer all your questions, or arrange a call.
Features: Insights and analysis
LOCAL NEWS
Students can share the articles that interest them in a comfortable, friendly environment.
- See what’s trending in the class.
- Recommend articles.
- Bookmark favorites.
LOCAL TRENDS
Topico aggregates every article to view which topics are trending within the classroom.
- Explore relevant topics.
- Subscribe to unique newsfeeds.
- Set push notifications.
RELATED TOPICS
Navigate the relationship of topics to freely explore their most relevant connections.
- Easily navigate connected topics.
- See what’s most relevant.
- Discover new connections.
Community in the classroom
Examples: Below are the aggregate Newsrooms for UTATX’s journalism class, J301.
#WORLD
#UNITED STATES
#TEXAS
#AUSTIN
The program called ‘The News of the Day’ requires every student to post an article on the (4) topics;
#WORLD, #UNITED STATES, #TEXAS, and #AUSTIN
Each student has their own set of Newsrooms, providing each student with their own personal space to curate the news.
Every student’s Newsroom is then aggregated (connected) to the main classroom Newsrooms (as seen above) to view news trends, and to easily discover what other students are curating as well.
No comments. No chat. No opinions… Just news.
Legacy project: ‘The News of the Day’
NEWS IN REVIEW: FALL22
^UTATX J301 AUSTIN FALL22
Classrooms can collect, reference and learn about what news was relevant to previous classes to create a legacy project of news and information that captures a moment in time.
- What were the big events of 2022?
- How were the issues covered?
- Where were they right?
- Where were they wrong?
- What can we learn?
A semester in review.
There are so many issues and events that unfold over the course of a semester that it’s easy to forget even the most compelling stories. Topico tracks the topics shared by a classroom over time, providing a valuable way to review the issues, events and topics that interest the students, classroom and school.
Some of the issues and events curated by the J301 classroom:
(Semester: October 1st. to November 5th.)
#HURRICANE IAN
#ACQUISITION OF TWITTER BY ELON MUSK
#MAHSA AMINI PROTESTS (Iran)
#SEOUL HALLOWEEN CROWD CRUSH
#KANJURUHAN STADIUM DISASTER (Indonesia)
#FBI SEARCH OF MAR-A-LAGO
#QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER
#JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, WATER CRISIS
#LIZ TRUSS (Resignation)
#MONKEYPOX VIRUS
#RUSSIAN ANNEXATION OF DONETSK, KHERSON, LUHANSK OBLASTS
#2022 SASKATCHEWAN STABBINGS (Canada)
#TYPHOON NANMANDOL (2022)
#GIORGIA MELONI (Prime minister of Italy)
#2022 RALEIGH SHOOTING
#IZHEVSK SCHOOL SHOOTING (School shooting in Russia)
#2022 NONG BUA LAMPHU ATTACK (Daycare tragedy in Thailand)
#2022 WORLD SERIES
#ATTACK ON PAUL PELOSI
#KANYE WEST (cancellation in social media)
#ALEX JONES (settlement over Sandy Hook conspiracies)
#2022 MORBI BRIDGE COLLAPSE (India)
#MARTHA’S VINEYARD MIGRANT CRISIS
#CANNABIS POLICY OF THE JOE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
#BRITTNEY GRINER (Arrest)
#DOUBLE ASTEROID REDIRECTION TEST (NASA)
#STABBING OF SALMAN RUSHDIE
Reviewed by common sense education.
Since 2003, Common Sense has been the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools. Every day, millions of parents and educators trust Common Sense reviews and advice to help them navigate the digital world with their kids. Together with policymakers, industry leaders, and global media partners, we’re building a digital world that works better for all kids, their families, and their communities.
Tap on the logo above, or visit their home page at https://www.commonsense.org/education for more insightful reviews.
Interested in Topico for your classroom?
We’re here to answer all your questions, or even arrange a call.
Team building to share, engage and discover.
Collaborate
Evaluate
Navigate
We want a safe place to collectively gather, share and discover news and information so we can start restoring our faith in journalism.
To properly evaluate the news we need to be able to view the source and weigh in on the validity of an article without being divisive.
It’s equally important to easily explore, and to quickly discover the connections between topics to learn more about a specific event, or issue.
Topics can tell us more of the story
Connections
Tagging
Relevance
Contributing to create historical timelines
Creating the arc of a story
Contributing to the future
A legacy of perspectives
It’s often times important to study the entire arc of a story so we can fully understand all perspectives on an issue, or event.
By contributing articles, students are creating a reference to capture a specific point in time around an issue, or event.
Classrooms can learn from the headlines, viewpoints and perspectives of previous students to create a legacy project.
Connecting everything
Encourage exploration
Connecting the dots
Discovering new paths
Topic tags can take students in directions they might otherwise have never explored, discovered, and gained a new perspective.
As students tag the articles they post, they’re creating connections to every relevant article to help connect the dots.
Easily surfing topics is essential to browsing and discovering new perspectives across the curations on Topico.