With the influence of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, digital journalists are always looking for the next storytelling tool. 
Now, Manship School of Mass Communication students have the opportunity to learn about interactive storytelling tools in a new course taught by Lamar
Visiting Scholar Steve Buttry.
Buttry said students will gain exposure to storytelling tools, experience how to use the tools in digital journalism and “learn how to learn.”
“The point of the class is to tell good stories, whether for an ad, political campaign or news story,” Buttry said. “The result needs to be something that the audience can relate to and will want to share.”
Buttry said he is not teaching students how to use a specific media tool, and students will learn by trial and error rather than typical instruction. He said the goal is for students to effectively apply the tools to storytelling.
The course will focus on live coverage, mobile apps, mapping, timelines, multi-media, data visualization, curation, animation and autofeed.
“Journalists use Storify, which is simple to use if you know how to drag and drop,” Buttry said. “I want the students to know how to tell the story themselves first and only use tools such as Storify to make their original ideas better.”
Buttry said he is concerned about teaching outdated tools, which is why his class is geared toward innovative thinking. 
Mass communication junior Jonathan Brown said he would be interested in taking the course to learn how social media tools can provide him with faster results in storytelling. 
“I already like using programs like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop because I can express my creativity,” Brown said.
Brown, who has a public relations concentration, said that social media tools and interactive storytelling tools would be useful both in the field and in his personal life.
Students can look forward to guest speakers and professional journalists sharing how they use certain storytelling tools and how their thinking process is applied. Buttry said he also will invite the developers of media tools to come and make guest appearances.
For the class, students will be required to gather and verify facts, produce strong visuals and write well. Buttry expects students to know the basics of journalism before taking the course. 
According to Buttry’s blog, “The Buttry Diary,” the interactive storytelling tools taught do not substitute for journalism basics, but they showcase journalistic talent. 
“I will assign the journalists’ stories to those students to read and review,”
Buttry said. “I am looking forward to learning about some tools from students that I may not be familiar with.”
Brown said he would consider taking the course next semester because the information being taught is valuable to any mass communication student.
“Google, Facebook and social media are a big part of mass communication and helps with telling stories,” Brown said. “It’s important to know how to combine social media and digital storytelling tools because the world is a digital one.”
The course is now open for spring scheduling and available to all Manship students. The course has 28 slot available and will count as a mass communication elective.