The first group of New Digital Literacy and Journalism students settled on a title for their class blog. After considering many ideas, some silly, some serious and some even non-sensical they settled on “The Flannel Narwhal.”
The Flannel Narwhal, built on wordpress, will serve as the digital publishing platform for student journalism projects. Over time the site will come to house not only student work, but exemplars.
As a course aimed at Digital Literacy and Journalism, “a place to publish work was a must” states Jeremy Young, the course’s creator and instructor. Given that the course itself is new and it was not replacing a course with similar goals, a site needed to be created. After weeks of conversation, brainstorming, and setting up parameters for the ideal title one was presented to the class: “The Blue Raccoon.” It fit symbolically as the school’s Raider mascot is a raccoon. It fit the desire to have a sound device (in this case assonance). It even fit by incorporating a school color, but it fell resoundingly to the floor and no one wanted to pick it up.
After a moment they regrouped (figuratively-they were on zoom) and started to through out other ideas. The animal idea was fine, but a raccoon was too on the nose. The blog needed something wilder. Something intriguing–even odd. “Narwhal” was the only animal pitched and its large tusk stuck. M. Henry, a student in the course, states “when I heard ‘Plaid Narwhal’ I knew we were close to a really good name.” The idea of a color was deemed okay as a concept by all, but blue was again too on the nose. Plaid was offered. It could offer a myriad of colors–well, maybe not a myriad, but multiple anyway. It was better, but not right. “Flannel” was offered and just as quickly accepted. It seemed ridiculous to have a narwhal wearing flannel.
Surely you’ve see Exhibit A:
They swapped assonance for consonance, and were pleased. They were off to the races. The domain was available (of course it would be, they just imagined the first ever narwhal wearing flannel into being) and bought it within minutes. The course’s instructor then took to fiverr to find an artist to render a portrait of our clothes wearing medium sized toothed whale. Multiple vendors were considered, but in the end they decided to choose clevertypo, whose reference appeared most similar to what the class had in mind. After a few email exchanges and a button moved and a pocket added the Flannel Narwhal logo was born.
The Blue Raccoon just didn’t sound right to me at first, so when I heard “Plaid Narwhal” I knew we were close to a really good name. That’s when we came up with Flannel Narwhal and it just sounded right, it was cute, and it flowed well.
~M. Henry
Currently the Narwhal is named Francis. The website currently includes a poll asking for input. The community is asked to vote on one of the 6 names offered or to suggest their own.
The course has seats available for the next second quarter. Interested students should talk to their guidance counselors or email Mr. Young for more information.
Featured Image: “Narhwal” by Jes Simpson is licensed under CC BY 2.0
