What qualifies music to be considered jazz?

I have to write a one page double spaced essay on how jazz has influenced my musical genre. I don't have a genre, you name it I like it, cept for most rap. But some rap is pretty good. Irrelevant sorry, but really, I'm considering comparing it to Gonzales, Feist, and Dani's Boomerang. Or a Shiny Toy Guns song, don't really care... I like Ella Fitzgerald... But how do I tell swing from Jazz? Or techno from Jazz? Other than a keyboard v. sax? Pshh so screwed....