January 2008 presentation to the Culturally Responsive Teaching, Learning and Counseling Symposium, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

1. Journalism Across the Curriculum: Build Skills and Empower Learners as Citizens Kim PearsonThe College of New Jersey

2. Subjects you teach? Anyone with journalism experience? Blogging? Twittering? Virtual worlds? How do you use news media in your classes now? What ideas or questions do you have about incorporating journalism into your classwork? Tell me about you

3. Why journalism education belongs in the Secondary School curriculum How journalism education can be applied across the curriculum Journalism education as a tool for culturally-responsive teaching Useful tools and techniques for your classes A reporting exercise Overview

4. I’m a practitioner and experimenter, not primarily a scholar, however Working on these issues as part of NSF “BPC” program Our project built on NJ Core Content Standards, which differ somewhat from Colorado’s (eg – NJ has a technology standard) Like you, New Jersey has the paradox of high income and high dropout rates. A prefatory note

5. Today’s teens are already publishers! Weblogs, Myspace, social networking YouTube Mobile publishing: 82% of US has cell phones Immigration march organized via text msges However, they lack the ethical and legal grounding to use their resources responsibly Teen Ethics Survey: 70% of respondents say they can make ethical decisions, but 40% OK cheating to get ahead Mindich: Young people are turning away from the news, and that is bad for democracy. Why journalism education belongs in the secondary school curriculum

6. And yes, today’s journalism has its faults:

7. At its best, journalism is the pursuit of truth It is a discipline of verification It is inextricably linked to civic engagement As an educational tool, it can make abstract ideas concrete Interactive journalism lends itself to students of varied learning styles Journalism as a tool for culturally responsive teaching

8. School sports: writing, math Market basket : basic economics Surveys and polls Editorial articles and cartoons [must be based on informed opinion] Some examples

9. Ethics Basic media law Media literacy Technological literacy Journalism can also be used to teach:

10. Check out this blend of narration, sound and image that elevates what could have been a routine story into a memorable slice of life New York Times’ Polling Place Photo Project Anatomy of a news story: Images

11. What’s news? Mitch Stephens and Jerry Lanson say newsworthiness depends upon: Impacteffect on the audience Weight its value with respect to other facts or events ControversyArguments, debates, charges, countercharges, and fights Emotionhuman interests that touch our emotions The UnusualWhen a dog bites a man it's not news. But when a man bites a dog, it is news. (Old journalistic cliche) ProminenceMore prominent individuals are given more attention Proximitythe closer to home the better TimelinessEmphasize what is new CurrencyTake into account what is on people's minds UsefulnessHelp the audience answer questions and solve problems in their daily lives Educational ValueMake readers more knowledgeable rather than merely informed Journalism basics

12. Interactive means: user actions affect information presentation Might be linear, non-linear, multilinear Hypertext, social media have removed the authority of the journalist as gatekeeper Because of social media, newsgathering is now about stimulating conversation and community, not just about publishing information Leadership is about guiding conversation Interactive Journalism basics

13. Lede – with the five Ws Ring in the New Laws Delayed lede that asks a question, newspeg in second sentence This article is a survey of new laws, so it continues with a series of examples and quotes that illustrate impact Succeeding paragraphs provide detail This is a kind of news feature, so there is closure in the last graf that ties the news story to a civics lesson Anatomy of a news story: Print

14. Breaking news Knowledge management Forums NOT just personal diaries Tools: Blogs as Journalism

15. Ning.com: Ad-free for K-12

16. Twitter: a tool for collaborative reporting and writing

17. Scratch

18. Teen Second Life

19. Join Ning Create twitter accounts and follow me Story assignment – crowdsourcing Team reporting on assignment Blog your lede Post links to Twitter A reporting exercise

20. Questions? Thank you!