High School Journalism Institute » Blog

Indiana: Plugged In or Unplugged?

Emily Goldberg - Staples High School — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:40:47 +0000

Let the World Keep In Touch

Bridget O'Brien – Indiana University junior

Click on the link for the full interview.
Download Quicktime

Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has gained over 400 million members. Indiana University junior, Bridget O’Brien represents one of the 400 million.

“I use technology to keep in touch with my family and friends,” O’Brien said. Along with Facebook, O’Brien also uses her cell phone, laptop, iPod, and a desktop PC on a daily basis.

As an active user of a variety of technology, O’Brien said the constant technological advances in our society are for the best, and that they make our lives easier. “It connects people on a different level and allows global communication, and helps business and communication,” she said.

Despite the beneficial nature of technology, O’Brien admits it can become a distraction, and she is trying to cut back on her technology usage in some respects.

“ I’m trying to go on Facebook less to do more things like studying and reading.”

The Dangers Of Technology

Linda Long – Indiana University Scholarship and Financial Aid Assistant

Click on the link for the full interview.
Download Quicktime

Linda Long picked up the phone to an unexpected caller. Instead of a friend for family member it was her credit card company. The company’s employee asked her if she had been to Canada recently. She said she had not, so it made no sense that there were charges to her credit card which had been made in Canada.

“That’s one of the scary things, no one had gotten my card but they had obtained it from the electronic system,” said Long. While the ability to do everything from shopping to bill paying online is convenient, it presents dangers like identity theft.

The Internet has made purchasing items online quick and easy, but it is important to remember to take certain precautions in order to protect oneself. “There’s a lot of convenience, things are quicker its easier to keep track of things on the web, but your information is out there everywhere,” said Long.

Unfortunately, credit card information is not the only personal information being posted on the web. Facebook and other social networking sites are places intended to hold personal information such as names, hometowns, and phone numbers. Additionally things like “status-updates” allow people to post what they are currently doing or where they will be.

Long said she often worries about her 13-year-old nephew who is an active member of Facebook. “If he said something like our family is going to be gone on a trip somebody could come to their house. Or, a child predator could be wanting to meet him and not really a friend. That goes through my mind and I worry about him.”

Hear it from the students themselves

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:40:33 +0000

For the third time this summer, HSJI faculty handed out awards and recognition to students. And after this morning's award ceremony, HSJI concluded for the summer and all the students departed from the IU campus. Most of the students had come just for the third session, but others had been here for multiple sessions. Either way, the hope is that they will all return to their high schools equipped with new ideas and skills to improve their respective publications.

We at HSJI hope that each and every student who came this week (or any other session this summer) has had a fulfilling experience at Indiana University, not only in the sense of acquiring more journalism skills but also in connecting with classmates, faculty and staff on campus. We thank you for your hard work and wish you the very best in your future endeavors, and also hope to see some of you on campus in the coming years.

For a complete listing of Session III awards as well as some photos from the ceremony, click here. For a photo gallery of students in action this week, click here.

Before wrapping things up, I want to include two videos of students giving their testimonies on how HSJI has helped them.

Two schools represented this session, Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois, and Kettering Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio, both have longstanding traditions of sending students to HSJI.

Students in this session's Yearbook Workshop took some time to sit down and talk about their experience at HSJI. Olivia Romano, Allison Gerns and Natalia Lang have come from Oak Park and River Forest High School, and you can watch their video here.

Download Quicktime

Also, Keara Fogarty, Kaitlin Pickrel and Michele Post of Kettering Fairmont spoke about why their school keeps coming back to HSJI.

Download Quicktime

It is true that these students discuss the Yearbook workshop in particular, but the principle of being better prepared for the upcoming school year could apply to any part of HSJI. The Institute is a way for students to keep the learning process going during the breaks between school years, and there's a lot to be said for students who choose to continue their learning at this time of year.

And with that, HSJI will be ready to host yet another great group of students next summer.

Best regards,

J

Meeting Todd Yeagley

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:50:27 +0000

Photo by Jay Seawell

IU head soccer coach Todd Yeagley (right) talks to HSJI sportswriting students after the students interviewed him on Tuesday, July 20, at his office in Assembly Hall. Pictured from left are Mike Lumetta of St. Louis University High School, Johnny Carpenter of Madeira High School in Cincinnati, Gregory Jackson of Wylie E. Groves High School in Beverly Hills, Mich., and Tessa Hursh of Naperville (Ill.) Central High School.

The sportswriting students at HSJI had an opportunity today that not many high schoolers come across: the chance to interview new IU head soccer coach Todd Yeagley. The former Major League Soccer player and son of IU soccer coaching legend Jerry Yeagley welcomed Mike Lumetta, Johnny Carpenter, Gregory Jackson and Tessa Hursh into his Assembly Hall office for an interview this morning.

Newspaper Workshop instructor Tony Willis said that when he dropped the students off at Yeagley's office, the coach said he could talk for 30 minutes, but the interview ended up being around an hour. Inside his office, where rows of plaques honoring All-American IU soccer players line the walls, Yeagley fielded questions from the students on a variety of topics ranging from his coaching style and the differences he sees in his and his father's coaching to how he plans on using Will Bruin this upcoming season, as well as expectations for the team.

After the interview, Yeagley shook hands with the students and asked about their backgrounds. He then took time to pose for photos with the students and even led the group to the wrestling facilities in Assembly Hall after learning that Carpenter is planning on wrestling when he attends college.

Elsewhere at HSJI, students have been finishing up their class assignments, which we have been posting on this website and will continue to post. Tomorrow morning is the last period of class time, followed by the awards ceremony. Please continue to check back for more posts.

Multimedia Take 1 and Lunch with a Pro

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:10:48 +0000

Photo by Jay Seawell

Multimedia Workshop instructor Lori Henson helps Michael O'Neal of North Central High School in Indianapolis set up a Flip videocamera on Monday, July 19, at Wright Food Court.

This summer is the first time that HSJI is offering a Multimedia workshop, and Lori Henson is the one who is teaching its first edition.

The recent graduate of IU's doctoral program in Journalism kicked off the class by talking to the students about basic elements of storytelling and went over some fundamentals of story covering, such as identifying people correctly and gathering data. Since then, students have been going out and getting information related to their stories, which they will ultimately incorporate into a multimedia package. From the beginning of the class, Henson has encouraged the students to consider what type of platform to use for telling their stories.

Henson says she wants students, once they have completed the workshop, to feel that they have the ability to put any idea into some type of multimedia format. Henson also wants students to become comfortable with using technology, but that is only one piece of the puzzle; the instruction in the class reinforces "basic storytelling skills" to accompany the acquired technology skills.

As is often the case, the experience of teaching has also involved a lot of learning for Henson. She emphasizes how much lab assistant and School of Journalism Masters student Jeremy Lacey has taught both her and the students about using software this session, such as iMovie and Soundslides, and has even described her and Jeremy as having a "crucial partnership" that involves tag-team teaching in the class.

The aim of HSJI is to get students to take big risks, Henson says, and she wants that objective to apply to her multimedia class in the sense of students having the chance to get out of their comfort zones and to talk to new people while working on projects. As this session nears its end, we will begin to see the finished products of the students' work in this new class.

Just outside the dining hall of Wright Food Court during lunch today, Michael O'Neal and Matt Stefanski, two students in the multimedia class, set up a Flip video camera and interviewed other HSJI students about their experience with the Institute so far. As they continued working with multimedia, other HSJI students had the chance to meet professionals in the dining hall for this session's Lunch with a Pro.

Today, HSJI students met with Director of IU Creative Services Rebecca Salerno, photographer Bob Scheer of The Indianapolis Star and Media Works owner Michael Budd, whose advertising, design and public relations company is based in Bloomington. Salerno and Budd conversed with students at one table, while Scheer entertained students, several of them students in this session's Photography Workshop, at another table while letting them hold his camera and describing the nature of a professional photojournalist's job to them.

Please keep checking back for more updates and posts of student work from this session.

Interview with Marcia Debnam

David Suh – Bloomington HS North — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:30:44 +0000

Today, the students from the journalism camp in IU had an interview with a Career Services Director in School of Journalism in IU, teacher of Media Internship, Marcia Debnam.

In the interview with Marcia Debnam, there were a lot of Thomas Edison, in other words, there were many inquiry student, who were engaged in the Journalism world. The student's first question was, "Do you think Journalism is a failure industry?" and her answer was "No, absolutely not."

She said Journalism is important on our world that we are breathing in right now. She stated that if it wasn't for the Journalism, there wouldn't be highly technology devices, such as, iPods, computers, cars, etc.

The second question was "What's your opinion about printed newspaper being shifted onto online newspapers. Do you think it is good or bad?" and her answer was "I think the answer depends on who you ask." She said that if you ask to your grandparents about which newspaper is better for them, their answer will be most likely printed newspapers. But, if it was for us, the answer would be the opposite.

Not only is Debnam a Career Services Director in School of Journalism in IU, but she also helps students who are having trouble about their future plans and their future jobs.

If you want to meet here, you can visit the rear room of the library 9-11 a.m. and Wednesday, 2-4 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, Debnam plans to offer several career cafes through out the semester.

Also, the contact number is 812-855-1704 or simply just send her an email. The email address is mdebnam@indiana.edu. You can prepare by checking out the directions and suggestions at the Internships and Career pages on the IU School of Journalism website.

Advice from Lunch with a Pro

Catherine Moore - Princeton High School — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:09:56 +0000

Yesterday afternoon I had to opportunity to eat lunch with two professionals of journalism, Rebecca Salerno and Leigh Hedger. They both gave other students of HSJI and me advice and tips on different aspects of journalism. As I sat and listened to their helpful tips, I took in all the advice that I could, since this was an amazing opportunity. When I asked what are some important things for a successful interview, they both agreed that doing research beforehand on the person, place, or event was very important and also having an idea of what you are going to ask and to just be relaxed. They also talked about how things worked in their offices and how the journalism business mainly works. I feel very honored that i got the opportunity to talk with these experienced journalist and I thank HSJI for providing lunch with a pro. For a short bio on Rebecca Salerno and Leigh Hedger, click here.

Font Conference & Font Fight Videos

Melanie Mason, HSJI Office Assistant — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:02:27 +0000

Font Conference:
By College Humor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3k5oY9AHHM

Font Fight:
By College Humor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6djQHeqMwQ&feature=channel

Working away on Sunday

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:17:21 +0000

Photo by Jay Seawell

Samantha Cohen of the Latin School of Chicago works on editing photos for the Photography Workshop on Sunday, July 18, at Ernie Pyle Hall.

Meredith Bledsoe and Ryan Gunterman have been teaching photography all three sessions this summer for HSJI, but this session they are trying a different approach for the class.

Instead of having the students start their photo story at the end of the workshop, the two instructors have already had their students go out and shoot a photo story.

Gunterman says that he and Bledsoe are "really trying to get them [the students] to think about what's being presented to the audience and how they are visually telling a story, and getting them to do that first, and then focusing on more specific elements of composition."

Both Bledsoe and Gunterman have placed a premium on being able to tell a story through photos. Having an understanding of the storytelling aspect of visual journalism used to be a given for students coming to workshops, Bledsoe says, but she also points out that students are coming in with less and less journalism experience, a trend that she largely attributes to the fact that journalism programs are being cut at schools.

The students went out and shot their photo stories this morning, then came to the classroom and received feedback from the class. But the learning hasn't stopped there; Bledsoe says that the students immediately went back to work on the stories to do what she calls the "instant application of skill knowledge."

As for expectations for students, Bledsoe wants students to be able to relay what they've learned to other journalists at their schools. She says she also wants them to be able to identify what makes for great storytelling photos, and says that students are already receiving experience discussing photos through the group critiques they've been holding in class.

Gunterman and Bledsoe also stress the need for the students to become self-sufficient during the workshop after having had instruction early in the session. The students will continue to work on photo stories throughout the session, and we will post the stories on the blog later in the session.

In less than two hours, Newspaper and Yearbook students will hear a talk by Middle Way House Prevention Programs Coordinator Lauren Taylor, who has spoken to the first and second sessions of HSJI this summer about teen dating abuse. Again, there will be a news writing contest about Taylor's presentation and the subject of relationship abuse, and we will also continue post the contest entries as they become available this session.

HSJI Round 3

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:49:40 +0000

Photo by Jay Seawell

Multimedia Workshop instructor Lori Henson discusses a possible story topic with Jackson Wen of Bloomington High School North and Hannah Alani of Bloomington High School South on Saturday, July 17, at Ernie Pyle Hall.

Today is the first day of the final chapter of summer 2010 HSJI. A much smaller group has come to campus this time (just fewer than 90) but it's another group of people from a remarkable range of places outside the Midwest, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and India.

After registration concluded this afternoon, HSJI Director Teresa White welcomed the new group to campus and then introduced the faculty and staff for the week. The new classes for this session are the Multimedia workshop, taught by Lori Henson, and Sports Reporting and Writing, led by Tony Willis.

Classes met in the afternoon and resumed after a dinner break. In the Multimedia Workshop, Henson had her students research their possible topics for multimedia stories, and told them to decide on which platform they will use for the story, whether it be an audio slideshow or video. With journalism becoming more Multimedia-oriented, this workshop will surely provide great experience for its students, whose projects we will be posting on this blog later in the session.

Down the hall, in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium, Terry Nelson addressed Newspaper students with a talk about how to improve coverage of stories. Nelson stressed that there are current themes, such as bullying, that scholastic publications can tackle, and she also recommended that staffs of these publications establish ethics policies to define how they will go about covering such stories. For example, a staff should criticize an action or practice rather than an individual, and if a staff is critical in an editorial, then the editorial should suggest a solution for what it sees as the problem.

Nelson also gave the students a host of suggestions of how to find content for their respective publications. To name a few, Nelson told students to assign a reporter to cover all school board meetings, to routinely check daily school announcements and to get in the habit of scheduling monthly meetings with school principals.

After giving suggestions, Nelson closed on an encouraging note. She commanded the students to not think of themselves as just kids, but to have the mindset that they can change the world for the better. She proceeded to show the students a video titled "Lost Generation," in which a teenage voice turns negative statements about this current generation into positive statements.

Nelson said that bringing about positive change "can start with your high school newspaper." And with that, the students filed out of the auditorium to embark on a new session of HSJI.

Please check back for more updates and student work.

And, in the end…

Kevin Krilich - — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:49:50 +0000

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I came to IU. All I knew was I would be attending an editor-in-chief camp for the HSJI program. I figured the whole camp would involve boring Powerpoints and lectures. I was wrong.

The EIC program was not what I expected, but it was worth the time and effort needed to complete it. There were lectures and Powerpoints. There was homework. There was an 11:30 (10:30 my time zone) curfew. It was all worth it though, because what I learned at HSJI I will bring back to my paper in hopes of taking it to the next level.

I was able to hear ideas from other schools on how to make sure staff meet their deadlines, how to motivate the staff, and gained many (100+) story ideas. This knowledge will be invaluable in improving the Rebel Rouser and setting standards for the future journalists of T.F. South.