Advanced InDesign* • $25 FULL
8:30 a.m.-noon Limit 40.
Take your design skills to the next level with this seminar that will show you how to use the power of InDesign to streamline your publication production. Bradley Wilson, MJE, of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, will cover libraries, styles and other InDesign tricks. Participants must bring their own laptops with Adobe InDesign CS6 or later installed. Two students may share one laptop.
Broadcast, Video Boot Camp • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
In this hands-on workshop, beginning and intermediate students will learn the fundamentals of creating an effective news package from the ground up. This includes videography, sound recording, editing and story structure. Working in small teams, participants will spend the morning developing their videography skills and planning a story, and the afternoon shooting and editing that story. The instructor will be 2014 Broadcast Adviser of the Year Michael Hernandez of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California. Participants must bring their own video cameras, tripods, microphones and laptops with editing software. Please test and become familiar with your equipment before attending the session, as the presenters may not be familiar with your specific hardware/software. An Off-site Permission Form is required for each student attending this workshop.
Digital Photography Workshop • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 65.
Designed for photographers who have at least one year’s experience shooting for their publications, this all-day intensive workshop will cover composition, lighting, cropping and camera technique. Participants will receive instruction and go out on assignment with Jed Palmer, CJE, adviser of the Eagle Eye View yearbook and the Summit newspaper in Parker, Colorado, and Mike Simons, MJE, of Corning-Painted Post High School in Corning, New York. Instructors will critique students’ work and offer editing tips and techniques. Participants must bring a digital camera, and they are encouraged to bring a laptop computer with the photo-editing program (Photoshop, Lightroom) they will use. An Off-site Permission Form is required for each student attending this workshop.
Fast and Furious: The Society for News Design QuickCourse* • $25
1-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
This long-running pre-convention workshop is chock full of fresh ideas. Taught by Ron Johnson, the six-time editor of The Best of Newspaper Design, we’ll tackle the fundamentals of print presentations — story forms, strong visuals, tasteful typography and smart packaging. We’ll also cover trends in news design, with dozens of ideas for photos, graphics and stories from publications around the world. Bring copies of your publication, in print or PDF, for the best part of the QuickCourse — our group critiques.
Gender, Censorship and Reporting #MeToo • $25
8:30 a.m.-noon Limit 40.
In the era of #MeToo, the Student Press Law Center has received a flood of inquiries from student journalists and advisers around the country. Join Hadar Harris, Mike Hiestand and Diana Mitsu Klos of the SPLC team for a pre-convention workshop focused on the legal and ethical implications of gender, censorship and reporting on sexual harassment and abuse. This session will cover the most important things to think about while reporting on issues of sexual misconduct and how censorship and self-censorship can play into reporting on these issues.
Investigative Reporting Workshop • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference with the journalistic work you do, but you just weren’t certain how to go about getting the information, finding the resources available to you and fact-checking the story for accuracy, this pre-convention workshop will give you tools you need to get started. Newspaper adviser Emily Smith, CJE, of Pittsburg (Kansas) High School will walk you through the process of breaking and reporting the story of a newly hired administrator who was a fraud. You’ll get tips on resources to use and the critical-thinking process the student staff used in reporting. The administrator resigned and a flurry of national attention focused on the student newspaper staff.
Online/Social Media Boot Camp • $40 FULL
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
Are you overwhelmed with the thought of managing a website, a social media presence, multimedia posts and live coverage online? This workshop will cover online storytelling through the use of Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms in addition to incorporating video and audio content into your website. Your team will leave with a plan to execute online storytelling with best practices in social media, multimedia posts and live coverage. Participants should have login and password data available to use from their own site. All participants must bring either a laptop or tablet.
Photoshop/Lightroom Workflow • $25 FULL
1-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
Taught by Mark Murray, Arlington (Texas) Independent School District, participants will learn to use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. This workshop will emphasize a basic workflow for preparing photographs for publication. A basic overview of Lightroom will be included for participants not familiar with the program. Participants must bring their own laptops with Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop CS6 or later installed. Two students may share one laptop. This session is open to both students and advisers.
Sports Reporting Workshop • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 40.
The most-read stories in a publication are often the sports stories, but often they are filled with sports clichés and hyperbole. From understanding the sport, to interviewing, to writing the final story, the sports writer’s job is unlike any other on the media team. This workshop, led by Pete LeBlanc, CJE, of Antelope (California) High School, will show you how to write sport stories as exciting as the event itself. You’ll have a chance to interview players or coaches and write a sports story to be critiqued at the end of the session.
Team Storytelling • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 60.
Great storytelling combines good writing, good photos and good design. Behind it all is good planning. In this team-based reporting experience taught by Amy DeVault, MJE, of Wichita (Kansas) State University and Sara Quinn of Kansas State University, students will work in groups of three to create real story packages. The workshop begins with instruction on planning packages with readers in mind, and then the students will go off-site to gather stories. Students will return to the convention site to finish their packages. Schools should register students in teams of three, preferably a writer, design and photographer, though certainly the students can each practice all these skills. At least one student needs InDesign skills, as the students will design their packages. Students will need to bring any equipment they might need (cameras, laptops and card readers). Students can create content for print, broadcast or web, and the workshop is recommended for experienced student journalists. An Off-site Permission Form is required for each student attending this workshop.
Writers’ Workshop • $40
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Limit 65.
If you’re looking for ways to sharpen and brighten your writing so others will clamor to read it, this interactive workshop is for you. This seminar, led by Dan Austin of Casa Roble High School, Orangevale, California, will entertain and inspire as we analyze excellent writing and apply the pros’ techniques to your work. Whether you need to write a catchy headline or a 2,000-word feature, you’ll learn to improve every aspect of your writing as we discuss ledes, voice, narrative style and literary devices to tighten and strengthen your writing.
*Sign up for both design workshops at a discounted rate of $40. FULL