Blog

Thursday ———-

WORKSHOP

Writers’ workshop

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 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 leads, voice, narrative style and literary devices to tighten and strengthen your writing.

Barbara Tholen, MJE, Lawrence (Kansas) High School

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Back Bay D, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

Friday ———-

GENERAL AUDIENCE

No time, no money, no problem

Find out ways to simplify yearbook production while keeping it sound, solid, and potentially award-winning at the same time. Six small town advisers from Kansas will share shortcuts that work for them and their small, often club, staffs. Handouts, Kansas food samples, and great ideas available. This session is especially helpful for yearbook, both high school and middle school, but ideas are good for all journalism areas.

Mary Patrick, CJE, Retired journalism adviser, Goddard, Kansas; Kyndall Cosgrove, Tyro (Kansas) Community Christian School; Aurora Farmer, Halstead (Kansas) High School; Kathryn Massaglia, Newton (Kansas) High School; Lyndsey Piska, Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School, Wichita, Kansas, and Melissa Rindt, Goddard (Kansas) Public School System

9 a.m., Meeting Room 313, Hynes Level 3 (227)

PHOTOJOURNALISM

You, too, can be a great yearbook photographer

Get practical tips for improving your yearbook photography from two recovering photojournalists who have been around the block about a million times. You’ll leave this session with ideas you can use as soon as you return to school. We’ll discuss spring sports, selecting the right equipment, handling difficult lighting situations and more.

Jill Chittum, Walsworth Yearbooks, Fort Worth, Texas, and Jim McCrossen, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

10 a.m., Meeting Room 203, Hynes Level 2 (259)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

The AI experiment

At Lawrence High, artificial intelligence has us feeling excited, confused and really queasy. So we’re putting it to the test this year. Students and their adviser will share what they’ve learned so far, along with a pretty funny game.

Barbara Tholen, MJE, Lawrence (Kansas) High School

10 a.m., Back Bay D, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

LEADERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING

Keeping your staff organized, efficient and happy

With so many moving pieces and personalities, things can get a little hectic midway through the year. In this session, we will discuss tips and strategies for how to organize your staff, create a smooth workflow and keep everyone motivated, even through the toughest of deadlines.

Julia Walker, Olathe West High School, Olathe, Kansas

10 a.m., Independence West, Sheraton Second Floor (150)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Cover breaking news free of breakdowns

In a time when news seems to break every day, discover how you can put your entire staff to work producing high-quality work on deadline.

Barbara Tholen, MJE, Lawrence (Kansas) High School

11 a.m., Back Bay D, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

[2-HOUR SESSION]

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Basics of off-camera flash

Sometimes, ambient light just isn’t there — I’m looking at you, school dances. Learn how to use speedlights to supplement the ambient lighting and take your images to the next level. We’ll learn some basic lighting techniques and talk about the gear needed to get started. Bringing your cameras and flashes is strongly encouraged.

Heather Springer, CJE, Olathe South High School, Olathe, Kansas

Noon, Meeting Room 308, Hynes Level 3 (103)

WRITING

How to write like Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has captured the attention of millions with her songwriting and storytelling. But how? Drop everything now and meet me in Boston to learn why T-Swift’s writing is so effective, and how we can use her tactics to produce great newspaper and yearbook stories.

Chris Heady, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas

1 p.m., Meeting Room 201, Hynes Level 2 (153)

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Do you really know exposure?

Many photography teachers explain exposure all wrong (sorry, it’s true). They explain depth of field in a way that complicates and confuses. They obsess about stopping action, when that might be perfectly wrong for your approach. They bang the table about ISO because it was so vital way-back-when. Come hear some of the myths of photographic exposure — while we also review the basics.

Eric Thomas, MJE, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, Lawrence, Kansas

2 p.m., Meeting Room 311, Hynes Level 3 (435)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Public journalism: It’s “wicked smaht”

With so much choice in the media world, cutting through the noise and attracting an audience is hard enough. Then factor in a lack of trust in the news and people only consuming content they agree with, journalism needs help. It’s why news deserts are spreading, and people are becoming less informed. Local news outlets can counter all of this. They just need to consider the concept of public journalism.

Todd Vogts, CJE, Sterling College , Sterling, Kansas

2 p.m., Back Bay C, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

Saturday ———-

ADVISERS

Grading photographers

Grading photography is hard. Is a 20-minute assembly worth as much as a football game that went into overtime? What if all the pictures are blurry or unusable? We’ll talk about creating a fair, equitable, and objective photojournalism grading system.

Heather Springer, CJE, Olathe South High School, Olathe, Kansas

8 a.m., Gardner, Sheraton Third Floor (140)

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Photojournalism 101

We will review the basics of photojournalism including exposure, composition, storytelling, ethics and everything in between while looking at some really good, storytelling photos.

Jim McCrossen, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

9 a.m., Constitution A, Sheraton Second Floor (325)

ADVISERS

How to tackle the grading beast

Grading is often something advisers dread. How do you grade such an untraditional class? How do you assess everyone equally when everyone has different jobs and responsibilities? How can you make grades reflect student work without over-complicating things? This session will provide grading strategies that help motivate kids and make your life as an adviser easier.

Julia Walker, Olathe West High School, Olathe, Kansas

9 a.m., Independence East, Sheraton Second Floor (80)

WRITING

Word by word, column by column

One hundred columns later, I have a few insights on what it takes to constantly write your opinion for a news publication. As the weekly columnist for an award-winning non-profit news website, I’ve learned more about journalism than perhaps any other time in my life: finding topics, creating time to write, working with an editor. It has all demanded a discipline I didn’t know that I had. And I love it.

Eric Thomas, MJE, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, Lawrence, Kansas

10 a.m., Gardner, Sheraton Third Floor (140)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Taming the monster: Fighting “fake news”

Anytime a news outlet provides coverage that is unfavorable or contrary to the beliefs of a person or group, journalists are accused of being “fake news.” Dis/misinformation swirls throughout social media. This has huge implications for society. That’s why media-literate individuals and journalists play a vital role in maintaining an informed citizenry. In this session, ideas for how to spot and counter “fake news” and mis/disinformation will be discussed by looking at the core of the concepts.

Todd Vogts, CJE, Sterling College , Sterling, Kansas

11 a.m., Back Bay A, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Cover now what you can never cover again

For journalists, the “now” is the thing. What is happening now, that will never happen again? Covering those stories — especially if they are right there in your school — is your duty as a high school journalist. Come hear stories of student journalists who found a small interesting thing that was happening at their school and turned it into something epic and, in some cases, terrifyingly meaningful.

Eric Thomas, MJE, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, Lawrence, Kansas

11 a.m., Gardner, Sheraton Third Floor (140)

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Journalism: The gateway to democracy

Journalism provides community members with vital information about what is going on in their worlds. When people are informed, they can effectively participate in democracy. Community media accomplishes this, and student journalism is community media. From the public journalism movement of the 90s to today’s engaged journalism, students can use these concepts to support democracy in their communities, filling potential information gaps and combating the spread of news deserts.

Todd Vogts, CJE, Sterling College , Sterling, Kansas

Noon, Back Bay A, Sheraton Second Floor (250)

ADVISERS

Building meaningful relationships

Creating a fun-filled environment is important, but it starts building that connection first.

Lyndsey Piska, Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School, Wichita, Kansas

1 p.m., Hampton, Sheraton Third Floor (80)