December 1st work

Fashion, Graphics and IT students are working on their Q2 web-based news and feature stories. These stories are based on topics that are of personal interest to each student. Some students are writing about video games while others are writing about texting while driving. Click here to access the checklist and links that will help guide you though this process.  Make certain that you open this document and save it into your Q2 Photojournalism folder under documents.

Headlines, Cutlines, Writing Styles, Oh My!

As we dig into our first stories, we need to keep a number of important elements in mind. Thanks to JPROF, the website for teaching journalism, for providing such rich resources to assist us along the way.

• References for reporting
• Active verses passive voice
• Inverted Pyramid Checklist
• Principles of clear and effective writing.
• Template/format to follow for online news story

Mark Hancock is a photojournalist who has an excellent template for writing cutlines, or captions beneath photos. Check it out here.

Stop taking pictures and start creating images

photo by Mrs. Messman

I subscribe to a couple of weekly emails that focus on photography include one from Digital Photography School.com.

In this week's e-letter, the heading to this story caught my attention. The best photos are not photos as much as they are images. They make us think. They evoke an emotional reponse. They are more than than a pretty picture.

Take a few moments to read the article, "Stop taking pictures and start creating images," by guest contributor, Matthew Dutile.

Don't forget to take a look at the comments, too!

Poynter Online - A Resource for Writing and Journalism

From news and tips to training and chats, the Poynter Institute will be one of our key classroom resources as we begin to develop our first fact-based stories. Once you choose your topic and gather data, this site provides excellent examples of writing style. Check out this story about teens who text while driving. Note how the story refers to data and provides meaningul numbers. Oh, and I hope that after reading this, you won'd be as tempted to text the next time that YOU are behind the wheel;)

The World is Your Story

One of the premiere high school journalism programs is associated with the Poynter Institute in Florida. The Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. Here are some great tips for thinking like a Pro when it comes to developing your story. It is also helpful to take a look at the photo stories published on MSNBC.

Your Comments on Armistice Day Remembrances

November 11th is Armistice Day: on  the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month", in 1918, an armistice was signed to end the fighting on the Western Front at the end of World War I. On this day each year, we take a moment to honor our veterans on what has become known as Veteran's Day.

The Big Picture on Boston.com has a moving collection of 37 photos from around the US other parts of the world that honor their veterans.  To see all photos, click on MORE PHOTOS.

For this in-class assignment, go through the photos and select a favorite. Then return to this blog and write 3 sentences about your favorite photo. Your comments may include elements and principles of composition or they may focus solely on the reflection/mood of the image.  Be sure to include the # of the photo in your comments. 

Understanding Fiction leads to a better understanding of non-fiction

In Q2, we are focusing on storytelling and  although the majority of our work will be based on real life or non-fiction , it is helpful to review elements of fiction. As we kick off this quarter, we will examine the similarities and differences between the two genres. The better we understand what makes a good story good, the better equipped we are to create our own.

The Boston Globe: The Big Picture

As we move into digital storytelling next Quarter, I thought you would enjoy this link to The Big Picture from Boston.com. These are basically news stories that are told in photographs and compiled by Alan Taylor of the Boston.com staff.

Quarter One is coming to an end

As we wrap up Quarter One, everyone is busy, busy, busy working on their Ten Good Photos project using SlideRocket. Many other students were also busy helping out with our school's November 1st Open House. Some were tour guides while others helped out with classroom and shop demonstrations. One of our students, Vanessa, was the official photographer for the day. Thanks for capturing some great images around the school including our class's photo display. Great job, Vanessa!