Dear Journalism students and families,
This is just a reminder that our first summer meeting is tomorrow, Saturday, June 13, in my classroom, Room 301. Our meeting will go from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.
We also have a pre-meeting scheduled for all editors from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. I would like to open an invitation to ANY eighth grader who is interested in a leadership position to attend. There will be plenty of leadership opportunities available in the coming year.
Our program is undergoing some exciting changes. Junior high and high school journalism programs have gone largely unchanged for the past seventy years. While typewriters have given way to computers, and film cameras have been replaced by digital cameras, the concept of the "school newspaper" has remained basically the same since the mid-20th century. Stories would be assigned, copy written, photos taken, and then the story would be printed and shared whenever the next edition of the school newspaper might be printed, which could be next week or next month. That will soon be changing at Sierra Vista.
In today's world of journalism, reporters capture stories, photos, and video and share them through digital media the same day. That's what I would like to start doing at Sierra Vista. I am applying for funding that will give us the technology to do the same thing they're doing at the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. More than just a "Journalism" class, our program is poised to transform into a Digital Communications program that reflects what colleges and universities have recently started offering, and that could serve as a model for other schools in our district.
Our principal, Mrs. Hoffman, has also asked our class to start delivering the morning announcements. If we get the technology I am requesting, our own Journalism students will be in front of a camera reporting the morning news live each day to every student and staff member in the school. Like I said, we have some pretty exciting days and months ahead of us. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Cheers,
Mr. Ippolito
Upcoming events:
Saturday, June 13, 10am-12pm, Journalism Staff Meeting, SV Room 301
Friday, July 31, 8am-3pm, SV Student Leaders Meeting, SV Room TBA
Thu-Fri, August 6-7, 7am-3pm, SV Registration Days, SV Room 301
Ron IppolitoTeacher, Sierra Vista Junior High School
Google for Education Qualified Teacher
