Foundation

The NAA Foundation focuses on Newspaper In Education, newspaper youth content, scholastic journalism and diversity. In this blog, you'll learn about products, programs and resources that emphasize the use of newspapers and other media by young people. You'll also learn about programs and activities that can help news media companies transform their cultures in order to grow business and increase readership and audience.

May 2011 - Posts

• Guide offers strategies for dealing with censorship

  "School-enforced restrictions on coverage, demands from administrators for prior approval of stories and outright censorship of student work are everyday occurrences at many schools across the country."  That statement from page 3 of "Press Freedom in Practice: A Manual for Student Media Advisers on Responding to Censorship" is as true today as it was when the guide was written for and published by the NAA Foundation. Authored by John Bowen and Mark Goodman, the 34-page manual is filled with "advice, guidance and thoughtful discussion to those media advisers striving to find the right path." The guide features "experiences shared by many who have spent years on the front lines and ‘lived to tell the tales.' " If you are in search of "some tested techniques for overcoming censorship," download this free resource here. - Sandy Woodcock Posted May 25 2011, 03:06 PM by Marina Hendricks with no comments Filed under: naa foundation, student journalism, scholastic journalism, free press, censorship

• 'New Commerce Department site serves as a hub for teaching web skills'

  If you are looking for a destination website to all things digital, check out  www.DigitalLiteracy.gov.  From the link to the Copyright Poster Guide by the Copyright Alliance Education to the link to StopBullying.Gov For Kids, the site is a repository for digital topics.  According to the Department of Commerce's May 13 press release, "In partnership with nine federal agencies, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), created www.DigitalLiteracy.gov to provide librarians, teachers, workforce trainers, and others a central location to share digital literacy content and best practices." Check it out, there is something here to assist educators and citizens everywhere. The more you know... Posted May 20 2011, 10:17 AM by Sandy Woodcock with no comments Filed under: online, training, online training, emerging technology, teachers, Web site, digital education, classroom ideas, digital tools, digital, Digital education, literacy, web resources

• 'High Five' grants available for middle-school newspapers

  "... In this day and age it is important to maintain a school newspaper, for it is the ultimate form of global communication and without communication our students are sadly 'left behind.' " - Laura Dwyer, gifted and talented teacher, Belmont (N.H.) Middle School In 2009, the NAA Foundation awarded Dwyer's school a $2,000 "High Five" grant.  The grant enabled her to purchase technology which enhances her students' ability to "... edit, share and collaborate in an open forum similar to professional newspaper formats." Middle-school educators wishing to offer their students the opportunity to acquire 21st century skills while improving their writing and informing their peers should apply for the grant. Applications for the 2011 grant program can be found here. Deadline to apply is May 20. - Sandy Woodcock     Posted May 13 2011, 02:54 PM by Marina Hendricks with no comments Filed under: naa foundation, scholastic journalism, student engagement, middle schools

• Check out this Civil War website

  You might want to share this website with educators in your markets: The Civil War: 150 Years/National Park Service Sesquicentennial Commemoration. Beginning with Nov. 6, 1860, there are "Then" and "Now" posts tracking the history of the war. The site is filled with additional information on events and Civil War parks, along with a soldier search, but perhaps the coolest feature is the Twitter coverage from a "reporter."  - Sandy Woodcock    Posted May 09 2011, 12:51 PM by Marina Hendricks with no comments Filed under: Newspaper In Education, Civil War

• Big news, big numbers for newspapers

  While the nation - and the world - buzzed with news of Osama bin Laden's death, U.S. newspaper websites experienced surges in traffic. On the print side, production teams added extra editions and saw substantial bumps in single-copy sales. A new NAA report documents individual member newspapers' experiences and strategies for handling increased demand on both the print and digital sides of the business. Meanwhile, the Newseum's daily compilation of newspaper front pages was difficult to access the day after bin Laden's death was announced. The archives now feature a collection of pages from the first three days after the announcement, as well as pages from other big news days. Teachers who use newspapers in the classroom might find this archive a valuable resource. Posted May 05 2011, 11:22 AM by Marina Hendricks with no comments Filed under: Newspaper In Education, newspaper front pages, NIE resources