By Ashley Szatala

The American Society of News Editors collaborated with Missouri School of Journalism faculty and staff to develop journalism training resources for secondary-school teachers and students.

“Both the novice and experienced journalism teacher can take their student media program to the next level, with these resources” said Teri Hayt, ASNE executive director, “The modules are a lifesaver for anyone thrown into teaching journalism for the first time. Yet, more experienced teachers also benefit from the minimal prep time and access to exceptional resources.”

The scope of the modules range from basic news writing and design to trending topics such as data journalism, social media and infographics. Ideal for both traditional and flipped classrooms, the modules can also be used with minimal technology or classrooms with one device per student. The modules and materials are free to anyone; no membership is required.

“Missouri School of Journalism faculty and staff gladly shared their expertise as professional journalists and university educators to develop the modules,” said Lynda Kraxberger, associate dean for undergraduate studies.

Each of the 24 instructional modules includes:

• PowerPoint video
• Interactive quiz with feedback
• Printed quiz
• Resources recommended by Missouri School of Journalism faculty
• Resources and lesson plans from ASNE
• Lecture script

Once Missouri School of Journalism faculty and staff provided the content, Hui-Hsien Tsai, instructional designer e-learning specialist, and Amy Simons, associate professor of convergence journalism, molded the materials for the training website.

Faculty and staff members and the lessons they contributed to “Journalism Training” include:

• Jeanne Abbott: “News writing” and “What is news?”
• Gerri Berendzen: “Style, editing and headlines”
• Jamie Greber: “Reporting and interviewing” and “Videography and capturing audio”
• Annie Hammock: “Audience engagement”
• Mark Hinojosa: “Photography and cutlines” and “Social media and digital tools”
• Mike Jenner: “Investigative reporting and data visualization”
• Brett Johnson: “First Amendment training”
• Laura Johnston: “Editorial, column and review writing” and “Basic design”
• Heather Lamb: “Feature writing”
• Jeimmie Nevalga: “Broadcast news producing”
• Katherine Reed: “News literacy”
• Amy Simons: “Sports reporting and writing;” “Broadcast news writing;” and “Blogging”
• Judd Slivka: “Story ideas” and “Multimedia and managing news websites”
• Sarah Smith-Frigerio: “Polls and surveys”
• Elizabeth Stephens: “Web design”
• Rueben Stern: “Infographics”
• Ryan Thomas: “Journalism ethics”

“The Missouri School of Journalism has long supported high school journalism students and educators,” said Kraxberger, “We are pleased to work with ASNE on this project.”

The ASNE Youth Journalism Initiative, founded in 2000, has educated thousands of secondary students and teachers during the past 15 years, according to Hayt. The Initiative invests in the future of journalism and democracy by providing resources and training in youth journalism.

Highlights of the initiative, according to Hayt, include:

• More than 3.6 million visitors to the journalism education website since 2000.
• More than 400 free lesson plans on every journalism topic.
• More than 4,000 resources for journalism, news literacy and First Amendment education.
• Training tens of thousands of teachers through the online website and webinars.

ASNE, founded in 1922, focuses on leadership development and journalism-related issues, according to its website.

The project was funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation as part of the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute grant that funded training for thousands of teachers through intensive, experiential summer workshops.

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, it has committed more than $150 million to journalism initiatives nationally.