May 6, 2008Find local teacher for Living Textbook Class
Seven years ago, Missouri Press Foundation partnered with the University of Missouri’s MU Direct program to offer a summer course, The Living Textbook, to train Missouri educators on effective ways to use the newspaper in the classroom.The impetus for the program was to help Missouri’s newspapers develop relationships with young readers in their communities. To do this, we initiated the Teacher Ambassador Scholarship program. With this, community newspapers partner with teachers from their communities, offering them this training opportunity and in return reaping the rewards of having a highly motivated, well-trained newspaper ambassador in the local school.
And it has worked. Each year the evaluations of the workshop indicate the Living Textbook training is one of the best professional development opportunities available. Teachers leave the three-day experience ready to not only share a passion for newspapers with their students, but also with their peers.
Here are a few comments from past participants:
—“I am so excited to get back into my classroom and try these lessons and activities. I have never been to a seminar as wonderful, educational, or inspiring as The Living Textbook.”
—“I can’t wait to use the paper as my text for all areas! One of the best workshops I’ve been to!”
—“This has been one of the best workshops that I have attended. I cannot wait to share the wealth of information and resources with other teachers within my district.”
—“This course was fantastic! I learned so much and can’t wait to go back to my classroom and utilize the newspaper. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity. Also, I have been inspired to go back to my school and present the NIE program to my colleagues. What a valuable asset in the classroom – an asset most teachers do not utilize. Wow!”
—“… I also do not currently subscribe to my newspaper, but when I arrive home I am signing up for a Monday through Sunday subscription! I want to get to know my paper, be more informed and share what I know with my students.”
This summer, The Living Textbook seminar will be offered July 16-18 in Columbia. The cost to your newspaper to provide a scholarship for a local teacher to attend the training is $325. Here is what is included in that scholarship:
• The course will begin in Columbia on the University of Missouri campus at noon on Wednesday, July 16. Participants will be given University garage parking permits.
• We will spend the first four hours in the classroom, jumping into the history of newspapers and the industry’s efforts — and effectiveness — in the classroom.
• The teachers will receive a training manual with more than 600 pages of resources that will be introduced over the duration of the seminar.
• Wednesday and Thursday evenings participants will stay at Stoney Creek Inn.
• On Wednesday evening, the group will have dinner at a popular local restaurant, giving participants the opportunity to get to know one another and begin the important exchange process.
• On Thursday, in addition to working in the classroom, participants will tour the Columbia Daily Tribune plant and enjoy lunch provided by the newspaper during an open forum with Tribune management.
• Guest speakers will share their expertise on the effective use of the newspaper in the classroom. Participants will be introduced to the resources available to newspapers through the Missouri Press Association’s Newspapers In Education program. The seminar will end Friday at noon.
• In addition to course materials, parking, housing, most meals and the training, participants will receive a continuing education (CEU) certificate. The course also may be taken for one hour of graduate credit.
This year, offer one or more scholarships for teachers from your community. Also send your NIE staff person.
To get started, visit the Newspaper In Education pages at mopress.com/nienews.php to access a sign-up form for the Teacher Ambassador Scholarships. Seating is limited to our classroom capacity, so use this form to reserve a spot(s) for your newspaper.
Begin visiting with teachers and administrators in your community to find educators who might be interested in your scholarship opportunity. Investigate the possibility of your school district sharing the cost of the scholarship with professional development funds.
Also available at mopress.com/nienews.php is a promotional ad for the scholarship opportunity and the course. Personalize the ad and start publishing it in your newspaper. You might be surprised who shows an interest in the opportunity.
Once you’ve secured your participants, registered them with MPF and paid your scholarship fee, we’ll do all the rest. We’ll even provide you with photos and cutlines to promote your newspaper’s newly trained ambassador following the seminar!
May 3, 2008Send a Teacher to newspaper school!
Living Textbook Seminar just around the Corner!
It’s time to start recruiting a teacher or teachers from your local schools to attend the Living Textbook seminar, July 16-18, at University of Missouri. A scholarship to send someone from your community is a tremendous investment in readership – now and in the future. Click HERE to download the scholarship registration form. An ad to promote the course and your scholarship will be available HERE. April 24, 2008May Book Buzz picks go to the Dogs!
The May 2008 Book Buzz picks certianly have a dog-gone feel to them. Newsbee has some tail-wagging
favorites for May — books about man’s best friend that’ll have you begging for more. The stars of his “Canines Devine” Picks are pooches with a purpose that bring friendship and fun into the homes of the families who take them in.Pound for pound these doggie books are as entertaining as playing Frisbee with Fido. Even if you don’t have a pup to call your own, you can read about the antics of some darling dogs sure to steal your heart.
April 22, 2008New books ready for April Novel Ideas
The April 2008 picks for Novel Ideas is now available for download at www.mo-nie.com. The three novels
spotlighted this month include "Belong to Me" by Marisa de los Santos, "Hold Tight" by Harlan Coben, and "Kabul Beauty School" by Deborah Rodriguez. 