Preconvention Workshops

All preconvention workshops take place on Thursday, April 14. Online preregistration is required to attend.

Advanced InDesign • $20
1–5 p.m. Limit 36.
Take your design skills to the next level with this seminar that will show you how to use the power of InDesign to streamline your publication production. Bradley Wilson, MJE, of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, will cover libraries, styles and other InDesign tricks. Participants must bring their own laptops with Adobe Photoshop CS6 or later installed. Two students may share one laptop.

Broadcast and Video Boot Camp • $30
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Limit 30.
In this hands-on workshop, beginning and intermediate students will learn the fundamentals of creating an effective news package from the ground up. This includes videography, sound recording, editing and story structure. Working in small teams, participants will spend the morning developing their videography skills and planning a story, and the afternoon shooting and editing that story. The instructor will be Michael Hernandez of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California. Participants must bring their own video cameras, tripods, microphones and laptops with editing software. Please test and become familiar with your equipment before attending the session, as the presenter may not be familiar with your specific hardware/software.

Composition and Exposure • $20
8 a.m.-noon. Limit 30.
The two keys to every good photo are the composition and the exposure. This course, taught by Jed Palmer, CJE, adviser of the Eagle Eye View yearbook and the Summit newspaper in Parker, Colorado, will use a blend of presentation and hands-on shooting that will show you how to capture a strong image for your publication that goes beyond the simple snapshot. Bring your DSLR and learn to control natural light through the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings on your camera. Students will leave the “classroom” for a photo scavenger hunt to practice the rules of composition and exposure adjustments that will be taught. Each photographer will need a DSLR camera for this session. An Off-site Permission Form is required for each student attending this workshop.

DSLR Lighting • $20
8 a.m.–noon. Limit 30.
With solutions from DIY hacks to speedlite strobes and wireless triggers, this course — taught by Michael Simons, CJE, of West High School in Painted Post, New York — will cover lighting techniques used in DSLR photography for publications. Emphasis will be on practical tips and tricks to use in modifying light on a extremely limited budget with instruction and suggestions (as well as demonstrations) offered on where and how to make modest investments in hardware to take students’ photography to the next level. Students will need a DSLR camera for this session.

In-depth Legal Training • $8
9 a.m.–3 p.m. Limit 30.
The Student Press Law Center wants you to go into your newsroom equipped to understand your rights, protect them – and, if possible, make them even better. We’re offering a daylong workshop about free-speech and free-press rights in schools, what the law does and doesn’t protect, and how students can organize and campaign for better policies protecting their rights. You’ll learn to make the case for a free and uncensored press, with lessons from the successful recent campaign in North Dakota that led to The New Voices Act, one of the strongest student press-rights laws in the country.

Leadership Seminar • $25
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Limit 60.
Designed for publication editors, this daylong seminar will show participants more ways to effectively lead the way with their publication staffs. Editors will work with Lori Keekley, MJE, St. Louis Park (Minnesota) High School, to better understand their team and how to help individual members work together to solve problems and manage time. They also will discuss self-assessment, people interaction, project planning, project management, goal setting, teamwork and motivation. Those attending should be current or upcoming editors. Advisers are also welcome to attend and will be expected to participate. Limit of two registrants per school.

Mobile Video Journalism Boot Camp • $25
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Limit 30.
Become a citizen journalist using iOS to report on the world around you. Students will learn how to unleash the power of their iOS device to develop high-quality news packages. Taught by Don Goble of Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri, this workshop will teach students how to plan, develop, shoot and edit a story. An iOS device (iPhone or iPad) is required, and you will want to bring your charger as well. While microphones and tripods are ideal, they aren’t necessary. We’ll be using the apps iMovie and Paper by FiftyThree, as well as collaborative apps such as Google Drive, Docs and Google Photos. Having Airdrop enabled on devices is also recommended.

Photo Editor Boot Camp • $20
1 p.m.–5 p.m. Limit 30.
This course is for students who will hold a leadership position with their 2016-2017 publication, and will focus on skills and techniques veteran photographers can use to train and grow their staff and publication. Emphasis will be on strategies for teaching DSLR fundamentals, development of resources including what equipment to invest in and why, and other advanced topics in portraiture, staff management, and more. Taught by Michael Simons, CJE, of West High School in Painted Post, New York, this course is for veteran photographers only.

Photo Shoot Management • $20
1 p.m.-5 p.m. Limit 60.
Capturing an event with photos is more than just controlling the camera. You need strategies and techniques for effectively managing a photo shoot from start to finish. Participants will learn about photo storytelling, equipment organization, natural light management, photographer positioning and in-shoot photograph management. Instructor Jed Palmer, CJE, adviser of the Eagle Eye View yearbook and the Summit newspaper in Parker, Colorado, will also teach concepts for shooting an event with multiple cameras and/or multiple photographers.

Photoshop Workflow • $20
8:30 a.m.–noon. Limit 50.
Taught by Mark Murray, Arlington (Texas) Independent School District, participants will learn to use Adobe Photoshop. This workshop will emphasize a basic workflow for preparing photographs for publication. Participants must bring their own laptops with Adobe Photoshop CS4 or later installed. Two students may share one laptop. This session is open to both students and advisers.

Redesign Seminar • $25
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Limit 75.
Students in this intensive, hands-on design seminar, led by Pete LeBlanc of Antelope (California) High School, will study advanced packaging techniques including modular design, typography, marriage of elements, negative space and photo packaging. Most of your time will be spent working on actual publication redesign. Laptop computers with InDesign are mandatory. Students who do not have a laptop may still sign up — though the experience may be limited — and will need to be prepared to bring supplies to work on manual designs. Students should bring some of their favorite magazines and supplies such as scissors, pencils and glue sticks. Students also are encouraged to bring their own publications for sharing and critique.

Society for News Design QuickCourse • $30
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Limit 70.
SND brings its fast-paced workshop to JEA/NSPA. We start with the fundamentals of print design and move into tips and trends, with hundreds of ideas for designs, stories, photos, graphics and typography. Taught by Kansas State University’s Sara Quinn, the president of the Society for News Design, this session will benefit newspaper, magazine and yearbook staffers. Bring copies of your publications and your designs, either print or PDF, for our critique. We’ll make you better.

Team Storytelling • $30
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Limit 54.
Great storytelling combines good writing, good photos and good design. Behind it all is good planning. In this team-based reporting experience taught by Kristin Baker of Derby (Kansas) High School, students will work in groups of three to create real story packages. The workshop begins with instruction on planning packages with readers in mind, and then the students will go off-site to gather stories. Students will return to the convention site to finish their packages. Schools should register students in teams of three, preferably a writer, designer and photographer, though certainly the students can each practice all these skills. At least one student needs InDesign skills, as the students will design their packages. Students will need to bring any equipment they might need (cameras, laptops and card readers). Students can create content for print, broadcast or Web, and the workshop is recommended for experienced student journalists. An Off-site Permission Form is required for each student attending this workshop.

Writers’ Workshop • $20
8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Limit 125.
If you’re looking for ways to sharpen and brighten your writing so others will clamor to read it, this interactive workshop is for you. Taught by Dan Austin of Casa Roble High School, Orangevale, California, this seminar will entertain and inspire as we analyze excellent writing and apply the pros’ techniques to your own work. Whether you need to write a catchy headline or a 2,000-word feature, you’ll learn to improve every aspect of your writing as we discuss ledes, voice, narrative style and literary devices to tighten and strengthen your writing.