Headlines & Captions Edition 4

Please make it clear about which article you are posting. But this is the place to post your headline ideas and your caption (if applicable) ideas. Be creative, appropriate and active with those verbs.

November articles to read

Airy macarons: I have a crush on this writer and her style, and this article is proof of her awesomeness. Maybe we need to include some more food writing in The Voice. Any takers? And what are your thoughts on this piece. Is there an MA story in here?

Why Science Majors Change Their Minds: An interesting article similar to the one below. Now is the time when science, technology, engineering and math majors are needed more than ever. But -- those majors are tricky, especially at the college level. What are you thoughts on this topic? Is there an MA angle in here?

Students Pick Easier Majors: Similar questions to the article above. If you read both, which one do you prefer?

High School Hazing: Yikes! An interesting piece on a part of high school culture. At times this seems every public school to me; at other times, I know hazing does go on an MA. What are your thoughts on this article and the topic in general? Is there an MA angle in here?

Edition 4 Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be early December. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas. 

Please post 6-7 ideas for the fourth edition of the year. You must have at least one article idea for each section (News, Sports, A&E, Features, Op/Ed, Center Spread). Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such: 
Article Idea: Must interviews (be specific ... "students" is fairly obvious and somewhat lame): Why will people want to read this:

Staff Work

Making your newspaper: you have your stories selected, now you need to create a newspaper. Your newspaper will have stories, graphics, headlines, by-lines, a flag (newspaper title), captions, photo credit, everything from a regular newspaper.

Newspaper size: standard letter (8/5" x 11")
Margins: Standard (.5" all around)
Body text size: Time new Roman, 10 pt
Headlines: No smaller than 25 pt
Caption size: 8 pt
Photo credit size: 7 pt

Here are some tutorials to help you get started. Remember to look at The Voice to see how the little things are formatted. Good luck!

InDesign Palettes & tools
Making a new document
Importing Graphics/Text
Sizing Text to Fit Into a Frame/Box
How to do a drop cap
How to Text Wrap

Ron Elving

For Thursday's class, please read/listen to TWO pieces by Ron Elving and come to class with 3-5 questions pertaining either directly to the pieces you listened to or for Ron Elving in general. Make sure you know who he is, what he does, and what he covers. He'll be joining our class at 830am.

We'll be in the Annex.

Weeks 11 & 12: lots of good stuff

The Old Solider Who Didn't Fade Away: A great profile piece on a dedicated man. What do you think of the style of the piece? The format? Is this a successful profile?

Birth of a Salesman: Do you remember life before Amazon? Probably not because it was started when you were wee little lads and lasses. This is a solid profile piece on the CEO: Jeff Bezos. What do you think of the style of this piece? The format? Is this a successful profile?

Mazda5: Yes, I am secretly in love with this writer. He writes car reviews, but my how amazing they are! Really. Truly. Then again, maybe you don't agree. Is this a successful car review? What makes it a good/bad review?

Coming out to the World on the Web: A great piece on the newest (and maybe riskiest) way to come out: youtube! Is there an MA story in here? What do you think of this practice?

Headline & Captions: Edition 3

Please make it clear about which article you are posting. But this is the place to post your headline ideas and your caption (if applicable) ideas. Be creative, appropriate and active with those verbs.

Week 10: Some serious stuff

In this Rape Center, the patient was 3: A disturbing piece but one that is well written and clearly articulated. What are your thoughts on this topic? Is there a way to get the MA community aware of this topic? What do you think of the structure of this piece?

Steve Jobs: The Secular Prophet — Lots of news about Steve Jobs' death, but this was especially poignant in how it addressed his impact. What are your thoughts? How about the structure? Overall ideas presented? Do you agree?

Week 9: Satire!

Driving the Rich into the Sea: A great example of satire, this piece offers an interesting idea regarding taxes and the rich. What makes this a successful satirical piece? What kind of MA issues would be perfect for satire? Remember -- this is more than mockery; this is about presenting something so ridiculous the actual issue becomes ridiculous.

Better Ideas Through Failure: Clearly this is a hot topic right now. If you read the NYT piece, how is this one different? If you didn't read the other piece, what are your thoughts on this issue? How does failure play into life at MA? If you life? Why does failure have such a bad rap?

Week 8: Failure as an option

What if the secret to success is failure?: A fabulous final post for the month of September. This is a longer piece, so if you comment on this it will count as two. Even if you already posted, go on and read this one. I promise it's good. There's surely an MA angle in this story ... where and what is it? What do you think of the idea of failure and how it isn't really present at MA? Is that a good thing? A bad thing? How might this relate to our mission statement of Think, Question & Create?

Week 6 & 7: Pizza and SATs and Homework

Real Original Ray's: A phenomenal opening sentence and a great profile on a New York staple. Where's the MA story in here?

SAT Scores Slip: An interesting read about your favorite test. Thoughts? MA angle?

The Trouble with Homework: This has been all over the educational blogosphere. The old topic of homework is addressed yet again. What are your thoughts on the author's opinion? And where the MA story in here? Maybe a school-wide survey about nightly homework? How much time students really spend on work versus procrastination and homework?

Edition 3: Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be late-October. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas. 
Please post 6-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. You must have at least one article idea for each section (News, Sports, A&E, Features, Op/Ed, Center Spread). Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such: 
Article Idea: Must interviews (be specific ... "students" is fairly obvious and somewhat lame): Why will people want to read this:

Layout work for staffers

Check out the assignment!

You have three class periods to complete the assignment. Want to work on it for homework, ok. But I think you can get it done during class time. Questions, just ask.

Week 5: Sept 11

I could not ignore the coverage of Sept. 11. It was compelling, mournful, abundant. I offer up a few articles:

1. On a Haunted Shore, a Struggle to Let Go: This is an outstanding feature piece. Often times we do not dig deep enough or focus the scope of our features enough to really profile a slice of life. What can we learn from this piece? What makes it compelling? How does the author focus the piece yet make it relatable and accessible?

2. Why Ground Zero Is Perfect Just as it is Now: What stood out in this piece for me was the sentence structure. Anderson is crafty and so adept at using a variety of sentence patterns to really draw attention to the content he trying to convey. Pick out a favorite sentence or two and tell me why they matter?

3. Can We Forgive: A great piece on forgiveness. Also a stellar example of a commentary that uses an anecdote to tell the story, along with some opinion. What are your thoughts on the content? Is there an MA story in here somewhere?

Headlines & Captions: Edition 2

Please make it clear about which article you are posting. But this is the place to post your headline ideas and your caption (if applicable) ideas. Be creative, appropriate and active with those verbs.

Week 4: Font geeks & Facebook & More

For the Love of Fonts: A great essay on a subject I hold near and dear: typography. Yes the subject might be a little geeky, but it is a solid read. What are your thoughts?

If I'm on Facebook, It Must Be Over: Another great opinion piece, but this one is from the NYTimes. An author discusses her recent joining of Facebook. Do you agree that Facebook is beginning its demise? What do you think of Sittenfeld's style of writing? Is there an MA angle in here?

California Dreaming: One of the three editorials from this Sunday's Times. 1. What are you thoughts on the content? 2. How does the form/style match and complement that content? Is this a successful editorial? Remember, an editorial is the voice of the newspaper, an unsigned opinion written by the Editor-in-Chief.

Week 3: Little League & Gender Roles

Was Your Little League This Good: A fantastic piece from the Wall Street Journal. The tone is casual, but the topic is quite poignant for the present state of professional athletics. What are your thoughts on the piece? Successful? Did you laugh? Is there an MA angle we can dive into?

After Class, Skimpy Equality: From the NYTimes. A powerful read on gender roles on college campuses in America. I know there's an MA story in here. Any ideas?

Share your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and more.

Would you rather?

Here is the place to post your ideas for the "Would You Rather" section of The Voice. Please keep this appropriate.

Have fun!

Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be late-September. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 6-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. You must have at least one article idea for each section (News, Sports, A&E, Features, Op/Ed, Center Spread). Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews (be specific ... "students" is fairly obvious and somewhat lame):
Why will people want to read this:

Week 16: May is winding down

Fast-tracking to Kindergarten: And I thought some high school students were obsessed with college placement and grades. Ha! Check out these little ones. What are your thoughts on this latest and greatest school-prep service? Is there an MA angle in this piece?

Your So-Called Education: And what's the point of all that test prep when college isn't that grueling? Where's the MA angle in this piece? Any response to this article?

Final Project

Here's the scoop on the final design project.

Week 15: May continues

1. You know I love This American Life, and no better topic than .... PROM! Such an eclectic mix of stories from disaster to interesting. What are you thoughts on the many different ways people relive and experience prom. Listen to the entire podcast, and this counts as TWO posts.

2. Reluctant Role Model: This is the story of Chaz Bono. He is the son, formerly a daughter, of Sonny and Cher. It's a great profile piece, and it ran on the cover of the Sunday Styles section this past weekend. What are your thoughts on the topic? On giving this topic such prominent coverage? Is there an MA angle in this piece?

May! May! May!

Walking the Border: This article is super awesome. Yes, it's from Esquire, but no, it's not written by our friend Tom Chiarella. This is all about one man's journey to walk the Mexico/US border. Any MA angle in here? What do you think of the merits of this as an article? What did you learn from this?
If you read and post about this article, it will count as two posts.

Tuesday's computer lab work

1. If you have not printed your Letter in Nature project, please do so. If you need to finish it up, get 'er done.
2. If you have printed your Letters in Nature, here's your task at hand: create and design a simple business card for yourself.

Guidelines:
*3 3/4" x 2 1/4"
*Double sided (one side with a graphic/pattern/something classy & fun & personal;  and one side with pertinent information such as name, address, phone number, email, website, blog, twitter account, whatever else you think is important)
*Color or black & white
*follow the principles of good design (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity)
*all work is done in InDesign

Due at the end of class. Please PDF your work (command + E), and save to the folder on the Voice server.

Week 13: Farewell April!

An amazing story from the SF Chronicle brought to me attention by Ella Storey. Thanks, Ella! What are your thoughts on this piece and what, if any, is the MA angle?

How Little Sleep Can you Get Away With? Great question!! And the NYTimes has an answer. There is surely lots to learn in this piece and some way to make this an MA piece. Do go beyond the little sleep slot in the planner, and think about some real way to bring this often repeated yet so important topic to the community.

Share, share, and share some more before May 1.

Week 12: April Showers?

Price of Perception: a great read from the NYTimes about the cost/price of college tuition. Where's the MA angle in this story?

Keep Your Thumbs Still When I'm Talking to You: Another gem from the NYTimes. Does this ever happen to you or friends? Where's the MA angle in this story?

One more post this month and then we're in the final month!

Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be late-May. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 6-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. You must have at least one article idea for each section (News, Sports, A&E, Features, Op/Ed, Center Spread). Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews (be specific ... "students" is fairly obvious and somewhat lame):
Why will people want to read this:

Edition 8: Staff work

Here's all the information you need to know about our first two layout days.

Week 11: April arrives

1. From Newsweek: The Great College Road Trip. And you thought you were the only one obsessed with this topic. Nope. It's gone mainstream. What are your thoughts on this profile? Does the Holland family represent a broad spectrum of people or does this play to privileged folks (keep in mind the soaring costs of such an adventure)? Where's the MA angle in this (and move beyond the copy cat idea).

2. From the Wall Street Journal: How to Get a Real Education at College. Another great piece of satire from Scott Adams. What are your thoughts on this thoughts? What's his thesis? And is there an MA angle in this piece?

Week 10: The Last March Post

1. A great read from the NYTimes, suggested by Charlotte Lobdell. What are your thoughts on this topic? How about the structure ... is this well written and reasoned?

2. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: A phenomenal piece about a terrorist hunter in Iraq. This is another solid profile piece that gives a great perspective on a nation at war and a man trying to fix things. How is this a compelling a story? How does the author made the mundane exciting?

3. An excellent commentary from Grant Hill about a recent incident that's been all over the news and March Madness. Share your thoughts on his response. It's a pretty hot topic

Week 9: more of March

Do you know this guy? I think so. What are your thoughts on this piece as a profile and story? Does the tone match the content?

Is this argument a good one? Some would say the wealth disparity in this country is the cause of the troubles mentioned. Level out the amount of money a family takes home, and things will get better.

Share your thoughts and insights!

Overheard

Share the funny yet appropriate things you hear around campus. Please do not include attribution.

Week 8: The ides of March (almost)

1. College the Easy Way: Pretty provocative ideas, especially as you all are students at a college prep school. Thoughts?

2. Liam Neeson Interview: Yeowzers this is a great profile! And Tom Chiarella is an amazing writer. What are your thoughts on the overall structure of this piece? Is it effective? Does this piece make Neeson a more compelling personality?

Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be late-April. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 5-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. You must have at least one article idea for each section (News, Sports, A&E, Features, Op/Ed, Center Spread). Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews (be specific ... "students" is fairly obvious and somewhat lame):
Why will people want to read this:

Week 7: A good listen & read (and final Feb post)

From This American Life.

Episode 427: Original recipe: this most recent episode of TAL has caused quite a stir in the soft drink world. It's such a great piece to listen to as it embodies great story-telling and solid research. What are your thoughts on the organization of the piece? What was the highlight? The part the piece could have done without? Is this topic really worth all this hype?

No More Mr. (or Ms.) Nice Guy: The Wall Street Journal is taking a bold step into present day: no more courtesy titles. Amazing. What are you thoughts on how this might impact the sports section, the newspaper, and the world. What do you think of those pesky courtesy titles? Should they still be in use anywhere? And surely comment on Jason Gay's tone in this piece. How would you describe it?

Happy minicourse ... in a week.

Edition 7: Editor Goals

Please post three goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition of last semester, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

General goals for everyone:

1. MAKE THE EDITS THE COPY EDITORS SUGGEST.

2. Visible difference in headline size (heads should be larger than 30 but no smaller than 30)

3. Photos anchored to headline (no floating graphics/photos)

4. Make sure exported PDF is high resolution

5. After you copy edit a page, make sure all elements/storylines are still on the page

Week 6: Love & Belief

Two pieces from the Wall Street Journal:

1. I Just Called to Say, Ahem, I Love You: This article looks at those three words and what they really mean. How might MA community members struggle with the opposite effect of what the author writes about? Is there an article idea we can take from this article and bring to The Voice?

2. God at the Grammys: The Chosen Ones: An interesting article on the role belief plays in the role of famous people. What are your thoughts on what this author claims? In what ways does the author see belief and success intersecting? Is there an article idea we can take from this article and bring to The Voice?

Week 5: Super Bowl Sunday!

1. Escalating Arms Race for Top Colleges: An essay from a parent's perspective. What are your thoughts on the topic? Do you think the cycle is created by the colleges or the parents? What about the execution of her ideas. Do you think this is well written? Well argued?

2. Teenagers, Friends & Bad Decisions: This is all about you! Comment on the content (do you agree or disagree) and then comment on the execution (is this well written, clearly presented, well balanced).

Week 4: February Begins!

1. Why Not Regulate Guns as Seriously as Toys: An interesting reasoning behind gun control. What are your thoughts on Krugman's suggestions? Does he make accurate claims? What do you think of the overall style of the piece?

2. The Genius Dilemma: An interesting read on leadership and how it influences a company (both good and bad). What are your thoughts on the ideas presented? Structure-wise, what are your thoughts on the flow and pacing of the piece. Was this an interesting read is that I'm getting at. Why? Why not?

Article Ideas: Edition 7

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will be early March. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 5-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Include an article idea for each section. Be specific and format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Edition 6: Staff Work

Returning staff members:
More layout practice!!! The final project of last semester was to work on a single page design. You're going to rework that design and add ONE more story to the page. So, if you had a single story page, you need two. If you went with two stories on the page, you go to three. All that you need is here.

New staff members:
The goal is to complete all of these lessons by the end of our three layout class periods.

1. First Amendment Rights
Once you have finished this module, pleas review the press rights powerpoints on the blog. After you have done that, please answer this question as a comment to this post: What press case do you think is the most important for high school journalists and why?

2. Cleaning Your Copy: Everyone's got some weaknesses in the writing department, and this module will help you focus on making your writing better. Once you have finished this lesson, please answer this question as a comment to this post: Looking back at your first article, what were three mistakes you made? And, what three mistakes do you vow to never make again?


3. The Writer's Workbench: A good supply of hot tips for writing. Sure you've heard of some of these before, but think about these tips through the lens of a journalist. Once you have finished this module, post an comment in answer to this: Looking back at your first edition with The Voice, what ten rules do you have to share with the staff? These should be writing rules, but maybe one or two can be related to other aspects of the newspaper.

4. Typography for News Design: There is lots of learn about how a page is put together. There are rules and guidelines and good practices. Hopefully this module will help you start thinking about how a newspaper is put together and why designers do what they do. After you've completed this module, you need to find an amazing example of typographic design from the real world (newspaper/magazine not website) and bring it to class. Along with the newspaper you need to write a brief paragraph explaining what is so awesome about the page and what elements of type design the page is employing.

Week 3: A pair of readings

Does helping the planet hurt the poor? This question is answer by two writers with differing perspectives. Read both of these pieces, and comment on which side you prefer. Do you think the two writers have presented their arguments well? Do they make logical claims? Use sweeping generalizations? Is this topic something you've ever thought about?

No: Peter Singer
Yes: Bjorn Lomborg

Edition 6: Editor Goals

Please post three goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition of last semester, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

General goals for everyone:

1. MAKE THE EDITS THE COPY EDITORS SUGGEST.

2. Visible difference in headline size (heads should be larger than 30 but no smaller than 30)

3. Photos anchored to headline (no floating graphics/photos)

4. Make sure exported PDF is high resolution (we had some issues with this last edition)

5. After you copy edit a page, make sure all elements/storylines are still on the page

Wed January 19 class

Even the pros make mistakes

Obama Tucson speech

Week 2: Read away ....

1. Can Your Camera Phone Turn You Into A Pirate?: A great piece pertaining to copyright issues and new technology. What are your thoughts on the topic? Have you been a pirate? Is there a solution? A change coming to the copyright law? Maybe a change to Fair Use?

2. Too Much Information: In this piece, a professor comments on putting grades on-line. And she's not talking about an on-line gradebook for current student access, rather grade distributions for future students. What are your thoughts on this practice? On the idea that it promotes grade inflation? Is Course Rank abusing the Freedom of Information Act just to make a buck or millions?

Week 1: Spring semester begins

1. A great read from the Education Life supplement in the NYTimes. For some of you, this topic is near and dear to the heart. For others, it's not even on your radar. Regardless, what are your thoughts on the issues raised? Do you think there's a way to improve the disconnect between applicant and college? Do you think it's fair how much emphasis is placed on the essay?

2. The Commuter Congress, from Newsweek, looks at the effects of Senators living their lives not in Washington D.C., but in their home states. Gone are the days of bipartisan family gatherings. Senators no longer know each other outside of work, so why would they want to reach across party lines to make legislation happen. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think Washington needs to be a community in order for our government to work? Can you imagine trying to collaborate with someone you 1. hardly know and 2. never see?