There is this rumor going around that newspapers are dying.
And it might even be true. But even my fledgling student-journalists already understand that although newsprint might die, the importance of an accurate, engaging news source and discussion forum is only increasing.
My students have taken their student newspaper to incredible heights in the 7 months since it was created. Partly with the help of technology secured through donorschoose.org funding, they now create a professional product that has become a vital part of the school community. They've overcome almost every obstacle thrown their way and can be proud of the product they create.
But the one obstacle they haven't yet overcome is the one facing every newspaper in the country: People aren't reading newspapers like they used to. Readers want more news, in more colors, and faster. They want to be able to give their own feedback on the news that happened 5 hours ago - not 5 days ago. And so, the student editors here have assembled a plan to launch a student-centered, video-enhanced, journalistically-grounded web site.
This web site - with video feeds made possible by your donation of a video camera - would engage the student community as readers and consumers of community news. It would enable my student-journalists to garner a broader audience, and therefore make their work more meaningful and more important. Perhaps most importantly, it would allow them to function in a real world where print and broadcast journalism are paired. This would help better prepare these students for college and careers in journalism, and would help bring a greater sense of community to our school as a whole.
These are truly impressive students, who achieved great things so far. But they've reached a ceiling - where it's hard to inspire a readership directly wired to the web. With your donation, they will continue to grow and evolve alongside the growing, evolving media world in which they live.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Hartman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.