2012 Chicago Journalism, Art and Media (C-JAM) Educator Technology Fund

The C-JAM fund isn't just an equipment grant, but an opportunity to receive the support, training, and knowledge to engage youth in deeper and more thoughtful practices in media arts and journalism.


Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), is pleased to announce the 2012 Chicago Journalism, Art and Media (C-JAM) Educator Equipment Fund. The goal of this fund, sponsored by the McCormick Foundation’s Journalism Program, is to help educators gain access to the technology they need to better integrate journalism and media making into learning. 

Educators will receive equipment packages as well as professional development and training to support their efforts. Potential applicants are educators who currently incorporate media production in their classrooms or in their youth programs or are highly motivated to get started.

More information about C-JAM, the Fund, and the Equipment Packages can be found in the attached flyer (PDF) or by visiting http://cjam.edc.org/.

To apply for the Equipment Fund, visit the C-JAM Equipment Fund Application:

http://cjam.edc.org/equipment_fund
Note that you will be asked to complete the application online.  It is recommended that you compile all the information necessary to apply before filling out the application as there is no way to save a draft.

Deadline to apply has been extended to March 30, 2012.

 Any questions about the fund or the application process can be directed to http://www.blogger.com/cjam@edc.org.  

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Open Youth Networks: Finalist in Apps for Metro Chicago Contest

We're excited to hear that Open Youth Networks at Columbia College has been named one of ten finalists in Apps for Metro Chicago, sponsored by the Mayor's Office

Developed by Open Youth Networks with a team of women software engineers and students from Columbia College, IIT and UIC, Mi Parque - Little Village is a bilingual participatory placemaking web and smartphone application that helps residents of Little Village ensure that their new park is maintained as a vibrant, safe, open and healthy green space for the community. 

It's great to see creative innovation at the intersection of community engagement and technology. 

Like Mi Parque?  Public voting is live until October 14th, 5 p.m.

The voting process involves: 

1. Creating a login by clicking here: http://appsformetrochicago.com/user/login
2. Voting for at least 3 and no more than 5 of the ten finalists in the community round. Therefore, review the apps first here: http://appsformetrochicago.com/community_round_entries
3. OYN will donate any prize money to its community partner, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Learn More

Apps for Metro Chicago site: http://appsformetrochicago.com/

App link for MiParque: http://appsformetrochicago.com/apps/mi-parque

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Who We Are: Social Media Mavens: Exploring New Media Tools

On March 22, 2011, the Journalism staff attended a presentation at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy in downtown Chicago organized by the MacArthur Foundation. Featured speaker Howard Tullman, President and CEO of Tribeca, zipped through more than a hundred different applications of digital media and new technologies to the business, government and nonprofit worlds. We were thoroughly impressed by the numerous possibilities and implications for news, media and digital learning. Most of us are familiar with Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia, but here are some useful social media tools you may not have heard of. Here’s our take on how a few of these tools might come in handy for journalists and media makers:

• Instapaper.com –This tool allows you to bookmark content as you run across it for later reading. Once you bookmark your content, you can go back later and read it on your kindle, computer, iPhone, iPad and soon your iTouch. If you are researching an idea for a story, you might use Instapaper to store articles for future reading.

• Alltop.com –This site allows you to see what’s going on by aggregating headlines from websites and blogs based on topics you are interested in. Alltop’s website describes itself as “an information filter to help you find your nuggets of gold.” This is another tool that could be useful while researching a story.

• Twistori.com –This site helps you visualize Twitter. It pulls keywords from Twitter and when you click on them, you can see related tweets and pictures. Twistori could give your readers a way to visualize twitter based on common words.

• Addictomatic.com –This site gives you the latest “buzz” on a subject. You can create a page with links to article, social media, videos, Google searches and more on any topic you’re interested in. The site might be a way to give your readers background knowledge and additional reading on a subject, or a great way to research a topic.

• Kickstarter.com –Kickstarter helps fund creative projects. If a project fits its guidelines, Kickstart will provide a way for individuals to pledge to fund your project in return for rewards. This might be a great resource for journalists looking to gain funding for a new project.

• Wix.com – Wix helps you create your own website, from a template, or from scratch. If you are looking for an internet presence for your organization or your portfolio, you might use Wix to create a website .

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Grantee Spotlight: Do Young Female Athletes Have a Fair Shot?

We are really excited to support the Open Youth Network’s upcoming Fair Shot New Media Institute, hosted by Columbia College.

The initiative, produced by Columbia’s Mindy Faber, will work like this: Fifteen girls from Chicago-area high schools will participate in a four-week summer training institute where they will learn investigative journalism skills. Then, during the fall, they will conduct research and interviews to learn about gender inequity in sports in Chicago Public Schools. Finally, in the spring they will report their findings. This work will be followed by 2012 release of In the Game, a major documentary exploring the same issue, by Maria Finitzo of Kartemquin Films.

Check out the great thank you message from the team at Columbia College/Open Youth Networks. It made our day to have a thank you come from an avatar!

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Chicago Journalism, Art and Media Project and Equipment Fund

The Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), through its new Chicago Journalism, Art and Media Project (C-JAM), is pleased to announce the creation of the C-JAM Educator Equipment Fund. The goal of this fund, sponsored by the McCormick Foundation’s Journalism Program, is to help educators gain access to the technology they need to better integrate journalism and media making into learning. The fund was previously known as the Chicago Youth Media Technology fund and was administered by Roosevelt University’s Communications Department.

This initiative grows out of the McCormick Foundation’s commitment to youth media and news literacy work both inside and outside of schools. Equipment package grants are intended to further Chicago-area educators’ use of media with young people (for news gathering, interviewing, documentary, community exploration, etc.) both in schools and community-based settings.

The grants are available as equipment packages and interested applicants can select the package that best matches their needs and project ideas. Potential applicants are educators who currently incorporate media production in their classrooms or in their youth programs (for example, to produce audio podcasts on community issues or videos on the environment).

The three equipment packages are:
• Video Production
• Audio Production
• Print/Photo/Graphic Production & Design

The C-JAM project team and advisory committee with education, journalistic, and youth media expertise will determine awards based on the stated need and compelling nature of the application. The project team may follow up with further questions.

Technology awarded through this program will be for the use of the applicant but will become the property of the school or nonprofit where applicants work. Winning educators will join a community of like-minded educators from across the metropolitan area for on-going professional development to support their integration of media making. Activities will include workshops on production techniques, digital/news
literacy, curriculum development, etc. Participating educators will have access to an online community to request assistance, post related events, connect with peers in their vicinity and other networking opportunities.

To apply for the Equipment Fund, visit the C-JAM Equipment Fund Application:  http://cjam.edc.org/equipment_fund  You will be asked to complete the application online, it is recommended that you compile all the information necessary to apply before filling out the application.   Deadline to apply is March 21, 2011.
 

Photo credit: Jason Reblando

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