Reading differently demands writing differently

Dave Cornelius, Director of Stardust High School Journalism Program, told 35 high school teachers, some of whom have gone online with their papers and some of whom are planning on going online, to remember that they are not creating a product for adults. They are creating a product for kids.

His presentation included advice for going online. The advice ranged from punctuation differences between the web and print as well as being aware that people read website differently than they do print. He told the teachers that he encourages students to embed links in their text in order to establish credibility as well as direct the reader to more information.

"I read as a scanner. I look for the things that are important," Cornelius explained about how he reads text differently when online.

Cornelius shared with us the range and scope of the Stardust program which only exists in Arizona at this point. I am curious to know if any similar programs exist, or is ASU pioneering this type of partnership to help out struggling high school journalism programs.

If anyone is aware of other partnership programs between high school journalism and college journalism, I would love to hear about them!

Jill Bhowmik
Granite Hills High School
El Cajon, Calif.