Yearbooks and NOT taking photos

During our sessions at the Cronkite School we talked a lot about how to do things properly. Today I was browsing for ideas to supplement my instruction for my yearbook classes and I came across an article about teaching students when not to make photographs.

Written by Bill Hankins, he cautions against using the clichés such as the secretary talking on the phone or the principal behind her desk. Other things to watch out for are Lazy photos - where the photographer did not try to be original and Over-Used people. Don't be putting the same handful of students in the book over and over again while others are left out.

I'd like to put on my preaching hat (just for a few sentences) and ask that we all remind students that the yearbook is the story of the whole school - not just a select few popular people. Schools are very diverse places, and the annual should be as well. When going through the images and the pages keep asking yourself "who is not in here?" and "How many times have we already seen the 1st string quarterback in the book?"

Jeff Jones

Miyamura High School

Gallup, New Mexico

Two audio pieces for your listening pleasure!!

I just returned from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke in Durham, NC. We were part of a project documenting oral histories of The Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighborhood there. The principals and their neighbors were invited to a presentation with a pot luck afterwards. We worked in Pro Tools and the whole thing was a fabulous experience. I hope to continue what I learned with all of you at ASU this summer and include audio work .

The piece is three minutes.

Man, it is hard to kill your darlings, people. The audio that got cut was hard to leave on the floor. The secret seems to be that if the story moves along without the part you need to cut, then cut, cut, cut. Ouch. The other thing that helped was honest feedback that told us when the listeners were losing interest. One really does get too close to the subject/project.

We could have cut five different pieces on Mr. Kerr. He is a practiced storyteller, 86 years old, and you can hear the accent.

By the way, if you ever go to Durham, be sure to check out the Loco-pops store. Awesome popsicles with unusual flavors, really, really unusual. Here is a story for NPR from Shea Shackleford, one of our teachers at the Center.

Miss all of you!!

Joanna Greer

John F. Kennedy High School

Silver Spring, Md

NOW -- LISTEN TO OUR PIECE!! ;0)