Newspaper Division launches teaching-ideas contest

AEJMC's Newspaper Division is conducting an activity that may be of interest to COMJIG members, called Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century - TNT21, for short. This is a competitive call for teaching ideas, with cash awards in three divisions: full-time faculty, adjunct faculty and graduate students. The entry deadline is Sunday, March 1.

Text of the call and links to the entry forms follow:


Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century

A teaching ideas competition sponsored by the Newspaper Division
of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

What is the best way to introduce students to the craft of writing, reporting or editing? The Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is looking for your ideas. This spring the division is launching a new online competition -- Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century, or TNT21 -- designed to reward and publicly acknowledge full-time faculty members, adjunct professors and graduate student instructors for their good ideas for teaching foundational journalism courses.

AWARDS/ELIGIBILITY
Three $100 prizes will be offered for the best ideas, one from each of the following entrants' categories:
o Full-time faculty members
o Adjunct or part-time professors
o Graduate students
To facilitate participation by adjunct faculty and graduate students who are not able to attend AEJMC's annual convention in Boston, where most otherNewspaper Division awards will be given, the competition will be held completely online.
Top entries will be published in a downloadable PDF booklet available on the AEJMC Newspaper Division website.

TYPES OF IDEAS
Teaching tips should be suitable for use in newswriting, reporting or editing courses, though they might be tailored for specific versions of those courses. For example, tips for teaching newswriting across media would be welcome, as would tips for teaching a specific type of reporting, such as public affairs reporting, business reporting or environmental reporting. Tips can address teaching practical skills, such as tracking down public information in online records or editing to improve the organization of a story. Entries also can focus on conceptual knowledge, showing, for example, how to teach students to report ethically or edit to avoid libel. Tips that help professors address the challenges of teaching in a world where technologies are rapidly changing are especially welcome.

HOW TO ENTER
To enter, download and fill out the entry form (also available at this backup location). Then send the completed form and any supporting materials to the teaching competition coordinators, Susan Keith of Rutgers University and Andrea Frantz of Wilkes University, at 21stcenturyteachingtips@gmail.com. The deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time March 1, 2009.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Teaching ideas will be judged for their originality, innovative nature, ease of application, completeness, writing and whether they would work in more than one course and/or at different types of schools. All entries should reflect original teaching ideas that have not been published elsewhere and have not been finalists on display in other teaching awards competitions.
Winners will be announced on the Newspaper Division Web site about April 15. If you have questions about the competition or would like to serve as a judge, please e-mail Susan Keith at susank@scils.rutgers.edu or call her at 732-932-7500, ext. 8235.