Playing in the Sandbox the official student newspaper of SPC Editor: Jason Cook

Target Audiences: Students: Open to all students Supportive place to practice professional writing Looks great on a resume! Also for photographers, videographers, artists Teachers: Way to include writing without formal paper Way to explore current developments in field Way to practice critical thinking

What in your class is news? News is timely, interesting, and important. What are the latest developments in your industry? Nursing/Science – healthy eating over the holidays, treating football injuries Remember what’s obvious to you may not be to others Computers – which cell phone is best? Which tablet? Are we all going mini? History – new movie on Lincoln Economics/ Political Science - what’s up with the ‘fiscal cliff?’

What’s in an article: Not a personal story or creative writing Don’t have thesis statement or formal citations Answers 5 Ws and H LibGuide - Communications >News ArticlesCommunications >News Articles Still needs to be quality work Need fact-checking LibGuide - Composition > GrammarComposition > Grammar Peer-review works particularly well Students are target audience See CETL blog for form

Sample Writing Projects: Simple reporting: Routinely have class review of theater, concerts, exhibits, events Have anonymous vote and send class choice to Sandbox Would love both pro and con reviews Research/Project: Think internet Landing page as summary statement with links for background and multiple opinions Also can include photos, videos, audio

For example: Syria: 45,000 killed in unacknowledged, year-long civil war Historical background US position Syrian official position Al Qaeda position video, audio interview of Syrian student Appropriate to include personal perspective when part of the story Other internet elements like photos or link to Twitter feeds

Critical Thinking in news: Questions I’m trying to answer Who, what, where, why, when, how The focus is on the topic, not just the student’s opinion Information I need to answer the question Objective means from at least both pro and con Inferences I am making Stay focused on facts Conclusions focus on topic

Employers want writing skills: 97% of executives rate strong writing skills as absolutely essential or very important - MetLife Survey “Being able to get your point across means the difference between success and failure” - Mike Panigel, Siemens Senior VP HR Workers must be able to communicate clear and concise messages and to "investigate, analyze and report their findings in a professional manner” - Matt Lavery, UPS Managing Director Andres Kay, USA Today, 5/30/2011