Target: technology training in newsrooms

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New York City June 10, 2003
Ideas for our changing world
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SLA/News focusNEWSROOMtechnology traininga
cafeteria model

New York City June 10, 2003

• By Debbie Wolfe
• Technology Training Editor
• St. Petersburg Times

and, former news researcher!
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Briefly, the legacy
milestones in news librarianship
as noted by industry SHIFTS in

• Power base
• Recognition
• Role

PERSPECTIVE News librarians/researchers have
been key players in the newsroom technology
movement.
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early 1990s The Indiana conferences
MAIN SESSION SPEAKERS included
Trends in a new power base for news librarians

• Barbara Quint ... THEME intermediaries

• Nora Paul Debbie Wolfe co-speakers
  THEMES electronic public records news
  librarians are journalists notion of teamwork
  between reporters and news librarians is born

mid-1990s Enter IRE/NICAR Newslib

• Raleighs NO conference CAR is coined
  spotlight includes roles of news librarians at
  the NO -- Lany McDonald, Theresa Leonard and
  Lisa Van Asch

• Cleveland conference first newsroom trainers
  gathering organized by Debbie Wolfe, St.
  Petersburg Times and Diane Weeks, Washington Post

• San Jose conference Lisa Van Aschs session is
  packed soon afterward 2 worldwide firsts
  Lisas job role changes to include 1/2time
  training Debbie Wolfes job role changes to
  full-time newsroom technical training

• Newslib listserv is born membership includes
  news librarians, reporters, editors academics
  thank you Barbara Semonche, University of North
  Carolina!

• Boston conference newsroom training gets 2
  panels, both are packed Debbie Wolfe and Diane
  Weeks are among the audio-taped speakers

.
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early to late 1990s recognition

• credit lines become common bylines begin to
  appear

• news librarians relocating NEXT TO and IN
  newsrooms

• attending daily budget meetings becomes routine

• value-added shifts to mean both secondary
  primary research along with analysis

• Poynter creates seminar for news librarians
  senior newsroom editors

• role of news librarians in prize-winning stories
  is emphasized, celebrated

• news librarians gain access to analytical tools
  such as Excel, FoxPro Access

• titles and pay move toward parity with reporters
  and editors

team journalism 1993
team journalism synergy 1995
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mid- to late 1990s shifting job role

• technology training in newsrooms becomes
  commonplace

• news librarians are frequent speakers at
  IRE/NICAR conferences

• mentor (informal)
• trainer (formal)
• coach (for publication)
• cheerleader advocate

Changing technology requires increasing skills
and knowledge
Collection of essays by 23 CAR pioneers on the
development of precision journalism Poynters
1999 summit included Debbie Wolfe. Her essay
serves as the wrap-up and details future trends
like what has become known as convergence. The
book is available from Poynter.
Organization is key to success
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In detail, the now
a cafeteria model for training
Do what you can today, leave the rest for
tomorrow, -- Deb
ORGANIZATION preliminary planning

• Being realistic
• Being an example
• The craft of teaching

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Begin by being a realist

• What do YOU want?
• What does your SUPERVISOR want?
• What does UPPER MANAGEMENT want?

consensus

• Where are your strengths?
• What additional training do you need?

advocacy

• Involve the staff in course development
  ownership vs. dictatorship
• Start SMALL, EXPAND with a plan
• Ask for help delegate form partnerships

teamwork
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You are the example

• Determine your learning style(s)

• Formalize your own cheat sheets

• Use your tip sheets as you train to demonstrate
  their value

• Observe how others use your materials modify
  as needed

• Once you have a classic, revise it but dont
  redesign it!

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The craft of teaching -- connecting

• User interface design What do people really use
  and how do they use it? What do you use?

• multiple intelligences Howard Gardner

• mind mapping Tony Buzan

1. Verbal linguistic (Maya Angelou)
2. Logical mathematical (Albert Einstein)
3. Visual spatial (Pablo Picasso)
4. Bodily kinesthetic (Kristi Yamaguchi)
5. Music rhythmic (Paul McCartney)
6. Interpersonal (Eleanor Roosevelt)
7. Intrapersonal (Emily Dickenson)
8. Naturalist (Charles Darwin)

• mentors for you

• self learning

• critiques

• teaching styles

• recharge batteries

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the now continued
ORGANIZATION getting underway

• Training methods
• Learning paths
• Courseware
• Tracking
• Measurement

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Training methods include

• e-mail messages
• e-mail attachments
• self-paced modules
• CD-ROMs / datasets
• training camp
• contests
• homework!
• seminars
• consultants

• hands-on classroom
• workstations
• interactive VNC telephone
• telephone only
• tip sheets (printed)
• intranet (electronic)
• instant messages
• conferences

.
Virtual Network Computing software is FREE open
source code. Debbie has pioneered its use as an
interactive training tool in newsrooms and uses
she uses it frequently at the St. Petersburg
Times. Contact her for further details.
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Learning paths
Organize and simplify the program with a pyramid
and each course with a skills checklist
Each checklist is also a lesson plan for group or
self-paced learning or both!
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Custom courseware for journalists
or a deadline reference tool

• skills checklists can also be a table of contents

Tracking who has taken what, when and where

• use Excel for your own documentation purposes

• encourage staff supervisors to track training
  on their own

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Measurement methods
(B) of a program
(A) of a course / session

• questionnaire that answers

• skills checklists

1. What a participant knows now
2. What a participant wants to know one year from
   now
3. What people know by topic
4. What people know by skill level

• have participants answer open-ended questions
  like

1. identify and explain strong points
2. identify and explain weak points
3. If you were doing the training what would you do
   differently?

See Debbies tip sheet for creating a detailed
technology questionnaire for your newsroom
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more on the now
ORGANIZATION keeping the momentum

• Follow-up training
• Celebrating successes
• Mentors
• Beta testers
• Training culture

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Follow-up methods

• fly by
• phone
• e-mail
• handwritten note
• informal stop by
• training moments
• formal, scheduled session

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Celebrating successes
Printed and mobile newsletter includes
Web-based, self-paced and interactive training
module covers

• how I did it essays
• illustrated with detailed screen shots
• all 9-yards explained step-by-step

• Excel Level I
• managing beat projects
• mapping Level I

included on Debbies FREE training CD-ROM
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• ready-reference
• short sessions
• follow-up to classes

Mentors

• detail oriented
• all skill levels
• different each time

Beta testers
A healthy newsroom training culture

• develops after years of nurturing, so be patient

• requires a team committed to goals

So, get started!

• lead and they will follow

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nuts and bolts
THE 10 HANDOUTS using existing wheels

• Training course outline
• Recipe for success

• Pyramid learning path and
• hands-on course descriptions

• Courseware for Coyote
• electronic archive (library)
• writing / editing ears

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nuts and bolts continued
THE 10 HANDOUTS all-season radials

• Web Target ?
• backgrounding a beat

• Skills checklist for Excel

• Getting data from the Web for Excel
• Tip of the hat to Jen Evert-Smith

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more nuts and bolts
THE 10 HANDOUTS mag wheels

• Ideal math class for journalists

• Tech Talk in Plain English
• -- one year of story ideas (index)

-- tech camp outline application

• how to create your own detailed
• technology questionnaire

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saving yourself from going nuts!
BACK TO BEING REALISTIC

• mix it up dont be solo act!

-- mentors -- conferences / workshops --
consultants Im happy to help!
BACK TO BEING AN EXAMPLE

• unplug!

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training-related ANNUAL CONFERENCES

• NICAR see www.nicar.org for details as
• venue and dates vary each year or contact
• IRE in Columbia, MO
• IRE Investigative Reporters Editors
• NICAR National Institute for
  Computer-Assisted Reporting

• NewsCoach at Poynter in Florida
• call Poynters Betty Headley for details
• Also, Poynter subsidizes costs!

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freebies
WHO SAID NOTHING GOOD IN LIFE IS FREE?!
Debbies technology training CD for SLA is packed
with FREE tip sheets some of which are NOT
available on her Web site, yet!

• 10 people have free CD
• business cards in their packets

• more CDs will be given away
• in a few minutes

Psst You can also get a FREE CD packed with
electronic tip sheets and other newsroom
technology training materials by either giving me
a business card and/or sending me an e-mail
request.
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you continue the legacy
What are YOU going to contribute?
What choices will YOU offer?
How are YOU going to get involved?
When are YOU really going to start?
These and other questions will be addressed in
the workshop immediately following this session.
More of Debbies FREE training CDs will be
available too!
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more training resources

• LISTSERVS
• Newslib (tip of the hat to Barbara Semonche
  for this classic)
• Newscoach (private list hosted by Poynter
  contact Betty Headley
• bheadley_at_poynter.org to join Tell her Debbie
  Wolfe sent you!)
• NICAR-L (hosted by IRE/NICAR)

• treasure-trove WEB SITES
• www.nicar.org (tip sheets datasets nominal
  fee)
• www.ibiblio.org/slanews (SLA / NEWS FREE
  materials)
• www.notrain-nogain.org (FREE tip sheets by
  newsroom training editors/coaches)
• canyonwolfephoto.com (Debbie Wolfes most
  up-to-date FREE tip sheets)

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you are not alone
CONTACT INFO FOR
Debbie Wolfe e-mail dpwolfe_at_aol.com HINT
put Debbie in the subject line Web
canyonwolfephoto.com INCLUDES FREE tip
sheets, consulting info, resume more
direct line St. Petersburg Times
727-892-2919
Toothpick by Debbie Wolfe