Posted January 20, 2017
Pinterest is a social media platform that acts as an aggregate for all of the topics that interest you. Pinterest users create “boards” with different topics that allow them to add “pins” so they can share interests with others. You can re-pin the posts from other people’s boards or you can find and create your own material to pin. Collaborative boards allow several users to pin to one board and share all of the pins on their profiles.
SIPA uses Pinterest to share information and inspiration with its members. Our “Design,” “Photography,” and “Fonts” boards are full of examples that can help inspire a publication theme, influence a photographer’s style or provide a bold typeface. “The Write Idea” is a board full of tips for writing with precision and clarity. Also, we have boards to help students prepare for the annual SIPA quiz bowl and grammar challenge.
“Classroom Connections” gives tools for teachers to approach difficult journalism principles in the classroom. Our “News” board highlights current events, spotlights great storytelling and covers timely topics, such as fake news. “Diverse Coverage” has amazing examples of multimedia journalism and how journalists cover topics ranging from immigration to twerking as a tool for female empowerment to India’s transgender goddesses. Our favorite board, “#SquadGoals,” features SIPA goers and SIPA alumni and all of the amazing things they do.
You can interact with us on Pinterest by following our account or just the boards that you’re most interested in. We add more pins constantly. You can even send us material that you think we should pin through the “Send” button on each pin. If you’d like for your program or an individual you know from SIPA to be featured send us pictures, examples of work, or their name and contact information.
Karie Grace Duncan, SIPA assistant
Spotify
Each morning, I walk to the office listening to my old/vintage/classic (depending on which student you talk to) 120 GB iPod on shuffle. Whatever songs hit me hardest set the mood for the office playlist of the day.
We have always played around with playlists and what best suits our moods in the office, but it wasn’t until I was talking with some members at a convention about enlivening keynote speakers and having walk-up music that it made sense to start this project. No one wants to just sit and wait for a speaker to walk to the mic. You want to have some build up!
Spotify is music streaming service that allows you to create playlists and follow people, musicians, playlists and stations, among other services. We decided to use Spotify to connect with each other and with our SIPA family by creating playlists. Each person in the office created their own SIPA playlist to start the project. Leading up to the convention, we will create other playlists as well – SIPA dance, Bus Ride to SIPA, The Bitter Southerner keynote, Heading Home, etc. The aim is for these playlists to entertain and prepare you for your #SIPA2017 experience.
You can follow us and make your own SIPA playlist. We will follow you and it will show up on our profile. Music is another way of expression and creativity, and we want to showcase your personality!
Leslie Dennis, director of scholastic media organizations
#WriteThatDown
The hardest thing about making #WriteThatDown was coming up with the name. We had ideas that ranged from “The Architect and the Protagonist” to “Free Refills.” After an hour of debate, we came up with the simple but effective title of #WriteThatDown.
SIPA and SCSPA wanted to find ways to communicate important information to high school students that weren’t limited to just the written word.
#WriteThatDown allows us to establish a unique connection with our members and provide extra tips and advice on how to be a journalist. The show also allows us to prepare students for upcoming events and activities instead of having to send out text-heavy instructions. We also try to inject humor into our episodes and we are constantly looking for new topics and ideas that you would be interested in.
You can subscribe to #WriteThatDown at our YouTube channel. If you have any suggestions for future episodes, make sure to email Leslie or the office.
John Romanski, SIPA student assistant