Upcoming Trainings and Courses: Apr. 26 Edition

Each week, MediaShift will list upcoming online trainings and courses for journalists and media people — with a focus on digital training. We’ll include our new DigitalEd courses, as well as those from Mediabistro, NewsU, KDMC and others. If we’re missing anything, or you’d like to pay to promote your training in the “featured training” spot of our weekly post, please contact Mark Glaser at mark [at] mediashift [dot] org. Any non-MediaShift events in the “featured event” slot are paid placements. 

FEATURED TRAININGS

DigitalEd: Advanced Smartphone Filmmaking

Most of us have an effective filmmaking tool on our person these days: the smartphone. With some simple tools and tricks you can extend the range of your mobile camera and overcome obstacles like lensing, camera shake and lighting. Learn how to take full control of your smartphone camera and film like a pro wherever you are. You’ll get a hands-on look at some affordable equipment options that will radically improve your videography like lenses, rigs, stabilizers and DSLR lens adaptors. American University’s Kylos Brannon will walk you through a range of options and show you how to combine them effectively and what settings and styles to use to get the best shots. Take full advantage of the amazing tool in your pocket and turn your phone into a production camera.

Featured Presenter: Kylos Brannon, American University

Date and time: Apr. 27, 2016, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Producer: MediaShift
Place: Online with BigMarker
Price: $39

APRIL 2016

How to Edit Marketing Materials with Savvy and Sense
Editing marketing communications is different from editing other types of text. You must apply your knowledge of grammar and style. But you must also take brand voice, audience, and messaging goals into account. How do you strike the right balance? In this webinar, you’ll learn five critical questions to ask before editing any marketing material. You’ll also learn to develop a sophisticated editorial hand that ensures accuracy while maintaining brand voice.
Date and time: Apr. 28, 2016, 2 p.m. ET
Producer: Poynter
Place: Online webinar
Price: $29.95

MAY 2016

DigitalEd: How to Automate Social Media
Megan Calcote, who manages social media for the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, will lead this training on how to automate social media.
Date and time: May 3, 2016, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Producer: MediaShift
Place: Online with BigMarker
Price: $39

APME’s NewsTrain: Digital Skills for Journalists, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Edition
For just $75, get two full days of digital training, including meals, at APME’s NewsTrain workshop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 6-7. Sessions include maximizing your social media for personal branding and audience engagement; using social media for sourcing, including verifying user-generated content; making smart choices in digital storytelling; planning for breaking news on multiple platforms; writing for mobile; using audience analytics to get your stories read; and shooting compelling news video and photos with your smartphone. Kathy Kieliszewski, Detroit Free Press visuals director and four-time Emmy Award winner, will teach the video and photo sessions. Discounted hotel rooms will be available. Apply for diversity scholarships by April 6.
Date and time: May 6, 2016, 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; and May 7, 2016, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Producer: Associated Press Media Editors (APME)
Place: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Price: $75

DigitalEd: Media Metrics 101
When it comes to tracking progress and impact in media, it’s hard to know which metrics are worth tracking and which aren’t. Those who don’t have robust analytics platforms like Parse.ly, Chartbeat or Omniture, must rely on a combination of Google Analytics and hand-entered data to make meaning of their analytics. This online training by MetricShift editor Alexandra Kanik will help you use free tools for measuring analytics. This training is great for people who are new to media metrics, or for people who would like to learn free ways to track metrics.
Date and time: May 11, 2016, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Producer: MediaShift
Place: Online with BigMarker
Price: $39

CUNY J+ Online Security Install Party with Mike Tigas
You can never be 100% secure online. But there are some basic steps you can take to improve your “default settings” and protect your communications from digital vandalism, crime and surveillance. This 2-hour workshop is meant to be a practical intervention, not an abstract discussion. Bring your laptop and your phone and we will install PGP encryption for your email, an Off-the-Record (OTR) app for your chats and the Signal or TextSecure app for text. Installs will vary between PC and Mac. Please note that you must have administrator access on your laptop to install programs.
Date and time: May 11, 2016, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET
Producer: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Place: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, New York City
Price: $25

CUNY J+ Smart Phone Photography
Smart phones have opened up new photographic possibilities for both professional journalists and citizen storytellers. Images produced with today’s smart phones now have sufficient quality to be published on all media platforms from digital to print. In fact, many news organizations now require reporters to take their own smart phone photos of breaking news events. This 5-hour, Saturday morning course will help you enhance your work or hobby with better smart phone pictures. Photojournalist John Smock has taught this popular class many times, to journalism students and others.
Date and time: May 14, 2016, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET
Producer: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Place: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, New York City
Price: $199

ONA LA: Mobile Storytelling for Beginners (Workshop/Panel)
Learn tricks and tips for telling stories on mobile apps – join the LA Press Club, Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS SoCal) and the Online News Association (ONA LA) for this special program. The beginner’s workshop will have attendees out and about and shooting with apps such as Anchor, Instagram, Periscope, Snapchat and Vine. It’s a great opportunity for those who have never used these apps before to learn the basics. Social media leads will give some tips/instructions and examples to start off, then offer an ‘assignment’ to the group that will allow you to use some of the different basic features of the app. During the activity, we’ll provide advice and answer questions, genius-bar style.
Date and time: May 14, 2016, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m PT
Producer: ONA Local 
Place: Pasadena, California
Price: free

IRE Toronto Watchdog Workshop
This training will offer several of our core sessions that will improve your ability to find information on the Web quickly, and point you to key documents and data that will help you add depth to your daily work and produce quick-hit enterprise stories. In addition, this workshop will give you tips on bulletproofing stories, digging deeper on the Web with social media, search engines and much more. This workshop will focus on issues on shared interest between the U.S. and Canada. These sessions are designed for reporters, editors, and producers from small, midsize and large publications, TV, radio stations, Web-only news sites and news blogs. Freelancers, students and journalism educators are also encouraged to attend.
Date and time: May 14-15, 2016
Producer: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Place: Ryerson University, Toronto
Price: $55 for professionals; $25 for students

The Lede Program
An intensive, post-bac certification program from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and Department of Computer Science designed to equip journalists and storytellers of all kinds with the computational skills needed to turn data into narrative, break out of Excel, perform in-depth investigations, harness APIs, explain complex subjects, write data-driven stories, process document dumps, find insights and leads and perform in-depth investigations.
Date and time: May 23 – Sep. 1, 2016; Application deadline Feb. 15, 2016.
Producer: Columbia Journalism School
Place: Columbia Journalism School, New York City
Price: $14,316

JUNE 2016

CUNY J+ Data Storytelling and Visualization
We swim in a world of data – from election results, budgets, and census reports, to Facebook updates and image uploads. Journalists and other communicators need to know how to find stories in data and shape them in compelling ways. It’s good storytelling and it’s good business as startup news organizations, legacy media and other brands are actively hiring data storytellers. This 5-week course will teach you how to gather and analyze data to find stories and to visualize them as interactive narratives. This fast-growing discipline is at the crossroads of  storytelling, statistical analysis and interactive design. 
Date and time: June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2016, 6:30-9:00 p.m. ET
Producer: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Place: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, New York City
Price: $499

Xposure High School Journalism Workshop
The program seeks students with interests in news writing, editing, photography and journalism as a career. During the workshop, students gain important skills through classes, seminars, educational field trips and work with WKU journalism professors and other professional journalists in a learn-by-doing environment. Students report, write, edit and shoot photos for stories published in a newspaper and posted on the workshop’s website. All high school students are welcome to apply, especially rising juniors and seniors.
Date and time: June 4-12, 2016
Producer: Western Kentucky University
Place: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Price: Contact Chuck Clark for more information.

Multimedia Storytelling for Journalists
In this hands-on course, receive a comprehensive overview of multimedia storytelling, which is crucial for professional success as a journalist today. While participating in an intensive group project, gain practical experience in all facets of digital story production for news and documentaries. In the first two sessions, build your technical skills by shooting digital footage and completing editing exercises. Then, explore fundamental theory and practice while developing a multimedia product appropriate for the web, mobile devices, and social media. Topics include story research, planning, and scripting; DSLR photo and video techniques; sound acquisition; and lighting.
Date and time: June 7, 14, 21, 28 and July 5, 12, 19, 26, 2016, 6:00-9:45 p.m.
Producer: New York University
Place: New York City
Price: $675

Columbia Publishing Course
If you are considering a career in book, magazine, or digital media publishing, the Columbia Publishing Course will give you the tools and the training you need to succeed:
– Broad exposure to current issues in publishing
– Unparalleled access to top publishing professionals
– Hands-on publishing experience
– Comparison of publishing types that informs career decisions
– Extensive career placement support
– Access to a large, active alumni network
Date and time: June 12-July 22, 2016
Producer: Columbia Journalism School
Place: Columbia Journalism School, New York City
Price: $8,365 (includes tuition, room and board)

Visual Storytelling: Inspiring Content Creators with Video, Images and Data Visualizations
Visual storytelling is a critical component in a brand’s strategy. To maintain a strong digital presence content creators must have the skills to produce visual stories with video, images, data and text. Join us for one intensive week to learn best-in-class techniques for producing great visuals that tell stories to the web and your social media networks.
Date and time: June 13-17, 2016
Producer: Advanced Media Institute, University of California Berkeley
Place: University of California Berkeley
Price: $2400

CSPA Summer Journalism Workshop
The annual Summer Journalism Workshop is a week-long conference offering sequences focused on either writing, editing, management or advanced design.
Date and time: June 19-24, 2016
Producer: Columbia Scholastic Pres Association
Place: Columbia University, New York City
Price: $795-$1195 per course

JULY 2016

Columbia Journalism Video Workshop
You know that the best way to tell a story is to show it. Columbia Journalism School faculty teach you how to tell your story through video. Instruction focuses on the essentials–how to conceive of and structure a story, how to handle a camera, how to use post production software — and delivers much more. Interactive discussion and lab work is all done in small groups — a maximum of fifteen students — meaning that your progress is never overlooked. We also provide opportunities to meet leading video producers in New York. Studying at Columbia Journalism School you’re only a quick train ride from some of the most innovative newsrooms and production companies in the world.
Date and time: July 5-22, 2016
Producer: Columbia Journalism School
Place: Columbia Journalism School, New York City
Price: $4500

Summer Investigative Reporting Workshop, NYC
Over three weeks, participants in all media platforms examine what investigative journalism is and how to conceive, research and write such stories. The process involves recognizing when something should be a long-term project, basic criteria for launching into the story, testing and retesting the hypothesis throughout the investigation, and shifting direction when the reporting dictates that the story direction has changed. Students will be asked in think about possible investigative projects they want to work on upon their return to the workplace, using the lessons learned during the course. Workshops will be taught on creating databases, retrieving data from outside sources, locating and using public records in different parts of the world, utilizing financial documents, interviewing techniques, how to structure an investigative story, using multimedia to support projects, writing and editing a long-form narrative, and more.
Date and time: July 5-22, 2016
Producer: Columbia Journalism School
Place: Columbia Journalism School, New York City
Price: $7500 (10% discount for Columbia Journalism School alumni and 5% discount for past Columbia Journalism Continuing Education students and current Columbia University faculty, staff, and students)

The Art of the Pitch: Selling Your Stories
As the journalism industry evolves, newspapers, magazines, and websites are relying more and more on freelance writers. In fact, there’s no better time to break into journalism as a freelancer—and that means this is the time to learn how to pitch. In this course, taught by a former New York Times editor, learn how to hatch fresh story ideas that will draw editors’ attention and how to portray these ideas in winning ways. Whether your target publication is Buzzfeed or The Wall Street Journal, and whether you write features, profiles, or criticism, the pitch is the key to opening editors’ doors, getting your writing noticed, and getting paid.
Date and time: July 6, 13, 20, 27, 2016, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Producer: New York University
Place: New York City
Price: $270

2016 ASB Teacher Workshop
The original, tried and true, level-one broadcasting “camp” from ASB Workshops. Perfect for the first-time broadcast teacher, or a veteran who wants to recharge the batteries. It’s the perfect blend of theory and practice, with inspiring sessions in the morning, and challenging, hands-on assignments in the afternoons.
Date and time: July 10-15, 2016
Producer: The Academy of Scholastic Broadcasting
Place: Springfield, Missouri
Price: $450-$650

CSPA High School Journalism Workshop
CSPA Workshop graduates do more in 13 days than most people do all summer. Whether you’re an experienced student journalist, a beginner or simply a student interested in improving your writing skills, you’ll find the CSPA Workshop beneficial. It’s an opportunity not only to sharpen journalism skills but to become a better writer, to improve your time management and to learn how to communicate and cooperate with others in a professional environment. You also will learn cutting-edge digital skills to go along with the journalistic principles that are vital in any medium.
Date and time: July 10-22, 2016
Producer: California Scholastic Press Association
Place: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Price: $1475

Broadcast Journalism Workshop
In this workshop, through study and hands-on practice, students are trained in the fundamental principles, techniques, and craft of contemporary journalism. This is accomplished through a combination of lecture, demonstration, in-class hands-on production, and the students’ own work. Each student produces news projects, shot with single-camera set-ups edited on Avid Media Composer. This intensive workshop provides a strong introduction to necessary digital and journalism skills.
Date and time: July 11 – Aug. 6, 2016
Producer: New York Film Academy
Place: New York City
Price: $3800

Podcast/Radio Reporting and Storytelling: A Crash Course in Audio
Do you listen to This American Life, Serial, or StartUp? Do you start your day with Morning Edition? Have you always wanted to try audio storytelling and journalism? In this intensive workshop, learn everything you need to get started, whether your goal is to launch your own podcast or start a career in radio journalism.
Date and time: July 14-16, 2016
Producer: New York University
Place: New York City
Price: $540

The Art of the Photo Essay
In this workshop, taught by a journalist and a guest photographer, learn the essentials of the photographic essay, including how to generate story ideas appropriate for the medium. Interactive lectures cover the fundamentals of feature writing and photojournalism. Complete weekly creative assignments, discuss your work in a supportive atmosphere, and complete a photo essay by the end of the course.
Date and time: July 14, 21, 28 and Aug. 4 and 11, 2016, 6:30-8:50 p.m.
Producer: New York University
Place: New York City
Price: $290

Digital Journalism: Spreading the News Through New Media
In this hands-on workshop, gain technical proficiency in taking photos and capturing and editing audio and video. Develop a foundation in the basics of producing and editing digital video, audio, and photos for use on online news sites, blogs, and social media sites. Learn the fundamentals of researching, writing, and producing journalistic work, including news stories and human-interest profiles. This course will also teach you how to use social media to research breaking news, gather sources, and gain readership. Ideal for high-school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11, and who are interested in a career in digital journalism.
Date and time: July 25-29, 2016
Producer: New York University
Place: New York City
Price: $1995+

AUGUST 2016

Computer-Assisted Reporting Boot Camp
Learn to acquire electronic information, use spreadsheets and databases to analyze information and translate that information into stories. These boot camps are offered several times each year. In addition, NICAR provides followup help when participants return to their organizations. Click for registration, fees and schedule information.
Date and time: Aug. 7-11, 2016
Producer: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Place: Columbia, Missouri
Price: Prices vary according to membership and type of workshop attending. See link above.

Mapping Boot Camp
Learn how to uncover interesting news stories by mapping data with geographic information system (GIS) software. IRE and NICAR will conduct this hands-on training using ArcGIS. Participants should have basic knowledge in using relational database software such as Access or MySQL. Mapping mini-boot camps are held at IRE and NICAR headquarters in Columbia, Mo. Click for registration, fees and schedule information.
Date and time: Aug. 12-14, 2016
Producer: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Place: Columbia, MO
Price: Prices vary according to membership and type of workshop attending. See link above.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford
If you are considering a career in book, magazine, or digital media publishing, the Columbia Publishing Course will give you the tools and the training you need to succeed:
– Broad exposure to current issues in publishing
– Unparalleled access to top publishing professionals
– Hands-on publishing experience
– Comparison of publishing types that informs career decisions
– Extensive career placement support
– Access to a large, active alumni network
Qualified candidates who apply by January 15, 2016 will receive word of their status by early February. Applicants who are not accepted then may remain in the applicant pool and be judged again later in the spring when all of the applications are in. The regular admission deadline is April 15, 2016. If space remains, applications may be considered on a rolling basis after April 15.
Date and time: Sep. 4-30, 2016
Producer: Columbia Journalism School
Place: University of Oxford, UK
Price: £5520 (includes tuition, room and board)

COURSES ON DEMAND

An Introduction to DocumentCloud
DocumentCloud is a catalog of primary source documents and a tool for annotating, organizing and publishing them on the web. Documents are contributed by journalists, researchers and archivists. We’re helping reporters get more out of documents and helping newsrooms make their online presence more engaging.
Place: online
Producer: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Price: free

Election Coverage: Follow the Money
There are several ways that political funds can play a role in key states, especially during an election year.  You’ll see how to trace money that comes from outside sources to state-based political groups, and how to follow the path of expenditures from the ground game to the air wars.
Place: online
Producer: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Price: free

Marketing with Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr
Market your brand using Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr. This course will give you the knowledge of each of these platforms and enable you to identify the most appropriate ways to implement them to meet your business objectives.
Place: online
Producer: Mediabistro
Price: $149

Skills in 60: Build an Editorial Calendar for Social Media Channels
This in-depth short course will show you how to develop integrated editorial content calendars and establish a robust production and publishing strategy across all your social channels. The video lessons will guide you on how to plan, create, distribute and analyze your editorial calendar for long term success.
Place: online
Producer: Mediabistro
Price: $49

Twitter Marketing
Become a better, smarter marketer with Twitter to generate word-of-mouth, create leads, and grow your business.  From hashtag strategy to deep data dives, influencer outreach to employing an effective posting schedule, you’ll master Twitter 140 characters at a time.
Place: online
Producer: Mediabistro
Price: $129

Whose Truth? Tools for Smart Science Journalism in the Digital Age
As journalists, we ignore science not only at our own peril, but at the peril of our readers, viewers and listeners. In this course, you’ll learn to how make sense of scientific data and tell stories in ways that connect with your audience. You’ll get techniques and tips to improve your interviewing and reporting skills. You’ll also learn how to lift the veil from front groups to launch investigations based on informed fact-gathering. When you’re done, you’ll have a toolkit of ways to identify and overcome the barriers journalists face when reporting on science-related topics.
Place: online
Producer: Poynter’s NewsU
Price: free

Periscope 101: Break News Faster with Mobile Live-Streaming
The power of Periscope means any person can live-stream eyewitness video from anywhere, instantly. Just by pressing a few buttons, the free Periscope app can immediately transport viewers to a breaking news scene. In the hands of a journalist or communications professional, the possibilities are tremendous. Award-winning reporter and mobile journalism trainer Neal Augenstein has developed best practices for this quickly-evolving tool, to enable users to grab and hold an intrigued audience.
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19

Social Media Master Class Part I
MediaShift’s Social Media Editor Julie Keck will lead you through using some of the most powerful publishing tools any media professional can use. You can learn how to optimize your feeds, post the right amount each day, and help promote your content or projects better. You can establish yourself as an authority using the right mix of social media platforms and skills. And most of all, it’s fun. Don’t be intimidated or overwhelmed by social media – you can do it!
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19

Social Media Master Class Part II
You’ve established yourself on social media, but you want to grow your audience. How do you get people talking about your content without seeming too self-promoting? Learn to harness the power of #hashtags, run a popular live Twitter chat, find out what’s trending today and how to jump in at the right moment with the right content.
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19

DigitalEd: iPhone Audio Reporting 101
The days of carrying recorders, microphones, and cables and cameras are gone – the smartphone is replacing bulky audio gear. This training will show how to use free and inexpensive mobile apps to record and edit audio (as well as video and photos) to creatively engage with audiences. Participants will be encouraged to use a variety of storytelling apps to communicate quickly and effectively.
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19

DigitalEd: How to Get Foundation Funding
Have you ever considered getting foundation grants to help support your journalism and media projects? Didn’t know where to start? This training will give an overview of the major foundations and what they typically fund. Major media foundations are going through upheaval, with major reorganizations happening at Knight Foundation, McCormick Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and others. There will be a discussion of these changes, and how they will affect your chances for grants. And now foundations are supporting both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19

DigitalEd: 5 Tech Tools to Improve Your Reporting
Whether you’re an investigative journalist or a daily beat reporter, free and low-cost technical tools and apps can help you improve and streamline your reporting. We’ll introduce you to tech tools and platforms that will help you obtain and manipulate data. You’ll learn how to scrape social accounts, without knowing any code. And you’ll discover how to use features that are built into services you already use in more powerful ways. Plus, we’ll look at some popular (free!) project management software and applications to help you collaborate with colleagues and manage reporting projects.
Place: online
Producer: DigitalEd at MediaShift
Price: $19