Go BiG in Dallas will feature three special strands of sessions for students and advisers:
A Homecoming Celebration
Have you ever wondered what happened to those students who earn the prestigious Journalist-of-the-Year awards or those state winners who compete for JEA’s JOY? This special strand features a couple of JOY honorees, several state JOY winners and former high school journalism students who excelled in their respective publication programs and garnered every possible journalistic award. Individual sessions feature outstanding professional journalists who have attended JEA/NSPA conventions as students. Panels will discuss a variety of topics and attendees will have a Q & A time at the conclusion of each session. Be ready to be motivated to tell your BiG story as you learn from these outstanding professionals.
Photographic Arts and Sciences
In Texas schools, photography is considered an art, career and technology, journalism and vocational program. To celebrate the diversity of the art form and inspire students to think of future opportunities, the Dallas convention features 13 sessions covering photography from a decidedly non-journalism angle. From tintypes and underwater art forms to architectural, food and wedding photography, come explore how a camera can document stories of all types.
Old Stories, New Media: Social, Digital, Visual and Data Journalism
Digital and social media channels have become cornerstones of mass communication. Journalists, experts and everyday people use Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat to share and consume news, find information they care about, and broadcast the opinions they form. But there’s much more to social media than “knowing Twitter.” The rules of writing, publication deadlines, interviewing, and graphic design are in a constant state of change to keep pace with modern audiences. On top of it all, communicators are also expected to be part-time data scientists, measuring and analyzing the impact their stories have on their audience. This special strand will teach participants how to use digital and social media to find, tell, deliver and measure the work they produce, and the audiences they serve.