The Journalism Education Association’s signature adviser-only conference will take place July 6-9 as a virtual event for 2020, but JEAai will continue to provide a blend of instruction, connection, inspiration and participation.

A new component, aiDIY, gives attendees the opportunity to learn by doing. Designed as a do-it-yourself project for advisers to apply what they’ve learned from conference sessions and put new skills to use for their own programs, aiDIY is just one part of the JEAai experience and is separate from the traditional keynote and breakout sessions.

Participants will choose an aiDIY concentration area prior to the conference and will connect virtually with a cohort of advisers, including an instructor facilitator, to plan, collaborate and share during the designated work session times on Day 3 of the conference. The chosen concentration may affect which sessions advisers choose for Day 2 in order to focus on that particular skill or topic, but all sessions are available to all attendees. Each adviser’s completed aiDIY project or deliverable will vary, but the outcome is designed to meet these objectives:

• Generate plans or materials specific to your class/program
• Apply what you’ve learned from JEAai sessions
• Incorporate ideas from your peers
• Engage in a collaborative experience
• Produce work on a deadline

Working groups and their facilitators include:

Curriculum coaching — Shari Adwers, MJE + Megan Fromm, MJE

• Developing a curriculum map to fit your class/program
• Diving into the JEA Curriculum Initiative
• Choosing lessons for possible distance learning
• Finding lessons to add to your existing materials

Multimedia production — Julia Satterthwaite, MJE

• Tools for immersive, interactive, visual storytelling
• Best practices for advising multimedia story production
• Video package do’s and don’ts
• Planning and performance evaluation
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Next-level advising — Teresa Scribner, CJE

• Advising multiple publications
• Addressing diversity in staffing and coverage
• Recruitment, retention
• Creating systems for success
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Photography workflow — Mark Murray + Bradley Wilson, MJE

• Best practices in file management
• Using free editing tools
• Using Adobe software
• Coordinating digital images for remote production
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Social media management — Sarah Nichols, MJE

• Relevant, journalistic approaches to Instagram, Twitter, other platforms
• Developing a production cycle
• Marketing vs. reporting (how to do both)
• Training and accountability
• Tools available (scheduling, analytics)
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Staff manual development — Val Kibler, MJE

• Developing the must-haves for your media’s staff manual
• Choosing from a list of a la carte items to meet your staff’s specific needs 
• Creating a digital manual students can use from anywhere
• Organizing your staff manual so kids can use it quickly and efficiently
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Website development — Jim Streisel, MJE

• Workflow, tools available (Slack, Trello, SNO Flow)
• Exploring beat systems
• Developing a production cycle
• Coordinating between print/online
• What resources will students need to work from home?

Advisers will receive an email with a link to the sign-up form after completing the regular JEAai registration process online. Facilitators will make contact by email a few days before the conference begins July 6, 2020.
General information about JEAai, including the link for online registration, is available here.