Getting Online Made Easy

Aaron Manfull provided a lot of useful information today. I think his presentation was earthy and witty. In addition, he provided tips that would benefit those that have no online presence and those of us who do.

Gem of the Day: "Work smarter, not harder." Aaron Manfull
I agree with this statement, and I feel that all of the information that I have gathered from the Reynolds Institute will help me strive to fulfill this.

One thing that really made an impact for me during Manfull's presentation was his statement that the online presence should not just regurgitate what is already in the paper. Taking that into consideration, my staff can cut down the number of print pages from 20 to 16 and actually assign articles that will be posted on the website. In fact, the articles will be more timely because we can post them quicker that we can print the paper.

I also like the advice he gave about the sports scores. That was fabulous! I may even be able to get a student or two who will be on the newspaper for only that purpose. Some students want to be part of something, but they don't have the time to write an article. (My newspaper is a club, no class.)

Finally, the recommendation that Manfull had for teachers was to "be ok with some errors." This is a hard thing for me because I take pride in being the adviser, and I act as a buffer for my students. I want them to have pride in their paper, and if there are errors (even minor ones) someone always points them out, and it is embarrassing. But I have also learned how to help my students write and edit their articles better. This is the one area that will be a difficult challenge for me.

Karla Erdman
Freedom High School
Bethlehem, PA