Media Training & The Sorting Hat

Drawing her theme from The Sorting Hat.

SEAYLP participants used a journalist's Sorting Hat (a la Harry Potter) to sort themselves into the main themes they will be reporting on in this blog. The themes are: "American Life," "Lincoln's Legacy," "Making Things Happen," and "Water Is Life." There are several stories under each theme to which pairs of students have been assigned.

Journalist Liz Denius, of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, taught the students the essentials of good news-writing. To reinforce the lesson, the students divided into pairs and interviewed each other. One student said, "I was so surprised, because I thought I knew him, but I found out so much!"

Caroline Quinlan, also of the Center, then introduced the students to the mechanics of the blog and showed them a sample of the photo book they will author. The book will include selections from the blog, illustrated by photos taken by the Center's graduate students who are assisting the SEAYLP program.