Illinois educators: NewsLitCamp® with the Rockford Register Star

Join the News Literacy Project, the Rockford Register Star and Rockford Public Schools (RPS) on Tuesday, Feb. 11, for a highly engaging, teacher-centered NewsLitCamp featuring breakout sessions with local journalists. This program is one in a national series of NewsLitCamps led by the News Literacy Project in collaboration with a diverse group of news organizations around the country.

Register today at this link (it’s FREE!) to reserve your seat: http://bit.ly/newslitcampRockford.

Space is limited. Sign up today to reserve your seat!

NewsLitCamp is a day-long professional development experience based on an “edcamp” style of continuing education. It features topical sessions (selected with input from participants) and educator-driven planning time to empower you to teachnews literacy. This format gives education professionals an opportunity to come together for a day of conversations with journalists and news literacy experts. Check out our NewsLitCamp video for a quick look at what the day can offer you and your students.

Details

Educators will meet at the Rockford Register Star, 99 E. State St., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, for a full day of free workshops and interactions with their journalists and experts from the News Literacy Project.

Breakfast and networking begin at 8 a.m.; NewsLitCamp starts promptly at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.

Why attend?

As an educator, you directly influence how your students process everything they read, watch and hear. You’ll leave NewsLitCamp with new ideas, skills and resources to help your students navigate today’s complex and challenging information landscape. Our goal is to develop teachers’ and librarians’ expertise in news literacy education, share specialized teaching resources and provide a behind-the-scenes view of the newsgathering process — demystifying what distinguishes quality journalism from rumors, hoaxes and other types of misinformation.

RPS educators following the required registration protocol will receive 6 PDCs for successful completion; participants from other schools can apply for credit within their districts.

Who can attend

NewsLitCamps are designed primarily for middle school and high school teachers and media specialists. Space permitting, we welcome other educators and school administrators.

Bonus: You’ll learn about our Checkology® virtual classroom, a cutting-edge comprehensive e-learning platform that complements educators’ lesson plans. The topics it examines include:

• Misinformation.
• The practice of quality journalism.
• The First Amendment.
• Watchdog journalism and its contributions to democracy.
• Press freedoms around the world.

About the Rockford Register Star

The Rockford Register Star has been northern Illinois’ leading source of news and information for more than 160 years. Owned by Gannett, it was created in 1979 by the merger of the Register Republic founded in 1855, and the Morning Star, founded in 1888.

This NewsLitCamp is presented by the News Literacy Project and is supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Photo Caption: Educators at our NewsLitCamp at NPR in Washington, August 2019. Photo Credit: Andrea Lin / The News Literacy Project.