Telling Stories and Changing Lives Theme of Fall 2015 High School Media Day Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Heather Starr Fiedler welcomes students and teachers to High School Media Day.
More than 180 high school students and their teachers learned the elements of storytelling during the School of Communication's fall 2015 High School Media Day, Telling Stories and Changing Lives.
Held Nov. 6 on Point Park's Downtown Pittsburgh campus, School of Communication professors led more than a dozen interactive sessions, including:
- More than selling snacks and slacks ... advertising that changes the world - Bob O'Gara, M.A.
- Media law - know your rights - Aimee-Marie Dorsten, Ph.D.
- Documentaries as agents of change - Tim Hudson, Ph.D.
- Photo tools: effectively presenting the images that evoke social change - Robin Cecala, Ph.D.
- Using Storify to tell the story - Thom Baggerman, Ph.D.
- Photos that have changed the world - Heather Starr Fiedler, Ph.D.
- Cause and effect - Robert Meyers, M.F.A.
Sharing pictures from his childhood and career, Steve Mellon, a photojournalist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, told his story during the lunchtime keynote address.
"Everybody has a story to tell," said Mellon. "Telling those stories is important because it helps us understand who we are. I encourage you to strive to find stories that connect people."
Below, students and teachers share their experience at High School Media Day.
Students interested in visiting Point Park's School of Communication are invited to attend a High School Media Day during the fall and spring semester. Registration information will be posted on the High School Programs page.
What students and teachers are saying about High School Media Day
Angela Koontz
Kiski Area High School Student
"I learned so much at media day from people who work in a field I'm interested in; there's no better way to learn than that. Point Park is a beautiful campus in one of my favorite parts of Pittsburgh. Sitting in a college classroom learning about the things I love from passionate instructors gave me a taste of what I hope my future college experience is like."
Morgan Stewart
Freedom Area High School Student
"I attended High School Media Day because I wanted to come and learn new things. The best part of my day was learning how to use Kizoa, a website that lets you design cool slideshows. It was so much fun coming to Downtown Pittsburgh. I live in a rural area, so it was great to be in a city where so much happens."
Aaron Fitzpatrick
Freedom Area High School Teacher
"My class consists of students in grades 10-12 who are tasked with producing our yearbook and monthly newspaper; so they are constantly working to produce new content. Attending media day to learn about nuances in the field from professionals with real-world experience enables my students to come back with new ideas to share with the rest of the class. That kind of student buy-in goes a long way in the engagement of my staff as we constantly look for ways to improve our process to better engage our readership."
Photos by Victoria A. Mikula, a junior mass communication major