Searchlights and Sunglasses, via YouTube

Journalism educators can now apply for up to $35,000 in micro-grants from a $1 million challenge fund encouraging universities to create teams that will experiment with new ways of providing news and information.  The Online News Association will administer the fund. Below, ONA Executive Director Jane McDonnell writes about the challenge.

You and your fellow j-school colleagues have been talking for far too long about that innovative experiment that will shake up your curriculum. There’s a talented student who just needs the right mix of collaboration and inspiration to fulfill her promise. You have a media partner willing to work with you and a cool engagement platform in mind. Researcher: Check. Designer? Could be. Developer? In the wings.  RELATED LINKS

Continue the conversation with #edshift and at edshift.org. 

“Pencils down everyone. Your digital toolbox is here’: Five lessons from ‘Searchlight and Sunglasses” on KnightBlog 

“Getting students to ask tough questions: My 5 favorite parts of “Searchlights and Sunglasses” on KnightBlog

“What curriculum innovators can learn from ‘Searchlights and Sunglasses‘” on KnightBlog

“Navigating Knight’s new book: Choose Your Own Adventure” on KnightBlog

You’ve got the right ingredients to apply for the 2014 Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education, and inject up to $35,000 in the form of a micro-grant that can push your idea to launch and — we hope — make both your curriculum and your local news landscape stronger.

The competition, run by the Online News Association and funded by a collaborative that includes the Excellence and Ethics in Journalism Foundation, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Democracy Fund. It will support live news experiments that further the development of teaching hospital models in journalism education, in which innovative projects are created by teams of educators, students, professionals, technicians, and researchers. Micro-grants will be awarded to 15 to 25 projects to be completed during the 2014-2015 academic year.

“Your project should stretch the limits of what you think you can do,” said Irving Washington, ONA’s director of operations and Challenge Fund administrator, in advising applicants. “Don’t be afraid to fail. The goal is to empower journalism schools to lead professional innovation and thought leadership. The size of your school or program shouldn’t limit the project’s ambition.”

Teams will be selected based on ideas that show the most potential for:

• encouraging collaborative, student-produced local news coverage
• bridging the professor-professional gap
• using innovative techniques and technologies
• and producing shared learnings from their digital-age news experiments

The competition will culminate in at least one substantial grand prize for the project most likely to change either local newsgathering, journalism education or both. An overall prize will be given for the best project evaluation, regardless of the experiment’s outcome. The winners and their projects, chosen in consultation with academic advisers and ONA leaders, will be featured at upcoming ONA conferences and other news media education events.

For inspiration, FAQs and resources, visit journalists.org and follow the conversation on #hackcurriculum. Have questions? Email [email protected].

Deadline is Feb. 13, 2014 and winners will be announced in April 2014.

Good luck — we can’t wait to see what you come with up.