DIGITALNEWS
LITERACYPROJECT
in partnership with
University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
An initiative from
The Opportunity
Equitable Access to Local News
01.
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
Education and Curriculum
02.
THE GAP
“Communication, information, media and technology” is a proficiency skill identified nationwide in state and Common Core standards.
S.C. Department of Education adopts Computer Science and Digital Literacy Standards for every grade K-8
20
17
There is no official test or method of accountability for these standards.
BUT
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Get buy-in from community and access to classrooms
Build team and curriculum
Launch local pilot and develop best practices
Scale Program
Free digital subscriptions to TheItem.com to teachers and their students
Create and implement
responsible content creator and anti-disinformation workshops
Create digital vertical for students and teachers to curate and publish their own content
Expand the success of this pilot program to other communities across S.C.,
rural America
A Pilot for Rural America
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
*USC partnership
✔️
✔️
What’s it going to TAKE?
$65,000 for a Project Director. Work with The Sumter Item’s executive team to develop and implement the project, overseeing and editing other team members. This person should have management experience.
$50,000 for a Community Liaison. Help coordinate with schools and community partners and will manage the student/teacher vertical. This person should have some newsroom and education experience.
$50,000 for a Project Analyst. Maintain and analyze data associated with project goals to report outcomes and accomplishments.
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
$25,000 for Audio/Video Equipment & Tech Stack to develop, implement and cover the project and its initiatives.
$1,500 per 25-student classroom to fund access codes to TheItem.com for one year.
$50,000 for a Project Analyst. Maintain and analyze data associated with project goals to report outcomes and accomplishments.
Funding Needed
Four-person team. Teacher/classroom access, project equipment/resources, curriculum development.
Sumter Pilot
Using developed curriculum, best practices and training, hire one liaison between newsroom and schools.
Subsequent Roll-Outs
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
$50,000
$240,000
Our Team
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
Our Allies
Tom Reichart
Dean of College of Information and Communications
University of South Carolina
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
Sumter School District’s Student Advisory Committee
?
Our Allies
Tom Reichart
Dean of College of Information and Communications
University of South Carolina
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC
Sumter School District’s Student Advisory Committee
THANKS
The Sumter Item’s Digital News Literacy Project
Questions?
Vince Johnson, Publisher
Kayla Green, Executive Editor
Micah Green, Chief Digital Officer
The Sumter Item, Sumter, SC