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The efficient student-run newsroom

Google apps help student journalists manage assignments, workflow.

3 min read

Edtech

The efficient student-run newsroom

Brooke Newman

Are you looking to for ways to improve workflow and processes for your student-run publication?  Google apps are a great way for student journalists to share resources, store files, create stories, and collaborate efficiently.

Start by creating a Gmail account for your publication. My team uses [email protected] and a password that all student journalists use to log in. Once you have created an account, your team members can sign into Google and begin using the different applications. Your faculty advisor will also have access to everything under the same log-in so he or she can supervise the publication and help keep it on track.

Here is how we use Google applications at The Cougar Press:

  • Drive. This is where we save and organize all of our publications’ work and resources. We set up content folders in Drive and use them to store articles, photos, sound clips, and other media. No more copying and pasting or sending files through email. Everything is in one place so everyone can access what they need, when they need it.
  • Docs. Google Docs lets us create and edit stories efficiently. Each document is named with the student’s initials and story headline so other reporters can easily find and access it. We edit right in the document, and Docs automatically saves the updated version and keeps track of the revision history.
  • Gmail. Gmail is our go-to communications tool. We use it to contact people, schedule interviews and get resources outside the publication.
  • Calendar. We use Google Calendar to create monthly agendas that are accessible to every reporter. They can see what is happening and when. This is vital in assigning articles and making sure important events get covered.

All of these Google applications help us maintain an efficient workflow for our print and online publications. They let us focus on what matters: writing great stories for our readers.

Brooke Newman is a junior at Ventura High School and a student journalist for The Cougar Press. She is the Arts and Entertainment lead as well as the On Campus lead for the publication. The Cougar Press is distributed twice monthly in print and online. Access the online edition at www.cugr.org.

 

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