Wright Selected For Teachaplooza

Leigh L. Wright, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications at Murray State University, recently attended Poynter’s Teachaplooza in St. Petersburg, Fla.     

Wright was one of 63 journalism educators selected for the three-day seminar at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

Participants learned how to teach with the latest tools in social media, multimedia, graphics, mobile reporting and tablet storytelling.  They also exchanged ideas about training journalists for the multimedia age while also providing the traditional skills of writing and storytelling.     

Seminar speakers included Al Tompkins, senior faculty member who attended Murray State University for three semesters and worked at WPSD-TV; Roy Peter Clark, writing coach at Poynter; Mark Briggs, director of digital media at KING-5 TV in Seattle; and Regina McCombs, a faculty member at Poynter.     

The seminar allowed professors to test new technology and discuss how to incorporate it into their classes. Wright says she plans to use more social and multimedia techniques in her writing and reporting classes.     

“When I left the professional news business three years ago, we barely used social media and multimedia for reporting and writing our stories,” Wright said.  “However, the media business now expects our students to be able to use social media for reporting and editing.  Editors and station managers also expect our graduates to be able to write, shoot and edit stories for multiple platforms.”   

Wright also participated in a two-day seminar, “Hands-On Video,” after Teachapalooza.  Participants shot, wrote and edited packages for television, using the Final Cut Pro and Premiere video editing programs.     

Prior to joining the Murray State faculty last year, Wright had worked as a reporter and section editor for The Paducah Sun for 16 years.  She continues to freelance for several regional magazines.     

The Poynter Institute, founded in 1975, is one of the nation’s top schools for professional journalists and journalism educators.  The Institute offers training in media topics throughout the year.