Resources for teachers and media advisers:
Curriculum:
Media Literacy in the Age of Fake News: A Unit Curriculum for High School Students
This curriculum was created by former graduate assistant, Alexandra Goodman. It is a digital literacy curriculum designed to aid you in teaching your students about fake news in the current media landscape. It is free to download and use. We welcome any feedback you have.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question? Check out our FAQs below.
Is your question not one of our FAQs? Email us at osm-oipa@ou.edu.
Grants and student opportunities:
OIDJ (Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism): A seven-day workshop for high school journalism students at Gaylord College. For more information, visit http://www.oidj.org/.
Frequently Asked Questions
Membership
What publication types can join?
Middle and high school publications can join. We have yearbook, magazine (news and literary), online media, video production and broadcast memberships.
What do I get with my membership?
Member schools can enter monthly contests, end-of-year contests and critical service at our Media Day conferences.
Where does my membership money go?
Your membership fee goes towards helping us run our semester conferences, paying judges who critique monthly contests and end-of-year contests and paying for our online contest entry platform.
Monthly Contests
How do we enter?
You can enter through our online forms, found on our Monthly Contests page.
How are entries scored?
Entries are sent to our judges, who read each submission. Judges will assign each piece a rating (Superior, Excellent, Distinguished Merit or Merit) and provide constructive feedback.
When do we receive feedback?
We try to get feedback from our judges and sent back to you before the next month’s deadline.
What monthly contests are eligible for state competition?
All monthly contests EXCEPT March and April are eligible for state competition.
Media Days
What’s the difference between Fall Media Day and Spring Media Day?
Fall Media Day focuses more on yearbook topics and is when we hold our yearbook category contests. Spring Media Day focuses on newspaper (print and digital) and is when we hold our end-of-year newspaper competitions. However, there are always sessions at both that will appeal to students involved in any type of publication.
Can non-members attend Media Days?
Yes, non-member schools can attend!
What is critical service?
Critical service is an in-depth yearly review of your publication (yearbook, newspaper, magazine, digital publication, etc.). It is free for paying members of OSM.
What are the Yearbook Individual Category Contests and how do I enter?
The yearbook individual category contests are statewide competitions that judge students’ design, writing, advertising and photography work. These contests are only open to members. Yearbook advisers may fill out the forms found on the Fall Media Day page.
What are the Previously Published and On-Deadline Contests?
These are our newspaper contests for Spring Media Monday. Advisers can submit work that was scored “Superior” or “Excellent” in monthly contests from the current year in the Previously Published Contest. The On-Deadline Contest judges students’ ability to work and produce content under a deadline according to prompts that OSM will send out before the spring conference.
How was our publication reviewed in critical service?
Judges use standard scorebooks to review publications according to specific criteria. Examples of scorebooks can be found on the pages for Fall and Spring Media Days.
How do we register?
Registration is online at Eventbrite.com. Registration is free online, and we will bill you after the event.
When will you have a schedule ready?
We typically have a schedule ready a couple weeks before the event.
How much does it cost?
It costs $16 per person for early registration, $20 per person for late registration. Advisers who bring 10 or more students get free admission.
When should we arrive?
Please arrive between 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. for registration.
Where do we park?
Parking for cars and small vans is available in the Union parking garage on campus. Larger vans and buses will have to drop students off and park at Lloyd Noble.
What do we do for lunch?
We typically host a lunch for advisers and presenters. Students are welcome to bring lunch or purchase lunch from the Union food court or nearby Campus Corner.