Unleash your inner geek with free tech training
A couple of free training opportunities are coming up for journalists interested in polishing their tech skills.
Tech guru Amy Webb’s training site for journalists, Knowledgewebb.net, is offering a free Webinar called, “10 Steps to a Tech-Savvy You,” from 2-3 p.m. EDT on Aug. 5.
“Think of it as a digital media makeover,” Webb writes in an e-mail. “This Webinar will outline the 10 steps — and critical websites, social networks and gear — to help you become more tech savvy. We’re also offering a primer on how to manage information overload. As always, attendees will receive notes, worksheets and a list of recommended tools….We hold a few free Webinars a year with more than 500 participants — and we always run out of space because our sessions are so popular. More details, along with registration, are here.”
Knowledgewebb has another free Webinar on Aug. 25 from 2-3 p.m. EDT called, “Getting Started: Mobile Reporting & Publishing.” The site says, ”So you bought the iPhone 4. Did you know that it can be used to produce rich multimedia stories, interactive slideshows and even audio broadcasts in real-time? This Webinar will show you how to get started using your mobile phone to report and publish stories, whether you’re using an iPhone, an Android, Palm or BlackBerry.” To register, click here.
If you like the training and want to join Knowledgewebb to get more, click here as a BusinessJournalism.org reader to get a 31 percent discount off the annual rate of $129.
If you’re looking to polish your computer-assisted reporting (CAR) skills, the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism has two free, daylong workshops coming up. “Be a Better Business Watchdog — CAR for Business Jo
urnalists” will be co-presented with Investigative Reporters and Editors in Atlanta on Oct. 11 and Milwaukee on Nov. 9. The morning will consist of hands-on training in the basics of Excel spreadsheet software, while the afternoon will highlight useful databases for business reporters and how to download them. Space is very limited, and registration is required.
IRE also has boot camps coming up in mapping at the University of Missouri in Columbia from Aug. 13-15 and in CAR at San Diego State University from Aug. 16-20. While not free, IRE offers a sliding-scale for tuition, depending on the size of your news organization. The weeklong CAR session focuses on Excel for two days and the Access database software for three days.
Speaking of mapping, here’s a cool story about how The Philadelphia Inquirer used mapping to track unemployment claims in its area.
