Join ONA Dallas/Fort Worth for a free, day-long workshop highlighting the people, topics and tools that are driving journalism innovation in the DFW region. Come meet other local storytellers and innovators and build your network and reporting toolkit. We'll cover audience engagement, VR/360, social newsgathering, local news startups, and more. This digital journalism training is open to all members of the journalism community who RSVP here on Eventbrite. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided, and we'll gather for happy hour after the event to give you extra time to discuss the themes of the day with speakers and attendees.

Expect to walk away with plenty of plenty of new connections doing great digital work in Texas, inspirational examples, strategies and best practices on emerging platforms like chatbots, VR/360 and Facebook Live, as well as hands-on skills you can take back to your newsroom.

We'll also have a special small-group web coding basics class option during the morning and afternoon breakout sessions. Spots in this session are limited, so if interested, select the special "Attendee + Coding Course" ticket at checkout, dependent on availability.

The schedule below is subject to change, and will be updated as speakers are confirmed.

8:30-9 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast Open

9-9:15 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:15-10:15 a.m.
The Ethics of Social Newsgathering
Mandy Jenkins, Storyful/First Draft
Using social media and other user-generated content is a great way to bring readers into your coverage, but it can also be an ethical minefield. In this session, we'll go over how to bring social newsgathering into your storytelling safely, accurately and ethically.

10:15-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
SPECIAL SMALL GROUP SESSION: Web coding basics
Andrew Chavez, The Dallas Morning News
Ever wondered what the < >s mean in Web code? Heard the terms CSS and JavaScript in your newsroom and wondered what they mean? Our crash course will walk you through the basics of Web coding, touching on how code flows from server to browser and the roles HTML, CSS and JavaScript play in Web publishing.

This course isn't for anyone who already knows the basics of code. Rather, it's for total coding newbies who are looking to understand the basics of how the Web works. You won't come out of this course ready to code your own app; instead you'll learn each of the above topics at a basic level and have tangible next steps to pursue some self-directed exploration into the world of Web coding.

This session will happen concurrent with both the morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It will be a small-group, hands-on session and will require you to bring your laptop and sign up in advance. Register for this session by selecting the ticket type marked "Attendee + Coding Course" at checkout, space permitting.

10:30-11:45 a.m.
Breakout One: Commenting and Engagement
Talia Stroud, University of Texas at Austin, Meena Thiruvengadam, Bloomberg, and Jessica Huff, McClatchy
This panel will cover recent research on commenting and engagement practices. Panelists will then share their experiences and give tips on best practices for dealing with comments and engaging audiences.

10:30-11:45 a.m.
Breakout Two: Immersive Storytelling Using VR/360 Video
RB Brenner and Deepak Chetty, University of Texas at Austin
Journalism is being energized by a new generation of technology and consumer interest around virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Students, faculty and researchers from the University of Texas at Austin will discuss how they are working to advance immersive storytelling, including through the development of an open-source publishing framework for journalists who lack the engineering skills to post-produce their own VR/360 video stories.

11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lunch
During lunch, we invite you to gather by discussion topic for informal Table Talk sessions. You'll see a sign on each table indicating the topic up for discussion. This is optional, and is meant to be a way to connect you with peers interested in the same topics as you are.

12:45-1:15 p.m.
Optional: Tour of Journalism School
After you finish your lunch, join us for an optional tour of SMU's journalism school building.

1:15-2:30 p.m.
Breakout Three: Facebook Live Tips and Tricks
Hannah Wise, The Dallas Morning News, Steve Eagar, KDFW-TV (Fox 4), and Bobby Blanchard, Texas Tribune
Facebook puts the power of live broadcasting in every user's hands. We'll talk about how Facebook Live can be used to invite readers and viewers to engage in coverage instead of watching passively. The panel will chat about the different tools needed and best practices for using Facebook Live for behind-the-scenes looks, planned news events and covering breaking news.

1:15-2:30 p.m.
Breakout Four: Chatbots and News
Robert Quigley, Micah Peoples and Kelsey Whipple, University of Texas at Austin, and Ryan Joy, Microsoft
Much like the rise of smartphone apps eight years ago, bots are about to take the Internet by storm. This panel will talk about the fledgling bot landscape, why you should think about creating a bot and how to bring your own bot to life.

2:30-2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45-4 p.m.
Keynote: How Local News Startups are Trying to Change the Game
Jim Brady, Spirited Media
Nowhere is journalism in as much peril as it is locally. Business models have been blown up; local news staffs have been gutted. There's still time to solve this problem, but it'll require rethinking our journalism, our relationship with our consumers and how we make money. Here's how one company is trying to attack the challenge.

4:30-5 p.m.
Optional: Tour of Journalism School
On your way to happy hour, join us for an optional tour of SMU's journalism school building.

5-6:30 p.m.
Optional: Networking Happy Hour
Location TBA

Registrations are closed

ONA DFW: Digital Storytelling Workshop