"Integrating technology with classroom practice can be a great way to strengthen engagement by linking students to a global audience, turning them into creators of digital media, and helping them practice collaboration skills that will prepare them for the future."

Check out the "An Introduction to Technology Integration" Edutopia video to learn more!

From Page to Stage and Screen and Beyond outlines the history of youth media education, defines the variety of skills that youth media programs teach (e.g. journalism, radio, documentary), and highlights the achievements of Chicago organizations taking innovative approaches to this vital education that students may not otherwise access through K-12 curricula.

The Afterschool Alliance has produced Know Your Funders: A Guide to STEM Funding for Afterschool, a resource to help program leaders identify, sort through, and take advantage of the many funding opportunities available for afterschool STEM. They have also developed a new toolkit to help you become an advocate for STEM in afterschool.

The Digital Storymakers Award recognizes excellence in original nonfiction narrative that blends text, photos, video, interactive maps, and other rich media features. Grand Prize winners receive a $5,000 cash award and publication in the special edition Digital Storymakers Award App.

The Digital Storymakers Award is open to any student enrolled in high school, college, or graduate school who creates a nonfiction, multimedia narrative, including those students studying journalism, graphic arts, writing, photography, and documentary video/film.

The Youth Program Quality Assessment, School-Age Program Quality Assessment and several extensions were designed to assess the quality of learning environments and to identify staff training needs. In the past, these instruments have only been available from the Weikart Center at the Forum for Youth Investment at a cost. Now, you are able to visit the Center for Youth Program Quality website and download each tool as a PDF for free.