"Preparing for Michigan's future...This is the Education
Minute."
That lead-in has been heard more than 120 times since
WWJ Newsradio 950 began running the 1-minute promotional
educational ads on the air in April, a practice that has
continued four times a day every weekday.
Russell Olwell, an Eastern Michigan University history
professor, and numerous other EMU faculty have contributed
the subject matter that ends up in snippet copy form to
be aired four times a day to an audience of roughly 700,000
listeners.
 |
UP TO THE MINUTE: This billboard design
promotes
Education Minute, a collaboration between
Eastern
Michigan University and WWJ 950 News Radio.
Education Minute offers educational tips and advice
to
help parents complement and extend the learning
their children do in school. A number of EMU faculty
are providing information that is used for copy
in the
segments.
Listen to the most
recent Education Minute segment here. |
"It has worked out well. A lot of faculty have provided
information," said Olwell, who edits his colleagues' written
copy before it is sent to WWJ for last-minute polishes,
and then aired. "Once we got it (Education Minute) up on
the air and people heard what it was, it was easier to
get people on board."
Eastern Michigan University and WWJ created Education
Minute, which offers educational tips and advice to help
parents complement and extend the learning their children
do in school. Since April 7, Education Minute has aired
daily at 9:22 a.m., 12:23 p.m., 5:40 p.m. and 9:53 p.m.
Recent snippets promoted EMU's educational videos made
in partnership with Comcast; how the Teach Scholarship
Program can aid prospective math teachers in paying for
college; using Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a learning
experience by showing children a behind-the-scenes look
at parade preparation; and teaching children archaeology
by visiting the King Tut exhibit at Charles H. Rife Museum
of Natural History.
"WWJ doesn't expect the professors to write the scripts
that go on the air. They just ask that we give them a good
idea in 100 words so they can turn it into something they
can say," Olwell said.
More than 20 EMU faculty (and that number is growing)
have provided information for Education Minute. Linda Adler-Kassner,
associate professor of English language and literature,
and Cathy Fleischer, professor of English language and
literature, have provided a good share of the Education
Minute subject matter.
"Cathy and I both have done a great deal of work around
issues of writing and reading for audiences outside of
the university, so this fits within that work," said Adler-Kassner. "Our
work with Education Minute reflects a central principle
from my field of composition and rhetoric, and Cathy's
of English education -- that good writers learn how
to work within the genres that most effectively reach the
audiences for the writing. So, we're practicing what we
preach."
The subject matter targets children of elementary age
up through high school students. Daily topics covered are
math (Mondays); technology (Tuesdays); writing and reading
(Wednesdays); science (Thursdays); and learning beyond
the walls (Fridays).
The series also includes Web resources at WWJ.com for
parents who want to learn more than what can be gained
in a one-minute radio spot.
From the outset, WWJ officials stressed that the information
submitted be packaged in a way that can tell a story and
hit an emotional chord with parents, many hungry for additional
ways to educate their children.
"To me, Education Minute is about helping WWJ listeners
understand how they can incorporate concepts that are central
to writing and reading education — like making writing
and reading fun, accessible and relevant — in
their everyday lives," Adler-Kassner said.
"The main thing is we're trying to help parents and be
sympathetic to them. A lot of us are parents," Olwell said.
The natural progression for Education Minute would be
to eventually have the spots morph, so that they could
air on television, he said.
"Generally, people are very positive about it," Olwell
said. "Education Minute does go along well with what EMU's
image is."
For more information about Education Minute, go to http://www.wwj.com/pages/1924535.php?
