PERITO MORENO, Argentina—Growing up in a rural area in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina, teenagers have to be resourceful when it comes to finding out what's new around town. There's no locally produced newspaper in their community of 4,000. The few families who own computers don't yet have Internet access at home. The school itself is located at the far end of town. "We are on the fringe in many areas," admits teacher Adriana Margot Sanhuesa. "Technology is one of them."

Perito Moreno high school students, attending a school called EGB (Educación General Básica) No. 12, are playing an important role in connecting their community with information. A student-run newspaper, published as an extracurricular activity and circulated throughout the town, is giving local teens a taste of what it means to be a journalist, from deciding what's newsworthy to using clear writing and effective graphics to grab readers' attention.

Páginas Juveniles, Spanish for Youth Pages, is produced in the school's media lab, consisting of four computers and two color printers. The publication "has a large and diverse number of readers," says the teacher. She finds it an effective tool for teaching, as well. "It is a good tool for critical and active teaching. This involves analysis and synthesis, comprehension and interpretation." What's more, she adds, students know that their work will reach a real audience. The stories they write "have the possibility of going beyond the school barriers." Adults who find stories interesting are likely to pass them along to others. As a result, students take care to polish and edit their work.

In the process of publishing their newspaper, students develop media literacy skills that will serve them well, long after they complete high school at age 16. "It is an ideal resource for training reflective readers," says Sanhuesa. Student journalists must make judgment calls about what's newsworthy and how to "spin" a story. They also have a strong "sense of ownership" of their work. "They develop analytical capabilities and learn to take a stance." What's more, they are constantly updating their work in order to meet regular deadlines. And student journalists must "adapt the message to the social strata in which they live. This becomes a learning experience."

All these activities also help students become more critical consumers of the mass media. "Outside the school, the media expand our world and facilitate the access of other sources of information. The school has to teach students how to analyze, interpret, evaluate, and build their own opinion," Sanhuesa explains. She recognizes the global power of the media in modern society "as one of the most important means of communication." In the journalism class, she guides students in using the Internet "to take us to information we need."

The computer skills students learn in the process of writing, editing, and publishing their newspaper may one day lead them to a job in the real world. The community of Perito Moreno, with 4,000 residents, has limited career opportunities, Sanhuesa admits. But the school is making an effort to improve student retention and enhance resources for young people and their families. Specifically, Sanhuesa says, the school is tackling challenges related to:

• Reading comprehension
• Spelling
• Coherence in written work
• Tools to produce written or oral work with creativity and originality
• Computer training

What's more, the relaxed environment of the journalism classroom builds student engagement. "The students choose to participate in the workshop since it is not mandatory," the teacher points out. "Each team starts its task and develops it autonomously," much like professional journalists who cover a "beat." Students typically come to the journalism lab for two hours in the mornings, then attend regular classes in the afternoons.

Sanhuesa also appreciates the opportunity the newspaper delivers for students to gain visibility for their efforts. "I worry for their future. I am trying to show them that in their adolescence, they can study, have fun, participate, relax, and find a balance doing that. I want them to have aspirations in their lives."