Comments for Content Ninja's Weblog

Comment on Journalism education is dated by Joe Sheller

Joe Sheller — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:38:35 +0000

Interesting commentary and replies. I’m one of Erika’s teachers at Mount Mercy. FYI, while we do have a slightly fancier video camera than a “flip,” but it’s not a “TV” camera-the Mount Mercy Times (Times TV is posted right on our site) is shot with that simple camera and edited in IMovie. One thing we do at Mount Mercy, unlike most colleges, our newspaper web site (times.mtmercy.edu, no “www”) is student-run and designed (many school use templates from external services). Most of what you say is completely valid, but I would quibble with saying the inverted pyramid “doesn’t cut it anymore.” It’s an important teaching-learning tool–the challenge with beginning student jouranlists is to get them to understand “news” and the inverted pyramid style quickly identifies if they are learning that lesson–the problem is if their writing eucation stays there too long or ends there. Besides, the inverted pryamid has sort of made a multi-media comeback–most quick web news reports are, for convenience and speed, written in the good old IP!

Comment on Journalism education is dated by contentninja

contentninja — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:47:52 +0000

@Ericka Thanks for stopping by! The original post was a follow-up to a visit made to Coe and not a full assessment of local collegiate offerings. So thanks for sharing what Mount Mercy has going on. Your comment leads me to believe you’re a student there. I encourage you to look outside the structured curriculum as well for skill sets that would serve you well in the work world. Downsized newspapers, for example, want video but don’t have the money for a professional digital camera and an editing bay. Just knowing your way with a Flip camcorder and iMovie might serve a journalist far better than traditional broadcast television training. Thanks again.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by Erika

Erika — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:35:11 +0000

Ah, found the comment I was talking about … You say: “Some schools may be making the appropriate changes. I just don’t believe they’re within driving distance of us, and Gazette Communications needs local colleges to get it, too.”

Comment on Journalism education is dated by Erika

Erika — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:32:41 +0000

The first time I read this article, I thought I remembered reading something to the effect that you said there is not a school within the driving distance from Cedar Rapids that is making the changes necessary changes to their program that will benefit the next generation of journalists. Or something of that nature.

I am curious if you looked into Mount Mercy’s program. You speak of Coe, a college that does not have an official program, but forget to mention Mount Mercy-a college in Cedar Rapids that has a journalism program. And the program includes graphic design and photography classes. We also have those marketing and business courses that you talked of taking.

Currently our professors are keeping us up-to-date on the new trends. Mount Mercy may be a small college, with a journalism program that is also small, but our professors are preparing us for today’s world of journalism.

We may not have a broadcasting studio like Kirkwood, or Iowa to make newscasts, but in some classes require us to learn how to use the camera, put a package together and edit the video.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by contentninja

contentninja — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:08:38 +0000

@Davis Contribute something constructive, please, or move along.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by Mike Coleman

Mike Coleman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Annette,

Great stuff. Partially through and upon reaching the section about being young, I was reminded of the old dogs, new tricks saying. That’s the premise of one facet, particularly Facebook. The fast growing demographic on Facebook? People over 30. Facebook is dominated by teenagers and college students? Sorry, the majority are outside of college (source: http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). Facebook and their largest user population have grown older (so to speak).
A parallel thought/question to that – does an uptick in the average age of the Facebook user mean the over-30/out-of-college crowd is able to adapt to and incorporate new technologies as quickly as younger adults and teens? I think that is a huge stretch of a single data point. This is much, much less about about how fast the world is changing. Today’s 20-year-old in the U.S. has, from their earliest recollections, been submitted to dizzying array of technological advances and a corresponding array of changes in social behaviors. Growing up in the 70′s had one huge technology event for me: FM radio. My kids have been through VHS, DVDs, BlueRay, HD, digital TV, Gameboys, Nintendos, Wii, IM/chat, skype, html, forums, hulu, etc – just to name a few. They actually don’t think the world is changing quickly…it’s not normal to them.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by robbrood

robbrood — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:41:10 +0000

There is an interesting column written by a 20-year journalism prof. at U of I about discussion with one of her classes about this very thing. http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/02/20/Opinions/10161.html

Comment on Journalism education is dated by contentninja

contentninja — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:56:21 +0000

@Robb I think you make a good point that you may not have even intended. It will fall to the students themselves, at least in the short term, to make sure they get the skill sets they need.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by robbrood

robbrood — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:43:56 +0000

Very interesting and relevant blog Annette. I also wish I had immersed myself in more convergence classes during college. Back in the early to mid-90s the World Wide Web was just really starting to get its legs and everyone was talking about HDTV being all the rage.
I don’t have knowledge of how area J-school curriculum is evolving to keep up with the changing landscape, but it would seem to me if you are a student in a pragmatic journilism program you had better seek out internships that allow you flexibility for learning as many different skill sets in as many areas as possible along with enrolling in other classes for converging mediums.
I have talked to several Career Exploration classes for the U of I Pomerantz Career Center and what strikes me is how many of those students don’t seem excited or engaged in how rapidly the world is changing around them. Maybe because they grew up with the technology and don’t have the reference point necessary to put it in perspective yet. But @Hidama makes an excellent point about youth not understanding technology, but rather just using it because it exists.

Comment on Journalism education is dated by Annette Schulte

Annette Schulte — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:11:59 +0000

@Joy Thanks for stopping by! I wandered about your Flikr photos for a while. Nice stuff. I’m glad that Zemanta helped me find you.