A 21st century J-school

What do you want?

2007-12-09T23:57:00.001-08:00

What sort of information would you guys like to see on this blog? I've put some information I find useful in the sidebar and I really encourage everyone to check that stuff out. One of the greatest tools is the Podcasts. They're free to subscribe to on iTunes and you can load them on your iPod to listen to tutorials and industry news while you're on the go.
Please let me know what other kind of information you want up on the site and what sort of conversations you'd like to see started. I'll do as much as I can to make this a useful tool as we try to find our way through the world of new media.
Please leave your suggestions as comments to this post.

~ Bess

WTF? in the news

2007-11-19T14:22:00.001-08:00

Check out news coverage of the first WTF (What's the Future?) session.

Hear this; hear yourselves

2007-11-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

The conversation at each of the two WTF (What's the Future?) sessions held over the last couple of weeks had several common themes. Among them were ideas about how to integrate print, photo, broadcast and production students socially and intellectually and how to expand the curriculum to include multi-media skills training without losing the solid journalism fundamentals many students feel are important. Click here to listen in on some of the conversations. Photo by Neel Deshpande.

Writing, writing and more!

2007-11-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here are notes from the Nov. 15 breakout group that wanted to discuss writing and its place in the curriculum:

No matter what option you're in at the J-School, writing is key. Every professional who comes to talk to students says: The reason I got where I am is because I learned how to write.

Writing is the #1 skill .... to be a good, consistent, creative writer.

One student proposed requiring 2-3 writing intensive courses before entering the professional program.

Most students in this group and the other breakout group said they wanted to learn about differrent approaches to writing: writing for broadcast, writing for print, writing for online. Students said they wanted 1 course that integrates all these forms of writing.

Suggestion: have 1 class for all options covering the differences, things like the "rule of thirds" for pictures, the inverted pyramid ...etc.

Categories of writing:
Breaking news. We need a class devoted to how to cover breaking news ... and how to write it for a web site and then do something for b/c or print. This would prepare students for when they do their internships, when they're in a real newsroom and have to learn to cover it fast and write it/put it on the air fast. Use scenarios for this class.

Narrative non-fiction. Several students wanted more writing courses that focused on how to do a narrative, NOT inverted pyramid. Strong endorsement of taking a creative non-fiction writing class from the English Dept. .... Print and B/C students want to learn more about storytelling techniques. Doing the long-form documentary is a great thing, but students said they really don't know how to tell a long story ...they just take a short story and stretch it out.

Specialty reporting classes.
More classes on sports journalism ... b/c and print.
Political news (this from a b/c student)
International news
Environmental reporting

This group saw no need for a course on entertainment/lifestyle journalism. ... said it's either not journalism, or it's something you'd know how to do anyway because of the other writing/reporting classes, or said it's covered by feature/mag writing classes.

Other suggestions:
Students wanted to learn from their peers across the country, in other journalism programs. Use the videoconferencing system to connect with another school ... and students could brainstorm/learn about similar issues and share ideas.
Do a breaking new workshop. When there's big breaking news here on campus (say football player arrests), convene a workshop of news students across the options and brainstorm a multi-media coverage plan: how to get this story for b/c, online, print. Kind of an ad-hoc group project to get a big story covered.

Students thought they were forced to pick an option for their major too early. They want more of a taste of all the aspects of journalism before they select an option.

Broadcast students want to take the magazine class. Think it's for print students only.

All the students said they wanted more wintersession and summer session classes. Especially wintersession.

We wish we could major in one journalism option, and then have a minor in another option. Say, a major in RTV or print, and a minor in online.

RTV students want to learn about taking still pictures.

Our second meeting

2007-11-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Student comments from the meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15, multimedia/technology break-out group:

(Photo student): We have the tools and teachers available to teach us all the media—it’s just a matter of utilizing them better.

(Broadcast student): We can produce TV packages, but we want to learn how to write better in print form to post on websites.
We also want to learn more about photo basics like composition.

(Print student): Multimedia class is for all intents and purposes restricted to photo students.

(Photo student): Goal should be to teach students so they can apply for jobs in any medium.

(Print/photo students): Need to learn techniques of production.

(Print/photo students): Need to foster more collaboration, as in broadcast.

(Broadcast student): How about letting us into Native News?

(Broadcast student): Labeling of courses (JOUR, RTV) is an obstacle to integration.

(All): We need more special projects classes, producing multimedia stories.

(Photo student): More technology training and ethics training early on.

(Photo student): I’m very frustrated by limited lab hours, and the number of programs to be learned. I’m not going to waste my time waiting for people to get their crap together.

(Broadcast student) We need a J100-type class exposing them to different media, different options.

(All): We’re asked to choose options way too soon.

(All): We can’t get into classes in other options.

How about having minors in other options?

We need more winter and summer classes.

How about special workshops on techniques or programs?

Ideas for collaboration:

Seniors’ workshops for other students.

Open house for freshmen to see different options.

Showcase of student work, at Dean Stone lecture or night.

Alumni

We’d like to network with recent alumni, more channels to alumni

How about brownbag lunches with alumni?

Collaboration!

2007-11-13T15:58:00.001-08:00

Students in the “multimedia” breakout session at the Nov. 8 meeting made two key points:
• Collaboration is really important.
• Learning multimedia skills early in their time at the J-School is essential so they can collaborate on senior projects.
What else did they think was important?
• “Learning the skills we need to go out and do stories in the real world and get jobs”
• Teaching the skills (the different programs necessary to do multimedia) should be separate from teaching the core of journalism.
• The software takes a long time to learn.
• Multimedia doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the software, like Final Cut Pro, may have easier counterparts, like iMovie, that could work for a simple movie.

Print students said they want to learn photo and broadcast skills. “It’s important to be well-rounded.”

Collaboration was the key word from this group.

All students want to learn skills earlier than in their senior year. By the time they get to the senior year, they want to know the skills so they can work on collaborative projects among the options. Mentioned as a model of collaboration was Rural News Network.

“It’s a new era; we can’t be solo operators,” said one.

Changes needed in the core structure

2007-11-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

SUGGESTED CORE STRUCTURE CHANGES – Nov. 8, 2007 – notes by Russel Daniels

1. More faculty would increase student/teacher relations.
Students need more individual attention.
More advisor/mentors, possibly recent professionals.
More focus on student needs:
1. Internship counseling
2. Resume & cover letters
3. Portfolio reviews
4. Deadline reminders
5. Monitor individual students’ new media skill levels

Start more peer networking – UM J-School "FaceBook" blog/profile
Break down broadcast/print/photo barriers.
Open dialogs; creating new ideas, open commenting on student work.

2. Introduce New Media prerequisite.
A new mixture of basic reporting and new media, create student blogs.
1. Print/online reporting/photography
2. Broadcast/video/audio
3. Internship development
3. J-school blog/profile

3. Develop more diverse/flexible 300/400 courses.
• More group-effort-projects like Native News, RNN and MJR.
• Combine all journalism media.
• Supervised independent studies.
• Entertainment and lifestyle reporting options.
1. Create UM weekly online magazine: Missoula/Montana scene is constantly blossoming.

Students suggest curriculum changes

2007-11-13T15:55:00.001-08:00

Student ideas about the J-School curriculum and teaching were brought forward at a meeting Thursday night in Anderson Hall.

About two dozen J-School students met with Dean Peggy Kuhr and faculty members Nadia White, Clem Work and Sheri Venema.

Ideas centered around three themes: enhancing multi-media skills training, enhancing collaboration between students in different options, and strengthening current aspects of the curriculum.

Students expressed a need for more faculty with multimedia expertise. Making certain that students in all options have some familiarity with story-telling in the various media also appeared to have broad support. Media training in the pre-professional program, student mentors and visiting professionals were discussed as possible ways to help bring students up to speed with other media.

Bringing the two cultures of broadcast and print/photo together also provoked some lively discussion. While being together in the same building might eventually achieve this objective, students appeared to want other mechanisms, such as clubs for sharing mutual passions like outdoor photography, a blog for students to share their best work, and an open house for ourselves, in which students in different options would demonstrate their labs and work to each other.

Several students proposed earlier preparation for internships, better paths for publishing student work and a class focusing on entertainment and lifestyle writing. But students also said they wanted to make sure that the School continues to emphasize good writing and strong ethics, particularly with the advent of new technology.

Dean Kuhr will host a second meeting with other interested students. How to make this student initiative a more permanent fixture is still up for discussion—by the students.

We want your input

2007-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

This blog is for you, the students at the University of Montana School of Journalism, to express your views on the school's curriculum. How should the present curriculum be revised to best prepare you for journalism jobs today and in the near future? What do you see out there in the world of journalism that you need to be prepared for? We encourage you to post comments, ideas, suggestions, observations, and also to participate in the running of this forum. Let the conversation begin.