It’s good to be back
Ahhhhh… college campuses. The sights, the sounds and the smells.
I’m really pumped to be back in the classroom teaching journalism students this fall. Despite the current chaos and fear paralyzing the industry, I personally think it’s an exciting time to be a journalist.
I have the honor of being the first instructor to teach a new class called “Digital Newsgathering” at San Francisco State University. I have spent many nights tossing and turning, trying to determine just how much I can squeeze into 16 weeks. (Minus Labor Day, minus two furlough days… ack! That leaves us with just 13 classes!) The class syllabus will no doubt continue to morph and change throughout the semester as I get to know twenty students, their passions and their unique skills.
I’ve established a class Web site at digitalnewsgathering.wordpress.com and I’m requiring students to blog twice a week to their own personal WordPress blogs.
My goal is to give the students as much hands on time as possible. They will learn how to analyze data and use Excel to create charts/graphs. They will learn how to edit photos and process them for use online using Photoshop. They will learn how to record audio and put together a photo/audio slideshow using SoundSlides. They will shoot and edit video using Final Cut Express. San Francisco is an amazing city and we’ll take to the streets two or three classes this semester for some real-world reporting. I can’t wait!
By the end of the semester these students should be ready to take their digital skills to the next level. I look forward to observing how their creative minds develop. Hopefully, they will leave my class excited about the possibilities today’s world offers new journalism graduates.
Day 1. Journalism students pair up to find out more about their classmates in the Digital Newsgathering class at San Francisco State University.
Jessica Ramirez, Torrance, Cali., junior, interviews Justin Morrison, Hercules, Cali., senior, during the first day of the Digital Newsgathering class.
Students write and post their first stories to their blogs during the Digital Newsgathering class.
