I was just about to introduce our guest speaker and start a simulated interview in lecture. A student on the back row of the auditorium had raised his hand a few times as I was explaining the day’s interviewing assignment. I hadn’t called on him, as I often find that if I finish giving directions […]
I had planned a group activity, problem solving and discussion for lecture yesterday. The students worked in teams of two or three. They were to analyze the news releases they had been in contact with — in the textbook, the sample I had provided, and a practice they had written — and develop a list […]
Two weeks ago, I asked the class, “How many of you have a blog.” About five did. Today in lecture, I asked that same question. The photo shows the change in numbers. [If everyone had been paying attention during the question, everyone’s hand would be raised.] Thanks to Lauren Maki for climbing the stairs to […]
The photo you don’t get is the one when you don’t have your camera. Sometimes students will tell me that they are photojournalism majors, but they won’t have their cameras with them in class. Part of being a photographer is having the camera with you. That way you’re ready for those unexpected photo opportunities. “Who’s […]
For MMC 2100, students are to create a blog and post entries for several days. We’ve said that the blog should be a professional blog and not a personal blog. We’ve said that the blog should focus on their reporting experiences for two recent MMC 2100 assignments. One student after class wanted me to clarify. […]
Tumblr is going to have a small boost in users over the next week with about 250 MMC 2100 (Writing for Mass Communication) students at the University of Florida opening new Tumblr accounts. Last year, the MMC 2100 lab instructors and I agreed that we should including blogging in the course. Students needed to have […]
Every Tuesday morning Paige Madsen, my lecture assistant, and I meet to discuss MMC 2100 past, present and future. We review the timeline for assignments and determine when to have quizzes. We divide up who is responsible for what task. Having the team effort is fun and helpful. One of our ventures is a new […]
FSPA Executive Director Judy Robinson encouraged high school journalism teachers and students attending the FSPA District 2 workshop to start making plans now to attend the FSPA convention in April in Tampa. Field trips can be one of the most inspiring aspects of the school year for students and teachers. But school districts are making […]
The Florida Scholastic Press Association District 2 workshop brought high school and middle school advisers and students to the College of Journalism and Communications for a full-day of activities on Saturday. I joined FSPA Executive Director Judy Robinson in team-teaching a session on podcasting and Soundslides. Judy’s FSPA office staff were particularly excited about the […]
Typically I start lecture with the reminder of “Please turn off and store your cell phone.” But today, I asked the students in my 8th-period lecture to get out their cell phones. As you can see, everyone has one. We’d started class with a discussion of what they’d learned from the panel of editors who […]
Julie Dodd 