Assignments for Jan. 30

I hope to get many things out of this class. When I leave this class I really want to be confident in new media and trends happening in journalism. I am excited to listen to actual journalists who are evolving and what is really happening out there in the "real world." I have never done anything past making a PowerPoint when it comes to media, so it will be really helpful to get information about how to set that stuff up. I am also excited and nervous to try out using a tape recorder, and happy that I will just be able to listen to what people are saying instead of chicken scratching( "it is my blog and I can say chicken scratching if I want to" Blogging Rule #349 Section 7) at a legal pad. Also I just came back from Europe and found out that I am a compulsive shutterbug so I am excited to add that dimension to my reporting.

Another thing that is that this class is extremely relevant. I have been applying up and down the board for internships this summer and the one thing I have found out about myself is that I am obsolete. I know that buttons with a square on them often mean "stop" and a forward pointing arrow means "play." But I have never won any awards for pressing pause so I can't really put that on a resume. So I need an upgrade. That is how important technology is; I am not even out on the market and already I am obsolete. The fact that I know the difference between thee and thou and hither and tither just doesn't shout "this one is a winner" on a job application.

I want to take this course so when they ask me about Moblog and Vlog I won't take a peak over my shoulder expecting to see Attila the Hun and company at the water cooler; or that a permalink is the link that is perennially frozen. I want to be like, "Hah, I've got a trackback that will blow your blogroll back to the age of the printing press!" I know I just botched those terms, but that won't happen by the time I am done with this media course.

An example of journalism that I admire is the BBC's website because I love their world coverage. I like the outer perspective they have of the US and our policies.

Check it out
Are we having conferences next week?