Just get started

A month ago I was at a journalism conference for faculty in Morro Bay where we discussed how to rethink the journalism curriculum for the 21st century. While continuing to focus on the basics, we were encouraged to also look at the new technologies of podcasting and blogging. While a lot of instructors were excited, a lot, especially the university instructors, were already talking about how it takes two years to think through and change curriculum. I’m not that patient.

Just get starting doing it now is more my style. The stream continues to move and you just have to jump in and get started. Don’t think it through all the way. Don’t wait to rewrite curriculum. Just introduce it now in the classes we’ve got. And then let it grow. And that’s what we’re going to do here.

I got back and almost immediately introduced a blogging assignment to the beginning newswriting. Then, thanks to a suggestion by Amara, we set up a podcasting workshop so we can learn more about podcasting, which I’m a little more excited about than blogging. Now that I’ve seen how easy it is, we’ll probably introduce a podcasting assignment to the newswriting class this semester yet. And I’ve already started talking about podcasting and blogging in the mass comm class in various lectures. I’ve even played some sample podcasts. And we have plans to introduce podcasting and perhaps blogging to the newspaper classes.