Ready, set, go!
This blog will be an important supplement to the other resources you'll need to accomplish your assignments. I'll be posting content, like videos and podcasts, to help you quickly navigate through those resources.
Because I'm an adjunct instructor, I'll be teaching at two universities this semester: University of Toledo and Wayne State University (Detroit). By posting content regarding all four of my classes, you'll be able to view what other students are learning.
University of Toledo
The two classes I'll be teaching at UT this semester are Communication Principles and Practices (COM 1010) and Integrated Media (COM 4330).
COM 1010 is for students at the Toledo Early College High School. Though they all are high schoolers, the class will primarily be the same as the class UT students take.
Communication is a function that's essential to living in a very fast-paced, complicated, technological world. In a nutshell, you'll be developing important communications skills, including how to write a professional email and speaking to an audience. Strong communication skills will help set you up for success in all you do, personally and professionally, and I can't wait to help you develop those skills.
COM 4330 is a multimedia course that includes journalism-related storytelling skills.
A few of the assignments include podcasting, writing journalism-type stories, photojournalism, videography, and TikTok. The best part? Students will use their smartphones to get the job done.
The class is basically a mini newsroom, and the students will work as a team to cover the UT community. That means none of the assignments are 'fake' or made up. They'll actually go out into the community and do real-world multimedia reporting.
This can seem to be very intimidating for shy people. But we start out simple and work our way out of the classroom, not covering an assignment until they're ready. They get lots of moral support from me and their fellow classmates!
Wayne State University
The two classes I'm teaching at WSU this semester are Digital Photojournalism (COM 2280) and Journalism and New Media (5500).
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| Spot News (By Lori King/The Toledo Blade) |
In the past, students were required to use DSLR cameras, but because of the quality and ease of smartphone photography, I've eliminated that requirement. Students are now required to use their smartphones for photography and videography, though they can use their DSLR/mirrorless cameras if they have them. However, manual mode must be available in those cameras.
Even though most of the students will use their smartphones, I'll still be teaching the fundamentals of photography: ISO, shutter speeds and fstops. Basic knowledge of how a camera works is still important because smartphone cameras still use those settings.
COM 5500 is an advanced journalism course that's a part of the New Media minor.
This is the second time I've taught this course (I'm a substitute for the primary instructor who is on sabbatical). During the first time (fall 2021) I subbed for her, I basically went off the original curriculum. However, I've redesigned the course for this semester, with her permission.
The primary change is adding a textbook: Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide for Multimedia Journalism. This class builds on what students learned in digital photojournalism and fundamentals of new media, which I taught last semester.
Students in this course use all of the skills they've learned so far and combine them for a single story. In other words, when they cover an event, for example, they'll write a story, take still photos or video, do an an audio clip, and post the package on their social media platforms. This course prepares them for 21st Century newsrooms, which require reporters to 'do it all.'
Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for more stories and training material that can only be found here!
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