The beginning of more of the same during the year of covid-19

  Welcome to fall semester 2020 ...  the year we all want to forget but most likely never will.

   I don't doubt a few of you are terrified to walk into a classroom again for in-person instruction due to the fear of getting sick, while most of you are probably dreading online classes because ...

• you'll get an instructor who doesn't understand how to use Zoom or BB Collaborate Ultra
• you are a social person and miss your friends terribly

So, to teach virtually or to teach in the classroom? That is the question. 

   My photojournalism class at the University of Toledo began Aug. 17. I sent out an email asking students to speak up if they didn't want to be taught in-person. I only heard from three students, and they didn't mind coming to class. So there you are ... I met them all face-to-face, with masks on. 

   My safety plan for the first day was to break up the class in half. Half of the class arrived the first half of the class, and the rest came the second half. However, I've been assured by the chair of the communication department that the room is safely set up for all 18 students. I trust that's true, but for the sake of my fear factor, I played it safe on the first day. It also gave me a chance to ask the entire class that question, and then determined our future fate together. All but one opted to have class in person.

   As a Toledo Blade photojournalist, I'm out and about in the community every day. I've covered several covid test sites, and even was in the fridge at the morgue to document the testing of a deceased man due to possible covid. 

   We photojournalists are a hardy bunch and not prone to succumbing to our fear. That said, I wear my mask everywhere, and disinfect my hands and gear often. I'll be especially vigilant in the classroom, because my number one priority is safety. I'm well aware things can change any day, but I'm prepared to teach virtually if I have to.   

   It's a different story at Wayne State University, where I've been advised to teach that photojournalism class online. After all, Detroit is an early hotspot, so I'm happily obliging. 

   I've equipped my home office with a whiteboard mounted on the wall so I can lecture as if I was in the classroom. The university also has given us access to Splashtop, allowing students to remotely access the software that's on the MAC computers in the classroom: Photo Mechanic, Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro. 

   My Visual Storytelling class at Owens Community College is also in person. However, I'm co-teaching that class with Blade colleague Phillip Kaplan. He will be the instructor in the classroom, and I'll be behind the scenes - setting up the coursework on Blackboard, updating the syllabus, grading the assignments, etc.  

   It's Phillip's first class as an instructor, so I welcome him to our wonderful world of education. There is nothing more fulfilling than passing on our knowledge to the next generation!

   This is a year of uncertainties, for sure. But like I tell my daughters (one who attends UT, and the other is leaving for Ohio State on Wednesday), facing and overcoming adversity makes us stronger in the long run, and life is a marathon. 

Owens' Intro to Photojournalism course: The little engine that could

Intro to Photojournalism class, featuring Bittersweet Farms marketing director Shannon Dane, center. The class went to Bittersweet Farms to shoot their team photo story, published in the Owens Outlook student newspaper. (Photo by Lori King)

Dec. 4 Screen shot of Owens Outlook student newspaper.

  The end is here, and what do students have to show for it?

   In too many college classes, final grades and a stack of textbooks are all that tangibly remain once the semester is over.

  Sure, most students gain a heightened intellect in every class they take.

  However, potential employers want to see visible proof that their hires are capable, dependable and talented. This is especially true for students who are expected to have a portfolio to prove their worth.

  I am lucky enough to have the type of course that can provide that proof: Ten students in my Intro to Photojournalism class are the  ‘little engine that could.’

  Not only do they have required classroom assignments, they also are staff members of the Owens Outlook student newspaper, which covers a campus with about 13,000 enrolled students.
   Let me make this perfectly clear - these 10 students are the ONLY staff members on the student newspaper, except for Kyle, who will be taking the Intro to PJ class next Fall.
   This small staff publishes fresh content, including stories, videos and photo galleries, every week, and they don't even get paid!

   The Intro to PJ class is very progressive and task-based.

• In only four months they learn the following theories and skills:
  • What news is
  • The Anatomy of a newspaper
  • How to caption photos using the Associated Press Stylebook
  • Create and maintain blogs, Twitter and Instagram accounts
  • Shoot feature, sports, portrait and photo stories
  • Write, write, write
      I’m well aware most of the 10 commercial photography majors won’t  go into the photojournalism field, but I’m confident these skills will benefit them in whatever field they choose.
     Alas, the end is indeed here, but their blogs, tweets and Outlook stories shall live on forever!
  

  

  Screen shot of Dec. 4 post by Owens Outlook EIC Katie Buzdor. #proud

   To view their individual course blogs, go to King's Klass Blog.

Lesson One: To understand news is to be a better citizen

   Welcome Intro to Photojournalism students!

   Get ready to stock your photography portfolio, extend your social media reach and improve your writing skills.  

   Lesson One: What is news? This lesson seemed to freak a few of you out, considering half the class admitted to not reading, listening or watching the news...at all. Don’t worry! It’s normal to feel skeptical about learning the news business.  News is a gigantic concept that's hard to wrap your head around because there is so much of it, and it’s often negative. But news, despite all of its ugliness, is what keeps our society going. To be informed and engaged in your local community is to be a better citizen.

   In this class you will not only learn what news is, but you will actually generate real visual news. Each of you will have your own beat on campus, and you will cover the students and faculty in that beat for the entire semester. Your photo stories will be worth more than a grade; you’ll be working for the Owens Outlook newspaper, as well.

   Fear not... you’ll mostly cover ‘soft’ news (nothing heavy or controversial; mostly educational and informative). So, tomorrow you will choose your beats (technology, nursing, automotive, culinary, etc.) and then get started on your new, exciting adventure of being scholastic photojournalists!