Course guest speaker appearances make the grade

Even though I come from the journalism field and am teaching what I know through experience, there are times when I don't know everything or wish for students to gain a different perspective. It's during those times when I bring in guest speakers. 

This semester I was fortunate enough to bring in several experts in their fields to two of my classes. A few of the speakers showcased their work and talked about what they do for a living, while others were open to being interviewed in joint sessions for stories and press releases. 

Wayne State University

For the digital photojournalism class at WSU, my students were fortunate enough to have in their presence award-winning photojournalist and educator Eric Seals, of the Detroit Free Press. 

I've known Eric for many years. We would bump into each other while covering mutual stories and he was always kind. That said, to have someone of his caliber take an hour of his day to give back was truly an honor.

The timing for his visit was just right because the students were preparing for their final assignment: video storytelling. Eric prepared a slideshow that and took them through his journey. Not only did he show off his wonderful work, but he taught them how to think about video storytelling. 

It was his second time to be a guest speaker in that classroom, and I'm confident there will be a third, considering teaching in his blood. He coaches at various workshops, including the NPPA Multimedia Immersion at Syracuse University, the Missouri Photo Workshop and Western Kentucky University's Mountain Workshop, just to name a few.

He also embraces the 'reach one, teach one' philosophy and believes in mentoring others.

Eric Seals

A Powerpoint slide on video storytelling.

The WSU digital photojournalism class.

University of Toledo

Although I typically instruct photojournalism and multimedia courses, occasionally I'll get a class that goes back to my writing roots: media writing 1, which I taught for the second time this semester. 

This class is one of my favorites because writing is my strongest skill. I was an award-winning print journalist and newspaper editor in the military for 21 years, and that's where I honed my writing ability.

However, most people know me as a photojournalist, but I've always thought of myself as a journalist trapped in a photojournalist's career. I don't regret those 30 years of photojournalism, first as an Associated Press stringer, then 26 years at the Toledo Blade, because it made me a well-rounded storyteller.

The media writing class is a wonderful challenge because I'm teaching not only newswriting, but how to write press releases and TV broadcast scripts, as well. Not my expertise.

So, when your not the most experienced at certain things, bring in the those who are! I want to thank my three guest speakers: 

• Verification producer at CBS News James LaPorta
• Former Blade reporter and current Owens Community College marketing coordinator Jeff Schmucker
• Former Blade reporter and current UToledo media relations specialist Nicki Gorny
• WTOL managing editor Josh Love

Jeff Schmucker

First up was James LaPorta, a former Marine who transitioned into journalism after exiting from the military. He joined us via Zoom.

James has quite a story to tell so it might be worth listening to the Sword and Pen podcast I did with him recently. He talked about being a consultant for Hollywood, breaking into journalism with no experience or journalism degree, and being laid off without a warning. 

Next up was  Jeff. When we started our marketing/PR press release writing module, Jeff was called to share his experience as a former reporter who turned 'to the dark side.' No, it's not really the dark side; it's an old saying reporters quip when journalists leave the news business for PR. It's actually very common, especially in Toledo. You'll find former reporters working in government, at colleges and at marketing firms. The pay is better, and so are the hours. But I'll save that conversation for another day ...

Nicki Gorny

Nicki actually had a job to do when she showed up for our 1:15 minute class time. Fun fact: I eagerly shared my class with another class taught by assistant professor Jaime Ward because our students were learning about writing press releases at the same time. 

Nicki held a joint interview session with about 40 students, who were tasked to interview Nicki about the upcoming eclipse event UToledo was holding, and then write a mock press release for the local media about it. (You can view my students' written press releases by going to the UToledo student roster on this blog's homepage and clicking on their websites.)

Last but not least was Josh, who visited the class during the broadcast writing portion of the course. He told us what it was like to be a TV news producer, and what it was like working at WTOL. Josh is actually a UToledo alumni, so welcome back, Josh!

Professionals who give back are the cornerstone of learning. It gives the students a glimpse into the 'real world' because they are living it. Guest speakers are invaluable and I appreciate them!

Josh Love and me with my awesome students!

Welcome back multimedia scholars! Time to learn cool stuff!

Welcome to King's Klass Blog! 

I'm excited for another semester of training students to learn multimedia and writing skills you'll undoubtedly use in just about any media or marketing job.

I'm very aware my classes are mixed with freshman and seniors, experienced and non-experienced, and introverted and extroverted. With that in mind, I try to take my time ensuring that most of you get a concept before we move on. To speed the process along, I rely on more experienced students to help me with that goal because sometimes you, as a fellow student, can get a point across better and faster than me.

One new aspect I'm excited to add this semester is using free source textbooks for UToledo's Media Writing class! That means they don't have to buy a book. Because the assignments are a mix of legacy journalism, broadcast and public/relations writing, I've searched the web for book sources that will be specific to the topic taught.

I want you to know that no instructor or experienced professional knows everything. Nobody is perfect, so I welcome input from you when I need it. Don't hesitate to correct me when I'm wrong, off base, confusing or whatever. It's going to happen, trust me. I don't like the word perfect for that reason, so I discourage the use of it. 

What I do encourage is just doing the best you can do. Failure is a part of life, and I've gotten where I am today because I've learned from my many failures. Instructors have made lots of mistakes throughout their professional and educational lives, and we should openly and freely admit that.

My classes are on the complicated side because they are so technical. You'll learn all about camera operations, editing software, writing tools, and so much more, and that's not easy. So, please have patience with me, yourself and others as we tackle each assignment, especially if I tackle AI! That will be a new topic I will have to add .. soon.

In my experience, the students who end up failing or not doing well throughout the course are the ones who just stop trying or showing up, but I will encourage you to not give up. I have a 'leave no student behind' philosophy because when I was a student I had instructors and fellow students who didn't give up on me. I had great bosses and coworkers throughout my career who were patient, kind and understanding when I struggled. Thanks to them, I'm able to pass that philosophy forward.

Thanks for reading this, and I hope you have a great semester!