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COMMENTARY: Students practice new skills to produce college news publication
James D. Rottweiler/Cochise College
This month marks the first publication of the Cochise College student news publication - the Kaleidoscope.
You may wonder why the college has started this at a time when the news industry is facing challenges that have media outlets examining their bottom lines and forced some to stop the presses altogether.
First, we have interested students and a faculty member to guide them in learning the many marketable skills involved in producing and reporting news. Second, news is not dead. Information and those who consume it will always be there. It's the mode of delivery that's the moving target. Paper continues to be favored by some readers while others turn to online or televised sources.
Understanding these audiences and effectively using various modes of content delivery are lessons in themselves.
In my last column, I noted that the average student participating in a spring 2007 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course at Kansas State University will "write 42 pages for class this semester, and over 500 pages of email." If we can channel that kind of energy into producing something from which the students learn marketable skills, we have taken a major step in the right direction.
And there are many valuable things for the Kaleidoscope staff to learn. They pick up analytical skills by defining their purpose, determining what has news value and covering stories that fit the objectives of their publication. They practice interpersonal skills by conducting interviews of sources to provide insight on the facts provided in their articles. They gain valuable experience as writers by learning about standard news writing style, generating drafts, and working with their advisor and others to produce a final product that is interesting and understandable to the average reader. And, they practice photography and graphic design skills to depict news events and create an appealing publication that is reflective of the student perspective.
With society's consumption of the Web and all of the new tools now available, our students must learn to turn real stories into appealing and consumable content, whether it's delivered in writing, online, via video, or through some other mode of communication. These skills require versatility of today's journalist, and they also are widely embraced by many people who are not journalists in the traditional sense of the word.
Having said that, the October edition of the Kaleidoscope was produced digitally and was not printed. It appears on the college home page as a PDF document, with links embedded so readers can navigate to the stories that interest them. You'll find coverage of college news and current events, advice for students with math anxiety, a leg workout for the exercise enthusiast, and a student view of what's important in entertainment news. As the college works toward implementing a new Web site - our new "front door" - the Kaleidoscope also may evolve to become more user-friendly.
In the words of Ceci Lewis, the faculty advisor for the Kaleidoscope, "As with any venture, we never know how it may be received until we put it out there. The positive response from members of the college community has let us know we are on the right track. Kudos go to the staff, who have proven themselves to be exemplary individuals with a united vision for the publication, strong work ethic, and incredible writing skills."
As an employer, vision, work ethic and writing skills sound pretty good to me. The Kaleidoscope can be a valuable ambassador for Cochise College and a learning experience for all of us. You may contribute to this learning process by looking at the Kaleidoscope at www.cochise.edu and sharing your thoughts and story ideas with the staff by emailing kaleidoscope@cochise.edu.
Dr. J.D. Rottweiler Ph.D. is president of Cochise College.
This month marks the first publication of the Cochise College student news publication - the Kaleidoscope.
You may wonder why the college has started this at a time when the news industry is facing challenges that have media outlets examining their bottom lines and forced some to stop the presses altogether.
First, we have interested students and a faculty member to guide them in learning the many marketable skills involved in producing and reporting news. Second, news is not dead. Information and those who consume it will always be there. It's the mode of delivery that's the moving target. Paper continues to be favored by some readers while others turn to online or televised sources.
Understanding these audiences and effectively using various modes of content delivery are lessons in themselves.
In my last column, I noted that the average student participating in a spring 2007 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course at Kansas State University will "write 42 pages for class this semester, and over 500 pages of email." If we can channel that kind of energy into producing something from which the students learn marketable skills, we have taken a major step in the right direction.
And there are many valuable things for the Kaleidoscope staff to learn. They pick up analytical skills by defining their purpose, determining what has news value and covering stories that fit the objectives of their publication. They practice interpersonal skills by conducting interviews of sources to provide insight on the facts provided in their articles. They gain valuable experience as writers by learning about standard news writing style, generating drafts, and working with their advisor and others to produce a final product that is interesting and understandable to the average reader. And, they practice photography and graphic design skills to depict news events and create an appealing publication that is reflective of the student perspective.
With society's consumption of the Web and all of the new tools now available, our students must learn to turn real stories into appealing and consumable content, whether it's delivered in writing, online, via video, or through some other mode of communication. These skills require versatility of today's journalist, and they also are widely embraced by many people who are not journalists in the traditional sense of the word.
Having said that, the October edition of the Kaleidoscope was produced digitally and was not printed. It appears on the college home page as a PDF document, with links embedded so readers can navigate to the stories that interest them. You'll find coverage of college news and current events, advice for students with math anxiety, a leg workout for the exercise enthusiast, and a student view of what's important in entertainment news. As the college works toward implementing a new Web site - our new "front door" - the Kaleidoscope also may evolve to become more user-friendly.
In the words of Ceci Lewis, the faculty advisor for the Kaleidoscope, "As with any venture, we never know how it may be received until we put it out there. The positive response from members of the college community has let us know we are on the right track. Kudos go to the staff, who have proven themselves to be exemplary individuals with a united vision for the publication, strong work ethic, and incredible writing skills."
As an employer, vision, work ethic and writing skills sound pretty good to me. The Kaleidoscope can be a valuable ambassador for Cochise College and a learning experience for all of us. You may contribute to this learning process by looking at the Kaleidoscope at www.cochise.edu and sharing your thoughts and story ideas with the staff by emailing kaleidoscope@cochise.edu.
Dr. J.D. Rottweiler Ph.D. is president of Cochise College.
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