August 2012: In Convergence, Experience is Still the Best Teacher

A pair of news professionals demonstrate that experience is still the best teacher – for the instructor and the student -- in the latest edition of The Convergence Newsletter. 

Rob Wells explains the role of convergence in meeting the demands of the Dow Jones and Wall Street Journal audiences and how he used that field experience to prepare students as a Reynolds visiting professor in business journalism. 

Chris Harper of Temple University tells how the journalism department uses an urban reporting project to prepare students for the changing demands of the newsroom and to broaden their perspectives by sending students to undercovered, underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Read their accounts, then join the conversation at our Facebook and Google+ pages. 

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2012: Teaching Multimedia Journalism, Street By Street

In the latest edition of The Convergence Newsletter, Chris Harper of Temple University relates how the journalism department uses an urban reporting project to prepare students for the changing demands of the newsroom and to broaden their perspectives by sending students to undercovered, underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods. Read his story in the August edition. Then join the conversation at our Facebook or Google+ pages.

 
Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2012: A case study in convergence at the Wall Street Journal

Dow Jones’ coverage of the Discovery Communications hostage drama in 2010 marked a new era of cooperation in one editor's five-year journey to harmonize breaking news coverage for the Dow Jones Newswires, WSJ.com, and The Wall Street Journal print editions in Washington. It also provides broader lessons for editors and reporters harassed to satisfy competing demands in the modern newsroom and for academics trying to prepare students for this chaos

Rob Wells, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business News, and the Associated Press, explains how convergence played a key role during a Washington-area hostage crisis for reporters and editors trying to feed the Dow Jones Newswire, WSJ.com, and The Wall Street Journal's print editions. Wells uses that invaluable field experience to prepare students for the demands of the newsroom. 

Read his account and the invaluable lessons he learned -- and now teaches students -- in the latest edition of The Convergence Newsletter. Then join the conversation at our Facebook or Google+ pages.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2009 Convergence Newsletter

It’s September, you say, so why does my Convergence Newsletter say August?

No, we haven’t put time on hold, though we wish we could. It’s simply been a time of more changes here at TCN. Combined with some technical glitches and then the inevitable rush at the start of classes, and we found ourselves staring at a calendar that had moved on.

We will be following this in a week or two with the actual September issue, led by Edgar Huang’s article detailing his important work researching effective video streaming technology. But to keep things in synch, we decided to put out the “August” issue instead of a more confusing “August-September” issue.

One change you will notice is a new editor for the newsletter. Matt McColl joins us both as a graduate student and as the new day-to-day whip-cracker, bottle-washer and keeper of the passwords. Please feel free to contact him at convedit@mailbox.sc.edu with your thoughts and article proposals. And, of course, you can always contact me.

This is our back-to-the-classroom issue, and we have three insightful pieces I think you’ll enjoy.

To read the entire newsletter, click here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008 Issue Now Available

As we hunker down for the new semester, The Convergence Newsletter is pleased to offer a special issue designed especially for educators. This month's articles talk about specific ways to practice convergence with students, the need to spot the difference between technology access and information processing, and the danger in hyping convergence without considering how to best serve audiences.

In addition, this month's issue features a special announcement about October's Convergence Conference at USC.

Read the full August issue of The Convergence Newsletter here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008: Convergence Conference Agenda Released

Some exciting changes are in store for the 7th annual Convergence Conference at USC. Dr. Augie Grant, conference chair, discusses some of the innovations he says will increase participation and help attendees better synthesize the ideas on offer.

Read the full announcement here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008: Making Your Wiki Sticky: Allowing Students and Faculty to Experience Convergence Together

The Mass Media Department at Washburn University does not merely talk about convergence -- they walk the walk, too. Drs. Maria Raicheva-Stover and Kathy Menzie tell us how the department has been using a wiki to allow students and faculty to learn about convergence together.

Read the full article here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008: Rescuing our Classrooms and Students from their Technology

Rapid developments in technology mean each successive generation of students brings different information-processing tendencies and competencies. Former USC professor Dr. Paul S. Lieber discusses the need to bridge the gap between students' access to information and their perceptions of information value.

Read the full article here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008: Pause, Watch, Listen, and Learn … Then Converge

Media hype is a phenomenon we are all familiar with. Have we considered that convergence may be among its current beneficiaries (or victims, depending on your perspective)? Hofstra University's Victoria Geyer thinks so. She offers sound advice for how instructors can teach students to see through the hype and use convergence wisely to serve audiences -- even (and especially) those who refuse to give up their newspapers and TVs just yet.

Read the full article here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter

August 2008: Conferences and Calls for Papers

Read the conference schedule from August's issue here.

Recent and archived issues of The Convergence Newsletter