Wrap-Up Post

Overall this class was a great learning experience and I feel as though I came away knowing more about online journalism than any other class I had taken on it so far. I think I can speak for myself and several others in the class in that having other professors for 320 proved to be a disadvantage coming in. Although we knew about the online medium, we didn't have the knowledge and experience that other students in the class had, meaning that we had a lot of catching up to do to get to the level of everybody else. Because of this, I had to cram a lot of information that the course required in a relatively short amount of time. I'm happy with what I've learned, but I still have a lot of work to do. My only regret is that I hadn't learned this sooner in 320.

The whole experience was overwhelming at times, but very rewarding. There is nothing like seeing your finished work on the blog and knowing that it was you who put it all together - story, video and the photo gallery. I had some challenges along the way, but overall I feel that I did my best and I'm proud of my work. I can pat myself on the back with my successful photos and videos, but I also learned from the videos that didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and make changes and come up with different strategies for future stories that I cover.

Being a broadcast concentration was another challenge that I faced. I intended to take both 370 and 380 so I could broaden my knowledge on both mediums. I wish I had taken the two during different semesters, but having that extra time out in the field didn't hurt for experience. My main issue was that broadcast and online are two completely different animals. For broadcast you need voiceovers, a standup, and pack an entire story into one package, as there's no supplemental story. Online doesn't require standups and voiceovers, but you need lower thirds, text, and the ability to make everything run smoothly from a short video to a written story. After taking this course I can really appreciate the different kinds of work that goes into both concentrations.

I can honestly say that this course frustrated me at times, and there were occasions that I doubted myself and my ability to accomplish all that was expected of me. Now that its over and I've had time to reflect, I can look back and see what went well and what didn't, and remember that its all a learning experience that will help me later on in my career. My last story, for example, required putting myself out there more than I had for any other story. I'm naturally shy, so talking about a sensitive topic to complete strangers was a challenge that I had to overcome. Despite my preconceived notion, New Yorkers weren't as scary as I thought! That aside, this class really did help me learn a lot, and in the end I'm glad I took the course.