Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Short Courses of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Latin American and Caribbean Journalists Finish New Online Course in Spanish: Journalism 2.0Latin American and Caribbean Journalists Finish New Online Course in Spanish: Journalism 2.0

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, as part of its new focus as a digital media training center, has developed an introductory course to digital journalism in Spanish for journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean. The course, Journalism 2.0, took place from July 14 to Aug. 17, 2008.

The course, free of charge, was developed by Colombian journalist Julio César Guzmán. In 2005, Guzmán took the Knight Center's online course Role of the Editor. It is the first time a former student of the Knight Center's online courses has developed and taught a class for the Center.

"Journalists throughout the Americas must be familiar with the technology that is transforming our profession, our workplaces, and our jobs," said Dean Graber, Knight Center program coordinator. "This course is designed to introduce reporters and editors to the tools and skills that will help them work in the new environments."

The class was conducted entirely on line and covered five main areas:

*Introduction to Journalism 2.0. Understand the opportunities and challenges of practicing journalism in the digital age.

*Web 2.0 and an Eye on the Future. Learn how Web 2.0 sites expand the realm and responsibilities of today’s journalists.

*Blogs, Breaking News, and Headlines (Writing for the Web). Explore and critique the world of blogs, and learn to write strong web headlines.

*Multimedia Basics. Explore basic practices in photography and video production, and experiment with the technology.

*Multimedia Planning. Learn what makes a good multimedia story and how to produce these pieces.

Students had several weekly assignments, all of which will be performed on line. They include viewing video lectures and PowerPoint presentations, reading lecture materials, and participating in discussion forums with the instructor and classmates. Students also conducted weekly skills assignments, and one exam, which they will submit online for comment and grading by the instructor.

Julio César Guzmán has been an editor at eltiempo.com since 1997, and was also the Colombian correspondent for Conexión Discovery, a technology program of the Discovery Channel. He was assisted by Ingrid Bachmann, a Chilean journalist who is a member of the Knight Center staff and a doctoral student at the University of Texas School of Journalism.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created by Professor Rosental Calmon Alves at the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism in August 2002 thanks to a generous donation from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

In 2007, the Knight Center received a new five-year grant from the Knight Foundation to refocus its work as a digital media training center for Latin American and Caribbean journalism, and to expand its efforts to serve as an incubator for new journalism organizations.

Added Aug 19, 11:07, 2008