In today’s technology driven media landscape, a journalist must be a jack-of-all-trades—a writer, editor, producer, and master of social media and web. Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) prides itself on preparing journalists to become leaders in the field—and it’s committed to extending students’ training beyond the classroom.
This spring, SJMC faculty organized a series of four new media workshops taught by professors and professionals working in the field. Sponsored by the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine Studies, the workshops aimed to teach both students and the public useful multimedia skills that may not be covered in normal classroom work.
“These workshops were set up for anyone,” says Chris Snider, instructor of practice in multimedia. “We’ve had mostly students attend, but also a mix of Drake staff, faculty, and members of the Des Moines community. The workshops have appealed to a wide range of people—I’ve had participants as young as 12 in them.”
Snider led three of the new media workshops, which were free to Drake students, faculty, and staff. His hands-on classes taught participants necessary digital media skills, such as creating and launching a WordPress blog, maximizing search engine optimization, and the basics of HTML and CSS web coding. Justin Wise, founder of STRUCTURE, also led a session on effective social media strategies for businesses. Participants’ suggestions shaped the topics covered in each session.
“We framed the sessions around what we heard students and others are needing to learn,” Snider says. “We wanted to give people the information they need to be more successful in their internships or jobs, for free or at a low cost. Justin and I hope to have more of these workshops in the future.”
For more information about the new media workshops, contact Chris Snider at 515-271-4594 or email christopher.snider@drake.edu.