I was off in Iowa last week, teaching at MediaNow, a high school journalism workshop on the campus of Drake University, and didn't find the time to blog. That is just in case anyone noticed my absence from the blogosphere.
BTW, the workshop is called MediaNow because it focuses on cutting edge technology and how it can make student media more accessible and exciting. It doesn't neglect more foundational journalism skills, including writing and reporting, which is what I taught, or photojournalism, though the technology has certainly changed over time.
On the other hand, I couldn't help thinking that this almost 72-year-old was a bit more "MediaThen." One speaker presented ten trends or software or hardware that should be really exploding in the next year or so. One of them was about "selfie drones," which evidently are a thing if you want to spend $250 for the device and which (I guess?) will upgrade our selfie game and make us all go viral.
I did realize that I was taking notes on the presentation in a reporter's notebook with a pen. Most of the students at the workshop did not know what a reporter's notebook was and many appeared unfamiliar with taking notes, period. They rely so much on their phones and recording interviews, etc., that there would be real issues if their devices were to be confiscated and they were forced to use traditional notetaking.
That observation about my being so NOT part of Generation Z, not to mention not being Generation X or Millennial, plus some other weirdness last week reinforced my decision that MediaNow would be my "last hurrah," so to speak.
Everything was handled well. They put instructors in a nice hotel right across the street from the Drake admissions building. The organization was sharp and efficient. The kids were smart and engaged and open to new ideas. The organizers are long-time friends and talented advisers and media people, so it was fun to hang out at lunch or in a local bar and solve world problems.
But I was the oldest person involved by about 20 years and the whole "travel hundreds of miles, leave my wife to fend for herself, never quite be comfortable" thing just didn't feel quite right. I got paid, of course, but the money is not enough to offset the negatives.
I can still teach, and writing still lies at the heart of everything in media, so what I was focused on was important. I had several students tell me that they appreciated me just talking with them about their drafts. It was clear that back in their home schools, they were solid writers and that their advisers were fine with whatever they wrote.
But when they saw how much more focused and effective their writing could be with a second draft, at least, after a conversation with a coach, they realized that what they really wanted was what we all want: real interactions and real conversations about their ideas and their rhetorical choices.
It comes down to "I COULD keep doing this sort of summer workshop," helping a few kids become better thinkers and writers, as opposed to "time to take a further step back" from that almost frenetic teaching, trying to cram years of learning into three days. The latter choice is stronger.
It's a bit sad to realize that I just don't have the fire anymore to travel the country challenging young minds, but there does come a time...
Never say never, I guess, but if that was my final summer out-of-state workshop, I can "retire" knowing I did my best and left it all on the field, so to speak.
Time for some younger, more energetic advisers to pick up the baton.
Hear that, Mr. Biden?
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