Professor Jay Rosen says that Journalism Schools are increasingly becoming R&D labs.
First, I am not sure about that. Second, If yes, I say no.
I don’t have any problem with universities and professors doing research.
More than that: without research, teaching and education are very poor.
But the idea that our Journalism Schools have to become R&D Labs is wrong.
The best Journalism education still is a strong Liberal Arts curriculum.
Reading, Thinking & Writing, are more important than playing and doing.
You will spend the rest of your life playing and doing.
So you better spend your College years using your brain, not your hands.
For many years Journalism Schools were focused on just print media.
Then, broadcasting programs came.
Later, public relations & advertising… and integrated marketing communications!
Yes, I know, mutimedia is here and now our old fashioned Journalism Schools want to catch the future just becoming R&D Labs…
What all these professors don’t know is that the problem are them, not the students.
The new generations of students are “digital multi-media-tasking natives” so they don’t need more technical training because they are fully trained before they enter in the schools.
These professors and administrators eager to get funds for R&D Labs are the ones needed of this training.
What good students are looking for is for challenging thinkers, first class teachers, inspiring personalities, and not IT amateurs.
Let’s be serious:
You still learn more about new narratives reading Antigone than spending hours in front a computer.
Specially now when you can read Antigone in an iPad!
Tags: IT, Jay Rosen, Journalism schools, Liberal Arts, Multimedia, computers, education
