Readers this week will realize I am simply corroborating a recent editorial published by The Maneater concerning the School of Journalism’s extravagant technology compulsions and the possibility of inflating those requirements even more. The most faithful readers can already guess, with fair accuracy, my stance on the issue. The new discussion is just the latest move in what I see as the J School’s technological arms race. Granted, I’m only in my second semester so far and not yet exposed to the grander developments in the J School, but I see a lot of fantastic, expensive technology sitting around RJI that I wonder, “Is all this really necessary?”
“Okay, the iPod touch thing didn’t work out like we planned, so what’s the next step?” Logically, make them buy an even more extravagant toy for which we still have no established plan to effectively incorporate in a meaningful way. Good grief. What’s worse is that the situation is not such that the J School officials are biting off more than they can chew (though, they are), but that they’re deferring the requirement, and thus the cost, to the students.
Their appetites for the latest technology could be satisfied just as easily if the J School took the initiative to purchase a set of tablets for the one or two classes in which students would actually spend time developing content. It’s irresponsible and unfair to make these demands of a student when there is not yet a grand design to incorporate the devices comprehensively into projects and coursework. It would be another thing entirely if the J School sought to completely replace full computers with portable tablets.
And in a way I think that option would actually be kind of interesting – requiring students to carry tablets instead of computers would be a downgrade in hardware, but at the same time a true, progressive evolutionary step. I hear it all the time: “This is the future, kids, this is where the industry’s going. You can’t stop it!”
Okay, prove it.
As a student who mostly only reads, writes papers and throws together presentations, theoretically I could produce all the same work on a tablet without having to have bought a computer in the first place. However, as it stands currently, the technology requirements are treated more as a J School novelty, rather than a legitimate tool to become acquainted with and explore new possibilities. And that is grossly wasteful.
Granted, having a tablet that I can touch and get familiar with is probably a good way to make me understand the climate shift of communications. But my merit as an athlete isn’t based on the kind of cleats I wear, and owning leading edge gadgets doesn’t automatically qualify me as a superstar reporter.
Journalists are like everyone else, judged for the quality of their work and not by how good they look producing it. One might point to the usefulness of technology in improving efficiency and ease-of-access, but it’s inconsequential to students in this stage in a field based on writing and knowledge gathering. Journalists are not like engineers, who require the most updated version of CAD to design and build, or computer scientists who continually must familiarize themselves with the most contemporary hardware and programming languages.
As journalists, our most fundamental skills never change, whether our stories are printed in ink or flashed across a Java window. The nature of technology is that it evolves (rather quickly) to meet changing standards. But no matter how portable and sophisticated our computers become, no matter how stunning the resolution, fundamentally technology will only ever be a shell for greater, more abstract human handiwork.
If anything, all these exciting new tools only distract from the true source of creative potential. I think a major flaw in the J School’s school of thought is their emphasis on technology moreover. Professors tell me all the time how much technology is changing the face of journalism and will revolutionize how we do what we do.
But – and this is almost a little sad – I have yet to hear one shred of emphasis or critique on things like writing ability thoughtfulness. I’d be willing to bet overall writing would improve dramatically if students were limited to a simple pen and notebook. I’m tired of Facebook pages flashing back at me during lectures anyway.