Podcast: From the Hilltop
Created and produced by the Journalism & Digital Media class
The Journalism and Digital Media course provides the tools to navigate a changing journalistic landscape where media plays a tremendous role. Students learn the craft and come away with a foundation in the history, ethics, and values of journalism and digital media. The course focuses on the fundamentals of gathering information and journalistic writing and also examines the nature and impact of emerging media technology, including networked journalism and social media. Students learn the basics of broadcasting and produce a live news show on an ongoing basis. All students also submit writing to the digital school newspaper, The Argosy.
EPISODE 1: Dr. Hampton
EPISODE 2: Mrs. Giampapa
EPISODE 3: Mrs. Victori
Thinking Outside the Curriculum Box
MSDA Journalism Class Explores Storytelling and StoryCorps
Expert research skills, strong writing ability and an unwavering commitment to the truth; core elements at the foundation of any worthy journalism course including the special elective offered at the Mount and taught by faculty member, Mrs. Erin Croarkin.
But like that news story that resonates in your psyche and delivers a fresh perspective, new insight or enlightening moment, the key to “landing the story” with a reader, viewer, or in this case - a student - is that special moment, unique viewpoint, and out-of-the-ordinary experience.
Through the exploration of a personal relationship of great importance, each journalism student undertook a midterm project that incorporated the framework created by the non-profit StoryCorps, whose mission is to “preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.” As regularly heard on NPR, students focused their work on interview skills and story-telling, moving the mid-year test beyond paper and pen, to incorporate relationships, conversations and memory making.
“During this time where so many of us are physically separated from those close to us, the Storycorps project was a way for our Journalisms students to use their interview skills, practice their listening skills and most importantly connect with a loved one,” remarked Mrs. Croarkin. “Even though we are not all physically together, we can still share stories, listen and connect.”
In a reflection on the project, Kaitlyn Hladik ’21 noted of her interview of her grandmother, “I know that my Nanny will not be with me forever, so I knew I wanted to have something of hers I could always hold onto. Her comforting voice is something super unique to always have access to in addition to her wisdom.”
