Critical Reflection: Google Big Tent Event UK

                       

By Galya Dimitrova

For us, the journalism students, the second annual Google Event in UK was engaging and educative. Under the tent roof we met a lot of TV presenters, journalists, editors, TV writers, directors and even an MP. The personal talk we had with Google External Relations Director Peter Barron was better than any lecture or presentation because we had the chance to ask him about his personal opinion about the future development of media.

 

We gathered plenty of material to report as there were many interesting debates and discussions on various topics – online safety for children, copyright and piracy in the digital age, expected improvements in education and many more. One of the most intriguing parts was the presenting of mojo or “mobile journalism” which is a method of “teaching” people how to report. From the videos we were shown they are taught the basic skills and learn the rest as they go. This new approach is being delivered by director and producer Ivo Burum, who later in the debate pointed out that media will continue changing but the way we operate it will not.

 

The only disappointment we experienced was the absence of  former presenter of Channel 4 News Jon Snow who was unable to attend due to covering an event in Brussels. It would have been interesting to see him as one of the moderators. His years of experience in media would undoubtedly reflect on the situation and make the debates and interviews even more captivating.

 

The physical benefits we got from the gathering were two free books on digital culture, which have just been printed out: THE BLIND GIANT: Being Human in a Digital World and Digital Vertigo: How Today’s Social Revolution Is Dividing, Diminishing and Disorientating Us.  Both of the authors, Nick Harkaway and Andrew Keen, took part in the last part of the agenda which dealt with the problem whether social revolution has a good or diminishing impact on our society.

 

The most valuable we got from the Google Event –we heard experts’ personal points of view on the future of the media and the problems it faces. Fascinating was, for example, TV writer Graham Linehan’s definition of online pirates – to him they are overly dedicated “fans” who should be given a second chance instead of being labelled as criminals. The important conclusion from the whole event was that proper media education is needed to reduce online crimes and improve various areas of our lives.

Tags: Jon Snow, Google Tent Event UK, Andrew Keen, "Digital Vertigo: How Today’s Social Revolution Is Dividing, Diminishing and Disorientating Us", Nick Harkaway, "THE BLIND GIANT: Being Human in a Digital World ", Peter Barron, mojo, Ivo Burum, online safety, media education

Google Big Tent 2012: Ministerial Keynote: MP David Willetts

By Galya Dimitrova

This year is only the second year of the annual Google Tent Event but it touched vital issues like copyright, future of news and online safety for children. Among the speakers was also Rt Hon David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science. He shared his views on development of teaching in universities across the country by the means of interaction, collaborative research and open access to data.

Clusters

 “How in a mobile society you end up with people needing a physical meeting to discuss ideas?” – that rhetorical question was Mr Willetts starting point of explaining the planned new approach for better education. According to him there is a vital need of places where students can gather and exchange ideas.

“We do cluster together to be innovative and creative”, he added.

What he and his panel do is investing in different universities like King Cross in London, and thus help them with their infrastructure and businesses. He explained that these issues are essential for the clusters’ growth and well-being. He gave an example, the request for one more fast transport link between Oxford and Cambridge. This is one of the benefits for universities’ collaborative work.  As Mr Willetts pointed out namely universities are “the heart of these clusters”.

Intellectual Commercial Challenge

 The main pursuit of next generation will be research – another issue Mr Willetts put stress on. That actually will be the outcome of the clusters because the future of scientific inquiry is writing of software and specific skills in algorithms, gained through interaction between universities.

MP Willetts compared the situation with data to the legend of the chessboard and the Persian king who was asked to provide one grain of wheat on the first square of the chess board, two on the second square, the square of two on the third square, and so on until all sixty-four squares were filled with the square of the amount on the previous square. The outcome – there were not enough grains in the whole kingdom to cover the board.

“We are now on the second square. A huge amount of data is coming out”, explained MP Willetts.

But before a change is introduced in universities, it has to be done in schools. MP Willetts described current IT teaching as “boring” and “putting people off”, which covers the opinion of MP Michael Gove. He pointed out there is a need of introducing a new model of teaching IT – creative constructive computer model, which is expected to appeal more to students due to its engaging and productive scheme.

Mr Willetts also shared that academic administrator Janet Finch will be advising his panel how to proceed in establishing a framework within academic research. He mentioned there are two routes of providing certain required data and the decision will probably be a mix between them. Otherwise he said he is “in favour of open access” and although there are still challenges in that area of education, important steps forward are to be made.

Tags: education, Google Tent Event, clusters, universities, MP Davis Willetts

A Critical Reflection: East Winds Film Festival

East Winds Film Festival that took place in the beginning of March was a total success to Coventry University and the East Asian Film Society. The participants showed total dedication to the event.  Every aspect of the organisation was impressive – from the thematic decoration to the welcoming of the special guests, including Japanese director Miki Satoshi, Hong Kong legendary horror movie director Herman Yau and young actress Grace Huang.  For the fist time students could meet and talk to the people, whose work have been enjoying for so long. The Q and A’s were another chance for them to ask them about their way of filming and specific approach to the audience.

The films presented showed the development of the Asian cinema and the ideas it conveys. The audience, especially the outside guests, could see the difference between it and the European and American cinema. They broadened our horizons with another sense of humour, themes and filming techniques. All of them were worthy for a festival but the most awaited and commented was “Starry Starry Night”, whose premiere on East Winds was also its European one.

Appreciation was shown to the students involved in the event.  The awards they were given for their hard work were also a chance for them to gain recognition among the VIPs. The promotion of their skills was a wonderful gesture on behalf of the organizers and sponsors of East Winds. This along with the actual involving of  people from the world of actual cinema turned the whole festival into a triumph.

The atmosphere was like on an international festival and the experience from those three memorable nights will surely last for long. As Coventry University as a whole is an ever evolving and innovating institution, the festival next year is expected to be more intriguing and again – in Ellen Terry building.

Tags: East Winds Film Festival, Ellen Terry building, final folio

A Critical Reflection: Coventry Conversations

By Galya Dimitrova

Coventry Conversations, or the mini press conferences as I call them, are one of the easiest ways to gather material for an interesting story. This year alone the university hosted Professor Jon Snow, Former political correspondent Nick Jones, OBE Alex Crawford and many others. For students from all platforms but especially for us on the Journalism and Media course this was a great opportunity to meet the people we look up to and want to be like one day.

 All the meetings have been beyond my expectations but one of them really stands out – the conversation with sports commentator Clive Tyldesley. Since I am not a sports person I usually do not understand much of the sport conversations. But from the very beginning Clive created such atmosphere that immediately caught everyone’s attention. The way he talked about racism in sport was not only interesting – it was clear and even I could follow his thought without a problem. His lecture touched questions beyond the commercial side of sport and made a lot of us realise it plays a far more important role in our lives rather than just be entertaining. He proved sport is not always about what is happening on the pitch only. This made the whole conversation much more engaging.

 Clive also pointed out that media should help people understand why racism is wrong. Not many of the guest lecturers have spoken about the educational side of media. This is another reason why his lecture made a difference. What is more, he said one of the most memorable quotes from the Coventry Conversations this year:  “Sport is in many ways a stage on which society performs”.

 His whole approach to us as an audience was magnificent and many of us are looking forward to his visit next year.

Tags: Clive Tyldesley, Coventry Conversations, critical reflection

Taiwanese Movie Review: Starry Starry Night

By Galya Dimitrova

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVtqUNCCqA&feature=related

When twelve-year old Mei finds out her parents fight every day and will divorce soon, she runs away in the world of her fantasies. Along with her only friend Jie they set out on a journey through their childhood where everything is possible and beauty can be found in everything.

The movie can compete with Hollywood film in every aspect. The filming technique, the dialogue, the signs, the use of colours – it is a production of the highest class. In terms of depth of portrayed emotions and the theme of the childhood where dreams never end it excels even the blockbuster “Hugo” which conveys the same idea to some extent. The film leaves the viewer nostalgic to the time when they have been careless and most imaginative. A beautiful drama told from a child’s point of view about friendship, thrills from the first love, and putting up together the pieces of the jigsaw called childhood.

There are many words that could describe Tom Lin’s movies but the one that really stands out is “enchanting”.  The young Taiwanese director has made three movies so far and that already defined his style. No matter whether you watch the moving drama on youth friendship “Winds of September” or the captivating “Starry, Starry Night” you will be bewitched by Tom Lin’s ability to develop a story and engage you thoroughly with it. He is great both like a director and writer of movies. Even the movies of which he is only assistant director (“Spider Lilies” for example) has this typical magic he manages to create on screen. Tom knows how to work with the underlying themes. He finds new angles of representation of very well-known ideas and creates contemporary fairy-tales, puts them on screen and makes you feel lost in his world where you will wish to stay as long as possible.

Tags: "Starry Starry Night", childhood, first love, Tawanese cinema, Tom Lin

Breakfast Show In Covenry – Brody Swain

By Galya Dimitrova

According to the boring definition, he is a radio presenter at Touch FM. But for his fans he is the voice that wakes them up every morning at 6 am and charges them with positive energy for the day.  The third time guest at Coventry Conversations Brody Swain talks about his passion for the Sky Blue city and radio as a way of life.

 Thoughts On Radio

“Think of the power radio is. You open the microphone and could do anything” says Brody.                                                                     

 To him doing a breakfast show is a “lifestyle”. He starts work far too early every morning, gets prepared before going on air, makes his own music mixes….But persistance pays – now he is beloved by the dedicated listeners and often recognised on the streets of Coventry. The audience shows so much appreciation to his pre-selected music that he even gets emails saying “The music here is so much better. Thank God you’re back.”

 “ Because I do a lot of stuff, I am recognised, but it is not about the ego”, explains Brody.

 

It is almost impossible to believe that he used to hate radio and  quit it in 2000 but soon got back because he missed it too much. Now he regards it as “the best medium” for sharing his ideas and thoughts with the public.

 “If you are ever going to radio, it’s like you are going to talk to one person. You will sound more natural if you imaagine somebody is actually listening to you”.

 His attraction to radio changed even his personal life because he met his wife in a radio station. For Touch FM regular listeners she is best known as “the current Mrs Swain”. Brody explains that “small hooks” like that easily attract people and help building that personal bond with each of them.

 Among Brody’s heros are popular DJ presenter Les Ross and BBC 2 radio DJ Chris Evans – “people who have been on air for a long time” as he points out.

 

                                                    In love with Coventry

 Until 2004 Coventry was just “that little place down the road” for Brody. Now he spends 90% of his time here. Apart from his work in Touch FM, he is a part of the city’s Olympic ambassador’s group and is a member of the local Rotary Club.

 “People living here don’t realise how great that place is”, says Brody.

 He says that working in Coventry is among the things he enjoys the most. Once he even dreamt of hosting the Godiva Festival.                                   

 “It’s chemistry. You can’t analyse it”, he says.

 As a “part of the gang”, he is for the benefits of advertising the city. People who want to advertise in Coventry are more than welcome in Touch FM.

 When asked how he would feel if someone offers him a better job in another place, he simply answers: “I’d miss the Cov stuff”.

 For the time being, he remains faithful to the Sky Blue city and the love of his current listeners.

 “I’ve got no plans to disappear” he says and adds  “I stay because this city gives me most confidence on air.”

He asvises all students who dream of a career in radio to get solid preparation for hard work.

 

“If you don’t love it, you’ll find it the most difficult thing is the world”, he adds.

 But if you do, who knows,  you might be the next Brody Swain.

 

Tags: bbc 2, breakfast show, Brody Swain, Coventry, Coventry Conversations, entertainment, radio, Touch FM

A Final Letter to Self

Dear Galya,

Seems just like yesterday when you were writing your first letter to self in the beginning of the academic year. It was a letter full of self-criticism and goals you were to acheve. Now, almost eight months later, we will check how far you have gone with your professional development and how you are going to continue with it over the summer.

This time we will start with pointing out thethings you did well and then we will focus on what you still need to improve.

So, what have you achieved in the first year?

First of all, your writing skills. Comparing y our first article to your latest work, I can definitely see you made a good progress. Although your style has much to be polished, the advance is obvious.

Secondly, you started working with computer programmes like Indesign and Adobe Premiere Pro. Now since you have got the basic skills, you have to keep developing them in the years to come as they will be essential for your work as a journalist.

Another important thing – you were a co-editor of a weekly newsletter, The Buzz. You found out how interesting and sometimes difficult it is to fins a story and approach people but you made it. Hopefully, in the second year, you will be a part of something bigger and will double the number of the stories you wite per week.

Lastly, you became a part of the East Asian Film Society. The films you watched and the articles you wrote about them certainly helped you add something to your knowledge about the Asian culture. And the East Winds Film Festival, which you were a part of, is definitely one of the most memorable events of your first year in uni.

Now let’s take a look at what you have to work on from now on.

As pointed out in the first letter to self, time is crucial for you if you really want a career as a journalist. I have to admist you did not cope very well in terms of the time this year. On the newsdays you were always late with your work. Your articles based on the Coventry Conversations always came out couple of days later instead of maximum two hours later. There were times when you finished your courseworks only hours before the deadline. You definitely should become more organised and not fiddle away your time. More concentration, more motivation – and you are there. You should also work harder as well to improve the quality of your works – both in journalism and media.

You have probably noticed that the lectures are not enough when it comes to writing your courseworks, reflections and analysis. From next year and even during the summer you should do twice as more reading that you did in the first year. The theory is something you cannot possibly get away with and the good preparation on all your subjects pays in the end. You need to expand your knowledge on politics and sports as your main gaps are in these areas. Remember that at the weekly news quizes you never scored more than six correct answers. The target for you next year should be at least eight and to achieve that, you need more extensive research on every aspect of journalism.

Use the summer to increase your knowledge on working with computer programmes. You should have done it a long time ago but now you still have the chance to improve before second year. Do you remember how surprised you were when you found out that you will not only write the articles but organise a paper as well? And that you have to edit your videos yourself for the media modules? To avoid any further surprises, you’d better start excercises as soon as possible.

At the Coventry Conversations you had the wonderful opportunity to meet real journalists and people from the world of media. What you should have done is be more active and ask them more questions in order to gather more valuable information for your articles. Before that , however, you should have done a better research on them, which you didn’t do every time. This you should regard as a big neglegence in your professional development so far. From next year on, this should be a muct for you – research, adequate questions and make the most of it.

Lastly, show more dedication to the society and get more involved in their activities. It will surely be beneficial for you.

Do not stop with your development over the summer. There is a story behind every corner, waiting to be told. It is a potential chance for you to be recognised as a good journalist. Even taking pictures only could be of use. Photojournalism is not an easy thing so if you want to try your skills on that field, use your all your senses to find out stories all the time. The instinct of a journalist never sleeps, never takes rest. It’s about time for you to adopt that as your philosophy.

I will leave you know. Don’t forget that you still have a couple of weeks left before the summer break – use them wisely to lay the foundations of your second year. And do not stop writing. After all, that is what you love doing. Tha is what you do best. You love working under pressure. You love short deadlines. But most of all – you love telling good stories. Then? What are you still waiting for? Get out there and tell the public your stories!

Have a nice rest of the year and a wonderful, exciting summer!

Yours,

Galya

Tags: journalism, letter to self, my thoughts, personal professional development, self criticism, university