OK, so I know it’s well after the first day, but I’ve been busy. The good news: both classes seem interesting and I believe I’ll learn quite a bit in each one. Theory of Mass Communications should be the most “different” than I’m accustomed to, since I’ve spent relatively little time on theory (at least as it concerns journalism) during the last 20 years. Journalist’s Toolkit 1 is much more hands-on, and it looks like it will be a mix of techniques I’ve used during the last five years or so and those that are new to me. I hope that the project pages will be up on publicly-accessible URLs–if so, I’ll post links here.

Now, for a couple of things that are different between now and when I last sat in the classroom as a student:

Computers–I was able to take notes in both classes on my laptop (using ZuluPad Pro). When last I was a student, there really weren’t any laptop computers. A Kaypro, Compaq, or Osborne portable would have ripped the little wooden desktop right off the chair. It’s possible I’ll go back to taking notes on paper, because the act of transcribing my notes from hand-written into typed form was once a key part of my study routine. I hope I can keep notes on the computer, though, since that would be considerably faster and easier. We’ll see.

Libraries–Long ago, if you needed access to a document you didn’t own, you went to a library, found a bundle of paper, and read it. I may still do some of that, but the first group of reading for both classes is available on-line. Cool. The mass comm library is a nice place with librarians who seem friendly–I’m sure I’ll end up doing a lot of work there, if for no other reason than they have four important things: padded chair, tables with power strips, wireless Internet, and air conditioning.

The most pleasant surprise (so far) has been my classmates. I’ve already found a couple of folks who share both classes and a great number of interests in common. They are, of course, younger than I am. That’s OK–both my professors are younger than me, too. I’ve learned that age isn’t nearly as important as attitude and interest, so I’m looking forward to getting to know a bunch of these people much better. There’s a picnic on the 9th–that should be a good step forward.

Categories: Grad School