Online and Convergent Journalism

So, Why did we choose this topic?

&

What were my goals for the project, what did I want to accomplish?

In the moments as I stepped out of Dandenong train station, a Wednesday morning some weeks ago, I finally understood what our project was about. Diversity surrounded, it did not feel like inner city Melbourne, but a place that felt worlds apart from where I grew up. Though the area I have lived in most of my life is very multicultural, there was something about Dandenong, something quite different about it. The streets were full of Indian clothing stores, Afgan food stores, hairdressers specialising in African hair- I finally understood why that Wednesday night at the beginning of Semester, Bita came in with this idea and a commitment to it. There felt as though there were so many untold stories.

Interview after Interview, it was clear that the portrayal of Dandenong is of course quite different to what the locals think of it. There was something quite special in the interviews that took place, as the refugees told their story of how they came to be here. The local organisations made it clear how important it was to them to make integration easier for them and there families. There were many moments where I felt touched.

I have learnt a great deal from this project. At the beginning of semester I had hoped to gain more experience in group work and in journalism. I feel that I have achieved that with the help of my fellow group mates in sharing knowledge and as we learnt together how to adapt to different kinds of people and there different ways in doing things.

The end product is something that I think we are all quite proud of. As the initial idea, “Integration, Culture and Issues in Greater Dandenong” seemed so broad and big at the time, it took me a while to get my head around it. Now, we have a multimedia piece which has voiced the stories of people whom before had never expressed there concerns and beliefs. Without the commitment and passion of the group this piece would not have been as great as it is.

Thanks everyone!!! Its be challenging, and lots and lots of fun!

Shak and I looked at the Berkley University’s Journalism students multimedia piece entitled…

“Mauro’s Shift”

Personally, I was drawn to this site since I am a fan of  Scorsese’s film Taxi Driver… hehe…

Though Mauro’s shift may not be AS eventful, the site draws attention to the issues of the driver during his shift.

The easy to navigate multimedia piece, draws attention to the concerns of cab drivers in San Francisco today, from Gate and Gas to Health Care. Not only is it informative with experts discussing the taxi driving industry, it takes on a quirky nature with it’s yellow and black stripes representing a taxi website.

Thumbs up… hehe

Link is as follows…

http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/mm/spring08/sfcabs/

Bita, Shak, Monique and I joined forces to create a piece on the various apects of the Brisbane Times online newspaper! It was fun and we worked really well together.

Here it is ….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLP1ArKkXnE

Hi, my name’s Kim!… and I am undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Media and Communications; with this Semester being my first as a Swinburnian. I have just come out of completing my Arts degree at Latrobe, double majoring in Drama and Cinema Studies and before that I did a Certificate IV in Entertainment (Theatre Lighting, sound and Av.)

My passions and interests :

the world! travel, people, cultures, languages, Spanish, music, art, drawing, theatre, film, writing, guitar…..anything creative and anything to do with making stuff, also cut off gloves and yellow umbrellas in winter

My skills: Theatre lighting, basic camera operating, basic knowledge of editing and final cut pro, scriptwriting… and other bits and pieces to do with theatre and film.

Skills I wish to acquire:

I hope to gain more knowledge in production and working in teams! Also, as this is my first semester, I am eager to learn more about journalism.

Looking forward to the Semester!

Til next time..

Kim