Introductions and tech toys: Students prepare for a week of reporting

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By Simon Greenhill and Casey Miller, Counselors-in-Training

Today, 65 students checked in to Okada House at Stanford for the first day of Newsroom by the Bay.

For some participants, the day began with a “Ready, Set, Go!” workshop taught by instructor Don Bott. Later that afternoon, even more students arrived to check-in to their rooms in preparation for the 3 p.m. program-wide start.

“The first day was great,” said student Jasper Goodman. “It looks like this is going to be a great experience and I can’t wait for more.”

After dinner, participants received iPad Minis and iOgrapher cases, the technology they will use for reporting throughout the week. The cases are specifically built for journalists, and include built-in tripod, light and microphone mounts. The students’ iPads were pre-loaded with applications such as TouchCast, allowing them to create and edit videos directly on their iPads, turning them into ideal multimedia reporting tools.

“iOgrapher is such a useful tool,” said Patricia Jia, a team leader. “It really facilitates the use of the iPad: the fact that you can put attachments on it, like the mic and light, is pretty awesome.”

Armed with the tools they will use all week, the students now have a few hours to rest before classes and reporting time begins Tuesday. Throughout the week, students will create themed websites which they will fill with self-produced content—articles, photos and videos—before Sunday’s multimedia showcase.

“The day was really fun, my group was awesome, and we learned a lot about each other and our awesome camp technology. Our theme for our website is going to be love, and I can already feel that love forming between me and them, in a purely platonic way,” said team leader Katherine Knott.

Many students are excited about field trips later in the week. Sports fans like student Justin Kasser have jumped on the chance to see a San Francisco Giants baseball game. Kasser said, “I’m really looking forward to AT&T park on Thursday. We’ve got possibilities for some really interesting interviews, and there’s really awesome experiences coming up that we’re really excited about.”

Kasser’s mother, Jill, added, “I hope that [Justin] will appreciate journalism more, appreciate a college campus more, and expand his horizons.”