Vol.

8 - Number 2, April 2017

JoME
Journal of Media Education
 JoME Contents
Journal of Media Education Click on article title to view page.

53 DEVELOPING CONTENT LITERACY IN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN

MEDIA EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Doug Bielmeier, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology – IUPUI

16
9 ENGAGED TEACHING AND RESEARCH IN POLITICAL
COMMUNICATION DURING THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:
A CASE STUDY OF THE POLITICAL SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH
GROUP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE
15 Stuart N. Brotman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

28 A “BEST PRACTICE” FOR PRODUCING MEDIA LITERACY VIDEOS

19 Peter Gregg, Universty of St. Thomas

36 ENERGIZING THE CLASSROOM: GROWTH AND INITIATIVE IN AN

EXPLORATORY, INTERDISCIPLINARY, MULTIMEDIA ENVIRONMENT
Sandra L.M. Henry, Drake University
24
54 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION TOOLKIT: NETVIBES
Rameca Vincent Leary, Regent University

59 WHY WE SHOULD BE TEACHING VR IN MEDIA WRITING CLASSES

MARIE ELLIOTT
Middle Tennessee State University

72 FROM FRESHMAN TO CONVENTION GRADUATE

30 Donna Smith, Lyndon State College

77 REVIEW: DESIGN FOR MOTION: FUNDAMENTALS AND

TECHNIQUES OF MOTION DESIGN.
Will Hong, SUNY New Paltz

4 J O U R N A L O F M E D I A ED U C ATION

FROM FRESHMAN TO
CONVENTION GRADUATE
Donna Smith
Lyndon State College
As I sat down and started to plan my fifth
trip to the Broadcast Education Association an-
nual convention, I stopped for a moment to take
stock in how I got to this point. Most days it’s
still pretty surreal for me to be teaching in the
first place, considering I teach at the same school
where I earned my undergraduate degree. Often
when I walk the halls of Lyndon State College in
Lyndonville, VT, I have flashbacks to 1996 when I
was student. But no, here I am in 2017, knee deep
in my seventh year of teaching future journalists.
As I was thinking about my four years at BEA, it
dawned on me that I had “graduated” the previ-
ous year. And by graduated, I mean I had made
it through my first four conventions, learned the
lay of the land, the ins and outs of what to expect,
made some great connections, and felt I had a
pretty high comfort level for making the most of
my experiences in Las Vegas. I thought I would
share some of what I have learned through my
“education” at BEA.
I was first introduced to BEA by a colleague
who was helping me make the transition from
the world of commercial news to academia. He
suggested I attend the convention as a way of ex-
posing myself more to the realm of higher educa-
72
CONVENTION
tion and as a way to improve my teaching, which
at that stage was average at best. I was still strug-
gling with the idea of no longer being pulled
into the control room during breaking news
and not shaking the hands of every presidential
candidate that came into our newsroom during
the New Hampshire primary political season. I
needed help in taking my years of experience and
transferring that into effective teaching methods
that my students could relate to. Because I was
not a trained educator, this colleague believed
BEA could help. He was right. A former mentor
and professor also spoke highly of BEA and since
he was rich in experience attending the conven-
tion, he also offered up words of encouragement
as to why attending would be beneficial. I was
sold, but before I could start to reap those ben-
efits I had to educate myself on the convention
fundamentals.
FRESHMAN YEAR
I call year one my freshman year. Preparing
for BEA that first time I had the same feeling I
had in the first few days of college, wandering
the halls lost and confused in a sea of strange
faces. You know what I mean: feeling that every-
one else knows what they are doing and where
they are going and you are just worried someone
will try to sell you a pool pass for a pool that
J O U R N A L O F M E D I A ED U C ATION
doesn’t exist. That was my fear as I contemplated
attending my first convention. I didn’t know
much about academic gatherings and so I figured
arming myself with as much research as possible
would help ensure success.
I started where all research does these days,
on the Internet. I navigated my way to https://
www.beaweb.org/ and thus began my initial
descent into convention planning. The website
was clearly laid out and I had no issue find-
ing convention details under the “events” tab.
From there I was able to learn about hotel and
travel information, registration and membership
details, as well as all of programs being offered
during the 5-day event. Getting the information
was easy, making
sense of it in reality,
would be another I needed help in taking my
story.
Now that I was
years of experience and
armed with all transferring that into effective
the information I teaching methods that my
needed to plan out
my convention,
students could relate to.
I still had to take
that information
and turn it into concrete decisions. Which hotel
to choose? What day to arrive? How long to stay?
Sessions to attend? The thoughts consumed me.
I opted to tackle them one at a time. How long
to stay was the first order of business. Each year,
the convention opens on Saturday and programs
run through Wednesday. The beauty of the way
the convention is designed is that you can come
for as little or as long as you’d like and still ex-
pose yourself to many of the benefits being of-
fered. My first year, 2013, a research boot camp
was being offered as a pre-convention session.
Because my goal was to learn as much as possible
about the world of higher education, I deicided
this pre-session might be a good fit. The boot
camp was an all-day event on Saturday. I opted
to fly into Vegas Friday night, do the boot camp
Saturday, and then attend the convention until
V OL. 8 - NUMBER 2, APRI L 2017
Wednesday.
With a timeframe for attendance set in place,
hotel choice was next. I was on a budget, ap-
proved and awarded to me by my institution, so
I had to make every dollar count. I had been to
Las Vegas just once before about 10 years prior,
and could remember little of hotels, or where
they were in relation to anything else. Back to the
Internet I went. I Googled away. There, I was able
to find plenty of information on the hotel options
given to me through the BEA website. Bonus:
as a BEA member hotel discounts were a perk. I
decided on the Riviera Hotel, it was described as
a “classic” Las Vegas hotel, but for my purposes,
I liked it because it was inexpensive and within
walking distance
to the convention
site, which is al-
ways held at the
Westgate Las Vegas
(then called the Las
Vegas Hilton). Cost
and location infor-
mation was clearly
laid out for me so
I was able to make
an economical and practical decision. Check that
off my list.
Accommodations were coming together,
plane ticket booked, and now all I had to do
was register for the event and become an official
member of BEA. Again, all easily done via the
BEA website.
What was also easily done, as I would soon
find out, would be learning about the differ-
ent sessions, speakers, and events that happen
throughout the course of the convention. The
preliminary program is usual made public sever-
al months ahead of time, giving attendees ample
time to think through how they are going to
spend their time. I invested a good chunk of time
reading through the session descriptions and
planning out my days. That made life a whole lot
easier once I arrived in Vegas because then I just
73
had to figure out where everything was without
being overwhelmed at the thought of deciding
what to do next.
With my bags packed and my schedule
planned I headed off to Vegas ready to conquer
my first convention. For me, getting the most out
of that first experience once in Las Vegas came
in several key areas: networking, logistics, and
experience.
Networking is key to any professional event
and finding someone who has already “been
there and done that” is an easy way to get a solid
grasp on must do items and key pieces of infor-
mation that only an insider would know. I found
that in several ways. First, through my involve-
ment in that pre-convention session, I was able
to make contact with veterans and new attendees
alike. This allowed me to get an early feel for
what to expect and commiserate about the un-
certainty with those who we experiencing it for
the first time like me. It was key to my survival
that year. The vets offered advice on what not to
miss and how to best experience the convention
as a whole. Connecting with other first timers
allowed for less fear of the unknown as we took
solace in one another that it was okay to be a little
overwhelmed.
There are always logistics involved when
you are venturing into new territory. Some of the
pre-convention online planning got me familiar
with where places were in relation to each other,
but it wasn’t until I had boots on the ground that
I could really get comfortable with where I was
and where I was going. I recommend wandering
around the convention site. Build in some time
to get familiar with where things are. From the
bathrooms to the session rooms, knowing where
to go before you need to be there is essential.
It allows you to maximize time and instead of
spending endless hours looking around aimless-
ly, you are better suited to figure out the fastest
way to get to the monorail station from ballroom
B. Learn the lay of the land.
I can’t say enough about taking it all in. Cre-
74
ate a positive and rewarding experience, both in
and outside of the convention. It will increase the
likelihood that you’ll come back another year.
Take advantage of every opportunity you can
that lets you try something different. Attend a
session in a content area that you are not familiar
with, listen to a speaker that you wouldn’t nor-
mally get the chance to hear, and don’t forget to
enjoy Las Vegas. It has a lot to offer other than a
crazy nightlife (though there is plenty of that if
you’re interested!). Art, shows, music, and more.
Convention organizers want you to do be happy
with all the time you invest.
SOPHOMORE YEAR
Year two. This is when the BEA convention
experience feels less foreign. While each year
brings new and exciting programs and sessions,
the comfortable familiarity with the location and
process was a welcoming feeling when you ar-
rive for your second run. You know where to go,
what to expect and are more familiar with Las
Vegas and the logistics of convention life. I had
made connections in the prior year and so the
faces started to look more familiar.
But there was still plenty to learn about maxi-
mizing your return on your convention invest-
ment.
Refine your logistical experiences. Make life
easier for yourself. For me, that meant staying
at a hotel connected to the Las Vegas monorail
system. The monorail is directly connected to the
Westgate Las Vegas and makes accessibility to
the convention site convenient. Logistical con-
veniences, I learned, make life at the convention
much easier. As do good walking shoes. Even
though you can walk to and from the monorail
to the convention site and the hotel with relative
ease, there are still a lot of steps to be had. That
isn’t even considering the National Association of
Broadcasters show floor, which all BEA attendees
have access to. Imagine literal football field sized
rooms full of the all the latest technology and
gadgets from the world of broadcast and you’ve
J O U R N A L O F M E D I A ED U C ATION
only imagined a small portion of what the NAB
show has to offer. The convenient timing of that
event to BEA is a bonus that all attendees should
take advantage of, but do so with comfortable
footwear.
Get on a panel. See what the experience is
like sitting on the other side of the microphone.
We all have unique stories and different things to
share. To be able to do so with fellow educators
is a truly rewarding. I was able to do this in year
two. While my invitation to serve on a panel was
extended by a mentor, there are other ways to get
involved. The
association
manages its
own Facebook
page that al-
lows members
to share infor-
mation and
announce-
ments, and
they also man-
age a Face-
book group
specifically for
panels. If you
feel you have
something to
offer, you can
explore the group page to see if there is a panel
that needs you. In addition, you can use the page
to offer yourself up directly, allowing you to
explain your area of expertise and have the panel
moderator contact you directly. If you want to be
involved and the fit is right, you can find a con-
nection.
One new discovery I made in my second
year is that a number of students attend this
event --- more than I realized. Students bring
good energy to the sessions they attend and it’s
always interesting to hear their thoughts and
perspective on the information being shared. Talk
with them, get their thoughts on how they learn
V OL. 8 - NUMBER 2, APRI L 2017
and what they want to learn about. It’s valuable
feedback and a great way to connect with this
segment of the convention population.
JUNIOR YEAR
Junior year: Not quite an expert but no longer
the new kid on the block. That is how I would ex-
plain my continued growth through attendance
of the annual Broadcast Education Association
annual convention.
Year three is a great time to get more in-
volved. My institution was an active participant
in the Festival
of Media Arts,
the annual
student and
faculty media
competition
put on each
year. We regu-
larly entered
(and even
occasionally
won!) student
work in this
national pro-
gram designed
to recognize
the best of
the best. This
year I agreed to serve as a co-chair for one of the
judging categories. I felt this is an important step
in building a life with BEA. It allows me to be
actively involved and feel part of the process.
Logistics by this year were second nature. I
knew my way around, not only the convention
site but also Las Vegas in general. I knew the
good restaurants and places to go for a calm mo-
ment in the hectic atmosphere of the city of sin.
There is a quiet outdoor sitting area right outside
the main BEA convention hall at the hotel, which
connects to the Las Vegas Convention Center. A
great place to enjoy the sunshine and a peaceful
moment.
75
 Small discoveries like these come with time normally and experiment. Isn’t that much like
and with repeated attendance. what college is about?
As my fourth convention came to a close I
SENIOR YEAR truly did feel as though I had graduated from
2016 was my senior year. No longer was there convention “school.” And much like real life, the
apprehension, no longer was there concern or learning shouldn’t stop there. I look forward to
worry about what I would get out of the BEA continued attendance and learning at the event as
national conven- I elevate to gradu-
tion experience. ate student and
I had elevated The learning never stops hopefully bring
my experience to more of my experi-
one of confidence
if you are dedicated to not ences to the table
and reliability. I becoming complacent… and continue to
knew I would get and the annual Broadcast learn from others.
something out of Ask most
the event. During
Education Association people who go to
this year, I tried to Convention can truly the BEA national
find things to take “school” you on how to be convention regu-
in that were a bit larly and they will
outside my com- the best media educator likely attest to
fort zone. I am a possible. finding something
newsie at heart, but new to enjoy or
BEA offers plenty explore each year.
outside of the realm of news. The association is The learning never stops if you are dedicated to
divided into more than a dozen areas of interest, not becoming complacent and the annual Broad-
with each being fully represented in the panel cast Education Association Convention can truly
presentations and discussions. This is the ideal “school” you on how to be the best media educa-
opportunity to take in something you wouldn’t tor possible.

76 J O U R N A L O F M E D I A ED U C ATION