Why you should apply to be CICM intern

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Lauren Rabaino

It’s that time of year again when Bryan Murley’s twitter feed is sprinkled with requests for CICM intern applications. As the very first CICM intern, I can tell you its worth every minute of your time. And since this is the last weekend to apply before the deadline, here’s my two cents.

The reasons

The endless connections: Before I was a CICM intern, no one on the twittersphere knew who I was. But after having my name published on the blog and having the opportunity to talk with students and educators in the industry, I could strengthen my professional relationships and my online branding. Since then, I’ve been involved with organizations like CoPress, Publish2 and Spot.Us.

Creative freedom: Bryan lets you do whatever you want with this internship (at least he did when I was around). It’s a chance for you to experiment with any crazy story-telling methods you want with an audience and a purpose.

Stay on the cutting edge: As a college journalist, you should want to know the latest and greatest going on with college media across the nation (and world). As CICM intern, you can get to know the big names and basically force yourself to stay on top of what people in the industry are doing and saying. Once you tap into that knowledge sphere, you won’t be able to unattach yourself.

Learn a blogging workflow: Sure, you could get an internship at a copy desk at your local paper where your hours are set in stone. Or, you could strengthen your ability to work on web-only deadlines and take part in collaborative, virtual editing through the CICM. And if you work with Bryan to install Edit Flow (CoPress’ workflow management plugin for WordPress), you can carry that editorial workflow experience into your college newsroom or even the professional newsroom.

Cha-ching: Although money shouldn’t be the primary reason you decide to take the internship, it’s one hell of a motivator. It’s rare to come across paid internships in the journalism field. $500 could buy you some sweet new multimedia equipment, books for next quarter, a month’s rent (or half month’s rent if you live in a place like LA).

What I’d do if I could do it again:

More data collection (and subsequent analysis)
More interviews and reporting
More community building
More collaborative projects with other organizations
More tutorials (with video)

Also, if you take a look at my application essay, there were a few projects that I never got around to:

You have the weekend to write your own application essay. From the CICM blog:

How to apply: Send a copy of your resume and a 250-word essay (or post on your weblog or web site, even better) explaining what ideas you have for the site to me at scmurley@gmail.com. Include links to any multimedia you have produced in the past.

Be forewarned - I will be posting a poll for readers to vote on who is the best potential intern (results will be viewable only by me). However, the ultimate decision on the intern is made by the CICM directors. The winner’s name will be posted after they have been notified and accepted the internship.

Deadline for applications: Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

If you have any questions about my internship experience, post ‘em in the comments or shoot me an email: lauren-dot-rabaino-at-gmail-dot-com or the current intern, Jenna Staul, at cicmintern-at-gmail-dot-com. If you have any logistical questions, email Bryan Murley scmurley-at-gmail-dot-com. Good luck.

Student views on modernizing j-education

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Lauren Rabaino

Students at the 2009 Associated Collegiate Press Conference in San Diego, Calif. discuss ideas on modernizing journalism education in the 21st century. This video was produced as part of my internship at the Center for Innovation in College Media.

Student views on modernizing j-education

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Lauren Rabaino

Student views on modernizing j-education from Lauren Rabaino on Vimeo.

Students at the 2009 Associated Collegiate Press Conference in San Diego, Calif. discuss ideas on modernizing journalism education in the 21st century.

Professors: Catch up, or we're all left behind

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Lauren Rabaino

*Note: this blog post was originally posted on CICM

This week’s #collegejourn chat is yet another example of how great minds can come together with great ideas (if you’re unfamiliar with #collegejourn chat, read more info here). After an extra hour of chatting, a small group of dedicated #collegejourn chatters have devised a plan to get college educators on board with the 21st century:

What: “Bring a professor” Chat

Who: Educators, professionals, journalists, students

When: Sunday, Feb. 22 (8-11 p.m. EST, 5-8 p.m. PST)

Where: www.collegejourn.com

Why: To discuss ways to modernize college journalism education

A common theme that arises from each #collegejourn chat is a general dissatisfaction with college professors’ unwillingness to think forward. Put simply: j-professors are stuck in their ways. And we want to change that.

Next Sunday, Feb. 22 from 8-11 p.m. EST (5 -8 p.m. PST) we’re inviting journalism professors to join a discussion with students worldwide. The topic: how to prepare your students for the real world. We’re not just suggesting, but demanding an education that prepares us for the real world of 21st-century journalism.

We’re also working to bring this topic to a panel at the Associated Collegiate Press convention on Feb. 27 that will be updated live on the web. Check back soon for details.

How you can help us

We can’t do this alone. We need your help to promote the chat and come up with topic ideas. By tomorrow — yes, tomorrow, Feb. 16 — at midnight PST, please write a blog post about:

How good journalism can be made better with new media tools
How your j-school program could be improved
What is going right at your school, or at other schools
The one thing you could change about j-school
What prevents professors from embracing the web
Why learning the business side of the journalism industry will help us all

Contact Suzanne Yada (the chat moderator) with a link to your blog post: suzanneyada at gmail dot com or twitter.com/suzanneyada or post a link to your blog in the comments. We will aggregate the posts to send to participants.

Spread the word

We want everyone to be get something out of our discussion. The more, the merrier. Here are a few ways you can promote the cause:

E-mail your professors
Retweet the information
Post our flyers (or make your own) in your journalism department (if your professors are unresponsive to e-mails)
Approach your professors/faculty face-to-face
Tell your journalism friends

Leading CICM's nationwide classroom

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Lauren Rabaino

You all probably know from Twitter, but for those of you who don’t: I was chosen as the first intern for the Center for Innovation in College Media.

It’s a huge honor to be a part of the organization, but now it’s time to get to work. I have big plans (which Bryan said were perhaps over-ambitious), but I know I can follow through with it all.

In addition to interviews with media professionals and discussions with students, I have tutorials in mind which will be part of my “Nationwide Classroom.”

How it works

We post a tutorial
You take your tutorial to the newsroom/classroom
Implement what you learn and post it to our comments
We feature the best work as a result of our tutorial

Why participate?

Great opportunity to learn
Chance for national exposure
It’s fun!

Now, give me your feedback. What do you want to learn? What should our first lesson be? Any suggestions for how to make it more interactive (I’m planning on a Q&A chat)?

Let me know: