Miracles

Hello dear friends,

Well, a miracle happened. I began to love Public Relations. The more I got into it, the more I liked it! So now I'm really in love with it. Thus, I have finished the entire module within only three days. It's amazing what motivation can do with your brain. It's like a sponge that sucks up all the information - with great pleasure!

So what will I do now? Of course, there is still the assignment waiting for me. I don't really feel like taking it before this weekend. But I shouldn't wait too long either, otherwise I forget everything I've learned and have to re-read the whole book again. Not going to happen. So I guess Monday will be my exam day, yay.

I was thinking of picking out some PR agencies and ask them about possible work opportunities in the future. What do you think? Would this be a good idea? I just think, this could be something for me.

I hope to get some positive responses. But first, I will need to check out the agencies and do some research on them. Any advice?

Stay tuned for more.

Yours,
Katy

Public Relations

Hello again,

So I've got really far into PR this week! It's not my absolute favorite yet, but it's something that might be valuable in the future. The tutor at the recent online colloquium gave me some good advice and insights into this field. I had my doubts as it is very different from all the other journalism topics. But now I'm convinced that it's a great choice for me.

First of all, what is PR? Did you ever ask yourself who is writing all the "quick news" and other announcements for companies and such? Well, these are the PR people. You can find PR everywhere: companies, universities, government institutions, for profits, non profits, schools, kindergartens, and many more. In fact, every organization these days needs to have PR. It is their tool of communication to the exterior world.

So this is what PR is in a nutshell. I think it's pretty important. So I'm really glad that I'm taking this course.

The module itself is really easy to read, the tasks are doable. I think I will be working on it this extended weekend.

Stay tuned!

Yours,
Katy

I'm back!

Hello friends,

Sorry for the delay. I've been on travels for the past two weeks and didn't get much else done. I have finished the Journalistic Writing module which went really well. I also attended the last online colloquium which was good since it helped me a bit with the online exam. Those tutors are awesome! Let me tell you one thing: There is no such thing as having a great tutor during your online studies. Because there is usually no one else to turn to. So I am really glad and happy to have such great tutors helping me along the way.

That being said, now it's time to move on with my studies. I decided to study something totally different (topic-wise) within Journalism: Introduction to Public Relations! I've started reading a bit and so far, I really like it.

It contains 12 chapters, each with a very distinct variety of topics. I get the feeling that the whole module book covers every single important element of a good introduction to a topic such as PR.

As I get further along with my studies, I will let you know more about the contents and challenges (of this topic/module book).

Stay tuned.

Katy

Journalistic Writing

Hello dear Journalism Friends,

I'm so glad I started this blog. It is great to have some other friends "online" who are studying the very same thing. And to exchange views on distance education is a great plus. I am really grateful.

Next week, I'll be finishing my exam for this course (Journalistic Writing) if I don't get to much work on my desk over the weekend... we'll see. The plan is as follows: I will work through the very two last chapters over the weekend and then take the online exam on Monday or Tuesday. After that, I will go on holiday for a couple of weeks. Not sure yet if I will post anything during this time since I won't be working on any new modules. But I will let you know (or you will see if there are any new posts I guess).

So Journalistic Writing is a great pleasure to read. I've had some trouble with the questions (and right answers, for that matter). But after re-reading some of the chapter I had trouble with, it worked out just fine. I am hoping to "see" some of you during one of their online colloquiua which is a great thing to have as a "virtual student". Have you ever tried it out? You should.

Anyway, I don't have much more time since I need to finish this chapter and then go to work for a few hours. I can't wait for a little holiday break...

Take care and "see" you back in April.

Katy

How to study

Dear Journalism friends,

Thank you so much for your responses from my last entry! It was really interesting to read them. You gave me some good advice and interesting approaches for my future studies. I'm excited to try them out soon!

So I've finished reading Watchdog Journalism since it was a short module. Very well written and a great module overall! There is no online exam, so that's great.

I now started with a new module. It's called Journalistic Writing. I am really happy that the school offers a class in journalistic writing. I am very insecure about my own writing, unfortunately. But who isn't? Well, so that's why I thought it is best to include this module in my studies. So far, I like it. It is comprehensive and I like the tasks after a chapter.

I'd like to know: How did you find out about journalistic writing skills? I'm sure there are several handbooks and such... aside from a class/module book. But did some of you also learn it by doing? How did you find out whether there is enough "talent" or not? I just wondered because some people I know within the field of journalism never had NO training at all. So apparently, it's not enough to just have talent.

Stay tuned for next weeks' entry!

Kate

Watchdog Journalism

Hello Journalism friends and bloggers!

So my online exam from last week went fine. I am really glad that I did so little and got such a great result! Political Journalism is certainly very interesting but most likely I won't pursue a career in that specific field.

Now, I have a new field: Watchdog Journalism. I started reading it. It is a shorter book with only one exercise question in the back. It's good to have only a little bit to read and work on for a change. And I think this field is very exciting, too!

My main concern these days is how I get the last remaining study books done in time. My plan is to be finished by the end of June... but my work schedule got a little crazier so now I'm not even sure if I can make it within this time frame. I was planning on travelling afterwards, too.

I thought that maybe I should just study a little more on weekends (with a good amount of breaks in between). And study less during the week. I found out that I'm just too exhausted after work.

Any thoughts on this? How do you study/prepare your study material? When do you study?

Send me a pm!

Until next week - take care and enjoy your weekend!

Kate

Political Journalism details

Hello dear Journalism friends,

I received some really interesting messages that made me think this blog is exactly what I wanted it to be! :) There are some really nice discussions going on about political journalism. Thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences with me!

So, here it goes: I started the political journalism module book recently. I'm almost through with the entire book (it only has 43 pages of material). However, it covers all relevant topics of political journalism:

- The basics of political reporting: Giving an insightful introduction into the topic. Very well written!

- Covering political elections/races/debates: How current is that? Very current! I wish this chapter had more pages, though...

- covering politicians in office: also very interesting and current. I'd say, this chapter pretty much covers all important aspects.

- objective political journalism vs. subjective political journalism: what can I say - this chapter should have way more pages. But it mentions some interesting facts and point of views.

That being said, I can't wait to take the online exam soon(ish). Most likely, I will have time to "prepare" for it this weekend. Luckily, there isn't that much to prepare anyway.

I'm really looking forward to it, though. I will talk about the online exam and the next module book in my entry next week. Stay tuned!

Kate