A guide to multimedia proficiency

I’ve been a fan of the blog Teaching Online Journalism. The author, Mindy McAdams, teaches university-level courses on journalism, and her blog focuses on using multimedia to tell stories. As someone with an undergraduate degree in journalism and a graduate degree in instructional design and technology, I think there’s an increasingly large overlap in the skills required of reporters and instructional designers. To this end, McAdams has developed a Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency, but it’s full of tutorials you can use even if you’re not a reporter.

The guide covers blogging, RSS, podcasting and audio editing, basic photography and videography, and photo editing; and ends with advice on keeping your own technology skills up-to-date. When possible, McAdams uses free tools as examples for each skill. If you work with technology as an instructor, student, researcher, or presenter, I highly recommend saving a copy of the guide and referring to it as you build your own multimedia skill set.

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Aaron Sumner

Aaron Sumner is the Director of Technology for Research and Development at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has worked in web development and instructional technology since 1994.