• Article

    Journalism education should go ‘Above and Beyond’

    Published February 19, 2015 by

    Journalism educator and Stephens College President Dianne Lynch spent the last 10 months talking with journalists, students, scholars and professors about the future of journalism education. The result is “Above and Beyond: Looking at the Future of Journalism Education,” a report released today by Knight Foundation that chronicles the debate over preparing journalism students for a media future no one can predict. I like its two main recommendations: for a new kind of digital-first form of immersive, interdisciplinary journalism education, and for a new accreditation system geared to educational outcomes. I also like the way Dianne did the report. Before coming to any conclusions, she offered every member of the two primary organizations of journalism educators a chance to weigh in on their view of the future. “Above and Beyond” contains some two dozen transcripts of her interviews. She’s talked with an interesting array of people: from a recent graduate to the executive editor of The Washington Post, from Google staffer to Ivy League dean. Their opinions differ, but themes emerge.
  • Article

    Arts Challenge winner Ranjana Warier bridges cultures with dance

    Published February 19, 2015 by

    Living in South Florida means crossing invisible borders every day, many times a day. Almost inevitably, at one time or another, we are all visitors in someone else’s traditions, have to learn a different code, be it in business or our personal lives, or find a common language. It is both enriching and a challenge.  It has also inspired Ranjana Warier, who was born in India, to become a facilitator. A senior security systems engineer for Miami-Dade County by day, Warier is also an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and teacher — with a passion for “demystifying” such rich tradition for new audiences unfamiliar with its history and aesthetics.
  • Article

    Media Party Miami: Serious fun connecting people with new tools and each other to better serve journalism

    Published February 18, 2015 by

    The two-day Media Party Miami, celebrated Feb.13-14 in South Florida, was part showcase, part new technologies crash course. It gathered journalists, hackers, academics and students for a day of panels and presentations and a day of hands-on learning, addressing time-honored journalistic values while reframing them with innovation and the new tools to pursue them. It was a fascinating exercise. It’s not often that in the span of a day, participants at a conference are regaled with references to soccer star Diego Maradona’s historic 1986 World Cup goal (used as an example and metaphor for drawing a straight line to one’s objectives) but also a demonstration of visualization tools for reporting on the often unholy connections between money and politics (Poderopedia, a Knight News Challenge winner). Or that there might be a team presentation in costumes, as cartoons come to life, offering at one point a powerful interactive piece on street harassment of women in Mexico; or a talk about an ingenious hacker-created Water Quality Sensor for reporting on Amazonian water.
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    ‘Knight Cities’ podcast: Charles Leadbeater on why empathy is essential for city success

    Published February 18, 2015 by

    Each week, it seems someone publishes yet another list of essentials for city success. In fact, at Knight, we have our own list of these essentials: talent, opportunity and engagement. But Charles Leadbeater, a leading authority on innovation and creativity, believes empathy should be right at the top of these lists. Based in London, Charles advises companies, cities and governments around the world on innovation strategy. Among the books he has authored on the topic is “We-Think: The Power of Mass Creativity,” which charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation.
  • Article

    Civic tech class will help communities create tools to improve government

    Published February 18, 2015 by

    Photo by Flickr user Paloma Baytelman. Ben Kallos is a member of the New York City Council, who will serve as a coach this spring for The GovLab Academy, a free online community supported by Knight Foundation to help solve public problems to improve people’s lives. This spring, I will be teaching a course on civic tech that can be used in local legislatures with The GovLab Academy at New York University, coaching teams on their efforts to make government more open and accountable. I will be co-teaching the eight-week course, titled “Civic Tech for Local Legislators and Legislatures,” with Arnaud Sahuguet, chief technology officer of The GovLab, most recently a product manager for Google.org.
  • Article

    Three diverse artists make for one powerful show

    Published February 17, 2015 by

    Laddie John Dill installation center; Cayetano Ferrer's carpet beneath; Michael Hunter's paintings on walls. The Michael Jon Gallery, one of only two Miami galleries represented in Art Basel Miami Beach this year, has moved into new space in the Little Haiti neighborhood. It’s on a side...
  • Article

    Dance/USA 2015 conference preview

    Published February 17, 2015 by

    By April L. Gruber, Dance/USA Join nearly 500 industry experts at the country's broadest gathering of dance professionals to network with your colleagues, expand your professional expertise, and strengthen your organization. Check out the preview video above, and click here for more info about the conference.
  • Article

    Philly Parks and Recreation: February Update

    Published February 17, 2015 by

    By William Powell, Philly Parks and Recreation Children at Dorothy Emanuel playground are gettig busy with theater games and choreography for their upcoming production at Philly's newest recreation center - Venice Island Performing Arts Recreation Center - this March. In this unique afterschool program, children up to 12 years old...