Online Training Options for Media Studies Careers

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Media studies is considered to be a broad academic field that allows students to study all forms of communication and how they affect society. Students have the opportunity to learn how to effectively use the latest technology to disseminate information in a variety of ways through higher education. Online training is available at several degree levels.

The field is predominantly made up of careers in journalism, broadcasting, and advertising. However, the content of education can be applied to numerous disciplines. Online education can be pursued as a general approach or a specific concentration such as journalism. Education is most commonly completed in one specific area of the field as students learn about the industry as a whole. Concentration courses and general courses are taken inside all degree programs. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to step into various careers because their knowledge of the communication field is broad. Associates, bachelors, and masters degree programs are available to students online. Certificate programs are available at some schools and are typically geared towards working professionals that need to brush up on technology improvements in their field.

American and global media is studied in a broad context within an undergraduate degree program. A number of concentrations can be entered that include photography, digital media, and advertising. Culture and society is heavily explored to give students an understanding of how media relates to the perception of communication. General topics typically include composition, writing for television, web design, and new media. Students working to complete a journalism degree program study how to write and disseminate information for a variety of mediums. Education will cover newspaper, television, advertising, and broadcast writing styles. Undergraduate training is concerned with giving students a wide skill set to prepare them for the workplace. Many careers have professionals doing a variety of tasks so the broad knowledge gained is essential for career success. Earning a degree opens a variety of careers that include:

  • Broadcast Journalist
  • News Journalist
  • Film Editor
  • Marketing Analyst

Media studies at the undergraduate level train students for a career and further schooling if desired. Online education at the graduate level is mainly available within a master’s degree program. Students can expect to explore the procedures and effects that different forms of media have on communication. Advanced positions are available to students with this level of schooling. Cultural media, media theory, management, and social media are all topics included within a master’s degree program. The growing field opens up numerous careers for students with a master’s degree, which include:

  • Media Producer
  • Web Designer
  • Public Relations Manager
  • Filmmaker

Some online colleges and universities offer PhD programs in communication and media studies. These degree programs are academic and research based. They train students for teaching positions and upper-level careers. Research design, media philosophy, global communication, and advertising consumption are areas explored inside a program. This advanced training provides students with the skills to work in all areas of media studies.

Students can develop the skills necessary to work with mass media by completing an accredited media studies degree program. Agencies like the accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (http://www.accet.org/) are approved to fully accredited quality educational training programs and schools. Explore the different options and enter a continually advancing industry.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Social Media in the University Classroom

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As a person who’s been active in education, as an adjunct professor for a few NYC universities over the past 10 years, my experience has been that students are embracing interactive marketing and social media education beyond traditional marketing.

Ultimately, the students benefit from the real-world exposure that’s timely for their current and future careers. Given that social media tends to be mastered by many youths, social media often fits into their job descriptions at internships before leaving college. Further, with interactive marketing growing strong, while other industries flail, this is a viable job and internship source.

This is not to say the fundamentals of traditional media and marketing should not be learned as it helps build the foundation for why interactive marketing and social work so well. After all, it’s a different media or method but the basic principles of marketing are still the same. Engage the customer, target your niche, provide invaluable offers and make them respond.

My findings have been that students tend to embrace this type of learning because it captures their attention for immediate use. Not unlike learning a trade, on the job training, or continuing education which is very popular among adult learners and master’s degree programs. Some schools, obviously, are going to 100% online learning which often requires extensive Internet Marketing in itself for finding new students.

Ultimately, if the student is engaged in the topic, they’ll do well from both an academic and practitioner perspective. So the more we teach about Internet Marketing and Social in the classrooms, we’re helping along the workforce and future employers of these students. Truly a win-win for all involved.

Knowledge and Knower – The Two Sides of the Same Coin

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Imagine that you have visited a dietician to consult him for reducing your weight. You are, however, surprised to see that he is heavily overweight. He is an extremely nice fellow, who has all the knowledge of the world to reduce weight. He explains to all the methods to reduce weight.

Would you trust his advice?

The answer seems to be no for most people. The first thought that comes to your mind is that if this fellow is really a good dietician, why can’t he reduce his own weight?

You simply can’t trust his knowledge.

Knower and Knowledge

Logically speaking, there is no relationship between the knowledge and the knower. After all, if the same knowledge or advice is given to you by a person who is fit and healthy, you would have no difficulty in accepting the advice. But here was a man advising you to be fit, but he himself is unfit.

People find it difficult to separate knowledge from knower. In fact these two are believed to be so inseparable that you can reconstruct one from another. We have reconstructed the images of Jesus and Buddha from the knowledge they imparted to the world. The Hindus have reconstructed the pictures of Ram, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma etc based on the knowledge they are associated with, There is no one who had seen them, yet their pictures are in every temple. Thought, their portraits were also not made during their lifetime, most people believe the genuineness of these pictures as their personality personalities the knowledge they imparted.

People know from their experience that Jesus Christ must have been a thin person, dressed in simplest cloths, having beard as he would not have cared for his looks. Similarly, people conceive Buddha as the man of peace, meditating for the enlightenment and search of knowledge from within.

What is Knowledge?

Plato defined knowledge as “justified true belief.” His definition of knowledge recognizes that belief and truth are not sufficient for knowledge; that knowledge is a subject of true beliefs. It means that knowledge is actually a form of belief that had been found to be true by the knower.

For example, if you have the knowledge that exercise is good for health, it is because you believe this statement i.e. “exercise is good for health” as it must have been proven true in your experience. Just imagine, that you had noticed that most people who exercised became sicker, you would not have acquired such knowledge. Even if you would have noticed that people has equal chances of becoming unhealthy with or without exercise, you would have never believed in such “knowledge”.

Thus having a particular knowledge means that you not only believe in the knowledge but you have also found it to be true based on your own experience or based on the experience of someone whom you trust. People are quick to discard the knowledge, if their beliefs are proven false in their real life. For example, if you believed that daily prayer to God can cure cancer, and you have seen your friend dying of cancer despite of daily praying, you can not have that knowledge.

Knowledge Transforms

Knowledge is so powerful that it can be easily said that a man is known by the knowledge he has. It is because; knowledge is so ingrained in the soul that no one can defy it. Every one follows the knowledge like a slave follows his master.

If you really have the knowledge that daily exercise is necessary for your health, there is no way you can avoid your daily exercise. If at all, most people do not follow daily routine of exercise despite of having such knowledge is because, they have seen that many people who are healthy do not exercise everyday and many people who exercise daily are unhealthy. They may themselves realize that in all their lives, they remained healthy despite doing no exercise.

However, if they become sick and the medicines fail to cure them and the doctor advise them daily excise for curing his illness, the same person may start following the routine as he believes in the doctor. If he gets cured of his illness due to daily exercise, he himself start believing this statement and the same becomes his knowledge.

Thus experience can change knowledge as it can break many old believes and create new believes.

Knowledge Has to Succeed Like Man

All human beings know this secret of man that no one really do anything against the knowledge one has. Therefore, they closely observe the synergy between the knowledge and the known as knowing one automatically reveal the other.

Thus knowledge becomes a person in real life. It has to succeed in the race of different types of knowledge. Winning the race is the only method to prove that the knowledge is authentic. If the knower becomes successful, the knowledge wins the race. Mahatma Gandhi once accepted humbly

I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Nonviolence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.

Yet even the modern people accepted “Truth and Nonviolence” only because Gandhi acquired success following these principles. Had he failed, these principles would have never been accepted by the world.

Thus the success of knowledge is actually the success of the man (knower). Thus knowledge of truth and nonviolence was personified in Gandhi. It was accepted because Gandhi succeeded in the same world with competing knowledge like violence, racism, imperialism. Imagine if the World War II would have been won by Hitler, the principles of Autocracy, Racialism, Fascism, Nazism would have become the undisputed principles for the modern world and no one would have talked truth and nonviolence.

Knowledge is a Living Thing

Knowledge is not something that is written in books in words and frozen in time. Knowledge is always live as it is always tested by all the knower of the knowledge. The knower has no option as he is bound to follow the knowledge he has. Hence the knowledge is always under test. It is born, reaches to its peak and then dies only after giving birth to a new knowledge by different name but having a close resemblance to it. It has its own life as it survives even often after the death of the knower. Almost all religions like Buddhism, Christianity and Islam become powerful only after the demise of their creator. Yet they all represented a person who personified the knowledge in human form.

Characteristics of Quality Knowledge

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Quality knowledge is the solution to ignorance. Ignorance is not a lack of information but the absence of quality and positive knowledge. The degree of quality and positive knowledge determines the degree of human enlightenment and civilization. Any educational process which will prepare people for quality operation, societal and global impact must produce the impact of inspiration, motivation, preparation, activation, challenge and transformation on people, which are characteristics of quality and positive knowledge. Let’s now look at the characteristics of quality knowledge.

I) Inspiration
This is the stirring effect of knowledge on the human mind as a result of enlightenment. Inspiration is achieved through positive external influence of knowledge on the human mind. Inspiration is light; it has the potency to produce aspiration in an individual. Every human being needs 20% inspiration and 80% aspiration to arrive the maximum of his potential. If one is not inspired he will surely expire. Inspiration is the first characteristic of quality knowledge. Most societies are full of expired people; men who have retired in their minds. They operate as consumers and not producers. Most graduates today come out of schools only to add to the burden of their societies because of the absence of inspiration. Inspiration provokes the human life not to settle for mediocrity and normalcy but to strive for excellence, that is, striving to reach the maximum of one’s potential.

Every human being is created with unlimited potential. Inspiration operates as fire which stimulates one’s aspiration for the maximisation of one’s potential. For inspiration to be possible, the human mind must be subjected to a greater source of information. Quality information determines the quality of inspiration; this is where quality education comes in. Quality education should be a process which exposes one’s mind to challenging information which results to inspiration. Inspiration highly depends on the quality of information and the source of information. In this era of mental revolution, Quality knowledge will play an essential role.

When one’s mind is inspired, such an individual goes beyond general knowledge to creative knowledge. This will be seen in details as we proceed. Any educational approach which does not inspire is useless. It leaves individuals dormant with respect to creativity and productivity. The educational revolution of the 21st century is bringing humanity in contact with inspiration for greater aspiration in all domains.

Ii) Motivation:
Motivation with respect to the concept of quality knowledge is the influence of knowledge in achieving the increase in one’s zeal and enthusiasm to confront life’s situations and circumstances in the pursuit of excellence. When one is truly motivated, his desires and aspiration for life are enhanced. This is the second characteristic of quality and positive knowledge. Each human being needs a degree of motivation to move on with life. Life is full of ups and downs but when one is motivated, one’s zeal and courage is enhanced for the pursuit of excellence against situations and circumstances which come one’s way. This ought to be the influence education has on an individual. When an individual is not motivated, he settles for survival. The pursuit for excellence and impact is absent. Such an individual gives up at the phase of adversity. This is a clear picture of many nationals who sit in despair with no motivation to participate in the progress of humanity. The 21st century educational revolution will be motivational in its inclination. It will produce a new breed of people whose passion and pursuit for the ultimate is unstoppable.

Iii) Preparation
Quality knowledge prepares one for impact on his nation and generation. Preparation is the process of being fit; trained to qualify for a challenge. If one fails to make positive impact on his nation or generation the reason is inadequate preparation. A proper educational process should prepare men to make unique contributions towards the development of their societies. When this is not achieved, the entire educational process is a failure.

Most nations are full of educated people who are unprepared for any serious engagement in their nation or generation. The educational revolution of the 21st century must prepare humanity to confront and resolve the challenges and conflicts of this century.

IV) Activation:
Quality knowledge activates the human mind for creativity. When one’s mind is subjected to quality and positive knowledge, (knowledge which inspires, motivates, prepares, activates, challenges and transforms) the mind is activated for creative knowledge. There is a difference between general knowledge and creative knowledge. General knowledge is knowledge which is taught and learnt. Creative knowledge is knowledge which is not learnt but is produced by an inspired and activated mind. General knowledge is the means; creative knowledge is the end. General knowledge should help to inspire and activate the mind for creative knowledge.

The end product of general knowledge is creative knowledge. If one’s educational pursuit fails to bring one to creative knowledge, such a person fails to reach the ultimate purpose for education. General knowledge cannot empower an individual to affect his generation in a unique way. General knowledge should act as a source of inspiration and activation of the human mind for creative knowledge. The human mind is naturally imbued with knowledge which one can never exhaust throughout one’s lifetime. This knowledge is only released to man’s physical consciousness through the inspiration and activation of the human mind.

With creative knowledge one can know above his teachers. Creative knowledge makes an individual a custodian of revelatory knowledge, (knowledge which is not taught or learnt.)The educational revolution of the 21st century will focus more on the activation of human minds for profound and prolific insight. This will result to the greatest exhibition of creativity the world has ever known. Creative knowledge is the answer to every question, solution to every problem.

V) Challenge
If one is not challenged he can’t change. Challenge is one of the characteristics of quality and positive knowledge. Any educational process which does not challenge one for greater vision in life is a failure. The challenge of knowledge is simply the provoking impact of knowledge which inspires an individual to go beyond the average to impact his generation. With reference to this, the study of history should be more biographical than the study of events. The study of events only offers information but produces no inspiration or challenge. I believe it is time we focused our studies of history on the biography of men who advanced the cause of human civilisation and turned the tides of history in their generation positively. Such impact of history will form a base of challenge to today’s generation. History does not exist as a status quo but as an inspiration for greater happenings.

The study of the history of men who affected the world positively with their inspired ideas, inventions, innovations and creations, offers a wider range of challenges, than studying the Bolshevik revolution. This does not mean studying history just for information is not needed, but focusing on aspects of history which offer mere information and little or no challenge is a waste of time and effort. Biographical study will be the hallmarks of the 21st century educational revolution with respect to contracting challenge from history.

VI) Transformation:
Transformation comes from the same root word in Greek which describes the process by which a caterpillar changes to a butterfly (metamorphosis). Positive and quality knowledge metamorphoses the mind of an individual. Anything outside of this is a great failure.

The transforming effect of knowledge begins with the mind of man. If after one’s educational process, one’s mind is still at the same level, such a person has not yet arrived the final plane of education. Mental transformation precedes life transformation. “Mentality defines destiny”. In most nations the system of education lays more emphasis on the acquisition of certificates, instead of the transformation of minds. This explains why most graduates still behave like illiterates who have not seen the four walls of a primary school. It is a pity that even teachers sometimes exhibit attitudes, characters and mentalities which are contradictory to the law of knowledge. If the transformation effect of knowledge was evident through most educational institutions, the high rate of AIDS, abortion, drug abuse, prostitution, etc, amongst educated youths would not have been what it is today. The educational revolution of the 21st century should be centered on quality and positive knowledge. All academic curriculums should be orientated towards the achievement of the impact of quality and positive knowledge on individuals.

The educational approach in every nation should focus on creating on her nationals the effects of quality knowledge. (Inspiration, Motivation, Preparation, Activatio