Communication Technology & Journalists

   One of the biggest impacts of communication technology as been to the professional journalist. These professionals have had to adjust how they reach their audience in order to remain current in their profession.

   In the old days, the journalist would gather information about the event on which they are reporting and would have the luxury of time to do background and fact checking. This no longer holds true as each news outlet races to be the first to report that breaking news. Today, the best journalist are held to a very high standard of getting the news out first. This has been very difficult for these professionals as it eliminates that time available for verification of the facts.

   The Journalist is also challenged by the armchair reporter. That blogger that happens to think that they know what is going on with the world. They might not have any solid education or background for being a reporter, but they can gain many followers if they share information that is interesting and relevant to the readers. This creates serious competition for the professional journalist.

    The images below display some of the biggest news outlet that employ the best and brightest in the journalism field. These news agencies have been impacted by the changes in technology and in how they are sharing the news.  If you were to Google search Fox News, the first logo that appears includes ".com" as it's a very important part of their online presence.  Every news outlet must, at a minimum, maintain a website that is constantly maintained and kept current.

  

In addition to the news media website, social media is a critical piece of the media's online presence. Without a social networking presence, not many will find their way to the outlet's website.  The journalists need to be aware of what information that they are sharing via these media portals. Journalists much be active on Twitter as many people want real time news and Twitter is the right outlet for the news that is happening right now.

Long gone are the days of the report taking the time to spend hours of their time researching news, but rather they are keeping up on social media and other online tools in order to stay current with the technology that is driving their profession.

Communication Technology & Business

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    All  businesses have been impacted by the changes in communication as a result of technology. Some workers will joke about the "good old days" when office memos or written letters that were typed on a typewriter.  Today a typewriter is a rare sighting in an office environment. Now, most business is conducted via email that can be managed on a computer or a smartphone. No longer is there a need to type letters via that typewriter and send them by mail or a courier.

    The changes in communication have not only have had an impact on the devices that we use to communication, but also have dramatically increased the speed in which we communicate. In the past, one would have to take the time to draft a letter and wait for it to arrive at the intended recipient, which could mean several days. Now, one would write an email that is delivered in seconds. 

    Everything happens more quickly now that communication is moving at the speed of light. Business deals are quicker now that the negotiation can happen in real time versus waiting for the mail.  Everything is happening right now instead of in a few days. 

    It's interesting to think about what would happen the day that the internet went dark and we no longer had these capabilities? How would we adapt?  How long would it take to go back to how things were with letters and the telephone?  Needless to say, it would be challenging at best.

Communication Technology & Education

    When considering new media and it's impact on communicators, one of the first that comes to mind is educators. All levels of teachers have had to adjust their communication style to be current with the times. This ranges from preschool right through post-graduate professors.

    Long gone are the days when an elementary school teacher was limited to the paper memo sent home in the child's folder. Now teachers are sending electronic newsletters via email. Some are creating class website where they are able to share what is happening in the classroom. This information could include the curriculum as well as class photos and even videos. The advances in communication are also allowing parents more access to the teachers via email rather than waiting for a return call from a teacher or sending a note into the classroom with your child. There are changes in the classroom as well. The chalkboards have been replaced with whiteboards at a minimum, but more likely electronic boards where the teacher can have pre-designed media to share with the class or even print what was placed on the board. The following link shows an example of an electronic board that can be used in the classroom:

Panasonic Panaboard UB-7325 - Interactive whiteboard - Wired - USB - PC

   As for the changes at a higher education level, not so many years ago, education was limited to the classroom or correspondence courses. Today, there are many online courses that have had an impact on educators. These educators that once spent their time with students face-to-face now have had to adjust their style to manage online courses. These traditional educators might not choose to teach the online courses, but they still needed to adjust how they communicated with their students. Instead of posting office hours for calls or visit, these professionals now had to made choices as to how they could communicate with their students -- if they would provide an email address and what their terms were when it came to email as many people have the expectation that emails would have immediate replies.  Therefore, it became necessary to provide policies as to how quickly emails would be answered. In addition to these changes, came the changes of technology in the classroom. No more overhead projects, but instead electronic projects that would connect to a computer.

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    All levels of educators have definitely been impacted by advances in electronic media and communication. Many professionals had to adapt to these changes in order to remain relevant in their careers. Hopefully, many found the changes exciting and that the changes in technology provided ways to improve the classroom experience.