Today was the due date for us to turn in the mid-year evaluation for my internship here at CCTV. This definitely caught me off guard, as time seems to be flying by these past few months. As we sat down to rehash the semester, I realized that the feeling of time flying by seems to have a direct correlation with the turning point I experienced with my internship. After getting a slow start and struggling a bit to find my place, I feel that things have really taken off. Since about mid-October I have become much more engaged and excited about the projects I have been working on, felt better connected to the staff and community members, and truly feel that I am contributing here at CCTV. I appreciate the opportunity to look back at what we have done so far and be able to appreciate the successes while also learning from the bumps in the road to where we are now. read more...

Through my work with the creation of a new project for ComputerCENTRAL, I have gotten a valuable experience of the rewards obtained from putting in the legwork. The first part of this process consisted mostly of just doing research about what we already do in the computer lab and what we aren't yet but could be doing. Some of this work was a bit tedious, with a lot of checking and rechecking websites. With moments where I felt like I was roaming around the Internet in circles I experienced some doubt about whether or not I was going to be successful. But when I finally stumbled on the idea of using the ComputerCENTRAL facilities to expand the radio program, it was something I was able to get immediately excited about. Once that happened the ideas and enthusiasm has just started rolling along. Now that I look back, that time of research was crucial in making things as successful as they are now. read more...

Part of the reason that I enjoy working with media is that it seems like there is always something new to learn. More and more lately I have been learning about different components of the station and various areas of media. I feel like this is really helping me to get more excited about the things that I am working on. I am seeing connections between the work I am doing and the various elements of media that we use here and that exist beyond our means. Experimenting with my own radio show has given me ideas and perspective about how we can improve what we do with radio here at CCTV. Taking a class about web design and dreamweaver has helped me to gain some knowledge base about our own website and how it functions. Using a flip camera to make a movie for myself has given me the experience necessary to help Digital Divide participants to learn about and use the cameras for themselves. I am lucky enough to have two very different passions that come together in places like CCTV. read more...

As the ball has started rolling with Digital Divide participants getting involved in training here at CCTV, we have been thinking about what is the best strategy for providing the most opportunities to those who are interested in making media. As much as we would like them to be able to take classes, we know that it is difficult for them to be able to commit to a certain time period every week. After a bit of brainstorming we came to the idea of offering a Mobile Media experience. With the addition of the flip camera to the list of available facilities here at CCTV, members now have a quick and easy way to create a story and capture it on video. Simply put, we hope to offer a brief training on the use of the cameras, allow participants to go out and capture their stories on video, and then help them to edit the footage into a piece that can be shown on one of the channels and distributed on the Internet. read more...

This week was the week that felt like things truly took off for me here at CCTV. I have spent the last month and a half getting acquainted with the systems in place here, the people and what they do, and what my role will be over the next year. Now I am ready to really dive into projects and grow in my skills as a social worker and as a media specialist. While this at first seemed like a long time getting to a place of comfort, I now see how important it is to get to that place with all aspects of an organization, especially one with as much reach and influence as CCTV. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the BBQ and the Middle East show, each of which gave me some great insight into what we mean to the community and the individuals that we work to serve. I have met and talked with all of the staff members to see how all of the components fit together to run the machine. I even got the chance to attend a board meeting last week. read more...

I have noticed in the time I have spent here that CCTV has a solid reputation as a positive contributor in the community. It is interesting to see all of the various avenues and relationships that are created and fostered through the work that the studio does. There is a significant amount of investment in the relationship that the studio has with the city. CCTV goes out of its way to help get the word out about numerous city events, and the two entities use their resources in an effective way to provide for local residents. One aspect that this comes about in is through working with the IT department in providing wireless access and computers to low income residents. There is always a certain amount of politics involved in any major project, and this has apparently come up during this project. But in the end I think the goals are in alignment and this has the potential to positively influence the eventual success. read more...

As I spend more time here, I am introduced to more aspects of the studio that help to give a better sense of the bigger picture. This week I was able to gather a few more perspectives. One opportunity for this was in attending a meeting with the city regarding the Digital Divide project. It was interesting to see a piece of the puzzle for that project that I do not play a direct part in. At the meeting I noticed that while everyone seemed to have the same objectives, they were all coming at it from their constituencies priorities and/or area of expertise. While this is to be expected, it is one of the challenges that often arises when working on a project with so many collaborators. It does seem like at the core everyone involved genuinely hopes to make this happen for the betterment of the community being served, which I think in the end is what makes or breaks a program. read more...