Living lessons in staying up to date in rapid change

Ok, funny photo of #clarkclass, suggested by Dr. Desiree Hill. Humor helps you stay up to date

by @okieprof
How to you stay up to date?
It takes work, curiosity, and associating with those colleagues who set the example.
In rapidly changing times, one of the easiest pitfalls for professionals who become professors is to be stuck in the past, or not adapt to the present and future, even though we urge our students to be able to adapt, to always learn. Do do that negates our valuable experience.
That's one of the joys for me in teaching the twitter for media class, in bringing in colleagues and professionals who are living sermons in living change, from many different fields.

"...this class isn't about twitter, it's about the future and life."

And for me, an old newspaper guy, one person who sets that example for our students is our broadcast professor Dr. Desiree Hill @dezhill.
It's apparent to me from these guests, and my students, that the class is not about twitter...its about the future and life. 
Dr. Hill's quote sums it up for me, "Twitter isn't what it will be."

Dr. Hill brings a wealth of information to our students, with research, with effective teaching methods, with questions, with hands on passion to involve our students in journalism, and life.

So here are student comments from our debriefing, after she left, dutifully recorded by my student @MadisonSturgill.

• Social Media is like a relationship (dating, learning, breakup?)
• For journalists, tweet about everything at least 20 times a day
• Follow opinion leaders, they will often follow you back
• Figure out what that specific social media platform needs from you
• Always protect your credibility
• Hashtags on twitter – see what others are talking about
• Journalists are always in the spotlight when it comes to social media
• Humor is subjective
• The rules of good writing apply to Twitter
• Don’t write anything you wouldn’t say in public
• Journalism is like trying to catch a greased pig
• You are representing yourself and your employer at all times when using social media
• Twitter opens a chance for people to get to know each other
• What is our generation going to look like in 20 years?
• Twitter isn’t what it will be
• You can still be a college student and use proper grammar
• Twitter is a place where you can be a reporter, even if you aren’t one yet
• YouTube keeps going and growing

And, yes, there is a serious side to the class.