Before anything else, allow me to make a couple of announcements:

1. My Journalism (J) 117 (Online Journalism) students may now get their class cards from the department.
2. For the 1st Semester of Academic Year 2008-2008, I will be teaching the following courses (aside from the usual thesis advising at the baccalaureate and master’s levels):
   • J 122 (Publication Design and Layout) TUV
     Tuesdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, BNR
   • Media 230 (Media Ethics) TZZ
     Tuesdays, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, M 211
   • J 122 WUV
     Wednesdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, BNR
   • J 202 (Advanced Reporting) WZZ
     Wednesdays, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, M 211

And now for the visceral: I am very happy that, just like before, most of my students in J 117 and J 122 have produced websites that I can be proud of.

Below is the list of the websites submitted in partial fulfillment for the two courses. Hope you’ll visit my students’ websites if you have time.

J 117 (Online Journalism):

• Bautista, Roehl Niño - Virtual ink and viewfinders
• Castillo, Hannah Joy - No loose ends
• Crisostomo, Danielle Alessandra - Media graffiti
• Dormido, Hannah Faith - Kontradiksyon
• Eligio, Absolom Jerome - The communique
• Lopez, Katherine Mae - The explorer
• Macatangay, Sheryl Mae - Jot it down online
• Matsuzawa, Mikas Aleya - Liyab diwata
• Nachura, Celia Grace - The rabbit hole
• Paglinawan, Adriel - Adrielink
• Paner, Marione Paul - Kalinaw
• Peñamante, Laurice Claire - Inkwell
• Sabillo, Kristine Angeli - Talimhaga
• Wong, Ma. Monica - News in perspective

J 122 (Publication Design and Layout):

• Aguilar, Charles Tito - Animation, comic & movie enthusiast
• Avila, Tatiana - The rule of thirds
• Decierdo, Rogelio - Flamerounin’s lair
• Duran, Roanne - Living in oblivion
• Espejo, April Joy - Beyond wonderland
• Liban, Stephanie Lauren - Art around UP
• Prado, Kharl - Shutter
• Pua, Micah Jeremy - Micah’s closet
• Reyes, Marco Darrel Ruben - The travel plate
• Sabillo, Kristine Angeli - Canto IX in limbo
• Sarmiento, Patricia Aireen - Stream of consciousness
• Soriano, Paolo Martin - El Pippo’s paradise
• Sulit, Micah Vanessa - Morsels of Micah
• Tuazon, John Mark - In:Focus
• Valencia, Mary Grace - Snug in your corner
• Valenzuela, Abegail Rose - Food trip

March 13 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): We will meet for only 15 minutes to check the progress of your class project which is due on March 26 (Wednesday). Please be on time so that we can finish immediately.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): We will have a preliminary evaluation of your website which serves as your final exam. Your website, based on our schedule, is due on March 20 (Thursday).

March 14 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will not meet anymore. Kindly pick up your third article from the department. Your fourth (and last) paper is due on March 18 (Tuesday).

February 28 (Thursday) and 29 (Friday)

• All students: We will not meet so that you can have time to write your papers and to plan for your other class requirements.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): Kindly submit your newspaper page and two-page newsletter on or before February 28, 5 p.m.

March 6 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): Your feature article on the NBN scandal and the state of UP should be uploaded before the start of our class. We will discuss writing and producing online news, as well as the status of your class project.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): We will not meet but the BNR will be open so that you can work on your class requirements. You should upload your web advertisement on or before 5 p.m.

March 7 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will continue our discussion on writing the popularized article. We will also critique your second article. Kindly submit your third article on media and the NBN scandal. Those who want to rewrite their first article should submit the revised version by this time.

February 21 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): Members of Group 4 will present their report. The resource links section on UP Charter Change should also be uploaded to your website before the start of our class.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): It will be the turn of Groups 3 and 4 to report. After the two reports, you will receive instructions pertaining to the submission of a newspaper page, newsletter and web advertisement. The first two requirements are due on February 28, the last on March 6. We will also discuss the mechanics for the finalization of your website which serves as your final exam.

February 22 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): Kindly submit your second article. Please read the handout I gave you today (February 15) as we will use it as main reference in our discussion. We will also critique your first article.

Message to my thesis students

• J 200 (Thesis): As of today, only one student has submitted an acceptable first draft which practically assures her of a passing grade (or an INC [Incomplete] at worst). If you were to refer to your schedule, you should have submitted by this time your second draft. While I appreciate that some of you periodically update me on the status of your theses, I should remind you that failure to submit an acceptable first draft before the end of the classes this semester means a grade of 5.0 (Failure).

February 14 (Thursday) - Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

• J 117 (Online Journalism): Members of Group 3 will present their report.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): We will have an open forum with members of Group 1 regarding their report last February 7. Members of Group 2, 3 and 4 should also be ready to present theirs.

February 15 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): After talking about the topic and audience for the second article you plan to write, please note that it will be due on February 22. We will discuss “Planning and Organizing the Popularized Article.” (Point of digression: While it’s not a course requirement, I’m serious about the need for all of you to read Eric Fromm’s The Art of Loving, especially at this time.)

All students: I accepted an invitation from the provincial government of Aklan to speak before elementary, high school and college teachers in Kalibo. I will be leaving for Kalibo on January 31 (Thursday) and will return to Manila on February 3 (Sunday).

January 31 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): The Beltran News Room (BNR) will be made available to you from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. even if we will not meet. Please use your free time to write your online news feature article on ACLE which you should upload to your website on or before February 7. You should also make changes to your website based on what we discussed in class.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): We will not meet for very obvious reasons. Group 1 will report on February 7, while Groups 2, 3 and 4 will report on February 14. Don’t worry. We will move the deadlines for the brochure and newsletter.

February 1 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): Kindly get your papers from the department secretary. Please prepare for your presentation of your planned specialized article on February 8, focusing on the objectives for writing the article and the target audience.

January 24 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): Members of Group 2 will present their report. Please include your email address in our mailing list group so that I can finally send my evaluation of your website. As of today, there are still three students who haven’t joined. You should also know that two students have not yet given the URL to their website.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): It is possible that classes will be suspended from 1 to 4 pm on January 24 due to the ACLE. If this happens, we will be forced to re-schedule the group reports. In the event of suspension of classes, I will be at the ACLE-sponsored forum of the UP Samahan sa Agham Pampulitika (SAPUL) titled “Link: Political Socialization and Digital Art” at Palma Hall Room 116-118. You are not required to be there, but your presence will be appreciated. I will be focusing on the aesthetics of computer-aided designs and websites, after all.

January 25 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will continue our discussion of the characteristics of the popularized article.

January 17 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): We will critique the introductory page of your news website which will serve as your midterm exam. You should have uploaded your HTML and other graphic files before coming to class. Please remember that your output will be graded based on (1) how your introductory page’s “look and feel” complements the desired concept and content of your website; and (2) how your source code was written. Your participation in the critiquing session of your classmate’s outputs will also be graded.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): As is the case of J 117, the introductory page of your personal or hobby website will serve as your midterm exam. We will also analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your output. Our critiquing session will focus on your creative use of HTML tags and attributes.

January 18 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will not have a class on January 18. You only need to submit your first paper (maximum word count: 1,000 words). We will continue our discussion of “popularization” on January 25.

J 200 (Thesis) students: This is just to remind you that the first draft of your thesis is due on January 25 (Friday). Only a few students have updated me on the status of their thesis, and fewer still have submitted their preliminary findings. Please keep in mind that those who fail to submit an acceptable first draft within this semester will get a grade of 5.0.

January 10 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism) and J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): We will have our second session on HTML handcoding, this time focusing on hyperlinking and creating tables. Please don’t forget to review Raggett and Werbach.

January 11 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will discuss the “popularization” of technical and scientific reports. Please be prepared to present the technical/scientific paper you plan to write about. Your first paper (i.e., review of a technical/scientific paper) will be due on January 18.

All students: Towards the end of our discussion last December 13 and 14, I only greeted you with a generic (and bland) “Merry Christmas.” What I meant to say was, “I wish all of you a meaningful Christmas and a liberating New Year. May the season of joy be the time to reflect on what must be done, not only in defending press freedom but also in upholding civil liberties. The celebration, after all, should not be about the hope of giving, but the giving of hope.”

January 3 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): We will discuss the remaining sections on “Internet and the World Wide Web.” Please prepare for the first session on HTML handcoding by reading Raggett and Werbach.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): After an extensive discussion of pressing media-related issues, members of Group 1 will finally have the chance to present their report. Just like my J 117 students, we will have our first session on HTML handcoding so please prepare accordingly.

January 4 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will continue our discussion on the nature of technical and scientific reports.