Are You a Real Journalist? (A Reflection Paper on Click: A Seminar On Online Journalism)

Netizens, internet users, digital natives or whatever you call it, we, as the people of the internet, we do have the rights and privileges offered by the internet. At the same time, we must remember that in every situation under this so-called “emerging media”, there are several boundaries that it is beyond our control. Same way, we must know how to use this avenue in promoting development through online journalism and using its scope in addressing the needs of our society. We, more than anybody else, have the capacity whether to use the powers of the internet to spark up change or to take it for granted.

Journalists must know what journalism is.

When I first started blogging last year, I have appreciated the many wonders of online journalism. There is freedom, the so-called “democratic medium” that covers those stories which mainstream media do not. Second, it encourages feedback and comments, and through this way, we generate interaction and communication. Through this, in-depth issues that are of societal import are gaining momentum as people, being primemovers of change and action, are getting interested and involved in. Aside from all of these, internet has multimedia facilities including video, audio, chats, opinions, polls, blogs, and discussion forums which make online news more informative, more engaging, more easier for us to cover issues while infusing the essence of journalism to our audience.

How important is social media to us is the real question. Is it a new kind of world for us? Then if it is, can we control the four corners of where it is evolving? Do we have the ability to and resist and overcome those challenges/demands embedded in our lives by just a simple post, tweet, or click? Is that ability enough to become an online journalist? Do you have what it takes to be such? Are we going to make money out of it? The answers cannot be searched. It can only be written. It can only be posted. How are we going to make it clear?

Appreciate Beauty, It's Me KC !

This is war- the Olympics of the most beautiful women in the planet- battle for international fame and national glory. Do you want to lose? Then support our candidate. She is Miss Philippines.

Ladies and gentlemen, before we end up this wonderful course, allow me to give you the most beautiful speech you’ll ever heard in the universe.

For over 50 years, the Philippines, a pageant-crazy nation, has sent over a hundred gorgeous Filipinas in the international staging of beauty and femininity.

Last year, the Philippines was named “Ultimate Country of the Year in Pageantry.” Along with USA and Venezuela, the country is now considered a powerhouse in global beauty pageants. After Venus’ victory in 2010, Filipinos rejoiced as they see the country back in the game. For the past years, Filipinas have managed to place or even bring home the highly-coveted titles. Which is very good to our image. Tourists will flock our shores and visit the country.

      Prior to what many of us think, beauty pageants are not just about crowning or catwalk skills. It is a representation of beauty and freedom for each participating countries. Some are segue in worthwhile causes. For example, BPCI is devoted in raising funds for typhoon victims in the country, Miss World for UNPD, Miss Earth for UNESCO, and Miss Universe tied with WHO against HIV/AIDS.

Filipinas have that oriental and classic Asian beauty that is incomparable to other race. And there’s a lot of beautiful girls out there, dreaming to become beauty queens.

    Our candidates are being sent with well-equipped skills- in presentation, personality, catwalk, and intelligence, to make us proud. But they need supporters, now that pageants are being popular and internet-based. There are polls and surveys in which pageant fans are voting their favourite candidates to win. Pageant experts believe that popular candidates have high chances of winning the crown or at least, entering the first cut or semi-finals. With the country’s population of internet users, it is not difficult to win these polls. For sure, the winning streak will continue.

      Ladies and gentlemen, let us support our candidates. She is a representation of our ethnicity that is unique to our country. We may not be a powerhouse in war or in Olympics, but we do have some of the most beautiful women in the planet just incomparable to others. Celebrate them. As we become a giant name in beauty, as a basic commodity nowadays, we should not lose this momentum. Momentum that took us time before achieved. The candidates ignited the flame; the thing now is to keep it burning.

   This is not about pageant fanatics. It is about beauty that should be appreciated by everyone.

      Bye everyone.

THE GLAMSHOT QUEENS- BB PILIPINAS GOLD

  

  

  

  

  

for more photos, CLICK HERE.

Of Chunks and Miniature Production

It is a fact that we write everything we want in the script, but in the case of visualizing them through a two-column script, it actually turned up as chunks! It is actually cropping and dividing them into miniature parts.

To produce a presentable two-column script, it's obvious that we must come up with the two parts of it- the all-important visuals and audio components- just as what we have done back in writing television news. This time, it needs to be more specific and detailed.

The ability to craft and compact important details must be the first thing to have when writing the script. It should be based on the treatment and narrative script. It is good to remember that this process is the visualization of your presentation that requires prior knowledge from previous exercises.

Writing this way has a lot of advantages to the scriptwriter. He can easily scan details that need further support and even add or deduce parts of it. Two-column script is an opportunity to organize the process, specifically of when and how transitions and effects occur and add life to the over-all production.

Of Doing Two Different Things At the Same Time

Just like TV, AV is heard and seen.

Emphasis on imagery and visual components- these are the main differences in writing for audiovisual over writing for radio. Along with news writing for television, audiovisual media is written to be heard and at the same time, seen by the viewers. Visualization, together with sound and audio components, are the features of AV media that separate it from all the other forms, of course, with the exception of TV. Just like the television medium, AV offers opportunity for a better understanding that is optional for both eyes and ears.

Aside from the visuals, AV has these directions, instructions, and transitions all throughout the format. These are the special attributes that only this from of media, has.

While most radio news are informational, AV can be informational, instructional, motivational, or a combination of three. Radio is for everyone who is tuned up, while AV plug is set for intended audience with specific goals and objectives. It uses timely or previous situations that is of societal importance and is definitely effective in earning attention. At the same time, the technique is effective in addressing important matters to the viewers/listeners.

As opposed to all-time technical radio, AV can have drama or dialogues. It can use characters or even address audience directly. It has specific target of audience, well-defined goals that are SMART, has visuals, and is straightforward but can easily be understood and appreciated. The message is clear.

Writing this kind of presentation requires creativity in educating and informing people. AV is a radio news with drama, descriptions, and directions- that's all.

Of Accepting A Challenge: From A Viewer to A Writer

It’s always good to hear and see a news report in TV- less hassle, understandable, and quicker. Perhaps one of the best features that it has is the visuals that communicates messages and provide viewers an opportunity to relate to stories and inform them, as well. But behind this adoration are stories of sweat and time. Transcribing the script and providing them the necessary and appropriate visuals/representations are some of the most challenging parts of DEVC11, I swear!

           

With complete honesty, I rented a PC in a computer shop in Grove and actually spent a lot. If printing cost 5 pesos, the transcription actually constituted the biggest slice in my fee. Sometimes, I couldn’t understand what the interviewee or reporter says. Instead of a Camerlengo, I initially wrote camel lendo. This is just a part of the many instances that I misinterpreted words. The solution- Go, find a dictionary or thesaurus online and look for these words.

The many wonders of television news ends when the program’s over. But the bang it will crutch your beliefs and learning about something will last with the help of those images flashed in the TV screen. These will last until you find yourself reading the script.

           

Writing the TV news is more challenging than that of print or radio. But its effectiveness in showing the entire story is more than enough to repeat the process. 

The Instant Panacea of News Writing

Writing the online news is the integration and application of the principles of all the other forms of media- its multimedia capacity, in general. It has the complete details, updates and offers the readers choice for further information or exploration: the text of print media, the sounds and audio components of a radio, and the visuals and video features of TV. All these attributes actually come up with an online news. But unlike print who doesn’t have videos and enough images for support, and TV and radio which are limited in time and space, online news is manageable, immediate, and interactive- meaning, it provides a lot of opportunity for users.

I have to come up with a scannable article- something that my readers would get the main points quickly. However, writing for online news is a bit crucial when gathering data/sources over the internet. Because of its interactivity and limited space features, it is very much susceptible to errors and misinterpretation. When you encounter such problems, I have to tell you- have the common sense. Analyze the source and its content (the presentation, organization, and credibility) to come up with a scannable and user-friendly article. Distractions over the internet such as facebook, twitter, blog, etc., are secondary challenges in writing this kind of news.

It is good to know that nowadays, writing for news, in the case of the internet, doesn’t have to undergo with that so-called put-to-bed stage in newspapering. In just a number of clicks and surf, you can come up with a very manageable and comprehensive output. That’s why it pays to become a blogger, through self-contentment.

New Strategies Set to Boost Mother Tongue Potential

by KEVIN CARLO ABILA, UV-4L

12:55 pm | Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

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The many whats, whos and whys of MTB-MLE

[Image courtesy of love4mathed.com]

MANILA, Philippines- With a total of 921 schools from all-over the country pioneering the Mother Tongue approach, DepEd organized a team of trainers that will facilitate the program for each region.

The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Basic Education Assistance in Mindanao, Third Elementary Education Program, Translators Association of the Philippines, Save the Children Foundation, and the Summer Institute of Linguistics, has organized a team, composed of education supervisors, as trainers of the Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education approach (MTB-MLE), also known as Mother tongue approach.

The teams will be the over-all in-charge of the flow of the said program for every region. They will facilitate orientations for division heads and school teachers regarding the terms of the program. A series of lectures and trainings will be held this coming summer to assess the MTB-MLE approach during its first year of implementation along with K-12 curriculum.

DepEd Secretary Almin Luistro said the team will include trainers for kindergarten level since the reforms will start at this stage. They will be updating the department of developments regarding the program.

Opportunity to Infuse Culturalism

Considering the Philippines as a culturally and linguistically diverse country, the provisions of Mother Tongue approach affirms the importance of major dialects in teaching and studying.

DepEd has teamed up with the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples in reaching out the need for an equitable and culturally-sensitive education system. The first time in the Philippines, the ongoing implementation of MTB-MLE that started last June, 2012, is considered a landmark legislation that seriously addresses the preservation of native tongue through teaching.

An improvement on previous educational initiatives, MTB-MLE attests the importance of using dialects for young students and has proven to infuse language and cultural development among others. DepEd added the program eases the process of learning and at the same time, helping to conserve the “dying” dialects of the country.

Future Prospects

Meanwhile, the education department will assess the developments and effectiveness of the program yearly. It will seek out new plans for further implementation.

Under the Senate Bill No. 3286, entitled “An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening its Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating Funds Therefor and other Purposes”, Sec. 9 tells the future plans and hopes for the program.

An amended version of Sec. 9 of SB No. 3286 follows:

•   Section 9. Medium of Teaching and Learning.- The mother tongue of the learner, also known as the first language (L1), home language, native language, or vernacular shall be the primary medium of instruction for teaching and learning from kindergarten to Grade 6 of the elementary education. The DepEd in coordination with the Commission of Indigenous Peoples, academic institutions, and research organizations concerned with education and languages, shall formulate a mother-tongue-based multilingual framework, which shall include a gradual introduction of other languages in preparation for higher levels.

The amended version mentioned Grade 6 instead of Grade 3 because the education department still plans further extension and changes of the program for evaluation

Saviour of K-12?

With the current situations and problems of K-12, DepEd Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano is confident that mother tongue will help boost the confidence over K-12.

With just a span of a year, Quiajano said drop-out rates decreased as students from pioneering schools stayed in class. Schools found out students tend to drop-out classes because of the lack of understanding of lessons. Now that lessons are translated in their own dialects, more students stay and even excel in class.

Quijano added that by the end of the school year, they will see current statistics to determine if mother tongue really helps in addressing these problems.

What will happen the next sem?

Filipino would still be included in the first semester of Grade 1 for speaking, and English will be introduced as a subject in the second semester. For writing and reading purposes, both subjects will be taught in the second semester of Grade 1.

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For more information/background of Mother Tongue approach I recommend the following:

*  DepEd Order No. 16 s. 2012
* Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education in Philippine Schools
* Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education -- A Key to Quality Education
* 06 Case-Philippines-Lubuagan
* K-12 Provisions for MTB-MLE
* Mother tongue education finds methods in teaching indigenous language
* Second Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Conference in the Philippines
* Mother Tongue-Based MLE Conference in the Philippines
* K to 12, bakit native tongue ang advise ng DepEd?
* Mother Tongue Based Education in the Philippines
* REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10157

Want to see an example of an actual lesson and review about K-12? Please refer to the links below.

MLE-Philippines Video
MLE Overview

Leave Me Breathless

(A Heartbreaking Farewell)

All I want is to make him happy even if it would mean letting him go. I love him so I’d better send him free than to see him suffer. Love is granting peace and freedom despite being hurt.

It’s been a year since I was fallen into a deep ravine, so deep that I let myself fall freely as if I’m falling in heaven. I negotiated my fear and reluctantly set myself free. Suddenly, it turned to be quick that I instantly fell to the ground, thereby breaking my heart. I was paralyzed by deep thought, exhilarated by greed, and hurt by my sudden decisions. I set loose all of my stuffs, and there, lying helplessly in the ground, full of bruises, I silently weep. I never imagined how I was not able to limit myself to the point that I was in the verge of danger. All I knew is that I loved him though forbidden. But I must proudly stand and move on. This is not the end. There’s more to life than wasting my tears for him.

          Love, as always been defined, is blind. They are right. But still, I let it conquer my heart. For a person like me, it is not hard to fall in love with someone who always make you feel that you are someone to be treasured. He always make me laugh and well, aside from making me stumble each night, and making me scream as if I’m in my Psy1 class, that’s all. He always make me feel that I am special, that I can lean on his shoulders when I am tired, that I can burrow my face to his chest whenever I cry. That’s all I used to love, the feeling of being secured like I’m with my Papa. But he’s not my dad. Papa won’t hurt me. Papa won’t leave me. He loves me!

        He told me he loved me but that he loves somebody else more than how I loved him. He bade goodbye and left me smiling. From the start, I was the one to be blamed for our break- up. I always make him feel that he’s free to be taken by others. And that time when he confessed to me those heart- breaking statements, I answered, “From the very start, I have told you, this is not going to last for a tic- tack. You’ve always been free to follow your heart because in the end, I don’t want you to blame life. And that I am not the right one for you. There’s somebody out there who deserves your hugs, who deserves your love. She’s waiting. Go! Go, before I change my mind.”  

           Before he left, he laid down his head to my neck. I forced myself not to cry until he waved his hand- a signal of goodbye. The drops of my tear started to wet my lips, erasing the smile on it as he faded on my sight. But the tears made me realize that if there’s someone waiting for him, then, there’s still someone who is lonely because I’m not yet there beside him/ HER. And so, I wiped my tears and started my journey in search of this person as I go on with my life. I knew, he’s gonna part my way, in the right place, in the most perfect time. There’s still the so- called “destiny” and I am heavily relying on it.

       But for now, I must strenghten myself first before crossing another ravine. I’ll search a better way so that instead of a ravine, I’ll fell in the heavenly sky.

For destiny, alone will not work if you’re not going to work it on yourself.

At the Limelight of Success

(The Best Response Of My Timeline)

The greatest treasures on Earth are seldom seen by our naked eyes. They are always felt by our hearts.

If I would be ask of what would be the greatest achievements that I have ever received, I’d probably disappoint the one asking not because I failed to respond right, but I’ll take a day to enumerate such things. Because I’ve always been thankful of my life and surviving each single day is a worth thanking one.

Being able to accept and surpass the failures and mistakes and converting them into some of my strengths. Being able to held my head high despite the judgment and misconceptions of others. Being able to accept the fact that I deserve to be here in this world and that I am someone who deserves respect and sympathy so that I can be somebody, someday. Being able to discover the wonders of life and manage it through time. And most of all, being the Kevin Carlo Abila, whom everybody loves, who make people happy, who make them smile. I touched several lives, and to be part of it, is a very big achievement- priceless and worth treasuring. Despite my behaviour and personality that is always subject to judgment, I continue being myself. I continue making smiles. And that, perhaps, are the best gifts that I have ever received from Above- the humorous personality which everybody can get along with, the ability to interact freely, easily, and naturally, the ability to captivate people through my behaviour and the ability to remain strong in searching the reasons why I live in spite of being unique and different, the ability to win friends instantly and the courage to smile amidst unbearable times.  

These are the things that keep me on track, the things that keep me on breathing and fighting. These are the things that make me stand out in the crowd. This is my part- the things that I should be thankful of and which inspire to continue being a worthwhile person on Earth.

I fed through smiles and laughter. I live through the happiness and it can never be taken away from me. I assure that everybody revolving around my life finds it worth living, that everything can be achieved through a single smile. I always make them feel that the real essence of living is not acquired through money and fame. What I believe that God wants us to discover are the bounties of this world which are often unseen by our eyes, to take a look at a different angle of the world. Life has really its own way of defining beauty. Beauty that is always free and massive, not self- relying. It is the happiness that is the turbine that runs the world, the smile that radiates the sun that lightens up the Earth, giving light, sustaining life. It is the best achievement in life- to make people smile. And I live through it. 

I am but a joker, a magician, an actor, or whatever you call it. But mine is the greatest achievement on Earth. It is always free, and will always be free for everybody. And for that, I should thank everybody for making me smile every second of my life, for making me live each day. This is not my achievement, but the achievement of all mankind that needs celebration without wasting money, but by simply, smiling. 

My achievement is not about going up a stage, receiving a trophy while everybody claps. Instead, this is the achievement that is always been in the limelight of mankind- the success of every story and the beauty of life.

“It’s always been my honor to make you happy.”

MY TOP BETS FOR Miss Universe- Philippines CROWN

1.PIA WURTZBACH . . . 

THE STUNNER

2.CHARMAINE ELIMA . . . 

THE LATINA VIBE

3.CINDY MIRANDA . . .

THE FILIPINA DOLL

4.ARA ARIDA . . .

THE BOMBSHELL

5.IMELDA SCWEIGHART . . .

SANDRA SEIFERT'S LONG LOST SISTER

MERCEGRACE RAQUEL

SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE:
FROM UPLB . . .

JANINE'S TWIN SISTER

ALTERNATES:

ANGEL MAY VILLAFUERTE

SHAMCEY, IS THAT YOU?

MUTYA DATUL

THE FIERCE

GRACE YANN APUAD

THE ELEGANT

 AND RIA RABAJANTE

THE EXOTIC

so, for now, they are my queens- the possible winners of Bb. Pilipinas 2013.

tell me your thoughts ?

SOURCE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Philippines-Road-to-the-Miss-Universe-   Crown/162092513883303