Mary K. Bowannie, a lecturer in Native American Studies, received the 2006 Educator in the Newsroom Fellowship, awarded by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation in Washington, DC.
The award allowed her to work throughout June with a national radio program, National Native News, enhancing her applied journalistic background while fostering her college-level instructional skills.
“This fellowship was very beneficial because Native American Studies is increasingly incorporating media education into the program,” Bowannie said. “Native Americans utilize media and are impacted by media. Therefore, an important educational element is to learn how to use media, as well as how media impacts tribes.”
Bowannie, who has a background in public radio, worked primarily in the newsroom -- anchoring, producing and identifying breaking news and current events. She plans to apply her refreshed perspective on media to instruction in the classroom.
“A lot of our students are media oriented; they are into multi-media,” Bowannie said. “It is the way they’ve grown up.”
She reiterated the importance of educating students to become critical media makers and media consumers.
The Educator in the Newsroom Fellowship is designed to enhance broadcast journalism education. Fellows are college educators placed in television or radio newsrooms. This year 18 fellows were chosen from across the country. The overarching goal of the program, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight foundation, is to build a bridge between journalists and educators.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at June 28, 2006 01:33 PM