Author Archives: Robert Basil

Journalism needs a better metaphor

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Robert Basil

NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen writes that “exposure” is a “metaphor that increasingly misleads. I refer to the image of ‘exposure’ as a description of what the press does, should do, or isn’t doing well enough. To expose wrongdoing, incompetence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A tonic

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Robert Basil

This is from a marvellous interview with Fran Lebowitz that’s in the New Yorker: I want to switch topics and ask you a bit about Toni Morrison. Everyone felt the loss of her, but largely as a literary icon or … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Time for some PD

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Robert Basil

It has been awhile since I taught a digital marketing course at my university. It was such a fun class! My third-year students all helped one another (and me) keep abreast of new apps and innovations – literally on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Learning hungry

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Robert Basil

Earlier posts here have discussed how many university students come to class hungry. My university’s student newspaper, The Runner, notes today that almost two out of five “post-secondary students experienced some degree of food insecurity in the past year.” I … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Brand-new URLs seem expensive …

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Robert Basil
Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

More on Open Learning

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Robert Basil

These short and very well-written videos given by Rajiv Jhangiani, Kwantlen Polytechnic University‘s Associate Vice Provost of Open Education, and produced by Cobb House Studio vividly describe new ways to create a class. What are Open Educational Resources? What are Open Textbooks? … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Intimate supervision”: Surveillance on campus

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Robert Basil

This Washington Post report – holy crap: Short-range phone sensors and campuswide WiFi networks are empowering colleges across the United States to track hundreds of thousands of students more precisely than ever before. Dozens of schools now use such technology … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“The Professional Culture of the Press”

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Robert Basil

NYU Journalism professor and media critic Jay Rosen* writes that “Not in personal but in public life, 2019 has been the most bleak and depressing year I have lived through of my 63. A few tiny green shoots in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Robert Basil

The Martin building, Olympia. Collages by the wonderful David Scherer Water.

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Open Learning

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Robert Basil

Some of my colleagues in the Applied Communications department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University have published an “open textbook” for people in our profession. Student Engagement Activities for Business Communications is a compilation resource for instructors of workplace writing and oral … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert's posts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment