The beginning:
Stuart is a 17 year old at school looking for media enrichment activities. He is studying a Media Studies A Level and has already talked to journalists in newsrooms about what skills will help him to become a reporter in the future. Most of them recommended writing for as wide a range of publications as possible and to create a portfolio of work. He has arranged a work experience placement at his local paper but the opportunities for hands-on work are limited and Stuart would like to learn broadcast skills too. Can school and college students take part in such media enrichment activities?
The end:
Stuart is awarded a Rockhaq mission to film an interview with The Ting Tings when they play a gig in his nearest city. The mission includes pre-show access to interview the band. Stuart uploads his video interview with The Ting Tings to his Rockhaq blog afterwards to compete for more advanced missions.
So what happened in between?
1. Stuart signs up to Rockhaq, sets up his blog and adds friends.
2. Stuart completes a series of entry level missions in his own time or class over a few months. He downloads MP3s from our singles vault, listens to them and writes reviews and critiques on them, to enhance his media experience and skills. He watches our video guides to reviewing and interviewing and reads and rates his classmates reviews and work, facilitating school groups discussions. He uploads all his work to his blog and posts links to it on Facebook and Twitter, building an online reputation for his work immediately and enabling his parents and friends to engage in his work.
3. Stuart’s friends and classmates add comments on each blog. Stuart automatically win badges after completing a certain number of missions and after he finishes mini-tasks on Rockhaq, developing student motivation. Stuart’s teacher can vet each blog post for improvement if he likes, allowing for feedback. He awards more badges which help Stuart to access a more advanced level of mission from Rockhaq. Over the course of twelve weeks, Stuart’s writing and reviewing skills develop and his interviewing skills look poised and ready to be awarded a Rockhaq interview mission.