In a small classroom tucked back in the Radio and Television Building, students are conversing with peers halfway around the world - but that's just part of Ohio University's international experience.
Don Flournoy, a professor of telecommunications, has worked with republics of the former Soviet Union for more than a decade, helping them establish free and independent media. So far, he has helped four countries establish training and curriculum in places such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
These projects, funded by the government, are efforts to introduce younger media producers to a more democratic approach to media and journalism
Flournoy said.
For his fifth project, Flournoy is using his students and new technology to aid him in his task, as well as the vision of a former OU graduate student, Dima Kolchynskyy. Kolchynskyy came to OU through one of Flournoy's previous projects and now teaches at the University of Kyiv, one of Ukraine's oldest and most prestigious universities, Flournoy said.
Kolchynskyy's vision of linking OU and Kyiv students through new technology became a reality this quarter after he and Flournoy proposed a government grant in the fall of 2004. A video camera and microphone, set up in each of the classrooms, is linked to the Internet, allowing students to instantaneously bounce ideas and questions off one other from around the world. The use of Blackboard and AOL Instant Messenger allows the students and professors to communicate and access all posted materials.
The goal of the project is to research the best means possible to establish a Ukrainian public broadcasting system, much like the United States' PBS or England's BBC, which will be proposed to Ukrainian government officials in 2007, Flournoy said.
This is no easy task for the Ukrainian students, who, a year ago, were fighting and protesting the illegal presidency of a communist supporter in the Orange Revolution.
Those same students are now in our classrooms - with our students learning how to change media Flournoy said.
These dilemmas are carrying over to OU students, who are not used to political or economic barriers, said Matt Gault, a junior telecommunications major.
It's tough trying to figure out what to help with considering what (the Ukrainian students) are allowed to do or what technology they have
he said.
Carolyn Lewis, director and general manager of the WOUB center for public media at OU, spoke to both classes Tuesday during the program's second conference class. Although difficulties with Internet connections delayed her presentation on American management and infrastructure in the media, she saw the international communication as a great experience, Lewis said.
Knowing that I am talking with students from another part of the world at that very moment is amazing
Lewis said.
Lewis didn't find problems with the language barriers because Kyiv has an English language requirement. But she took into account that the most important part of her presentation was to speak loudly and clearly.
Although the classroom relationship is a new approach, Flournoy hopes to achieve the similar success of his past projects.
We are trying to raise the visibility of this concept so it will become a national issue
he said.
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