Bradley Weaver, Westminster College broadcast communications lecturer, presented three papers at the Broadcast Education Association conference April 9-13 held in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.

Weaver's case study, "Pocket Journalism: Using Flip, Kodak and Other Consumer Video Cameras for Radio, TV & Web Coverage," was part of a panel in a standing-room-only presentation.

His paper "Demo Reel & Résumé Tape Makeover: What Some News Directors Are Saying about ePortfolios, DVDs and YouTube" was based on original data Weaver collected from interviews with nine news directors, part of his effort to keep Westminster broadcast communications students informed about trends in the industry.

"My original goal was to update our course and department outcomes, but the larger academic community was eager to learn about it," Weaver said.  "This presentation complemented other research from a panel that drew a large crowd."

Weaver's third presentation, "From the Classroom to the Newsroom: Using Practicum for Experiential Learning at Westminster College," was a case study involving the broadcast communications practicum program. 

"I was able to network with colleagues from John Brown University, where they are starting a practicum system for their media students," Weaver said.  "They were eager to learn more about how we cover local sports on live television."

In addition to presenting his work, Weaver sought out new innovations for Titan Radio at the NAB tradeshow; attended sessions on best practices at larger institutions; participated in workshops on documentaries and on the ways teaching journalism has been transformed by digital technology and social media; and attended Career Day activities where "I discovered the paper résumé has disappeared.  I was also able to validate my efforts and research by the fact that employers attending were asking for digital portfolios."

Weaver, who has been with Westminster since 2000, is a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.  He earned an undergraduate degree from Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) College and master's from the University of Kansas.

Contact Weaver at (724) 946-7238 or email weaverbl@westminster.edu for additional information.

Brad Weaver