National Seminar on New Media Held

BANGALORE, Feb. 22, 2010, 09.50 Hrs (CBCI News):

Christ University, Bangalore in collaboration with the CBCI Commission for Social Communications, organised a two-two day national seminar on New Media- Emerging Challenges and Opportunities, February 19-20 at Christ University, Bangalore. The seminar included presentations by experts, panel discussions and presentations of papers on the theme from students chosen through a national competition. About 500 students, delegates and faculty members from various colleges and media faculties attended the programme.

Among those who addressed the seminar were journalist and author Ammu Joseph, CBCI Commission for Social Communications Executive Secretary Fr. George Plathottam sdb, Ms.Anita Gurumurty, IT for Change, Mr. M.S. Chndramouli, Principal and HOD Media Studies, Surana College, Bangalore, Srikeit Ramamurthy, Student editor, Wikipedia, Fr. John Edappilly CMI, Dean, Niscort. Students from four colleges were chosen to make presentation on the theme.

The seminar is part of the effort of the CBCI Commission to bring together more than 30 Catholic colleges with communication faculties in India through a national network called Educomnet-India established in 2009. The Educomnet-India aims at serving as a common platform for the colleges with media faculties for promoting student exchange, staff development programmes, research, publications, academic excellence, fostering values and media ethics, promoting media education, offering career guidance in media and a host of other objectives.

A similar seminar was held last year in New Delhi where the Commission with the colleges present constituted the network. A meeting of the delegates of communication department from five colleges and several faculty members held a separate meeting to discuss and plan the future course of action. They endorsed the idea of strengthening the national network of media faculties and appointed an ad hoc committee with Fr. George Plathottam sdb as its convener. The meeting welcomed the proposal to have such seminars and meetings annally.