Olympic MOJO Students Come Home

Fanshawe Broadcasting students Nick Wynja and Ashley Rowe have returned from covering the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Equipped with innovative technology by B.C. based high-tech developer VeriCorder Technology, Wynja and Rowe demonstrated the mobile journalism - or MOJO - revolution using groundbreaking new technology designed exclusively for Apple iPhone.

MOJO revolutionaries Ashley Rowe and Nick Wynja with Dr. Lane Trotter outside the Broadcast Centre on February 22, 2009.

"By pioneering mobile journalism through the use of advanced technology, these two students were able to cover many stories and file reports before the events were covered by more traditional media," said Dr. Lane Trotter, Fanshawe's Senior Vice President - Academic. "The selection of our two students to participate in the MOJO revolution is an indicator of the quality of Fanshawe's broadcast programs, and provided our students with an amazing learning experience."

Wynja and Rowe received a warm welcome back to London at the Fanshawe College Broadcast Centre on Monday, February 22, 2010. Dr. Trotter congratulated the students on their work and thanked them for helping to put Fanshawe on the international map in this new way. The students enjoyed a Canada-themed cake and shared stories of their trip.

"Undoubtedly my favourite part of covering the Olympics was getting to see how journalists from around the world worked at this international event," said Rowe, a fourth-year student in the Media Theory and Production program, a collaboration between Fanshawe College and The University of Western Ontario. "Observing the techniques they used and learning the ways they approached stories, both in and out of the International Media Centre, was absolutely incredible. I feel so privileged to have had the chance to learn so much about the journalism craft at such a young age."

Wynja, a second-year student in Fanshawe's Radio Broadcasting program, described the MOJO project as "a once in a lifetime experience," adding that his patriotism definitely received a shot in the arm because of this trip.

"I'm thankful to Fanshawe College and VeriCorder for making it happen," he said. "I've learned so much from the whole experience both as a journalist and a Canadian. The pure pride that could be seen on the streets of Vancouver was amazing and gave me a whole new respect for the people, the places, and the stories that make up Canada."

Rowe agrees one hundred per cent.

"Getting to see, first-hand, the pride that Canadians had for their Olympians and their country is something that I will never forget. I will always know Vancouver as the city where I grew a whole new appreciation for being Canadian."

Because of that sentiment, the two chose to focus on the 'people' aspect of the Winter Games, bringing a unique perspective to their final reports.

"We left the sports coverage to CTV and NBC but we were constantly covering the stories around the Olympics," Wynja said. "There were many cultural events that had great stories to tell and the amount of people in downtown Vancouver made for interesting conversations."

Watch Nick and Ashley's Olympic reports at http://www.fanshawec.ca/newsroom/olympics2010.asp