In the increasingly technological world students live in it has become critical for universities to provide the tools for students to succeed in more electronic ways than ever before.

The Tarleton State University Communications Department is moving in a positive direction to fulfill the technological needs of communication students by now providing access to tablets for students’ use on various projects. Many communication classes and students are now able to take advantage of these new tools provided to them in order to become more adequately prepared for future professional success.

According Dan Malone, a professor in the Tarleton Communications Department, the addition of tablets to the Communications Department will not benefit the department itself but is intended to greatly assist students pursuing degrees in journalism and broadcasting. Malone said the Communications Department believes that the future of broadcasting will be the ability to gather information and send it in and that training people to use apps such as “Cover It Live,” an app that allows live blogging, chatting, and keeping up with news, along with other technological programs, will better prepare students for the ever changing job market.

Malone predicts more contract and freelance work will be part of the future in journalism and broadcasting and people working in that field will not have access to the high-tech video and audio equipment due to the faster paced market for news.

This switch from high-tech equipment to easily accessible equipment makes it increasingly important to learn to fully function while conducting interviews, absorbing information used for news, and using equipment like tablets. These skills, according to Malone “are not something learned in a textbook, but are learned by doing it.”

Stephen Wilson, manager of the Tarleton Department of Information Technology Services, is knowledgeable of what exactly can and cannot be done with the new tablets provided to the Communications Department in order to ensure the safety of students using them.

The guidelines set by Wilson before communications students are allowed to use the tablets are very clear: do not put any personal information on the device including apps, passwords, or email information. The tablets have already been set up to connect to campus wi-fi, making it unnecessary to login with personal information.

iPads are designed for personal use, so every password ever entered into the tablet will be stored, making it imperative that students understand guidelines to protect their safety while using a device specifically made to store their personal information.

Emails for teams in the Communications Department will be built into the device, protecting students from having personal emails exposed to future users. Cases are provided in addition to the tablets to ensure safety of the device. 

Students in communications classes can check out the devices, which include the latest models of iPads and iPad Minis, but at this time the devices are not available for use of individual students not participating in communications classes. Students can contact their communications professors for more information on how to get access to these devices.