Taman Siswa

Four college students have landed their own interactive educational reality show called BlogAbroad.com.

As they study abroad in Egypt, New Zealand, New York and on a voyage to 10 South American, Asian and African countries during their Fall semesters, they will have a potential audience of hundreds of thousands of reality show fans tracking their experiences. The difference between their show and other reality shows like The Real World is that BlogAbroad.com is posted over the Internet via an interactive Web log, or blog.

Jonathan Jackson, a 20-year-old Cognitive Science major at Rice University, Vanessa Ruiz, a 22-year-old photography student at the Rhode Island School of Design, Amy White, a 24-year-old grad student of Post-colonial North African History at the University of Boulder and Keri James, a 20-year-old New Zealand resident getting a degree in Sociology and Management at Hartwick College, will be following in the footsteps of last season’s “bloggers” by using this popular new medium to entertain people while informing them about the realities of studying abroad.

All their stories will be posted on a website called www.BlogAbroad.com. Viewers will be able to read these posts as well as see pictures and videos. Viewers will also be able to respond to them and ask questions or make comments. What made the first season of BlogAbroad.com so interesting was that for the first time ever, the audience could interact with the star of the show. The audience actually became the supporting cast. The new season hopes to improve on its predecessor with even higher levels of interaction.

“The first season was a breakthrough for the reality show genre,” says Mark Shay, president and CEO of StudyAbroad.com, the company behind BlogAbroad.com. “The second season will continue to innovate and give the audience an influence over the show like never before. Plus, while being highly entertaining, BlogAbroad.com is a terrific educational tool. It is a way to show firsthand what it is like to study abroad, and we anticipate our new bloggers will take us on amazing and unique adventures, expanding our understanding of the world.”

Jackson, Ruiz, White and James were chosen from over 100 students studying abroad who competed for the part. Three judges chose them based on a 300 word written audition as well as answers to a few of their questions. They will be given tasks to complete during their semester and will post new episodes at least three times a week. All of their episodes will be available for viewing 24 hours a day at www.BlogAbroad.com.

“I am excited to share my experiences in Cairo, the largest city in Africa and the gateway to the Middle East.” White said. “There has been steadily increasing contact with the Arab world by ordinary Americans who are trying to understand America’s situation in the world context. I am excited to be an intermediary between these Americans and the Arab world. I hope to ease confusion among my peers and others over what is presumed about Arab/Muslim culture and what is factual.”

Jonathan Jackson added, “I sincerely hope that my adventures in New Zealand - be they humorous, sobering, insightful, nostalgic, or just ridiculously fun - will serve to encourage others to take that first step outside of their cultural bounds and explore this planet, and in doing so, learn more about themselves.” He also hopes he and Keri James can learn from each other as he travels to New Zealand while she departs it.

The first season of BlogAbroad.com was a critical success, garnering recognition in newspapers and magazines such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and University Business. “Blog” was the number one searched word of 2004, according to Merriam-Webster. It is a recent technology that allows users to stay connected via interactive journals, even when they are oceans away from each other. Blogging has been growing in popularity since it first made waves during the 2004 Presidential election.

StudyAbroad.com

StudyAbroad.com is the Internet’s leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is a comprehensive directory of study abroad and intensive language programs organized by subject and destination. StudyAbroad.com is a service of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (EDU), a leading Internet company serving higher education. Based in suburban Philadelphia, EDU’s steady growth since its inception in 1989 has led to its inclusion in the Philadelphia 100, Inc. Magazine/ICIC Inner City 100 and Inc. 500 lists of fast growing businesses.

Source: edudirectories.com