Taking a bite out of the Big Apple: an interview with Brianne Johnstone

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Last July, Brianne Johnstone co-led the Media and Communication Study Tour to New York - an experiential and integrated learning experience to explore the New York Startup Scene and the ‘new’ in their field. The objective? To be a global practitioner of media and communication. Not imagine or pretend, do. I spoke to Bri about her experiences in New York, social media and collaboration with academic staff.

The set up: 24 Masters students from RMIT School of Media and Communication, Melbourne; one student documentary photographer, two study tour leads, and the startup scene in New York City.  – Marius Foley

There is something like a gold rush happening - but a rush in ideas, not metals - #NYM14

In your time in New York, what was the most dangerous idea you've heard?

I don’t know if I’d say that anything was dangerous but it was interesting to see the environment in which innovation fostered. It’s not an easy one. The people in this field are deeply passionate and committed to their work and it takes a lot of sacrifice to be in that world.

The ideas in these areas certainly challenge our ideas of traditional establishments. I’d say that’s more exciting than dangerous.

We tried to look at this world from the inside. Not only did we have students work within the start-up scene but we used many of these companies for activities during the tour. Instead of booking a group dinner at a restaurant we used Feastly, a company that connects home cooks and diners. Rather than use a tour guide to show us around New York we had StryTour take us around the slow-food start-up scene in Brooklyn doing live interviews.

Academic and professional staff play critical and central roles in higher education. Yet, relationships between the two are often unintentionally distant and siloed. With your past experience working at the School of Media and Communications, and your involvement in this project, I think it would be interesting to hear your thoughts.

It is a University strategic objective to be Global but there are other competing objectives, which demand attention. All areas in the University have competing pressures particularly our Academic staff.

I believe we could play a stronger role in collaboration by providing solutions and not barriers. Make it easy to engage with us not a challenge.

We need to understand the integral role we have in the University and be enabled in our job to explore and innovate (and fail!). I also think we need to be more involved. We need to understand the programs, understand the challenges.

The main reason I went on the tour was to get an understanding of what happens on the ground to help inform the process work I was doing for the delivery of study tours across the university. It is imperative (and something I realised was even more important when I was there) that professional staff have this understanding.

The study tour featured a comprehensive use of social media (e.g. Blogging, Twitter, Instagram). Reflecting on your past as a student (which isn't that long ago really!), how do you think social media has pushed the boundaries of a global classroom beyond a physical mobility experience.

What was really interesting is it felt like the study tour took the same principles of social media. You provide the platform and what someone does within that space is up to them. That’s what we tried to do with the tour. The students created their own learning and professional experience. Without social media we might not have been able to do that as effectively. Using twitter and Instagram allowed us to see the students journey whilst not necessarily being beside them the whole time. 

It allowed for independent learning experiences and also allowed us to tell their stories. On the first day we set up an urban challenge where we asked them to be in four different locations at particular times and take photos of and tag them #1dinyc. The result was a story of the first day of the tour. 

One of the things I find difficult is to tell the stories of the study tours. This was something I wanted to explore on the tour, an easy, non intrusive way of doing this so we really show what the essence of the tour was about. Social media allows you to do this.

Personally, what is your biggest takeaway from this experience?

The potential of these programs and the value to both the students and staff. 

It was incredible to see the work of the past 18 months (!) all come together and the transformation in confidence of the students over the time on the tour. Originally when we started planning we were only in New York for a week or so and then off to another place. Staying in one place was incredibly rewarding and provided the students (and us as tour leaders) an experience more like a local than a tourist. This I think created stronger, longer lasting connections that I’m sure will lead to further opportunities. 

Bri has worked at RMIT for almost five years. Having spent most of the time in the School of Media and Communication, she moved to the role of Senior Coordinator, Global Mobility last year. Bri hopes that one day all students will complete some sort of mobility program. She has a background in design and comms. and is a little obsessed with infographics. Before RMIT, Bri lived and worked in Canada.