Last week I was invited to go down to Washington DC to be in a Newsmakers' Roundtable with the distinguished Latino journalist Ray Suarez. Ray has a show called Destination Casa Blanca and last week there were 6 of us Latino bloggers discussing not only politics but the future of journalism.

It was quite an animated discussion and you can see it for yourself. What struck me interesting about the discussion was Ray's comment about how journalism students need to be multimedia savvy in a world dominated by digital media.

Now, Ray and I are in the same generational range. We're both in our forties. Yet what sets me apart from traditional journalists like Ray is that I am a digital explorer. I am part of the first generation of early adopters of digital, internet and web media that have thrown themselves to new technologies with curiosity, excitement and gusto.

This week you will see me flex my digital explorer muscles as I cover the conventions with our co-blogger David Alm and with two other digital explorers : Michael Bouldin and Ramon Herrera, aka Nezua.

I will be using a whole bag of gadgets and web services to use bring you a slice of the convention right to your door.Ironically, I am bereft of a digital camera. I lost my hand point-and-shoot and my digital SLR is in the shop. So I will be covering the conventions using my cell phone.

Yup.

My cell phone.

I have a multimedia "smartphone" that shoots videos and photos. I have hacked a microphone adapter based on a "recipe" provided by a group of fellow digital explorers.

My livestreams through Qik.com are going directly to several web services. Twitter, Flickr.com, Ping.fm allow me to update as close to real time as my cell phone's connection (and service provider) will allow me. 

I am excited to use these technologies. I love being able to use digital media in a way that it makes me be in multiple places online with the click of one button. I've seen this always as an advantage to new media and the new journalism practices that are changing the way we report not only "the news" but the world around us.

Hope you stick around this week and let us know how you like our version of gonzo digital journalism.