Wednesday Pecha Kucha: Success!

I ran the Wednesday D5&D6 lab with Marie-Claude. The students were very creative in coming up with topics related to their fields of study for the Pecha Kucha. Titles and/or topics are listed as follows:

Nutrition and Food Science Majors:
- "Piggly Wigglies"
- "Obesity"
- "The Hamburger"
-"Western Diet vs. Asian Diet"
- "Why Cows are Great"
- "Raw Food Diet"
- "What Makes a Healthy Diet"

Environmental and Conservation Science/Forestry Majors:
- Topics covered: Forest Types, Flora, Soil Types, Wildlife, Threats, Natural disturbance, Climate and Geography

Human Ecology Majors:
- Topics covered: Areas of Study, Clothing and Textiles, Interior Design, Family Ecology, Child and Youth, Community Diversity, My Practicum

Participants were highly successful in working with the time constraint (20 seconds per slide and 1 minute per speaker)--their discussion was concise and entertaining. They worked very well with the quickly changing visual backdrop, and the slides were highly appealing to look at and imparted just the right amount of information.

This was my first experience with Pecha Kucha and I can see now why it's so popular in so many places!

Pecha Kucha Wednesday and Thursday labs

Now, that Pecha Kucha exercise was fun!

I want to thanks everybody who participated to this week labs!
I was amazed by the creativity that each of you have demonstrated during the Pecha Kucha.

A special thank you as well to all of the students for who English is not their first language. Thank you for accepting the challenge!

Well, we learned that during a presentation one should never panic under stress and one should always stay calm when it doesn't go the way the presentation was planned. We also learned that a good sense of humor is necessary to get you out of troubles!

See you all next week for a new adventure!

Lecture 11: Guest Lecture

Today's guest lecture will be given by Dr. Wendy Doughty. Dr. Doughty will focus on the body language of strong public speaking.


 Please add a comment here about Wendy's talk. Also, please send me three tweets about new things you have learned from this lecture.


Dr. Doughty:

Holds Doctorate (1995) and Master’s degrees in Educational Administration from the University of Alberta. Has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Guelph. Held increasingly responsible management positions at Grant MacEwan College from 1980 to 1998. Considerable training in group facilitation, program evaluation, applied research and project management. Active community volunteer. is currently a Board member of the Canadian Evaluation Society, Alberta Chapter. Previously Board Chair of Goodwill Industries of Alberta  and Vice-Chair of the Alberta Baroque Music Society. Recognized for her work in community education by being named to Who’s Who of Canadian Women and the Canadian Who’s Who. Has considerable international experience, carrying out a variety of international educational needs assessments and design of programs. This work has taken her twice to Uganda, as well as to Hong Kong and Japan. Member, Canadian Evaluation Society

Uploading Images to Blogger

Students using their U of Alberta gmail addresses have had considerable problems with uploading images. Here is what AICT said:

"Picasa is not an enabled application within our domain. I tested uploading an image from the web, which worked, and an image from my computer, which didn't. It looks like Blogger tries to upload images from your computer into a Picasa album, which, since it's not enabled, does not exist for ualberta accounts. Unfortunately there are no plans to enable Picasa for ualberta accounts. A workaround may be to get your students to create an account on an image hosting site (such as www.imgur.com), then link to those images, or use the upload from the web option to "upload" the picture to their Blogger accounts."

Good thing you all have those flickr accounts anyway! :)


Additionally, adding images via the html method also works as I demonstrated in class:

"If you need some good clip art images, check out 321ClipArt.com.The <IMG> (Image) tag is a 'one-sided' tag and requires several attributes for successfully embedding an image on your page:
SRC=
If you have a graphic image with the filename my_picture.gif then you would enter the filename as the Value for the SRC= attribute, like this:
<IMG SRC="my_picture.gif">WIDTH= and HEIGHT=
You can set the height and width attributes like this:
<IMG SRC="picname.gif" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="200">The numbers I used refer to the image size in PIXELS. The above image would therefore appear on the page as 100 pixels wide, and 200 pixels high.
ALT=
It is ALWAYS a good habit to include the ALT= attribute. Some people turn OFF their browsers ability to display pictures for faster performance, and if you do not have a text description to replace the graphic, they won't be able to do or see much on your site. This is especially important if you have a menu built with graphic menu choices."

Read more at the HTML Clinic.

Image from Matt Northam.

Lecture 10: Courtney Hughes

Today Courtney Hughes, TA to the CSL students, will talk about speeches/public speaking. Her powerpoint lecture will be added here after class.

Lecture 10: Organizing Speeches, Courtney Hughes

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

Lecture 9: Speeches

UPDATE: Class is Cancelled Today! See you all on Wednesday.



Today is the introduction to our module on public speaking. We'll start the week's learning by listening to the momentous occasion of Obama's Inaugural Presidential Speech.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

You can also find the text of Obama's speech here.



Group Activity Web Quest Obama makes many historical references. What do you know about the topics in the table below? Google, and see what you can find out. Then fill in the google doc:

http://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?snapid=S273476RkWz



For the final activity, you will need to find some rhetorical/literary devices in Obama's speech. This handout here will be of help. Remember, leave your blog comments on this post.

AlES 204: Lecture 9 - Speeches

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.


The American Rhetoric website also has an audio recording of Obama's speech.

Module 4 Labs: Pecha Kucha

What is Pecha Kucha?

Pecha Kucha event is one in which a number of presenters share their ideas within the course of an evening. It follows a 20 x 20 format. Each presenter is allowed 20 slides (shown on a programme such as Powerpoint), each shown for 20 seconds each. This results in a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds on a stage before the next presenter is up. The idea is to keep presentations concise and interest level high.

The word Pecha Kucha (pronounced peCHAtchka) comes from the Japanese word for “chit-chat” and was invented by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham in Tokyo. It has recently spread to the business world, and has now gained interest in the world of English Language Teaching.

As you'll see from the syllabus, this week's labs will require you to practise public speaking in a Pecha Kucha style! Now, you won't be expected to speak for 6 minutes OR to have 20 slides prepared. This is just how it is was originally done - so you have some background. We are just going to build on the idea that there are slides running on a powerpoint and you have to talk for a very limited time. Your TAs will have all the information for you and I will look forward to hearing about the fun you had (and of course, I'll hope for pictures).

Here is an example of a Pecha Kucha presentation:

And another Pecha Kucha presentation on the universe:

Lecture 8: Facebook for Business

Today is the last lesson of the week focussing on using Facebook as an opportunity to brand ourselves as great potential employees. We are going to make an online cv that people can "like" and "share." Having this online business presence will illustrate a few obvious elements including:

• your professional profile
• your up-to-date education/work experience etc.
• your online presence

Also, think about some of the not so obvious aspects that you can show via your online cv:

• your creativity
• sense of humour
• you know how to create memorable content
• you know how to harness social media for a business purpose

NOTE: If you are wary of posting certain information online, please come and see me, and we will create a "paper" version of the assignment.

Lecture 8: Facebook for Business (E- C.V.)

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

Note: Remember, this assignment forms part of your e-portfolio. It will not be graded separately BUT if you look at the rubric, you will see what you need to complete.

Note: Image found at Meghan Oliver 

DUE DATE EXTENDED to Monday September 26th, 17:00 

Lecture 7: Twitter for Science Communication

Evan Williams on Listening with Twitter




In groups, read "Why Twitter Will Endure"
Then, fill in the main points of the article in the google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qiz0IywVkxbBKL98IA_pqZAeGIJWOR1DAZ9YzNn8HdI/edit?hl=en_US 
By the end of the activity we will have a complete summary

NOTE: Do not press the back button while working on the google doc otherwise you will refresh the page for everyone!

Lecture 7 - Twitter and Science

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

Module 3: Facebook for Business

Students, as a comment to this post, leave a link to your blog with your flickr photo of your professional Facebook profile.

In the words of fellow student Jenny Brown, this is what the assignment requires:

1) "Create a page" on my existing Facebook profile that is like an e-Resume 2) Take a 'print screen' picture of the page with the basic information wall showing
3) Save this photo in Flickr and post it on my blog
4) Write 2-4 paragraphs on my blog pertaining to my facebook page
5) Post a link on the class blog that connects you to my blog post with the flickr photo

Remember, this assignment forms PART of the e-portfolio and as such, needs to follow those guidelines:

At the end of the term, you will have written at least five blog posts.  In each blog post (EXCEPT the first Introductory post) you must:

1. Include at least one image
2. Include at least one external link (somewhere out in the WWW)
3. Include at least one reference to a fellow student’s blog post (you must link to the post, i.e. internal link)
4. Be on topic (i.e. related to our class work).
5. Each blog post should be at least two paragraphs but no more than four.

Additionally, throughout the term you must comment on at least five blog posts written by fellow students in this class. You can find links to the students’ blogs on the class blog, under the Module 2 blog post (http://ales-204.blogspot.com/2011/09/module-2-science-journalism-online.html#comments). Comments, like all the writing and interaction in this class, must remain appropriate in level (writing style, mechanics and punctuation) and collegiality.  In your final blog post for this project you will need to include links to the five (or more) comments you made.

Additionally, here is a rubric for the profile itself:

You can also watch this video on how to use the print screen command to take a screen capture of your Facebook  page/profile.


Information on how to upload images to flickr can be found on flickr help but here are the basics for uploading:

How do I upload my photos?

We provide a range of uploading tools for both Windows and Mac that will help you get your photos on Flickr.

You can also email your photos to your Flickr account. You have your own unique email address that you can use to add your photos to your Flickr photostream or to upload photos to your Flickr photostream AND automatically post them to your blog. Configure your email upload settings here.

If you'd rather not install our tools, you can use a web form to upload on the upload page. To use this form, look in the navigation menu at the top of the page under "You."

Facebook Page/Profile Assignment in Angie's Words

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

 This article will be of interest, "12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally"

Note: Image from Gigaom

Lecture 6: Tweeting Science

Twouble with Twitters: SuperNews!

Lecture 6: Twitter

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

Lecture 5: Online Class Today

Lots to do today!

By the end of class today students must:

Complete the social media survey on the Module 2 blog post

Set up a blog using Blogger and write an introductory post about you and your field of study and what role communication plays in your work (dissemination of results, linking with fellow researchers, etc.…)


In a comment on the Module 2 blog post, leave a link to your newly started blog and note which Lab Section you are in (absolutely necessary so the professor and TAs can grade your work)


 Note: you require a personal blog for your E-Portfolio.






Here is the rubric that will be used to grade your work. Keep it in mind as you write and create your blog so you can satisfy all criteria:

Module 2: Science Journalism & Online Class

The Social Media Survey that you need to fill in for Friday's Class:

NOTE: There have been some questions about the LinkedIn profile - IF you already have an account with LinkedIn, please feel free to add it. If you don't, please don't worry - we will cover this topic later in the term. This is just a survey to see how many students have already joined before ALES204.

Also, there is a question asking for the link to your blog, this is the link to your e-portfolio which you will have started by the end of Friday's online class.




Don't forget to leave a link to your new ALES204 blog in the comments section, and remember to include your Lab Section in the comment. Feel free to tweet it too!

Lecture 4: Science Journalism

Outline:

• Review of Science Journalism
• Review of Readings
• Science Journalism Activity
• Friday = Online Class

Review:

•  Science communication: explaining the science
• Science popularization: making science popular, promoting science
• Science journalism: critically assessing science and its claim
• Your role: ALL THREE 

Knowing Your Audience and the PLoS Blogs:

• Choose one of the blog posts at PLoS that you read for homework:

• Think about the blogger’s writing style, which is most related: Science communication: explaining the science, Science popularization: making science popular, promoting science, or Science journalism: critically assessing science and its claim

• Who do you think is the intended audience? How does the blogger convey her/his information
• In groups of 5-6, answer these questions in a comment on today’s lecture post (Lecture 5) on the class blog.

Perspective:

nclose to a single person, e.g. a patient or a victim;

n

nhigh above a scene, reporting from a distance, independent and little involved;

n

nclose to an organisation that offers information, such as an NGO or a company;

n

nclose to the scientific community; 

n

nclose to the audience, examining problems in their daily life

Activity on Perspective:

• Choose one article/blog post from Scientopia (http://scientopia.org/blogs/ )  & one from Not Exactly Rocket Science (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/)  
• Compare the writing perspectives: what view does each blogger take? Does their view hamper the “objectivity” of the story? How or why?

• Send your responses to @JessL 

Final Thought

“Some journalists are still stuck in the model: We give you journalism, that’s the way it is. In this world, where we don’t know if there’s going to be a pandemic, or where the next terrorist attack will be, or how bad global warming is going to be, if I’m not engaged in a two-way street with scientifically engaged readers, I’m not responsible.”

Andrew Revkin

Friday's Online Class - By the end of class students must: 

• Complete the social media survey on the Module 2 blog post
• Set up a blog using Blogger and write an introductory post about you and your field of study and what role communication plays in your work (dissemination of results, linking with fellow researchers, etc.…)
• In a comment on the Module 2 blog post, leave a link to your newly started blog (absolutely necessary so the professor and TAs can grade your work) 
• Note: you require a personal blog for your E-Portfolio.

Twitter Alias Spreadsheet

Can everyone please find their name on the following spreadsheet (it's a google doc) and fill in the column with your twitter alias? I would like to cross-reference this with my information.

You can also access the google doc here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjsIVysTrCWkdGZjR1ZmRUxMdmJ3TThyQzRIbTg4Wnc&hl=en_US#gid=0

If you can fill this in by the end of Friday's online class (9:50am), that would be very helpful.

Thanks.





https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjsIVysTrCWkdGZjR1ZmRUxMdmJ3TThyQzRIbTg4Wnc&hl=en_US#gid=0

Lab: Location and Timing Changes!

To give students more opportunity to put into practise what we talk about in the lectures, we are going to have labs in computer rooms for the remainder of term. From MODULE 3 (that is, the week starting 19th of September) you will be in a computer room for your lab session.

Please look carefully to see where you are going and at what time, some of the labs start a little later or end a little earlier:

Mondays: 2-4pm ECHA L1-250 (no availability on Sept 26) http://www.labs.ualberta.ca/locations/lab.html?building=108&lab=L1-250
(Lab section D1 and D2 are combined!)

Tuesdays:


The CSL LAB STAYS THE SAME


(Lab section D3) Lab 1: 2-3pm - CAB 341 http://www.labs.ualberta.ca/locations/lab.html?building=51&lab=341

(Lab section D4) Lab 2: 2:30-4:00 Sept 13 & 20 and then 2-4pm for Sept 27 - Nov 23 --in CAB 331 http://www.labs.ualberta.ca/locations/lab.html?building=51&lab=331 

Wednesdays:
(Lab section D5 & D6 are combined!) ECHA L1-250

Thursdays - 40 students, 2 labs sections combined (Lab section D7 & D8 are combined)  in ECHA L1-270 for all Thursdays http://www.labs.ualberta.ca/locations/lab.html?building=108&lab=L1-270 except Sept. 15- on that day you will be in the Big 120 station lab L1-350 (http://www.labs.ualberta.ca/locations/lab.html?building=108&lab=L1-350)

Lecture 3: Blogs & Twitter 101

Lecture 3: Blogs & Twitter 101, Intro to Science Journalism

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

How To Use Twitter Effectively

Homework:

Come to next class having read:

Public Library of Science (PLoS): http://blogs.plos.org/blogosphere/ 

Scientopia: http://scientopia.org/blogs/ 

Not Exactly Rocket Science:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/  

Lecture 2: Introductions Part Deux

Hi everyone! It was lovely to meet you on Wednesday morning! Thanks to those of you who have already completed the homework from our first class. If you haven't yet, now's your chance. Follow me @JessL on Twitter and leave a comment on the Lecture 1 blog post introducing yourself.

Note: Image from Culturosity.

Carrying on from our introductions on Wed., today Obi (one of the Teaching Assistants) will speak about cultural etiquette. He is going to remind us that there are lots of different cultures in our class and that we want to strive to be polite and sympathetic to our differences.

Communication and Culture

View more presentations from Jessica Laccetti.

The homework for today's lecture (and due before Monday's class) requires you to use Twitter! (see the importance of Wednesday's homework?!) I would like you to tweet TWO points from Obi's talk today. You need to send two separate tweets and you need to send them to me (@JessL) so that I can see them (remember your participation mark). I would also like you to watch either of the videos noted in the blog post from Module 1 and send me one tweet (@JessL) with your thoughts on that video.

So, THREE Tweets in total; two from Obi's talk and one from either of the videos on the Module 1 post.

Lecture 1: Introductions

Module 1 Lecture 1

A bit more about CSL:
Community Service-Learning (CSL) makes learning come alive by linking academic course work to community-based experiences. Active engagement with non-profit organizations allows students to explore relationships between course concepts and ‘real world’ contexts. When enrolled in a CSL class, students participate in a community project that is both relevant to the course content and useful to the partnering organization.

By completing a number of courses with a CSL component, including our CSL-designated courses, students can earn a Certificate in Community Service-Learning upon graduation


CSL Partners for our ALES204 Class:


Voices for Choices

Alberta Caregivers Association

InfoLink Academic and Information Services

At InfoLink we strive to be a comprehensive student information source for all things university related. We specialize in academic information but are able to assist with any campus related question; if we don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does! By exploring this website you’ll be able to access our Tutor Listings,Exam Registry, Volunteer Opportunity Listings, Used Book Listings, Housing Listings and our Rideboard Listings. Students who participate in this term's CSL placement will be able to assist in the promotion of our annual Involvement Week, which is a celebration of volunteering, and the new SU Tutors program, which aims to provide tutors with the skills and resources that they will need to help their fellow students succeed. 

Writers Guild of Alberta

Nichole Quiring, the program coordinator for the Writers Guild of Alberta is looking for a CSL student to assist with a few tasks related to administering Alberta Arts Days events (Sep 30 – Oct. 2). This would include attending the events and helping with hosting and marketing the events through Twitter and Facebook. As well, there are three events coming up in November and December that a CSL student could assist with planning and coming up with a small Social Media marketing plan for each event. Lastly, we could also use a little help in updating the Guild’s media contact list.  

Sustain U

SUSTAIN SU is a service of the Students' Union that provides peer-to-peer learning and support for all undergraduate students to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of their university experience.  This includes providing sustainability-based services to the entire campus community, as well as opportunities to facilitate change on a larger scale.  SUSTAIN SU defines sustainability as a decision-making process and lifestyle that balances economic, social, and environmental responsibility in a just and equitable manner.

As a CSL student with SUSTAIN SU, you will aid in communicating our organization's recent redevelopment from the Environmental Coordination Office of Students (ECOS) to SUSTAIN SU: The Student Sustainability.  You will have much creative control over how you do this, but you will have access to our website and social media sites as possibilities.

Important Tasks and Due Dates for CSL Students:

Teaching Assistants:

This term there are 6 TAs who will be running your lab sessions. They have each written an introductory blog post too - have a look:

Courtney Hughes

Marie Claude Roy 

Obi Durunna 

Pamela Bentley 

Kaustav Majumder 

Angie Chiu 

Homework due before next class (Friday September 9th):

Go to the class blog, find my post for Module One, Lecture One (this one!) and in the comments section write a short blurb introducing yourself and your current use of social media. Include any links to blogs or other online presence that you would like to share.

Join Twitter and follow me: @JessL

TA: Kaustav

Hello all,

I am Kaustav, a 3rd Year PhD student. I am working in the area of food science and technology and my interest is developing functional foods for the treatment and management of cardiovascular diseases.

I am from Kolkata, India and had completed my bachelor of technology from India in biotechnology with a specialization in bioinformatics.

I am really excited to be a part of this course and hope it would be a great learning experiences for all of you.

Join twitter and follow me @iJoykaustav

TA: Angie Chiu

Hello, my name is Angie. I'm a graduate student in Agricultural and Resource Economics and am one of the TAs this semester for ALES 204. I grew up in Edmonton and completed my undergraduate studies at UAlberta in Economics. My research is focused on the impacts of economic development and employment on food consumption and harvesting patterns in northern Canadian communities. Outside university halls, I enjoy travel, Spanish language and culture, and have recently taken up knitting.

TA: Pamela Bentley

Greetings!

My name is Pamela Bentley. I am a 2nd year PhD student working in Animal Science.

I am originally from Vermont, where I completed my Bachelors in Biology and a Masters in Animal Science.

My research interests include: Molecular biology, photoperiod, circadian rhythms, and cancer.

You can find out more about me at about.me/Bentley.Pamela

I think this course is going to be a great learning experience and I hope you all enjoy it.

TA: Obioha (Obi) Durunna

Obi was born in Nigeria where he completed his undergraduate degree in Animal Science and Technology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria. He proceeded to University of Manitoba in 2004 for his MSc degree. While at the U of M, he worked as a facilitator with the International Centre for Students (ICS), helping international students to acclimate to the Canadian environment. He also worked as a Teaching Assistant in several courses while pursuing his Masters degree. He joined the AFNS in 2007 where he served as a GSA councilor for the department. He had also been part of the ALES204 team since then. Obi also assists Action for Healthy Communities Edmonton (AFHC) in training their facilitators as well as conducting cross-cultural workshops in several high schools in Edmonton. He just completed his PhD program in Statistical Genomics.