From this increased use in social media to connect with others during these unprecedented times, it has come to my attention the sudden increase in social media infographics. One example that has really caught my attention is rather recent, I saw many of my female friends posting on their Instagram and Facebook pages a black and white picture of themselves with the hashtag or saying “challenge accepted”. I stumbled upon this infographic linked below, from the Instagram account @beelzeboobz who throughly explained the origin and meaning behind the black and white picture. The challenge was a way for women to raise their voice and stand in solidarity with the lives of women lost in Turkey due to femicides and murder. With this infographic, and plenty of others floating through social media, I appreciate the directness and call to action that all these posts seem to follow. The posts are not too lengthy, addressing the issue and further providing ways that others can relay the message. One flaw to this would be that there is only so much information that can be presented on these posts. This helped within my own development of a genre to write in as I want to create something similar, but I have come to find that it is the most impactful and striking information that are going to catch an audience’s eye therefore leading them to be curious about wanting to know more.
Discussion Post Week of 7/27
Election 2020: 11 Ways to Engage Students From Now Until November
I decided to use this article from the New York Times because it is something very similar to what I want to do for my project. This particular article is about the election coming up and ways to engage students from now until November. After reading the comments on my discussion post from last week, including infographics and quotes from other sources will be a great addition to the article. This helps the reader visualize what’s being said and with the use of research, creates a more credible source. I am first and foremost looking at the length of the article, the format, and the type of tone being used. I notice that this particular article takes a more neutral approach on the subject and allows the reader to create their own point of view. The format is fairly simple with breaks in the pages for the infographics and the interactive aspects. There is a big headline at the top of the article, with subheadings throughout the rest. I have to figure out how I want to divide the information I am going to present to the reader and where to put the infographics so that it aligns with the reading. Ultimately, the point of my article is to create more awareness and helps the reader develop their own opinion about the screening process with the use of the charts, graphs, and quotes.
Week of 7/27 Discussion Post – Mike
Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint by @slidecomet : based on an ebook by @ThisIsSethsBlog from HighSpark | Visual Storytelling Agency
Seth Godin’s ebook “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint”, is thirteen years old, but the concepts still seem groundbreaking today. HighSpark took those concepts and applied them to the fantastic presentation I’ve shared here. I never see PowerPoints like this at my company. In his blog post, Godin mentions being forced to use a template. Well, it’s the same thing where I work. Lots of bullets, lots of “swim lanes”. Lots of boring.
I absolutely love this presentation, simply because it is so incredibly different than what I’ve seen before. That said, there are several thoughts that hit me as I flipped through the slides. First of all, would something like this be appropriate for my audience? Secondly, I’m no graphic artist; how the heck am I going to put together slides that look this cool?
I think the answer to the first question is “Probably not.”. That’s not to say that a lot of the ideas here won’t work. I just think an overly flashy style might detract a bit from my message. I certainly plan on using graphics, but perhaps in a bit more of a conservative manner. Admittedly, that’s partly due to my lack of graphic design skills more than an aesthetic choice!
7/27 Discussion. Isaac
The policy framework for the World Cancer Research Fund is able to quickly fill the reader in on what the organization is about while introducing them to their policies and goals. The focus of the framework is not an introduction to the organization, except the reader can clearly infer their mission statement by reading their policy framework. This is very helpful for someone who has not heard of the organization, yet wants to understand it and its attitude. The policy framework of the WCRF includes bullet points that share their ongoing main goals, quotes that describe the field they work in and what type of work is necessary, and infographics that help visualize and break down the organization’s plan. These are compiled in between small paragraphs of information that introduce us to their main focus.
The conciseness of the policy framework is a key attribute I picked up on. The WCRF actually has two sets of policy frameworks, and this is because of the size of the organization. Although, they are still able to use the average reader attention span as a tool by keeping the frameworks smaller with limited writing which helps ensure the reader goes through all the information. The separate policy frameworks use the same infographic style that really helps connect the two. By breaking down the titles, NOURISHING and MOVING, they are able to create acronym-like visuals that help introduce their focus and goals. Both frameworks are very successful, and I plan on using them as an example template to how I set my own up. The ability to scan over them quickly, yet pick up a strong understanding of the information is important to me because my topic is prominent, yet ignored frequently.
https://www.wcrf.org/int/policy/policy-databases/nourishing-framework
https://www.wcrf.org/int/policy/policy-databases/moving-framework
Week of 7/27 Discussion Post – Dominique Van Gilst
http://jiqueens.com/media/pdf/911/ZrTT9119590.pdf
I decided to use a back to school night powerpoint presentation as my example because I am looking to do something similar for my project. This particular sample is different because it is a back to school night presentation. However, I like the way that it breaks up different topics, and doesn’t have too much on one slide. I also like that the presentation is colorful because it will keep the audience more engaged and interested. My presentation will be about inclusion in the classroom, and how parents can teach their children more about it at home. The sample that I have found works pretty well, but I would definitely add more to mine to make it more interactive and more like an in person presentation for my audience, including voice overs on each slide. I also want to include resources for the parents that they can use to explain inclusion to their children so that they are not at a loss when it comes to how to describe differences and acceptance to their students.
Crediting your sources
One of the challenges of writing in non-academic styles is that your academic citation skills might need to flex a bit–in-text parenthetical citations and footnotes simply aren’t appropriate to all genres, but you are still ethically bound to provide information about your sources to your readers.
So how do you do this??
This is one of the reasons I’ve asked you to look for sample texts in the genre you plan to write. In reviewing those samples, please pay attention to how the authors handle sources–do they provide a list of references at the end? (and perhaps numbered footnotes throughout?) do they hyperlink to other articles they’re working with? do they rely on in-text attribution (the sort of “according to X….” phrases)?
There are some formats (i.e. PowerPoint) where fairly traditional academic-style footnotes are still the order of the day. In most cases, though, in these non-academic genres, you’ll see embedded links and in-text attribution as the norm. You need to look closely at some samples to see how authors handle it in these media outlets, and then act accordingly.
Why is this so important?
Well, this is a research course, after all, so we need to approach the particulars of citing research carefully, but this isn’t just some check-off on an assignment. Research-based writing lives and breathes beyond the university, too, so you’ll need to have a variety of tools at your disposal to employ in these situations. You probably won’t be using MLA or APA-style forever, but you will be researching and sharing what you’ve learned for the rest of your career.
It’s also worth considering the ethical implications, which run in two directions. You have an obligation to the authors of the sources you are working with to provide credit where credit is due. Furthermore, you have an obligation to your readers, who need to have ready access to the sources you’ve been using for their own purposes. You’re part of a larger discussion around your issue, remember, and that means that you need to honor those whose work you’re building upon, as well as facilitate those who will want to do more with this topic once you’re done with it.
Note that (as indicated in the assignment rubric on the unit 3 assignment sheet) you have 2 responsibilities–to provide in-text attribution of sources that you are relying upon in building your argument and providing a separate complete bibliography for the sources that have helped to shape your thinking (even if you have not quoted, paraphrased, or cited them in your actual text).
Because this work of figuring out how to cite your sources matters so much, please be sure to integrate these credits into your draft, so that I can give you some feedback on how well it’s working and what adjustments you might need to make. If you have any questions as you’re working, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Project Proposal
For my project I would like to create a visual presentation tailored for companies and schools that could use improvement on their guidelines regarding minority students. So many environments lack the proper knowledge on how to elevate and incorporate the minority individuals and fail to make these communities supportive towards their success. With my presentation I would provide a list of ways to incorporate minority voices and use their backgrounds and individual skills as valuable assets. I would make them more aware of how to make each space more friendly and what actions should be taken when a minority feels misrepresented or undervalued in the workplace. In a school environment I would provide methods on how to forgo racial profiling and stereotypes against minority students. New methods should be laid out for recruiting minority students into the gifted programs and they should feel encouraged, not deterred from completing school. Minority students should be challenged to succeed in school and they should have more resources for reaching out to individuals when they feel they are being discriminated against. I did some research on companies that provide learning opportunities to minorities with specific interests and I feel incorporating some of that into my project will provide establishments with organizations tailored towards minority success.
Project Proposal
I want to create a presentation for my unit 3 project targeted towards juniors and seniors in college that are making their way into the workplace. I choose a presentation as the genre because I think it is a great way to get the audience, especially young adults, to pay attention to the topic. By adding graphs and images in my presentation I hope to engage with the younger audience, making the topic more exciting and interesting to learn about. This presentation will be based on and conclude research from my unit 2 research portfolio which focused on perspective and empathy in relation to diversity and inclusion. The presentation will touch on that topic and how important it is to think of other’s perspectives and to have empathy towards people and their situations. It will also connect to how they can leave college and go into the workplace with an inclusive attitude that will help support a diverse environment. Think of it as diversity training before going into the workplace, so they can enter expecting to be in a culture that is inclusive. As more and more young people enter the workplace I find it important to have them shape the environment, this presentation would teach them that even though they will be new, their attitudes can rub off on those who have been working at a company and help open people up to new views.
Writing in a conversational tone
This issue has popped up in a few of your posts/comments on the blog, so I wanted to follow up in a more visible way. Read on for some tips on how to produce a text in a conversational (as opposed to formal/academic) tone.
It’s not easy for many of us to write in a conversational tone–you’re not imagining that. In large measure, our writing style is the product of our education, and you’ve spent a lot of years being trained to write in a formal, academic style (and perhaps chastised when you produced something other than that). Furthermore, much of our writing lives have been defined by minimum word counts, which drive us to embellish our writing so we can inflate our word totals.
Conversational writing, therefore, means cutting against our habits and conducting ourselves in ways that are counter to our training. We need to develop new habits in order to do this effectively.
So, a few words of advice
- as you try to figure out what you want to say and how to say it, talk it out–open up a voice memo or other audio recording on your phone, and pretend that you’re talking to someone about your topic. Prompt yourself with something casual like “what I’m really trying to say is….” and see what you come up with. The recording ensures you won’t lose the nuggets you come to.’
- freewrite–try not to edit as you compose, but rather let yourself keep writing for a set period of time (10-15 minutes is a good starting point). This helps you to maintain your chain of thought and to get more comfortable hearing your ‘voice’ on the subject. Once you’ve written, then read your text aloud. Look for the key ideas, then …..
- pull out the key ideas into a fresh file, and start building a text around them. This helps you to avoid feeling wedded to the first words you wrote, which are often just verbal treading-water as we try to get started on our thinking.
- when you’ve got something to work with, take your time revising, and do so with a particular focus on
- employing visual organization (section headings, lists where appropriate; brief, focused paragraphs)
- leading with the big idea (in each paragraph and in the text as a whole)
- using visual representations of information where appropriate (infographics, charts, graphs, etc.)–this allows readers to engage in the ways that are most comfortable for them
Note that the revising will take time and discipline. One of your tasks later this week will be working through a guided revision process. Check out the Review and Revision worksheet in the Unit 3 dropbox on Blackboard.
Project Proposal – Samantha Danylchuk
For my unit 3 project, the specific audience I want to write for are the two newest generations, Millennials and Gen Z. The issue I am examining is this conflict between generations in the workplace and my purpose is to guide these two generations about what they should know headed into the workforce. I hope to accomplish a text that provides all the relative information about the current working generations, such as descriptive characteristics, habits, and what needs to be changed among companies to bring employee compatibility success to this environment. I also aim to ease those who are Millennials and Gen Z into having a successful time working with their peers. The argument I want to make is that more action needs to be done within companies and working organizations in order to bridge this generational gap. The type of text I plan to produce is a social media article. Because most Millennials and Gen Z are so used to technology and social media has taken over our lives, I think an article produced by Instagram would catch the attention of these users. I decided to choose a text relating to social media because Instagram is also fairly used as a networking tool aside from LinkedIn, and the Direct Message feature would benefit me. If you’re a Millennial or Gen Z with a job lined up to start in a few weeks, months, etc. and see that Instagram produced an informative article relating to this issue of how to solve the generational gap in the workplace, I think it would be sent among that user’s friends and so on.