How We Created and Hosted Our First Webinar

A webinar is an online seminar. Until this semester I had never attended one. So, I find it pretty amazing that I helped host one on Wednesday for my Communication Technologies class.

The invitation to our first webinar for our group project

Every member in the group had a role such as speaker, moderator, or technical support. One of our members was in charge of social media communication through Twitter.

First, we created a content management document so we knew who our audience was, what we were to talk about, and the outcome we expected by hosting the webinar. This is an important step not to skip when creating anything, because it helps you keep focus on what is important. We did this step right away.

Second, we chose a webinar tool. We found a great one that offered a free 30-day trial. Attendees of the webinar can use the webinar tool without signing up for the trial. We sent invitation through the e-mail to the other groups in the class so they could attend. They would then register to attend our webinar.

Third, our speaker created a slideshow and an outline of what she was going to say during the presentation. Our assigned topic was applying audio technologies, one of the competencies of the class. We narrowed the topic down to specifically podcasting, especially for those who are new to the technology.

Wrapping Up

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 7 – 13

Everything is wrapping up now that the end of the semester is here. There are plenty of things to do still, and it’s going to feel very strange when everything slows down this summer.

We went to a restaurant in West Bend for our last Student Senate meeting on Thursday. It was a lovely day to step outside in the middle of the afternoon.

Afterwards I went back to campus to create an eBook for my Communication Technologies class. It was a challenging project, but I really enjoyed creating it. I was happy to use my graphic design skills to create a book that was not only informative, but also nice to look at. I used skills I learned in my Document Processing class this semester to add footnotes and make a nice table.

Dividing My Time

Week in Review: A Reflection of April 16 – April 22

I had to divide my time this past weekend between friends and schoolwork. I didn’t really mind, though, since the small project I worked on was a video for my Communication Technologies class.

We each made a video about a company that was using social media in a productive way. The videos were then posted to YouTube. I really like watching my classmates’ videos, because I could just watch their video and learn something.

When my friends came to visit this weekend, I surprised one of them with a belated birthday cake. We went to a few stores and we saw the movie, The Lucky One. With summer coming soon there’ll be some outdoor activities, but if it gets too warm, there’s always the air-conditioned movie theater!

The Podcast Project

The podcast project is finished. Two of my classmates and I formed a group for my Communication Technologies class at MPTC. Each group was assigned a different technology such as video, screen motion capture, and podcasting. My group was assigned to learn about podcasting.

Through reading our textbook, learning through articles, websites, and video, we learned how to create one. We created a podcast that explains how to create a podcast. Once we figured out how to do it, it was pretty easy, actually. One of my group members has a great voice for podcasting. The finished product sounds really professional.

In order to help the class understand podcasting, we created our own wiki site where we posted resources, created a FAQ page about podcasting, and embedded our podcast. I used my background in HTML from previous classes to put anchor tags into the FAQ page so people can click on the question and the page jumps to the answer.

We presented last week and the other groups will present later on. I’m excited to see what the other groups put together for their topics. It’s also going to be nice to have access to those resources they’ve created.

Which media tool do you think is the best for learning something new: videos, screen motion capture, or podcasts?

Blogging About a Blog

Week in Review: A Reflection of February 27– March 4

I spent this past week cheating on my blog with another blog. One of our assignments for my Communication Technologies class is to set up a blog and create a blog post once a week. We were given the choice between two different blogging platforms. Since I’ve already been using Blogger for almost a year now, I decided to try a different blogging tool.

We were given the freedom to write about any topic we chose, but we had to pick a narrowed topic that would give our blog posts direction and purpose. Some of my classmates are blogging about the latest technological gadgets, baking, and animals, just to name a few.

I chose to create a blog called “How to Organize Your Life.” I write about ways to organize your things to make them more convenient or creative ways to decrease your clutter. I just posted a blog a few days ago about utilizing vertical space for storage.

Through reading the textbook and the discussions we’ve had in class, we’ve learned about the importance of pictures and legal issues using others’ images. Tags are very important and can be categorized. We learned how to write blog titles that stand out and encourage viewers to read blog posts.

All this information has been interesting and very useful. The best part is, I get to use what I learn right away. Matter of fact, I’m doing it now!

Communication Technologies Class

Wednesday’s Communication Technologies class was packed with activities, much of which was done together as a class or in small groups. We learned about and used all kinds of online tools. There are online tools to create your own sticky notes, flowcharts, and even comic strips. As part of our next assignment, we are creating comic strips. I didn’t even know that was something you could do.

Our class uses several communication tools online. We have a wiki set up where we can post information and share URLs. We use Twitter to share information by using a special hashtag in reference to the class. While I was absent last week my classmates learned how to create Twitter accounts. I had to catch up by creating an account really quickly during class. So many things are covered in class that I feel like I missed a month’s worth of material. I am, however, caught up now.

We spent a few minutes discussing our reading assignment. I’ve read the first chapter of the book, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit. The book talks about how companies are connecting with consumers in a way that benefits both parties. I find it interesting how the Internet, and more specifically, social media, affects our daily lives.

The class ended with watching video introductions of each other. We filmed and posted videos to our online classroom portal. I hope we’ll be creating more videos later in the semester, because I’m looking forward to the opportunity to film and edit again!

First Week of Spring 2012 Classes

Week in Review: A Reflection of January 22 – January 28

The first week of classes was going well until I became ill and had to miss class on Wednesday. I was very disappointed because I was looking forward to my Communication Technologies class the most this semester.

They covered a lot of material of which I needed to catch up on my own before moving on to the homework. I learned about and tested a tool that allows you to capture not only still screen captures, but also video screen captures. I imagine this comes in handy if you’re creating tutorials for software use.

Unfortunately, I missed the Welcome Back lunch featuring comedian Andy Hendrickson. The event was between my two Wednesday classes, so it would have been a perfect time to catch a show and some lunch.

I was feeling much better by the weekend, and I was able to go ahead with my plans, which included a friend’s baby shower and a birthday party. We celebrated my friend’s birthday at a Japanese restaurant and sat at a Hibachi table. They throw food around the room, do tricks, and light the grill on fire. My friend was surprised at the end of the meal as we all sang to her and she got a special dessert from the kitchen.

I’m hoping this week goes much smoother than last week. I’m looking forward to meeting new classmates, although I’m missing my old classmates. I cannot wait until next month for our first Web Developer Club meeting of the semester. Student Senate meetings will be starting up again soon as well. Oh so many things to look forward to this semester!