Windows movie maker 1st effort

Effective Presentations

Effective presentation  for me, (as I found out recently) incorporates some key factors. Factors, that if omitted may lead to your presentation not living up to it’s full potential. These factors are in no particular order,

1. Know your subject matter.
Having an excellent knowledge of your chosen subject will not only inspire confidence in yourself but also in your audience. This is also extremely helpful if you not just giving a presentation but are allowing for a Q & A session afterwards. Being knowledgeable about your subject also allows you to keep the audience attentive.

2. Know your audience.
This may seem obvious but knowing whom you are speaking to prevents any possibility of embarrassment. You certainly do not want to offend a potential client or employer.

3. Know your Self.
Knowing what you are and what you are not capable of beforehand will also prevent any embarrassing moments. You do not want to be midway through you presentation and then realise that you are in fact not equipped to tell the hilarious joke you were told in pub last week. Do not try to get too technical or in-depth with the subject matter just because you know what you are talking about, keep it relative.

4. Prepare your script.
Again stating the obvious here. If you are using cue cards then make sure they are clear, concise, relevant, in order and legible. Have an opening/introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Very important to CONCLUDE.

5. Have a theme.
Try to make sure that you have a constant theme that runs through your presentation. You do not want to find yourself losing audience interest because you are flitting from one topic to another without there being a constant, tying everything in together in cohesion.

5. Rehearse-rehearse-rehearse.
Make sure that you run over your presentation a number of times, especially if you are restricted for time. Also make sure that you rehearse with any visual aids or props that you may incorporate into the presentation. All to have often we have seen presentations being given and have laughed at how a product refuses to work or something falls over. I love this, it is the perfect example of being caught out.
 

Critical Reading/ Thinking

What is critical thinking and what is critical reading you may ask? Well they are both tools in the discovering and evaluation of information and ideas within an article or written piece. They can also with a bit of training be used in general, day-to-day life. Critical reading instigates the process, whereby the reader will in a careful, analytical and reflective fashion read the piece. Then the critical thinking begins. What is it that you have read that you believe to have validity? What is that you have read that causes you to ask questions? What is it that you have read that will inspire you to investigate, enquire, peruse once again and what is it that you have read, that will leave a lasting impression. To critically read leads to critically thinking. They, for me and for the most time, work in harmony. There cannot be critical thinking without the reading. Moreover, all this leads to an understanding, that is of better quality and that will have far better results. If one just quickly “glosses over” text then it will be far harder to explore the piece due to a lack of understanding than if one makes an effort to a-c-t-u-a-l-l-y digest what is being said or may even give insight into what is not being said. I am going to ask you now to watch this video and take notice within yourself of what it is your thinking and feeling, firstly at the beginning and then see if you are still thinking and feeling the same by the end. You may have a better insight into Critical reading and thinking after this.

Emotional Intelligence

  

Emotional Intelligence what is it and what use is it?

“All learning has an emotional base “, Plato.

 

Emotional Intelligence is in essence how we are able to interpret that which is going on around us, it is how we are able to take the subtlest of hints and form coherent, educated and definitive evaluations of whatever is taking place at that moment and instantly be in a position to react, with the best interest of all involved a priority. So how do we mere mortals become masters of the unknown that is emotional awareness? How do we refine our senses so that we can in our everyday lives become like sniffer dogs, knowing what is we are looking for and being able to find it in a heartbeat ?. Well the answer is actually quite easy, practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. If you simply get up in the morning and repeat to yourself “ I will be aware” or “ I will notice “, then you will find that after a while you will become more aware and that you will notice. This comes about mainly because in our normal day-to-day experiences we tend not to have to “read” into what someone is saying through non-verbal communication. However, in the field of social care work we will find that those that we will be providing a service to may not be able to communicate in any other form but non-verbal. So it is of great importance and value to ourselves and to those around us that we become well rounded in our education and to not just depend on being academically qualified. So remember I will be aware , or you may even develop your own mantra and if so please feel free to share.
 
P.S. I was thinking about emotional intelligence and remembered this, it is from the film Mask. It is about Roy Lee "Rocky" Dennis, and he suffered from 
craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, I just thought that it was a beautiful example of being aware and using emtional intelligence.

Plagiarism

"According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.
  
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about after."

I honestly believe that if you resort to stealing someone else’s ideas or words then you must truly not understand that which you are discussing or writing about. By that I mean, if you did actually have an understanding of the subject then you will find it much easier and far more satisfying to take an original idea or theme and to develop that idea/theme and to put your own mark on it. Now I also understand that sometimes in our haste we will find it an easier option to “cut and paste” until we have taken the bones of an assignment and fleshed it out so to speak. This is ok if you want to just have an assignment to hand in, but on the other hand if you want to be taken seriously and receive genuine appreciation (and credit) then make the effort to research your subject and take the time to put together an informed, factual and honest piece of your own creation. I believe that (and I am finding this out as I go along) the more effort I put into my work the more satisfaction I get from that work. I hope that you, yeah you reading this now, will try to be the creator of something new, innovative, inspiring and possibly thought provoking if not pure genius and I wish you the best of luck in doing so.

Effective Note Taking

What is effective note taking ?


This may seem like an obvious question but it is not. For example if you are dyslexic, are you going to be able to take notes during a lecture as quickly or as proficiently as someone that does not have dyslexia?. Therefore, what we need to ascertain firstly is what do you want to or need to take notes on? I for one find that if I am writing then I am not in a position to listen to what is being said. Therefore, it is for this reason I tend to keep my note taking to a minimum if what is being said has far more of an impact. It will be of little use to you on reflection of your note taking if you cannot actually make sense of what it is you are reading and put it to good use. I prefer to take chunks of information and highlight them, this allows me to put the information into perspective especially when coupled with the lecture notes. I may also put reference notes in the page margin and put directional arrows to the relevant chunks. This is my version of “ mind-mapping” and allows me to refer to what I feel is important at a glance. I would also suggest that, if possible read the lecture notes beforehand and pick out that which you need to be clarified or explained. I would also say a vital part of note taking is to remain focused and try not to engage in chit-chat with those around you about the subject to hand, leave it to a discussion group or till you are on lunch. Again, I will say if you are talking, you are not listening.