Reflective Post

ALES204 has introduced me to many outlets and tools involved in networking, sharing information and connecting in today's modern age. Many involve new ways of communicating over the internet, others were old ways and have been around for many decades, hinting at their effectiveness in my industry.

I doubt that I will continue my use with Flickr, Audioboo and Delicious although I will continue to use my Twitter account and maintain my professional Facebook profile. The internet offers so many networks and databases, having too many accounts on these websites proves to be overwhelming. Twitter is a great source for both connecting and gathering information, it has definitely proved to be the most useful and effective of all the websites ALES204 has introduced to me over the semester. After checking out Linda Phan's reflective blog post, I see that she shares similar experiences with this course as I did.

The Nutrition Industry benefits from both use of new social networking and old ways of communication. The use of scientific literature is essential in this field, it has been around for decades and continues to be an provide an important source of information. Twitter and Delicious are used by Dietitians, Food Experts, Food Scientists, and Government Health Care to relay information and articles to followers. Speeches, presentations as well as one-on-one personal interactions remain important in my industry as well. Members of the Nutrition Industry present information in the form of posters, slideshows or public speaking forums to distribute knowledge across disciplines and amongst themselves, these old ways are still prominent today. One-on-one communication skills are very important for Dietitians, a professional interpersonal relationship must be established between Dietitian and patient in order for a successful exchange to occur so to benefit the patient's health profile.

ALES204 is a communications class, and it has changed it's content as the public communication industry has evolved. Key concepts for all disciplines of the Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences faculty were taught in ALES204. Although some individuals are adamant in rejecting the evolving social media scene, it is getting harder and harder to deny it's existence and usefulness. These new tools allow for quick access to information that specifically interest the consumer, at the time it happens and at their fingertips. Once accepted, these tools open the possibility for increasing one's knowledge in their specific field or across disciplines to become educated in areas that they may not be experts in. If we accept and learn how to use these new tools, we may move forward as a more conscious and aware society. There is no harm in knowledge, only greater possibilities - new communication methods provide a vehicle for this and we should exploit them.

To conclude, here are some comments that I have made on other students' blogs:

Chen Shen

Jasmeena

Sabrina

Laura
Fallon

And what better way to conclude a semester of classes than with a summary video, made by Julianna, Kelsey and myself!

Wiki Writing

Over the past week, I have been working on updating a Wikipedia stub. Wikipedia is a database that allows for the sharing of information, provided by anyone and collaboratively with multiple editors, to the World Wide Web. A stub is an unfinished article on Wikipedia that requires a little more contribution to the information in order to make it a true Wikipedia article.
I had to learn how to use Wiki Markup, which consists of the use of quotation marks and other computer language (very basic) to render the Wikipedia page alike others. Using this language is how Wikipedia gets to look how it does; the blue words that link to relevant subjects that are mentioned throughout the article. It is also how formatting of the articles is achieved, such as bolding and italicized fonts, creating titles and providing references throughout the contribution.
I chose to update a human reproduction stub, specifically on the male ejaculatory tract. I took a Human Sexuality course in my previous year of school at the University of Alberta, and thought it would be fun to dig up my old notes and textbook. I checked out Lida's blog for her Wikipedia article on the Honeymoon period. I had never heard of this condition before and found that her titles, information and referencing were very well done.

What I found I got the most out of this assignment was a behind-the-scene view of the Wikipedia database. I see how easy it is for just anyone to go in and post information on the site. There are security measures put in place to extinguish false or sabotage information, however, I feel as though some minor inaccuracies in information may not be caught and may result in providing misleading information to the public. I personally do not trust Wikipedia when I am doing school work, but find it useful when I am curious about a general topic and want to be caught up to speed. 

Here are my Wikipedia article screen shots:

Vlogging

Here is a video blog (vlog) response to a classmate's vlog post, Julianna Damer, that was shared on our class blog! It was my first experience ever vlogging and posting a video to YouTube. However, my classmate Kelsey MacDonald has done many of these before for her previous job. It was a fun way to communicate with the class, rather than commenting on blog posts all the time.

I am hoping to continue vlogging nutrition facts during my spare time, and hope some people on the World Wide Web will find it useful and interesting!

Presentations

As a student still completing my undergrad, presentations are relevant to my present place in the Nutrition field. I will be presenting a poster in my fourth year, and perhaps a few more presentations will come up along the way to graduating. I have always been a fan of presenting in front of an audience, with the new techniques I have learned in ALES 204, I look forward to applying these skills as the next opportunity presents itself.

It is during my fourth year capstone course that I will produce my first, professional research poster. Posters are an effective way of presenting information to a large conference of people. They must captivate the eye, and summarize your objective and findings in an attractive, direct and complete manner. This requires that you have subjectively summarized your work, leaving only the main points on the poster, while including enough for the reader to have a thorough understanding of what exactly it is that you did. Information must then be organized, and presented in an appealing manner so to catch the eye of every passerby. What's excellent about this lengthy, precise process is that by the end of it you will know every inch of your work that when asked, you shouldn't hesitate an instant before engaging your audience in a more detailed conversation of your research!

Powerpoint or computer-mediated presentations are a very common way of presenting information. Here, presenters must be careful to avoid making their presentations too chalk-full of text, irrelevant data or hard to interpret data. If the wrong colors are chosen for text and background, this could also lead to a disastrous, ineffective presentation. Little factors, such as font type and slide backgrounds are just as important to the presentation as the factual texts on each slide. If you can master the art of both, you are on your way to being the deliverer of a great presentation.

The field of nutrition is a very dynamic industry. With ongoing scientific research, new realizations and proposed hypotheses, people involved in the industry need effective ways of relaying information amongst themselves and with others of different fields. Whether it be via powerpoint, Slideshare or a poster, professionals in my field need to be coherent and successful when it comes to delivering a presentation.

Speeches and the Nutrition Industry

Speeches and presentations are a great means of communicating an individual's knowledge with an audience. For this to be an effective exchange, the presenter must have a well formulated, organized speech, as well as be conscious of how she physically composes herself throughout the delivery. 

Speech is useful in the field of Nutrition when it comes to presenting research and translating nutrition jargon to a language that the public can understand. The public may not care much about nutrition, or feel no need to understand it. It is in my greatest intention to become a great presenter, in order to influence others to be interested in their own nutrition and health. This is my ultimate career goal, it is why I want to become a Registered Dietitian. Spreading the essential knowledge that is nutrition, showing others why it is important for them to incorporate it into their lives in order to become healthy individuals with an increased quality of life is my inspiration. 

It takes a lot of consideration to create a great speech. Organizing thoughts into a logical flow, while keeping it interesting, exciting and educational are what a good speech comes down to. After the speech is created, it is up to the presenter to carry the words into a motivational presentation that engages the audience and moves them. My classmate Naomi has done a blog post explaining the Pecha Kucha presentation method. This is a newer approach to presentations, each slide in a slideshow remains fairly simple and is only posted for 20 seconds. The aim of Pecha Kucha is to keep the presentation moving forward and only with the most important details being presented. The presenter must consider so many details before even uttering their first words in front of an audience. What they are wearing from top to bottom, how nice their hair is, and whether they have anything on that will allow them to fidget with is all taken into account before stepping in front of the audience. Aside from this, the presenter must take deep breathes to regulate their breathing, and be aware of a strong posture and a projecting voice. A great way to become relaxed in front of the audience is to introduce yourself and perhaps extract a few laughs from the audience while doing so, this may help take some unwanted pressure off.

Once these essentials are figured out, information may be conveyed excellently to the audience. It is so important for professionals in my field to be great when it comes to these basics of communication. The Nutrition industry exists because it affects everyone, in return everyone should be knowledgeable in this area. For this to persist, the knowledge from Dietitians and Nutritionists must be conveyed to the public. It is important that this conveying be persuasive and informative to engage all into our realm of nutrition. To leave on some final words, I will pass you on to Steve Jobs' speech to Stanford graduates. I was shown it in one of my business classes at the University of Alberta and it is one of the speeches that I will always remember:

Creating my Facebook Business Profile

I have just finished creating a new Facebook profile and page for my business self. It was a great experience and I find myself surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. Starting out, I couldn't help feeling like I had no clue what I was doing or if it sounded too dry and at times too silly. I hope it is effective in providing some insight into what kind of employee I am, as well as a taste of my personality.

My classmate Mareli has posted an example of a realtor's Facebook Business profile on her blog, check it out to get an idea of where to start. Here is a screen shot of my new Facebook page, and here is the actual page on Facebook, let me know what you think!

The impact of Facebook in business and careers today is profound. Employees and Interviewees are changing their privacy settings to reveal next to nothing. People are getting fired for posting comments about their bosses on friend's walls, or for inappropriate photos taken on the weekend. Facebook is a great way for an employer to find out just what sort of person you are, or at the very least what sort of person you wish to be portrayed as. While creating my business profile, I considered this and made sure to portray myself in a professional manner, while letting some individuality shine through as well. Every word I typed, every page I "liked" and "favorited" on my business profile was thought about several times. I want my potential employer to see how devoted I am to my field of Nutrition, and also that I am a fun and outgoing person on top of that. 

My ultimate goal was to get the reader (potential employer) thinking "She sounds like an enthusiastic Nutrition Nut, but a competent, fast-learning and effective worker as well". I believe that having a positive attitude and great personality is just as important to an employer as are your work skills. Overall, making a business profile was a great experience. Every step I considered that this wasn't just another Facebook page, it could be setting me up for my future position. 

Introduction Post

Hey there!

My name is Annalise, I am currently in my fourth year at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Specializing in the Nutrition Program, I am still aiming high to graduate a Registered Dietitian. I simply love food, there is no other way to put it. I love eating, cooking, tasting, savoring and even analyzing the science behind food. Health and fitness really interest me as well. Running triggered my interest a couple years ago, and some time before that working out began to pull me in as well. I live a life that is based around my field of study, and I mean that in the best possible way. My love of food since birth and my newly discovered passion for the body's health and fitness have brought me to who I am at present. With a kitchen stocked full of fresh produce & farmer's market meat, a drawer designated to workout wear and two pairs of running shoes - that's my life today. 

Social media has really boomed over the past decade. I remember being in Grade 10 and thinking I wasn't allowed to join Facebook because my sister told me it was for College students. Today, ten year olds now have Facebook accounts. My personal experience in using Twitter, blogs and podcasts have proved just how effective the Nutrition community can be when using these tools. For example, on Twitter I follow Monica Reinagel ( @NutritionDiva ) a licensed Nutritionist. She links articles to my feed, which I may read if they interest me and tweet back at her if I have any questions. This type of communication is so easy and accessible, I have advanced my knowledge in many areas of Nutrition and Food simply by following one Nutritionist on Twitter. 

For those who don't like to read, there are podcasts. Fortunately, my favorite Nutrition Diva also has her own podcast ( Nutrition Diva's Quick & Dirty Tips ). With this type of social media today, I can now tune in to programs in my field of interest as opposed to listening mindlessly to another song on the radio. 


Another advance that communication offers the Nutrition industry is the ability to post surveys and questionnaires on blogs or Facebook. Offering these surveys to an entire network of online profiles will yield great feedback about what the everyday consumer wants. This will give Nutritionists an idea of what areas they should be focusing on most in terms of relaying information to the public. An example of this is the ALES 204 survey posted on the blog. Hundreds of students filled out this survey, leaving the blogger with a better understanding of their audience. 

New types of communication, available through technology, facilitate a Nutritionists' access to the public and vice versa. For example, I can connect with my classmate Michelle by accessing her blog online. Here, I have the opportunity to learn about her interests and we can pass information back and forth using comments on each other's blogs. However, personal interaction will always play an important role in my profession. Nutritionist's must meet their clients in person in order to assess the patient and establish a trusting relationship. This may only be done in a personal setting, and wouldn't work over other methods of communication. 


My profession definitely benefits from the social media that modern technology has provided for us, but will continue to use traditional means of communication as well.