Finish Prezis. Speeches start Tuesday.

I now have your outlines, and we got time today to begin working on our Prezis. Looks like you all are well on your way to being prepared to speak on Tuesday.

Remember to practice your speech out loud using the Prezi. Time yourself to make sure you'll hit the 4:30 to 5:30 minute time frame. A five minute speech is what we are looking for.

If you have any questions, post them on our Facebook group or email me. Watch this video too. I like how Ayah uses her visual presentation aids.



Have a great weekend!

Finish Outlines and Focus on Visuals

Today we got some good feedback on our outlines and learned how the class will be set up. As part of our discussion, we decided to move presentations to begin on Tuesday, October 2 in exchange for only using Prezi as our visual presentation aids.

Finalize your outlines, print them, and bring them to class on Thursday. Make sure to attach your draft (which we worked on today) to your final outline. 

I know a few of you are struggling with Prezi, so I want to use Thursday as a visual workshop. To be prepared, gather all the video and photos you'll need and have them ready to use in class. I'll go over Prezi again, show you some ways to organize your presentations, and show you how to edit videos you upload on YouTube.

To prepare for class, watch this video and think about the power that effective visual communication has with an audience.

Have a great Wednesday!

Let's get those Outlines finished

I am happy to find I have lots of draft outlines emailed to me today, and I'm doing my best to respond to you as I travel and attend/present at the Georgia International Information Literacy Conference.

Keep polishing your outline for class on Tuesday; that's when your final outlines are due.

For Tuesday's class, I want you to read Chapter 9 in your book. Focus on integrating supporting research--I see many of you are struggling with this. Also, watch this video (see below). Consider how Marcin organized his speech. How did Marcin attempt to capture the attention of his audience?



Have a great weekend.

Let the Research Begin!

A big thanks to the Noel Studio's Trenia Napier for showing us the library's website and offering an orientation on the Noel Studio. I also was impressed by the Special Collections Librarians presentations. You know, both Trenia and the other librarians gave an informative speech, just like we will be doing!

Remember, for the Informative Speech, I'll be looking for at least three sources.  

I will be traveling to a conference on Thursday, so don't come to class. Use that time to conduct research and/or write a draft of an outline.  

By the end of class on Thursday, I want you to email that outline draft to me (shawn.apostel@eku.edu). I also want you to read Chapter 13. Focus on learning style and strategies to maintain interest. As you write your email to send me the outline draft, tell me how you will attempt to get your audience interested in your topic. If you are not sure, use the email as a brainstorming session and tie in concepts from your readings.

Check back on the blog Thursday night or Friday. I'll have a new assignment posted then. 

New tribes new topics

We pushed Edistorm to the limit today. Thanks for enduring the chaos. Now we know that Edistorm works great for sharing ideas and getting feedback, but not so great for having 20-odd people categorize and find connections. Lesson learned.

Now that you are in new tribes and sitting around new tables, I hope you will work closely on research and sharing ideas for attending to the needs and interests of your audience. You will all face similar challenges, and one person's idea can inspire you to really have fun with this assignment.

For Tuesday's class, I'd like you to read Chapter 7 in your textbook. I think the entire chapter should be helpful for you as you begin thinking about this next, informative speech. I also want you to watch this video (see below)--which reminds me, to some extent, of our Edistorm session today. Consider how Candy organizes her speech.

Remember on Tuesday we will have librarian--my colleague at the Noel Studio Trenia--to help you find sources for this speech. We will meet in the classroom, talk with Trenia, then head over to the library to see the Noel Studio and visit the Library's archives.  



Have a great weekend! 

Claim your monument

What a busy agenda. Thanks for keeping up. There was so much to accomplish today, and I'm really pleased with our progress. We listened to speeches, looked over the grading rubric, discussed the outline process, and watched and reflected over our first speech.

As you know from class, our next (informative) speech will be on a monument here at EKU. I want each of you to find your own monument to talk about. Once you get an idea, post it on our Facebook group. The first person to post the idea get's the topic. I define "monument" as a plaque, marker of some sort, or statue. If it's not one of those, run the idea by me first.

For Thursday, I want you to read Chapter 4 in your book. Focus on "assessing audience reaction." I also want you to watch this short video. As you watch, consider how Fabian is making technology adapt to the user and think about how we as speakers can adapt to our audience. Do you see any connections with what you read in Chapter 4 of our textbook? I see some.



Have a great Wednesday!

It's time to get informative

We made great progress on Thursday getting our first, introductory speeches--for the most part--completed, and I hoped you learned from experience what worked and didn't work so well in this new environment. We will reflect on our speeches in class on Tuesday and will also begin thinking about our next assignment: the informative speech.

For Tuesday's class, I'd like to you skim chapter 5 of the book. As you browse consider the advice the book gives on strategies for coming up with a topic. We'll talk about the informative speech assignment on Tuesday, but I'd like you to know ways to find topic ideas before class.

As you know, I like speeches that tell stories, so I want you to watch this video (or see below) before class. Consider how Eva came up with research ideas. How does her speech, which is informative, differ from the typical informative speeches you hear in class?


Have a great weekend. 

Prepare for the first, informal speech

Today we watched Lewis Pugh's mind-shifting Everest swim Ted Talk and provided feedback during his speech. This was good training for our speeches tomorrow. Even as audience members, you will be participating by providing descriptive, specific, positive, constructive, sensitive, and realistic feedback to your classmates as they present.

As I walked around today, I noticed that you all had a working Prezi and that each group member had a meme ready to show the class. As you prepare for Thursday, consider the difficulty in talking for 2 to 3 minutes on your meme. I encourage you to think about an event or situation that explains why you chose your meme. Have a brief outline so you don't forget what to say.

Here is what I'll be expecting to hear from your groups:

1. A quick intro and overview for the group (15 to 30 seconds)
2. Smooth transition to first speaker and speech (2 to 3 minutes)
3. Smooth transition to second speaker and speech (2 to 3 minutes)
4. Smooth transition to third speaker and speech (2 to 3 minutes)
5. Smooth transition to fourth speaker (if applicable) and speech (2 to 3 minutes)
6. A quick closing statement and thank you (10 to 20 seconds). Do not ask for questions--there's no time.

Have a great Wednesday. Let me know if you have any questions.