Wrap up and Reflection

I have to say, your presentations were by far the funniest and most entertaining I have seen as a class. Nice work. And while your levels of project successes varied among tribes, I think you all learned about the complexities and possibilities of community outreaches as well as the importance of good communication skills.

Here are the questions I'd like you to answer for the final reflection paper:

1. What techniques did you use to prepare for a public speech when you first came to this class?
2. How did your experiences in this class change or re-enforced the way you prepare for a public speech?
3. What did you learn about communication in your final group project?
4. How did your past experiences in this class help you prepare for the final presentation?
5. What did you like best about the class? What should I change for next semester?
6. Anything else you'd like to say?

Email your reflection paper to me by or before 12:30 p.m. (just after lunch) on Thursday, December 15. Remember, there is no final exam in this class, so don't bother coming to class. Just email this refection to me. 

It was a pleasure getting to know you all. Visit me in the Studio!

Last Day of Class!

Tomorrow is our last day of class, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences reaching out to the community. 

I've pasted below the rubric we designed in class. I also posted a link to the actual Google document on our Facebook group, but thought I'd paste it here as well.

This project is worth 50 points. Here is how those points are distributed.

Tribe (20 points)

• Cohesion
• Time Limit
• Full Group Participation
• Entertainment Value 
• Interaction with Audience 
• Quality of Pictures/Video

Individual (10 points)

• Body Language
• Appearance
• Fluidity of Speech
• Transitions to other speakers

Classmates will evaluate speeches based on how engaged/entertained they were by the presentation. (10 points)

Tribes will also evaluate each other based on the work each tribe member contributed to the project. (10 points)

Remember, after this assignment you have one more reflection due before our exam time is over. I will post the questions on this blog. You need to email me your refection before our exam time is over. We will not meet for our final. 

If you have any questions let me know. 

Reflection and a Video: Kinda like dinner and a movie, but most reflections are not edible

While Tuesday's class didn't go the way I expected, I hope you all are figuring out more and more exactly how your final presentation will come together.  I'm excited to see what you come up with and hope you have fun communicating with your group and the campus/community.

Before your final presentation, I want you to watch your Persuasive Speeches and reflect on your experience and presentation. (You can come by my office in the Noel Studio with a USB Drive to get a copy of your video, or take your chances on the technology in the classroom to download your video.) Once you watch your video, write your responses to the questions below and give them to me on or before the beginning of class on Thursday, December 8.

1. Your Persuasive Speech was your third speech in the class, how do you think you've been able to progress as a speaker?
2. What do you feel are your strengths as a presenter? Give me some examples you noticed in your video.
3. What about your presentation style do you feel could be improved? Again, give me some examples you noticed while watching your video.
4. Based on what you noticed in the video, what steps do you plan to take to prepare for your final presentation in this class? Be specific.
5. What about this speech assignment did you find challenging? What did you enjoy? What could I do to improve the assignment for my next class?

Remember, we have one more reflection due by Thursday, December 15 at 12:30 p.m. (that's the end time for our final exam.) After your final presentation, I will post the questions on this blog. Answer these questions and email them to me before the day/time above. This will be your final exam for this class.

For Thursday watch this Ted Talk. Consider how the speaker uses video and pictures to help us understand his project.



Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Video

We had a good turnout in class today, and I think you all made good use of our time. Your tribe now has a speech outline finished, so you should know how your videos and photographs will be integrated into the final presentation.

Your outlines may change as your project progresses, but I hope these outlines serve as a helpful starting point.

Have a great turkey day on Thursday. I'll see you back in class on Tuesday. Until then, watch this video. Consider how Anna uses video and photographs as she talks about her project.



Have a happy Thanksgiving break!

Meet in Groups on Thursday and Syllabus Overview

I hope class today has helped you formulate your project and that you all are going to have fun applying some of the concepts you learned in our reading and class discussions to a small-group, community-outreach project and presentation.

On Thursday I'll be presenting at NCA, so use that time to plan or actually conduct your project. Here is the syllabus for the rest of the semester, so we all have a sense of where we are heading (please note, this plan may change):

Week 14
November 22: Discuss Ted Talk (see below for embedded video); In class composition of final outline; Final outline due by the end of class
November 24: Thanksgiving

Week 15
November 29: Discuss Ted Talk; Cloud-based software overview and workshop
December 1: Final Presentation Workshop - Meet in class

Week 16
December 6: Final Presentation Practice Run - Meet in class
December 8: Final Presentations

Week 17
Finals Week: Skill Development Self-Assessment Assignment due during exam period. Class will not meet for a final. Write where you feel comfortable. Turn in assignment via email before exam period ends.



See you on Tuesday.

A few things to do before class on Tuesday

Now that you know your new tribe and project (see blog entry below), I want you to begin thinking about ways that you will present your experience to the class as a tribe. I think the video below is a good example of a group of people having fun and then sharing their experience using public speaking, video, and photographs.

Unlike the video below, you will present with your entire tribe, but you will be using video and photos of your project to share with the class.

Also, as you watch the video, think about the unique ways Chris gets people's attention and makes people laugh. 

Remember, I'm presenting at a conference on Thursday, so be sure to attend class on Tuesday. You will have class on Thursday to complete your project. Tuesday, therefore, is a very important day to plan your project and talk about ideas with me. If, for some horrible reason, you cannot come to class on Tuesday, be sure to contact your group. Don't be left out of the project.

Since you'll be working in tribes to complete this project, I want you to read Epilogue A (pgs. 392-398) which discusses working in groups. 



Have a great weekend!

New Tribes: Here are the projects you've chosen

I'll post more in the next day or two, but for now I wanted you to know what projects are formed and who is assigned them. Congrats to those who pitched the winning topics. I think we'll have some good experiences and learn something about communication in the process. 

Be the Light
1. Lauren
2. Mackie
3. Liz
4. Michelle

Hypermilling
1. Ben P
2. Trevor
3. David
4. Hillary

Relay for Life
1. Molly
2. Cassandra
3. Ben W
4. Aubrey

Richmond Nightlife
1. Don
2. Sean
3. Evan
4. Malachi
5. Robert

Recycling
1. Micah
2. Matthew
3. Victor
4. Carmen

Ronald McDonald House
1. Kaitlyn
2. Bree
3. Chinonye
4. Shukura