As my internship comes to a close, there are a few points I’d like to discuss. First, the challenges. This internship experience was one of my first experiences creating content for professional expectation. Throughout my time in undergrad as a communication student, I have been creating and curating content for a grade. This differs from professional expectation. The content and videos I have created are out there and on the internet forever, as tools for not only Longwood students but college students across the nation. This adds a certain amount pressure that I did not experience in the classroom. My name, credibility and skills are in the hands of an audience I will most likely never meet. So the challenge of creating videos has gone from a learning process, to real world application. Combining the theories and technical skills I’ve learned to create educational content. Apart from the content itself, a skill that I previously underestimated was time management. Personally I believe this skill is what differentiates a great employee from a mediocre one. I have not mastered the skill of time management but I have gotten a better grasp of it. This was a huge challenge for me, learning what methods work best for me and how to create a timeline and stick to it. The other main challenge for me was mastering the technology I was teaching. Some of the topics I discussed I already understood, but many of them I did not and learned for the first time. This was sometimes frustrating because if I did not understand the object I was teaching then I could not teach it to it’s full potential. Often times I had to do hours of research before I truly understood the entire subject.

The next topic I want to discuss are the skills I’ve learned and how this internship has effected my career search. One skill I’ve become more comfortable with is the video capture and editing. This was the base skill of the entire internship. The theoretical aspects make the videos better, but If I cannot make the videos then it doesn’t really matter. So becoming more comfortable with editing softwares was something I wanted to get out of this internship and I believe I am more well-versed with the editing technology than when I first started. Another skill I’ve developed throughout my internship is understanding my role as an instructor and full-filling that role. Much of what I’ve come to learn about instructional videos, came from my online classes. I often found myself rewatching online lectures to better understand the process. I believe in the end I have come to understand the importance of the instructional tone and planning the tutorials. As for my future career endeavors, this internship has taught me that there are always going to be people who need help. There will always be a market and audience for niche tutorial videos. I had to do my own research and sometimes that meant watching other tutorial videos on Youtube with millions of views. People are making legitimate money doing the same thing I did this semester.

Overall I believe I achieved most of the goals I set for this internship. One of my main goals was creating a tutorial people are actually going to use.  Around week five, I created a tutorial video on the graduate writing center. Many graduate students are older and did not see the digital integration that has taken place since they graduated, so they have a harder time grasping these digital academic tools. Longwood took this video and posted it on their website because so many student were having troubles. This gave me a sense a fulfillment, because one of my videos was actually being used. Another goal of mine was to become better at managing my time. Although I have not mastered this skill to it’s entirety, I believe I have a better understanding of professional time management and it’s importance.

Finally, my internship supervisor was a great mentor to me. She believed in my capabilities and taught me how to be a better educator. She was behind me the whole time, providing me with opportunities to showcase my work. She is sharing all my work with her faculty peers as well as putting my videos on her youtube channel. She was uplifting and catered to my needs but at the same time made sure I was on track. She was also a good role model, she works hard and loves the students she teaches. Seeing that love for education made it easier to do the work I was tasked with. I would definitely recommend that more communication students ask to work with her and she’s already looking for another intern next semester.

Some examples of my work:

Video Title: How to embed a presentation

For this video I used the quicktime screen capture method to record how to embed and presentation into a canvas discussion. In the video I point out the steps as well as the importance and benefits of presentations. I had to plan out and write what I said before I started recording.

Video Title: How to Find Scholarly Article In the Greenwood Library Website

In this video I used the screen capture method to detail how to find a scholarly article from the library’s website. Similar to my other videos this took time to plan out and I had to restart it frequently cause it contains a fair amount of content. In addition to the steps I talk about what makes an article scholarly and when it’s appropriate to use for research papers. I also included how to use the quick “cite” icon that shows you all the different citations.

Video Title: Peer Review With a Rubric

Like my other videos I used the screen capture method and planning to create it. I detail the steps but also the importance of peer review and how it can help students preform better. This was an assignment specific tutorial so most of the content was laid out, I just had to put it all together and make it concise and easy to understand.

Video Title: Canvas Collaboration:

For this video I detailed the collaborations tool on canvas using the screen capture method. This was one tool I was not familiar with and had to teach myself. I outlined the steps and uses showing how this tool is beneficial to students and faculty.

Internship Presentation final

If you click the attached link it will take you to my Fall showcase presentation. I created a poster highlighting my internship and then attended a showcase and talked about it with peers. For this I used powerpoint and added QR codes so people could watch example videos during my presentation.

Two theoretical aspects of communication that informed and influenced me throughout this internship would be: Model of Persuasion specifically Ethos, and The Uses and Gratification Model, which centers around media.

The concept of ethos was something I kept coming back to throughout my internship. Ethos can be summed up as one’s credibility. When making instructional videos or teaching any skill, your audience has to trust that you are an expert worth listening to. This required me to understand and master the technologies I was teaching. I had to appear as credible. I did this by not only confirming the right steps to take, but why they’re important and how the technology can help students. For example: When teaching how to view assignment feedback based on a rubric, I did not only discuss how to find the feedback but why it was important for students to frequently check their professors responses. It has the potential to make the students not only understand the material better but their professors’ expectations. This brief explanation helps build audience satisfaction.

The second theory revolves around media. The Uses and Gratification model suggests that individuals use media to satisfy various emotional and intellectual needs. So when creating a tutorial, establishing those needs helps me understand my audience better. Students use the media I have been creating to help them better understand digital academic tools, that is their need. However, there is also a need from faculty. They need these tutorial videos so they do not have to explain the same steps to every student. So making sure that I hit every aspect of the desired technology was something to consider when making tutorials. Establishing the entirety of my audience and their specific needs, influenced the way I created my videos.

A few classes that have prepared me for this internship would be: digital editing classes, Persuasion Theory, Social and digital media technologies, and public speaking.

My digital editing classes have provided me with the skills necessary to use most editing softwares.  Not only the mechanics and technical aspects, but how to make videos look good so they are appealing to a specific audience. This class also taught me how important organization is when making videos. It’s very easy to lose material when you do not place and name files appropriately.  Persuasion theory, while it did not teach me any softwares, taught me how to understand my audience. This is a very important  and often overlooked aspect of creating instructional videos. You have to know what you’re talking about so your audience trusts you. Persuasion theory taught me ethos and logos and how to use them to my advantage from an instructional standpoint. This class also taught me ethics of persuasion. There is a method in capturing your audience, and you must balance your ethos and logos with ethical decisions.  Another class that has contributed towards my internship work is social and digital media technologies. This class made me more comfortable around a computer and social media, which is the whole nature of this internship.  Additionally, this class taught me about branding and honing in on your “voice”.  In making these videos, I have targeted a niche audience. Longwood University is now my public, so understanding that relationship has shaped my voice and the way I create tutorials. I’m not necessarily  marketing or using social media to create a profit, but understanding media technologies and the relationship with the audience is key.  Finally, a class that has helped me in my internship so far would be public speaking. I’m speaking over all of my videos and that requires confidence in yourself. Public speaking helped me gain that confidence and showed me the importance of writing out what you say before you say it.

Since my last journal entry I have learned a few things. To start it off, I’ve learned that I need to put more time into my work. When I take more time I not only understand that technology more but how to teach it better. So as I make the videos, I can self-edit as I go, rather than creating work as fast as I can. I’ve also been tasked with creating quizzes for each video. This process has taught me how to create the instructional voice better and create content that is easier to understand. If I cant answer my own questions I need to go back and add the needed content.

The biggest challenge I’ve faced is coming back to the internship course. I’m so hyper focused on the work itself that I often forget to log hours or keep track of assignments as they come up. I mentioned it in the last post, but time management is still an issue for me. I’m beginning to understand the importance of that process a little more.  I think doing an internship in the fall while still taking classes is a little different than a full time job or taking a summer internship because I can focus solely on the work. Where as in the fall I have to balance my senior classes with the internship workload.

That being said, being able to manage your time appropriately is an important skill in any field. This is one of the first times I’ve dealt with professional deadlines. Working with a deadline will help prepare me for future work that is centered around a specific time table. Beyond the craft itself of creating instructional videos, the little things are what I need to focus on, such as: going back over my work to look for any mistakes, clear communication with my boss or supervisor and keeping my content organized.

Perhaps my biggest problem is time management. This has always been an issue but this internship has taught me a lot about assignments outside of the classroom. I have to meet with my advisor once a week, to check in an update my progress. Going to these meetings with created content and a plan for future content is crucial. I’ve been learning how to meet professional expectations and talk to elders in a professional setting.

The nature of my internship is learning and mastering certain technologies and then creating instructional videos on how to use them. One consistent roadblock is learning these technologies for myself. Some of these are new to me, so in order for me to be able to teach them I have to master them. Another challenge is creating that narrative and voice within my videos without losing my personality. My aim is to make these videos easy to listen to and part of that by just being myself. Balancing that instructional tone with my own voice has been quite the task. Another challenging aspect of my internship is that sometimes I have to ask for help. In creating one video I had to do a live session with a professor. I had to go to this professor schedule dates and plan the live session so it could go according to plan. During that live session I actually learned a lot about the technology I was teaching, being able to use that content in order to create a well-rounded instructional video was challenging.

In terms of future use of the skills I am developing/mastering, I hope to being able to edit and create video content. I’m also starting to enjoy the instructional aspect of this internship and I think I have a good voice for these types of videos. Another skill this internship is teaching me is the ability to take an outline i’ve written and turn it into audio and visual content. I think this is a valued skill in the field of digital media that will benefit me moving forward

When writing a paper it can sometimes be very difficult to find the right tone to use to express your knowledge strongly and correctly within that piece of writing. Every piece of writing has a certain theme or subject you need to cover and the manner in which you cover this is tone. You can choose a formal, informal, sad, cheerful, serious, or even comedic tone; it all depends on you and the paper you are writing.

While you may think tone is not an important aspect of writing, it is actually one of the most important parts of a paper. Every piece of writing has a tone whether you tried to enforce that tone or not. This tone helps get your point across to the reader and it also adds meaning to your message within your writing. You do not want to give the reader the wrong impression on the topic you are writing about or on you as an author. This is why it is very important to find the right tone that will fit the prompt you are writing.

Finding the right tone for a piece of writing is like trying to find a good pair of shoes to wear for the day. You want the shoes to be comfortable and warm but you also want them to fit with the outfit you chose for the day. It is the same thing for writing! The prompt you are given is like the outfit you chose to wear. You want the tone to fit the prompt just like you want your shoes to match your outfit! You also want the tone to follow with what you as the writer wants to say and make sure the tone is not difficult for you to write in. This is like finding the pair of shoes that are comfortable and warm because you want the tone you chose to be comfortable for you and flow nicely throughout your writing!

It is important to think of your tone for any piece of writing you may be doing whether it is an essay, an email, or just a free response paper. All papers need to have a tone. Ask yourself these three questions and they will help you find the right one for your writing assignment. First ask yourself who is my audience? Knowing your audience is a very large part of finding the right tone. If you know who your audience is, your professor then can if your tone should be more formal than if you were writing something for a friend or only peers to see. Secondly you should ask yourself what is the purpose of this writing? Once you know the purpose of your writing and the point you want to get across, finding the tone that fits that purpose will be easier. Finally you should ask yourself what is the context of my writing? Knowing what you want to write or discuss within your paper can help you decide how serious, sad, happy, or funny you want your tone to be.

College Writing Guide – Citations

Imagine working incredibly hard for something, utilizing everything at your disposal and exhausting all resources to put together a fine finished product. Now imagine being publicly recognized for this finished product, and having to give an acceptance speech. One of the most vital parts of giving an acceptance speech is thanking your supporters and the people who helped you complete your product. This directly correlates to writing an academic paper and including citations. So I’m here to assist you on how and where to cite in your academic papers.

Because this is an overview on how to cite, we won’t focus on a particular format such as MLA, APA, or Chicago. Citations should be direct, concise and easy to find. Your goal is to lead the reader of your paper to the exact same source that you used. In order to do this you need to include as much information as possible about your source in your bibliography or works cited page. Look for the same bibliographic elements in your electronic resource as you would for a book, article or other traditional information resource.

Citations have the same three elements no matter the source: publication year, paragraph number, and paragraph number or page. The page or paragraph number where you find information is necessary for all quotations but is elective for summarized information.  Citations in your paper are required to provide credit to the proper sources; not citing properly could result in plagiarism.  Several useful guidelines for citing your work are to cite anything that includes actual statistics or figures. It is not necessary to cite common knowledge however you should acknowledge a source in each sentence that references material from a source.

• All citation entries should be listed in alphabetical order with the first author’s last name.
• If the same authors are cited for more than one paper having the same order of authors’ names, the papers should be listed in chronological sequence by year of publication.
• Authors’ names must be listed in the citation in the same order as in the article.

There are five important questions pertaining to citations when assessing your paper:

• Did I provide acceptable explanations for the cited material?
  • The cited material should demonstrate rather than substitute for your point. Make sure your paper is more than a collection of ideas from your sources; it should provide an original interpretation of that material.
• Did I begin and end my paragraphs in my own voice?
  • The introductory sentence of each paragraph should be your topic sentence, and the last sentence in the paragraph should conclude your point.

• Have I used the cited material to support my specific thesis?
  • All material that you cite should contribute to your main argument
• Have I used one individual source too much?
  • You may find one exceptionally useful study, however try to balance your references.
• Does my paper contain too many direct quotations?
  • While direct quotations can be useful for demonstrating a rhetorical choice of your author, in most cases summarizing the material is more appropriate. Using your own words by summarizing will better demonstrate your comprehension of the material and will allow you to highlight the ways in which the ideas contribute to your paper’s central argument.

When writing a paper the tone of the paper is extremely important. This article is going to focus on the difference between the formal and the informal tone. As well as discussing when to use these tones in your writing. Knowing when to use a formal tone for a paper and knowing when to use the informal is critical to college writing.

When writing using a formal think of it as if you were writing a letter to your boss at work. The paper will need to be respectful and written in a manner that has been written with a certain decorum that is expected in the professional world. Meaning that the formal paper will require careful revision before being submitted. Additionally formal papers will typically use verbs or phrases that would not be used in an informal paper. These are verbs such as “nevertheless”, “consequentially”, “In addition to”, and “in conclusion”   A formal paper will need to be written in third person, so it should not contain the words “I” “my” or “you” in it. The paper will also have to be concise and factual without any personal opinions or biases. A formal paper does not use slang either. Formal papers will often require the writer to put more thought into them as it important that the work appears polished and well thought, as opposed to an informal paper.

An informal paper is similar to talking to a friend or someone who you know personally. Writing an informal paper will not typically take as long as writing a formal one. In an informal paper it is appropriate to you the first, second, or the third person perspective. An informal paper may also use slang terms as well as, containing personal opinions and anecdotes. An informal paper may also include observations about the topic that are not strictly professional such as a statement about a person’s attitude or a comment about weather. An informal paper may also contain certain expressions and ever day phrases. Like saying “a ton”, “see you later” or “all the time”. In the college setting it will not typically be appropriate to write an informal paper.

Additionally it is important to note when it is appropriate to use the formal tone, and when it is appropriate to use the informal  tone. The informal tone is for when you are discussing things with people you know on a personal level, such as fellow students when working together on a group project, or when submitting a discussion blog post. The formal tone is used when you are writing a paper for a class or an email to a professor. It is important to note that many professors will not respond to an email of they feel it is not written formally, or respectfully. The difference between the formal and informal tones is similar to knowing the difference between formal and informal dress.

As an experienced college freshman, I know how important credible research will be to you during your college career and future careers. Making the transition from high school to college, there were many new aspects of writing that I had to learn. Finding credible research was one of these new aspects I had to master in order to take my writing to the next level.

Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Translation: if you want to back up your facts and offer insights, you’ll need to find information and scholars to support you. Finding credible research is like a scavenger hunt; you search all around for information until you find all the right treasures to back up your thesis. But beware: research can also change your opinions or point out how weak your argument is!

Here are the top five reasons credible research will be important to you:

1. Research gives your paper and your thesis credibility.
2. Research strengthens your writing.
3. Research makes you smarter.
4. Research influences how you think.
5. Research gives you something to fill your writing assignment.

What’s the difference between “credible research” and “research?”

Great question! The difference is similar to a real Van Gough painting compared to a forgery. No one wants to waste their time or money on a fake. Your professors won’t want to waste their time with your “fake” writing, so make sure any research you conduct and cite in your writing is credible.

Credible research is conducted using your university’s databases and scholarly journals. (At Longwood, you can log into My Longwood and get online access to credible sources.) You can also go to the library and use the sources there for your research. You can always consult with a librarian for help, too.

The Internet: Dangerous or Safe?

The Internet can also be a great resource, as long as you know where to look. Be sure to stay away from .com websites because information there isn’t guaranteed to be credible. Websites ending in .com are mostly trying to sell you something, so their information can be slanted or off-balance. Also avoid using Wikipedia as a resource. It might be a good place for you to get some background information, but you can’t count on it as being reliable because anyone can add information to the site.

Do look at websites that end in .edu and .org. The .edu extension means that the information on the site is from an educational institution, which means it’s credible. The .org means the information on the website is from a non-profit organization or trade association. This information can be considered reliable.

Don’t Worry, You’ll Do Fine!

By keeping these tips in mind, your papers will have all the information and back-up you’ll need to impress your professor. As a bonus, all the credible research you do will make both you and your papers smarter and your grades better.

You might be a little frightened by the sound of a professor saying “Research Paper”  and at this point you might feel like running out of the room and hiding. I know this from experience, because I was once in your shoes. The problem with running away is this is reality and as bad as you want to, you can’t. Your professors will give you the choice to write about a topic they have chosen, or give you the choice to choose your own topic.

This guide will give you advice on how to write about topics that are assigned to you by your professors and how to choose a topic when you have that choice.

If you are faced with the challenge of writing about a topic that is assigned by the professor, don’t freak out. Here are a few tips when you are presented with this challenge. First, do some research and get the basic facts for the paper you have been asked to write. For example, if a professor wants you to write a five page paper on global warming, research some basic facts, start brainstorming, ask questions and put all of your ideas on paper. The key to a successful paper is to find areas in the topic that interest you, create a paper based on the questions you have and observations you have made.

Example: Global warming fact from nature.org/globalwarming

• “Global warming is the increase of Earth’s average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth.”
  • Now ask yourself some questions about the information you have found, but remember to only answer the most important questions when you choose what to write about in your paper.
  • Question you might be curious about:
    • What keeps greenhouse gases against the earth?
    • How does global warming effect our planet?

Your brain is now thinking and you have questions to answer about the topic assigned.

That doesn’t seem so bad does it?

Now, what if you aren’t assigned a topic? Are you going to think about running away again? I hope not, so here is some advice on how to choose that ideal topic to write about. First, pick a topic or two that you are passionate about and pin-point your interests in the topics you chose. Later, pick the topic that best suits your interests based on the information you have found and the questions you want to answer. Picking a topic is like choosing a career in Welding, but you love Law. In order for you to excel in the work you do, you have to be passionate about what you do. Writing is the same way, in order for a Research Paper to be the best it can be, the writer must be passionate about the topic. Also, remember that the topic you choose is very important to the success of your paper.

For Example, I chose to write a research paper on stop-motion animation because it interested me.

• First, I defined what stop-motion animation, researched it, and then I started asking myself questions like:
  • Why isn’t it popular?
  • When was this form of movie first created?
  • What do other people think about it?

The paper turned out really well because I was interested in the topic. In contrast, if I would’ve written about football, the paper would have been awful because I am not interested in sports.

Lastly, remember that choosing a topic isn’t as intimidating as you may think, it is actually a way to prove to your professor that you can write a University level paper. The key to a successful paper is to make sure that you start early, choose a topic you are passionate about, brainstorm, ask questions and research. If you aren’t offered the chance to write about a topic of your choice, then find something that sparks your interest in the topic assigned and have fun with it. But don’t run away!

If you are curious about other ways to choose a topic go to:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Or click on the link that follows, which will take you directly to choosing a topic. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/03/

Best of Luck Class of 2018, You will do Great!