Project #1 Twitter
 Project #2 YouTube Video
Project #3 Podcast
Project #3 Memo – The Real Estate of Fear
Project #4 HTML
Project #5 Twine
Project #5 Proposal
Project #5 Schedule
Project #5 Storyboard
Project #5 Reflection
Final Reflection Essay
Pamela Drake – Final Reflection Essay
Managers have a responsibility to lead and motivate their staff effectively to reach their full potential. Being able to give and receive critical feedback without fear is crucial but managers resist giving negative feedback because they don’t want to hurt their employees feelings. Even harder for a manager is to criticize his or her own boss. This can be seen as a being insubordinate and have lasting effects. Yet, the only way to improve is to provide a clear picture of the situation and offer clear solutions to the problem.
This module is targeted towards managers and highlights important aspects of critical resolution. Even the best managers need to hear when things are not going correctly and need to be reviewed. The user will have a chance to engage in the module by first reading about the scenario of Roger, a middle-manager and choosing certain outcomes for a selection of choices.
Reflection
This project was once again a challenge for me. Yet coding is something I am interested in and the ability to create compelling webpages is a very useful skill to have. also creating something quite new using methods I have never used before really allowed me to push myself. My goal for this project was to create something that others could actually use and that would be of a help.
First of all, it was very helpful having a starting point. Developing on the idea of criticism was the starting point and made the process a whole lot easier. I knew that I wanted to create a training module but I wanted it to be a little different. So I decided to make managers the focus of my module and therefore, my target audience. These are managers in a middle-management position so they have staff who they are responsible for and a boss who they answer to. I wanted to not do the usual boss criticizing their own staff but investigate what a boss could do to criticize his or her own boss. I felt that this is not an issue commonly dealt with when writing about criticism. Â
Being introduced to Notepad ++ programming was interesting and I found that it was well suited the assignment and remarkably easy to use. Then came the challenge of using the Hypertext MarkUp Language (HTML) which I found to be very useful. First, I used the Dia Diagram to create a flowchart of my module. Secondly, I created a folder to store the code and began coding. I wanted to build a decent webpage that would really reflect my concepts of a module while learning the basics of coding.
I designed the module to start with an overview of the problem and followed by a scenario and several choices that the user can choose. Based on the choices, there are conditions to consider and outcomes for each choice. Although no answer is perfect, the third choice provides the best outcome.
The Real Estate of Fear – “Criticism”
To: Professor Ellis
From: Jodieann Stephenson, Samantha Pezzolanti, Pamela Drake, & Mariah Rajah
Re: Project 3 Collab. Memo “The Real Estate of Fear”
Date: 03/14/2016
Dear Professor Ellis,
After much deliberation and brainstorming we have come to the conclusion that this third project should be based on the overall arching theme of fear and how it plays a part in determining aspects of our professional lives. Since this project will be be both collaborative and non-fictional based we have all chosen issues which we have faced in our personal lives that we believe many professionals also face.
Jodieann Stephenson has chosen to take on the fear of public speaking and how it has affected her in such a way that she has gone out of her way to create a “persona” in able to cope with her speaking fear. She has even chosen a career of writing which will allow her to say what she physically cannot. Her Podcast will be an insightful and eye opening podcast about public speaking, anxiety, and coping mechanisms.
Samantha Pezzolanti has chosen to take the root of understanding the fear of change and how it keeps it sometimes keeps us grounded in one place because we fear the unknown of what comes with change. She explores this through her own life experiences and will illustrate ways in which to face this fear in many ways like she has. This podcast will allow for professionals to have another perspective on change and the way it can be seen as opportunity and not a rabbit hole.
Mariah Rajah has taken on the task of understanding and illustration the fear of leadership. In her own life she has been afraid to assume the role of a leader due to the fears of failing in the eyes of other and dropping the ball in that role. Her podcast will give examples of what she believes to be a good leader and will share her story of how she has even moved past her fear by assuming the role of a leader time after time. This podcast will be an overall look into leadership and the fears individuals can approach the role in such a way that they understand its responsibilities enough not to fear it.
Lastly, Pamela Drake will paint a picture of how individuals fear criticism, the way in which it affects an individual, as well as ways in which learning to make it constructive instead of destructive. Her exploration into the fear of criticism allows for her to relate to Ms. Stephenson’s podcast due to the fact that many of those who fear speaking fear being criticized for their voice. This podcast will reveal the ways in which a professional can understand the differences in critic and how the separate fear from it.
The podcast we hope to create will focus on these fears we speculate many professionals fear. We hope to produce an episode in which our audience can learn, engage, and realize that all fears are essentially inevitable but they do play a larger role in our lives that we may recognize. All in all we hope that this podcast will meet all requirements for the project effectively and our stories will be able to connect with not just an Openlab audience but a larger one.
The Real Estate of Fear – “Criticism”
This project is about the fear of criticism.
I will discuss what criticism is and how to overcome it by dealing with it in a positive way and turning it into something good.I will be focusing on criticism from a professional aspect.
As this is a collaborative effort, all the episodes will focus on the professional aspect of fear and attempt to have a cohesiveness to the episodes.
Beginning with a definition of criticism, I will discuss the barriers that many people encounter when dealing with criticism. I will refer to a research study that investigated criticism and what the research found. Then I will discuss the two types of criticism—constructive criticism and destructive criticism, what makes them different and what are the motivations for their approach.
I will discuss my personal struggle with coping with criticism and how it made me feel as a young person. I will discuss my challenges in Internalizing the feelings and how I overcame to be more professional and productive.
There will be two interview in the podcast where I will ask two people about their experiences of being criticized and how it made them feel. Then I will provide tangible solutions resulting from analyzing and evaluating the criticizer and the criticism.
I will conclude by reiterating that we have control over how we allow criticism to affect us and we should not be fearful.
9 Minute Version
7 Minute Version
This movie highlights the importance of good communication skills and what can happen when things are not clear. Good communication skills are key to connecting with other in life, work and relationships. Without effective communication, the true meaning of a message and can turn into error, misunderstanding, and lead to frustration.
Good communication is when both parties understand the same message and meaning.
Reflection
Making this short movie was fun yet challenging. Coming up with an idea was really hard because I know so much but could not think of one idea right away. I kept waiting for some magical inspiration to define my movie. I think if it was something I was constantly thinking about, it would have been easier but spent many hours just brainstorming.  After a while, I decided to think about what I already know and decided to use communication skill—the subject of one of my blogs—to formulate an idea.
Once I established a concept, it was easy to come up with an idea for the script. Deciding to use only two people was necessary to show how communication can become confusing and taken out of context. Also I thought it was good to include that we should not take anything for granted when communicating but question whether a connection has taken place.
As my original photos of Barbie and Ken dolls were not accessible, I decided to use PowToon. I found it easy to use and create content and story. The little animated figures were quite easy to set up but my biggest challenge was the timing. Having set the images first made the timing difficult to coordinate. If creating another video, I will narrate first and set the images to the narration. I also learned how easy it is to upload a video on YouTube and present is a viewable content.
The process has taught me that it take planning to create a video and that it is important to look at each part of the process before filming. The challenge of making a video that people will want to watch and make sense yet short and simple has helped me to build my skills. Also using a storyboard was instrumental to the process.
Analytics
My video has 11 views and I have four subscibers to my YouTube channel. In order to get this video to be more visible, I have added tags and shared it with friends.
Week 1 – Saw some quite terrible pictures of slaughtered animals (don't worry, I won't show them). Think I want to become a vegetarian tho.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 2 – I made a commitment to give up eating meat. Can I really do this? Wish me luck!
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 3 – Started by telling everyone of my decision. Either this is good or bad for me. What if a fail?
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 4 – Did shopping and switched my kitchen to a #vegetarian kitchen. Kids are mad but whose in charge anyway?
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 5 – So no more fish either this week. Why is it so hard to do this? How is it that some people make it seem to easy? I am doing it tho.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 6 – Brought #Tofu Food. Hate it with a passion. Didn't know what it really looked like until now. Never again! pic.twitter.com/ZTSMjwySJv
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 7 – Seitan General Tso chicken was better this week and it actually tasted like meat. pic.twitter.com/XC91Q5JCYH
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 8 – Really miss burgers so I made a black bean burger. Got this idea from a professor. Not bad. Will make again pic.twitter.com/EaU0Wl7iDZ
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 9 – Okay, nothing is working. It's been 9 weeks and I still want meat. Last chance. Will try a Shake Shack Shroom burger.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 10 – That burger was just too expensive. BTW, did you know that being a vegetarian is expensive. Killing the pocket and the appetite.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 11 – Family not with it either. This is decision time and I have to decide one way or another.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 12 – Feeling really bad about the whole thing. This week I decided to make a new commitment and stop putting on myself.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 13 – Instead of giving up meat all together, I will just cut down. What's wrong with phasing out meat slowly? Day by day.
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 14 – Decided to phase out meat one meat at a time. This is week one again. Brand new!
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
Week 15 – (Week 1 again) Victory – No more pork (this week).
— Pamela (@Pamela3506) February 18, 2016
This was a very engaging and interactive experiement. I enjoyed expressing myself through my writing the series of tweets and experiencing it through different mediums has made it more and exciting. It bacame a way of sharing my story with a larger audience who may be primary vegetarians and vegans, and secondary, really anyone who has an interest in making that change. Allowing my audience to know me in a quick yet personal way quite challenging. Also challenging was going beyond the limitations of Twitter to turn a few tweets into a powerful tool where the story is divided over several tweets while keeping it cohesiveness. Learning this technique has added a new dimension to tweeting and it made me look at tweets as not just individual messages but connected to a larger spread of information.  I feel that my experience was a success and the feedback was quite positive.This only makes me want to experience more in different ways. It was interesting to think that if the tweets were posted over several days or even weeks, would the audience come along for the journey? I also feel that the audience are now a part of a large collaboration with me and can engage in the writing, editing, publishing, and reading stories.
Being new to Twitter, other than using it last semester in class and previously for class projects, the idea of posting it all over and linking it to other sites is quite new to me. I posted 15 posts which contained 3 photos. I find that the photos increase the likes and the discussions even more than just the text. My analytics is low because I have a lot to learn about optimizing my tweets for user engagement but this is a challenge I will happily participate in.
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