Module 1 BAPP Arts Part 1: Professional Communication

Dr Paula Nottingham BAPP Arts 21/1/17

Thinking about recent examples Professional CommunicationBAPP Arts + Arts

What forms of social media do you use?

How do you communicate as an ‘arts’ professional?

From the Module 1 Handbook• Part 1 Professional Communication

Technologies ..................................... 12• Ethical

Considerations ................................................................................ 13

• Overview of Tasks for Part 1 – Professional Communication Technologies 13

• TASK 1a: Professional profile ...................................................................... 13

• TASK 1b: Professional communication technologies ...................................14

• TASK 1c: Audio-visual ................................................................................... 14

• TASK 1d: 2d images ....................................................................................... 14

• Summary of tasks for Part 1 .......................................................................... 15

Tasks are there to help you go through the materials – they are not marked but the blogs = writing/ideas/mages/links that you do can be used as evidence of your thinking in the final submission.

In Part 2 reflective practice you will also be doing a private journal to add to your thinking on the public learning blog – but you can start now collecting things – and many are starting to take notes of interesting ideas – so part of the journal thinking about connections.

From the Module 1 Reader 1

• Different positions and interpretations (the discourses) ................... 3• 1. Architectures of participation ........................................................... 3• Other readings of

interest ...................................................................................... 5

• 2. Remixable data and transformations ............................................... 5• Further

reading .................................................................................................. 6

• 3. Harnessing collective intelligence ................................................... 6

• Further reading .................................................................................................. 8

The Readers have ideas to help you think about the three main topics – so Reader 1 has ideas about professional communication/social media/Web 2.0. You can also Google and use the library’s Summon tool for finding interesting ideas that relate to Module 1…

Professional communication is the 1st topic in Module 1 WBS3730. The idea is to apply the ideas to what you do in terms of communicating with others.

Professional communication has a lot on common with the other topics in Module 1reflective practice and professional networking

At the end of the module you will be summarising/synthesising your thinking about these 3 topics

Key words: communication professional language audience

How does this the way you do things affect the way you communicate?

Does social media make you ‘narrow minded’?

Theme for today Module 1?

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/22/health/facebook-study-narrow-minded-trnd/index.html

What does being a professional mean to you?

How does this affect the way you communicate?

In your own words…

Discussion points for evaluating/analysing your practice?

1.2.3. 4.

What does professionalism mean to you and how does this affect your communication?

Discussion about CVs or blog introductions….http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/modules-1-1st-campus-and-online.html

A great sources for defining what it means to be a ‘professional’http://devmts.org.uk/profnal.pdf Lester (2015) A music Teacher’s perspective for being a professionalhttp://www.thecuriouspianoteacher.org/home/being-professional-the-characteristics-of-a-professionAnd further a field – creative professionals ‘out there’ – how do they interact online (communication links to networking) http://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/2016/feb/05/how-should-we-support-creativity-susan-jones

To think about …

How do ideas, e.g. Reader 1 or other theories or research you have found, help your evaluate your own practice?

Professional + communication – your own definitions for both? How do they go together? What do others say?

What is Web 2.0? How does it operate in your professional practice?

Why should you and others on the BAPP Arts course know about it in terms of communication?

What is the Web?Why should we know about it?

Was the idea of the web invented?

Tim O’Reilly…… tries to explain what Web 2.0 is so that we will understand how we want to engage with it.

The ‘inventor of the web’ Tim Bernes-Lee is another good source. http://webfoundation.org/about/sir-tim-berners-lee/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9r72hv#zyf8d2p

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-price/netiquette-pointers-for-social-media-users-and-bloggers_b_7786356.html

Netiquette: pointers for Social Media Users and bloggers - most are very aware of being online

BBC Bitesize netiquette

New technologies are constantly changing…

Siemens says we can apply principles to our activities - Principles of Connectivism (Siemens, 2005). How do they relate to BAPP Arts? 1. Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions – BAPP Arts network offers differing ways

of seeing the world2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources – the web has many links to expertise

3. Learning may reside in non-human appliances computers! 4. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known – using ideas to think about our experience and practice

5. Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning – engaging with each other and those on the web6. Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill - awareness of disciplinarily, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity – we work in sectors but our knowledge can be organised as we need7. Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities - changing notion of knowledge – learning for the moment and future8. Decision-making is itself a learning process - Making choices for professional practice and the coursework for BAPP Arts  

Siemens, G. (2005) 'Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age', International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 3-10.

At the conference I went to in NYC in September 2016 called Designs for Elearning - Siemens said that today he is thinking about the well-being of those who are ‘connected’ and being “human in a digital world”.

I am using the author’s name when talking about ideas –! Think of publicity gossip – we like to know who said what!

http://www.slideshare.net/gsiemens/being-human-in-a-digital-age

Other recent slideshares

http://www.slideshare.net/gsiemens/presentations

3 main ideas in Reader 11. Architectures of participation

Ullrich et al. (2008) describes this process as the ‘architecture of assembly’ where the methods by which people access and use Web 2.0 platforms (such as Facebook) make ‘data and functionality accessible’.

How do you use the various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.?

Do you use them differently for you professional work than you do for social or private conversations?

2. Remixable data and transformations

Valtysson (2010) suggests that the blurring of the distinctions between the people who make media and the people who consume it encourages people to engage and participate in the media…

Many newspapers and television shows now have audience participation elements. How does this change the way that we understand the world? How do you engage with social media?

3. Harnessing collective intelligence

One of the many studies into the effectiveness of Web 2.0 in building and developing communities (Feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004) identified that Web 2.0 allowed communities to develop beyond their ‘existing professional networks’ and offer a ‘social space for people, strangers and almost strangers with diverse backgrounds to come together as equals, as generators of ideas, to deliberate and act collectively’ (Feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004, p. 38).

Where do you find your ‘collective intelligence’ on the web? Does the web help us understand global issues? Local issues?

NEW Discussion points from session to think about this study period

1. Many people use social media everyday – for personal and private use - sometimes separating separate audiences on different platforms EXPLORE MORE? What about your audiences?

2. Sometimes we – as professionals- actually look up directors and those with whom we will be working in order to “get to know their face” by recognising their online photos EXPLORE MORE? – How important is it for us to do our ‘research’ of others to find out who they are and what is important to them?

3. While communicating on the World Wide Web is important for organisations and theatre schools – associated with the ability to network with parents – sometimes older methods of communication like brochures or posters work well when there is face-to-face interaction and/or people who do not use platforms like Facebook EXPLORE MORE? What is your experience with using ‘old school’ methods

An invitation to add your voice to the debate Reader 1 p. 11 –

The Future of the Web: your own contributions to Reader 1 We realise on the BAPP Arts programme that the Web and the use of technology in professional practice is constantly changing…. As a part of Module 1 this year, we would like you to develop some additional thinking about the how the Web has changed and to gather some resources about the Web as it is seen and used today. If we all work collectively, the materials can be put up on our blogs and then be put into a future version of Reader 1. Please blog about your research on this topic during Module 1 and gather explanatory and critically engaging resources from thought leaders using public search engines like Google and Middlesex University‘s own library search engine ‘Summon’. We are looking forward to adding your sources and commentary to Reader 1 in future.

Back to the ‘future’ M1 blogs All the blogs are on Paula’s blog – send your address if you have not already

Paula’s blog http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk

Adesola’s tutor bloghttp://adesolaa.blogspot.co.ukAnd websitehttp://www.dancingstrong.com

Discussion from 21st February 2017

1. Social media makes business communication easier e.g. having separate accounts for personal/prof twitter

2. You can promote yourself 3. Ethical considerations – these are about how you think

about what you say and the permissions you have – e.g. using pictures of children or your privacy settings (this relates to the ideas of the web and the ‘human in the digital world’ (Siemens, 2016)

4. Reader 1 can be overwhelming! These are sample ideas that you can apply to your practice – so take them slowly and look at other sources of ideas for your arts sector

5. The idea of mixable data can be applied to your work6. Share the appropriate message to your audience e.g.

talking to parents - consider how you are perceived by others.

Discussion from 21st February 2017

1. Where do you get your news from? 2. Mobile phones and aps make communicating easier3. The industry is connected – e.g. casting directors - and

avoiding that ‘one bad ping’ 4. You can be involved in anything you want5. Collective intelligence compared to Face Book groups

could become ‘narrow minded’ (from previous article)6. Being paper-free also means everything is digital – how

is this for older people or those who cannot afford technology in our society (inequality in a global world?).

7. How is communication affecting this generation at work and in the personal domain? e.g. auditions are now online and instant – you have to see and answer calls continuously in your private time

Discussion points past sessions…

1. Blogs – the first part of Module 1 is in the first 3 weeks but the 3 themes go on throughout the study period – you choose when but the blogs go into the work that is presented at the end (in your online portfolio).

2. Look at others’ blogs as a reference and for conversations3. Professional communication – is it just online or is face-face

interaction/performance still important in your work?4. Personal space (e.g. FB) versus public professional online?5. Employers Googling you – is it fair that they use your online presence

for decisions about your professional work?6. Using ideas – use ideas form Reader 1 and simply use the author’s

names and dates when you mention the ideas (the essence of Harvard referencing)

7. If you have some ideas you need to look up – try Summon in the university Library – it works a lot like Google

8. Comment on others blogs – the blog list is up on Paula’s blog and on the BA Professional Practice Arts (135W99X) site.

Discussion points past sessions…

1. This new way of working can be a bit daunting – but it can also bring a sense of liberation – as you are at the centre – you can develop your ideas about your work in the way that you want to

2. Ideas are at the centre of the course – use the Readers, Google, or use ideas from your experience – relate what you do to the ideas in Reader 1 and the Reading list (online) because applying the ideas is how they come alive

3. Many have not been taught to do a CV – or have just done performance CVs - you might need to try a different way of formatting a CV if you are doing something different – like teaching

4. Hyperlinks to the sources – yes you can go to these and read the originals – or go online on the Reading list – you probably won’t have time to read all of these sources! But try a few. You might also have some good sources to share!

5. Tasks and blogs are not marked separately – so experiment and share. Waiting to put up your blog is fine in these first couple of weeks as you are figuring out what your bog should look like.

6. Talk to others on the course in M2 or M3 about BAPP Arts!