Posted on

Creating Our PRCA 3331 Final Exam

Together, we (the students and I) will create the final exam for the PRCA 3331 class at Georgia Southern. In class on Monday, students will choose which topic areas to write questions about. Each student will write at least five questions total, from at least three different topic areas.

Need some tips on writing multiple choice questions? HINT: Learning how to write good questions is likely to help you become a better test taker, too.

Posted on

PRCA 3331 Final Project :: Last Minute Reminders

For your final project in PRCA 3331, you are analyzing a Fortune 500 company. The project is due by midnight on Tuesday, December 2.

Here are some important last minute reminders:

  • Review the grading rubric to ensure that you’re doing everything you need to for the project. (And I’ll even provide 10 bonus points if you print and complete the rubric by circling how you’d grade yourself in each area and bring it to class on Monday, Dec. 1. You can assess the project based on its current, not final, state.)

If you are doing the blog version:

  • Respond to this blog post with a comment that includes the name of your Fortune 500 company and the URL to the “table of contents” page for your project. This is the ONLY way I will know where to look for your project.
  • Have a friend using a different computer check all the hyperlinks to be sure they work.
  • If you’ve pasted from Word into WordPress, ensure that no odd code came along with your words.
  • Proofread carefully. Use WordPress’ spell checker, but don’t rely on it exclusively.
  • Tags are required on each post.
  • Photos are a nice addition, but are not required.

If you’re doing the paper:

  • Remember to use APA style, especially for source citation.
  • Submit your paper via WebCT Vista.

Photo  Credit: String Finger Reminder on White, originally uploaded by Mike Dykstra

Posted on

A Unicorn in a Balloon Factory

If you recognized the title of this blog post, you must have already read Seth Godin’s newest book Tribes. And if not, what are you waiting for?

Seth has provided a free PDF Tribes Q&A book. As he says at his blog:

The Tribes Q&A ebook is here and it’s free

Dozens of volunteers, working together, put together this ebook:

Download TribesQA.pdf

Yours to share or print or email, but please don’t sell it or change it.

Not only is there a juicy insight on every page, but I’m comfortable saying it’s the best designed PDF I’ve ever seen, worth making into a template for your next project.

Enjoy it.

Posted on

PRCA 3339 Blog Alternative

As a project for Georgia Southern University’s PRCA 3339, you have two choices. You can create a brochure using InDesign as we originally discussed in the class. OR, you can add several postings to your blog that relate to the content of our PR Publications class. Please let me know your decision about the assignment by Monday, November 10, at midnight. (Comment on this post to let me know.) If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume that you’re doing the brochure as originally planned.

The Blog Assignment

  • Write & publish at least three postings of 200 words or more between now and the due date of November 21 at midnight.
  • The topics of your postings can range from using InDesign, using typography, choosing the best kind of paper, taking effective photos, storing photos online, pricing the printing of your publication using online sources, or any other topic related to public relations publications.
  • The postings need to be your original work (don’t copy and paste from another website or blog). If you use info from another site, be sure to cite your source. (No APA Style needed for this citation; you can just hyperlink to the original source.)
  • In each posting, offer at least two hyperlinks to relevant sites.
  • Also, comment on at least two of your classmates blogs.
Posted on

PRCA 3331 Final Project Presentation

IMG_8398 by JamesEverett.Develop a list of 10 Things We Should Know About _____ (your Fortune 500 company of choice)

  • The list can include anything that you found to be particularly interesting about your company.
  • At least one item on your list should revolve around career opportunities in corporate PR with the company.
  • Feel free to be creative with your title.

Create a PowerPoint presentation.

  • For the title slide, include the company logo and your name.
  • Rather than making bullet points of your things we should know, instead use photos to represent the ideas. (Please use some key words as titles on your slides, to help provide some context.)
  • One of the best places to find photos is in Flickr.
  • If you use photos that are not your own, include a photo credit at the bottom of the slide (like I did on this slide).
  • On the final slide, provide your contact information (name, blog URL, and perhaps your LinkedIn profile URL — please don’t show your phone number or e-mail address)

Embed your PowerPoint presentation in your blog (for 10 pts extra credit)

  • Save your presentation in PowerPoint 2003. (SlideShare does not yet support the newest release of PowerPoint.)
  • Go to SlideShare; join SlideShare if you haven’t already done so.
  • Upload your presentation to SlideShare.
  • Find the embed code at SlideShare, and embed your SlideShare into a blog post.
  • Publish your blog post.
  • NOTE: You should add this blog post to your “table of contents” page for your final project.

Prepare and deliver your 4-6 minute presentation, using these tips.

  • Never let your audience see you navigate to your file. Have the projector’s picture muted until you are ready to show your slides.
  • Speak to your audience, never to the screen or monitor.
  • When you’re not using your presentation, press B to blacken (or W to whiten) the screen. This helps the audience to focus on you, not the screen.
  • Additionally, here are some general tips I share in my public speaking classes.
Public Speaking Tips
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: presentations speaking)

 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameseverett/2533124025/

Posted on

Twitter in the Classroom :: An Interview

In September, my Corporate PR students at Georgia Southern University were given the One Week of Twitter Assignment. In October, they blogged about their experiences with Twitter. A Canadian educator who I’m connected with on Twitter read my post “One Week of Twitter :: Revisited,” commented on it, and coordinated a time with me to discuss the assignment.

Rodd Lucier, an educator from Komoka (Ontario, Canada) and host of the Teacher 2.0 podcast, called me via Skype yesterday afternoon. I’ve been a subscriber to his podcast and blog (The Clever Sheep) for about a year now. Though the focus of his podcast and blog tends to be more for K-12 educators, I never fail to learn something from him every week. If you’re ever looking for someone who is stellar at making analogies, listen to Rodd’s podcast. He finds a way to connect things in our everyday lives with technology.

Listen to Rodd’s Twitter in the Classroom podcast episode here at my blog, or better yet, subscribe to Teacher 2.0 through iTunes.

A note: if you ever plan on using Skype or another VOIP service for an interview, be flexible and creative. Make plans for what to do if/when the call drops. Our call was disconnected no less than a dozen times during the 30 minutes we spent together. I was quite glad that we were not trying to do this interview live, in front of a classroom. Rodd was able to stitch together the many bits and pieces of our interview.