Wednesday 5 December 2012
Amazing Race Canada
So it has been a while since I've posted anything on here, but to anyone who stops by, help my friend Krysta and I get on Amazing Race Canada! Give us a follow on twitter @BKamazingrace!
Friday 13 April 2012
Reflecting on ALES 204
As the semester winds down, it is smart to take a second and reflect back on what you have learned and will take away from your classes. ALES 204 was without a doubt one of the most different courses I have ever taken in my three years of post secondary. This was evident from the very first class when we were told to bring our smart phones and laptops to class, and encouraged to tweet during lecture! While this course was definitely different, I felt that it often was just reiterating things that I already knew, and did not overly need to be reminded of (stay professional when e-mailing professors, do not post things on Facebook you would not want your boss to see, etc.). Some of the material was helpful however, and it helped me to understand more outlets of social media.
Creating a professional Facebook page was one of the positive areas of the class. While I did already have a Facebook profile, I was not aware of how to create a Facebook "page". I feel that in the future more people will begin using this type of e-resume and employers will seek out this information when completing interviews. A second portion of the class that I found useful was learning how to effectively use Twitter. While I did have a twitter account prior to ALES 204, I was not aware of how much information you could gather from this source. It is truly amazing how much can be said in only 140 characters. Since being in ALES, I have been able to find tons of information about Human Ecology, as well as other scientific areas, something I honestly had no idea existed on twitter.
There were a few areas of this class that I did not find overly helpful, or informative. One of these was editing a wikipedia article. While I did not know how to do this previously, I felt that it was not overly relatable to my life. While reading Wikipedia is something I commonly do, I did not feel that editing an article was something that I will ever need to use again, and would only be something I could do in my spare time. A second portion of ALES 204 that I did not really enjoy was the linked in profile. While this is something students may one day find useful when they are in a professional setting, I do not think that it is relative to where most students are in their lives at this point. Considering it is quite easy to join and figure out, I felt this was not an effective use of time for our ALES 204 class.
One of the things that really enjoyed about ALES 204 was reading other student's blogs. Reading about the programs other people were in was interesting, and also helped me to find students that were interested in similar areas, and also were enrolled in similar programs to me. The five blogs that I commented on and also enjoyed reading were:
1. Shannon
2. Rheon
3. Julie
4. Pauline
5. Erin
Being in ALES 204 was an experience that has helped me to understand more about social media, and how to use it in a professional setting. While some portions were more useful than others, I think overall the course was informative, and has helped me to think of social media as more than just a way to waste time. It has been a great semester of learning new professional tools, and social media techniques.
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| Social Media (2012). [Image], Retrieved, April 13 2012, from: URL http://www.gettyimages.ca/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=creative&p=social+media&assetType=image |
There were a few areas of this class that I did not find overly helpful, or informative. One of these was editing a wikipedia article. While I did not know how to do this previously, I felt that it was not overly relatable to my life. While reading Wikipedia is something I commonly do, I did not feel that editing an article was something that I will ever need to use again, and would only be something I could do in my spare time. A second portion of ALES 204 that I did not really enjoy was the linked in profile. While this is something students may one day find useful when they are in a professional setting, I do not think that it is relative to where most students are in their lives at this point. Considering it is quite easy to join and figure out, I felt this was not an effective use of time for our ALES 204 class.
One of the things that really enjoyed about ALES 204 was reading other student's blogs. Reading about the programs other people were in was interesting, and also helped me to find students that were interested in similar areas, and also were enrolled in similar programs to me. The five blogs that I commented on and also enjoyed reading were:
1. Shannon
2. Rheon
3. Julie
4. Pauline
5. Erin
Being in ALES 204 was an experience that has helped me to understand more about social media, and how to use it in a professional setting. While some portions were more useful than others, I think overall the course was informative, and has helped me to think of social media as more than just a way to waste time. It has been a great semester of learning new professional tools, and social media techniques.
Friday 23 March 2012
Editing a Wikipedia Article
In a non-academic setting, Wikipedia is a website that I use quite frequently to find information whenever I have questions about random things (why do wolves howl, how old was Marie Antoinette etc.) I also frequently use Wikipedia as a student, to give me a jumping off point when I am doing research for assignments (although I do not use the website as a credible source, or as a part of my works cited list). Through completing this assignment to edit a stub article, I was able to finally figure out why my professors insist that wikipedia not be used as a credible source, or to not to use it at all.
Since I am in Human Ecology, a lot of my classes are food related but I also take many classes involved in textiles. I decided to try and find a wikipedia "stub" (basically an underdeveloped Wikipedia article) involved with textiles or fashion. I was in luck as one of my favourite gown designers Amsale Aberra (see below for one of her creations) was a stub article. A fellow classmate Rheon Fisher chose to do her stub article in the area of fashion as well. As I had never done this before I was interested to see what the process would entail.
In order to edit articles on Wikipedia, you first must create a user name and password. Once you have completed this step you are free to edit any page to your hearts content. This process of registering is good in the sense that it is easy, quick, and anyone can do it. However, the fact that it is easy, quick and anyone can do it, also contributes to the downfall of Wikipedia. The creators of wikipedia strive to have articles that are as accurate as possible. However, due to this simple registration process, an article that is considered accurate can easily be ruined by anyone. A ten year old boy who hates science can just as easily edit a science article as a scientist with a PHD can. Once I realized just how easy it was to edit an article, I was able to see how articles on wikipedia might have certain components which are not accurate, or even entire articles that are not accurate at all. Obviously when you edit an article you are likely using secondary sources to find your information. Unfortunately, adding references to a wikipedia article is not the easiest process and requires a little bit of code writing. For someone that does not care to go through this process, it makes it easy for people to plagiarize, or for people to add information without saying where it is from, as there is nothing on the editing portion of Wikipedia that makes it necessary to state where you obtained your information from.
While there are definite accuracy issues that keep articles from being considered scientific, I realized that Wikipedia does have staff specifically to review articles, as well as users that are always on the look out for incorrect information. Vandalism of articles is strictly prohibited on Wikipedia as well, which I think helps to keep the articles valid and organized. Overall editing this stub article was a good experience and I feel that by editing information that is within your field you can engage with it better. Additionally, people that are editing articles that are in your field are likely people that you could have something in common with. Through the message boards on Wikipedia you can network with people in your field, or who are interested in the same areas. While Wikipedia has a bad rap among professors, and I now know just how easy it is to edit articles, I will still use it and just remember to read the articles with a grain of salt.
Since I am in Human Ecology, a lot of my classes are food related but I also take many classes involved in textiles. I decided to try and find a wikipedia "stub" (basically an underdeveloped Wikipedia article) involved with textiles or fashion. I was in luck as one of my favourite gown designers Amsale Aberra (see below for one of her creations) was a stub article. A fellow classmate Rheon Fisher chose to do her stub article in the area of fashion as well. As I had never done this before I was interested to see what the process would entail.
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| Amsale Bijou Gown (2011). Amsale Aberra Website [Image], Retrieved, March 23 2012, from: URL http://www.amsale.com/bridal/bluelabel/dresses/bijou.shtml |
While there are definite accuracy issues that keep articles from being considered scientific, I realized that Wikipedia does have staff specifically to review articles, as well as users that are always on the look out for incorrect information. Vandalism of articles is strictly prohibited on Wikipedia as well, which I think helps to keep the articles valid and organized. Overall editing this stub article was a good experience and I feel that by editing information that is within your field you can engage with it better. Additionally, people that are editing articles that are in your field are likely people that you could have something in common with. Through the message boards on Wikipedia you can network with people in your field, or who are interested in the same areas. While Wikipedia has a bad rap among professors, and I now know just how easy it is to edit articles, I will still use it and just remember to read the articles with a grain of salt.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
A love of all things Pinterest
About 3 months ago a friend told me about a website called Pinterest. Initially I did not think very much about it and did not really even understand what the concept was. The website is basically a community in which members (who are "invited" by the website) can "pin" photos they like onto boards, essentially a giant tack board. This concept did not really intrigue me, and I did not think I would be interested in Pinterest at all. Was I ever wrong!
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| Pinterest Pin Boards (2012). Pinterest [Image], Retrieved, March 14 2012, from: URL http://pinterest.com/brit_s10/ |
Pinterest is a magical cyber dream-world in which you can pin everything your heart has ever desired. By creating boards (I quickly created 20 boards, as you can see in the photo above) such as "home sweet home", "parties I will plan", "clothes I love", and the ever important "shoes" one can view all of their coveted photos in one neat and tidy space. Admittedly I have spent literally hours on Pinterest, something that used to be reserved for Facebook only. Pinterest has actually been called the "New Facebook" by the New York Post in response to the huge popularity the site has experienced in a relatively short amount of time.
While Pinterest is a very fun waste of time, and a great way to procrastinate, it actually is an excellent way to communicate, both for leisure time as well as professionally. As a future foods and social studies teacher, Pinterest gives me access to ideas that other teachers have "pinned" and lets me see how these ideas worked for them in their classrooms. It also gives me an organized and safe place to store these ideas by simply creating a board for them. As I noted in my previous Introductory post, I am a major foodie. One of the main reasons I use Pinterest is to find great looking recipes, many of which would be appropriate for me to use in my foods classroom. Many of the images people pin onto Pinterest are from blogs, such as the one I am writing right now. By introducing people to blogs they never would have found otherwise, Pinterest opens up communication between people near and far and allows for sharing of ideas, photos, and videos.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Professional Facebook Page
Today in our lab we created a professional facebook page. While "professional facebook" seems like a bit of an oxymoron, I was interested to see what this would entail. We basically created a CV or resume on facebook, which as I was making it started to seem like a better and better idea. Facebook is one of the most highly used websites available today and it provides a huge resource for people to look at potential employers, as well as for employers to look at employees.
One of the main benefits of creating this "professional facebook" is that I have increased my hiring ability. Many times employers will search online and find less than flattering information on facebook about their potential hires. By creating a professional page with correct information on it, you can ensure that your employer gets to see the "you" that you want them to see. There have been many stories of people actually losing their jobs because of things they have posted on facebook. Here is a screen shot of my very own professional facebook page.
I am interested to try out this concept of an e-resume. One of the best things about an e-resume is the ease with which you can look at other people's resumes. It becomes really easy for employers to find and see it. To try out this concept, I took a peek at one of my fellow classmates professional facebook profile, Rebecca. Her profile looks great and gave me a few ideas of my own to add to my page! It will be interesting to see how having this e-resume/professional facebook will change how I apply for jobs and also look at potential employers.
One of the main benefits of creating this "professional facebook" is that I have increased my hiring ability. Many times employers will search online and find less than flattering information on facebook about their potential hires. By creating a professional page with correct information on it, you can ensure that your employer gets to see the "you" that you want them to see. There have been many stories of people actually losing their jobs because of things they have posted on facebook. Here is a screen shot of my very own professional facebook page.
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| Brittany Stewart (2012). Facebook [Image], Retrieved, January 25 2012, from: URL http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Stewart/217182998374411 |
Wednesday 18 January 2012
My First Blog Post
Welcome to my new (and first) blog! I have often read blogs and looked at them online, but had never considered creating one of my own. After joining my ALES 204 class I was given the opportunity to create one, so this should be a fun and enlightening experience I'm sure! I currently attend the University of Alberta. I am taking a combined Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology degree and am enrolled in my third year. I am extremely interested in food and nutrition, and the reason I am taking a combined degree is so that I can combine my love of food with teaching and work as a foods teacher. Eventually I would like to further my education and eventually get my masters in something food related but that will likely be a long time down the road! Some of my other interests/likes include spending time with friends, reading, animals, and travelling.
As I mentioned before, my interests are mainly involved around food. I enjoy watching the food network, reading food and recipe blogs (one of my favourites is called Slow Like Honey ), cooking, baking and pretty much anything involving eating! One of my favourite things to do is go out for dinner and try to find interesting restaurants that are off the beaten path, whether they are in Edmonton or places that I travel to. There is another great blog that I often turn to when I'm looking for interesting new restaurants called Eating is the Hard Part.
Within my fields of interest (teaching and good eats!) it is smart to employ effective communication. The ALES class that I am writing this blog for is really helping me to understand how many options we have in this day and age to communicate effectively. Before I joined the class I had facebook and twitter but I saw them more as tools to aid me in procrastination rather than tools of communication. As a teacher it is of extreme importance to continue evolving and expanding your education; something that can be achieved through using things such as blogs, or twitter, to see what ideas other teachers have had, or to share your ideas with others. Additionally, some of the best recipes I've tried out I have found on blogs. Through online communication the world is a smaller, more accessible place!
I am really excited to start blogging and feel like I will really enjoy it! All of my fellow students, such as Kandice have blogs as well so it will be interesting to see what they have to post about as well! So far I have found this ALES class to be one of the most relevant I have ever taken, and have loved it thus far.
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| Personal Photo |
Within my fields of interest (teaching and good eats!) it is smart to employ effective communication. The ALES class that I am writing this blog for is really helping me to understand how many options we have in this day and age to communicate effectively. Before I joined the class I had facebook and twitter but I saw them more as tools to aid me in procrastination rather than tools of communication. As a teacher it is of extreme importance to continue evolving and expanding your education; something that can be achieved through using things such as blogs, or twitter, to see what ideas other teachers have had, or to share your ideas with others. Additionally, some of the best recipes I've tried out I have found on blogs. Through online communication the world is a smaller, more accessible place!
I am really excited to start blogging and feel like I will really enjoy it! All of my fellow students, such as Kandice have blogs as well so it will be interesting to see what they have to post about as well! So far I have found this ALES class to be one of the most relevant I have ever taken, and have loved it thus far.
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