Are You Information Savvy?: Communicator
You should be actively managing your online reputation. A good way to do this is to ensure you are intentionally and accurately communicating who you are and what you do in a positive way.
Before you share anything (pictures, a text, video, a comment), think about what could happen if others (e.g. employer, friend, grandma) saw what you’ve shared (both now and in the future).
If you’re sharing content from someone else or about someone else, consider their digital footprint. Is the content accurate and appropriate for you to be sharing?
Whatever you share, remember it can be re-shared even when you’ve limited the privacy settings.
Ensure you are adding professional and academic information, not just personal things, or clearly separate your personal and non-personal social media.
Use the Search tips to see what information exists about you online. It is important to be aware of what you post and share about yourself as well as what others may be sharing about you too.
Savvy Communicator: How do you share your work with others?
Why does this matter?
Being a savvy communicator is about having the skills and knowledge to make good decisions about choosing your audience and mode of communication.
Scenario:
You have an assignment to keep an online journal with your reflections about your Engineering internship. The instructor recommended that you use a blog for this activity. What considerations should you make before publishing each of your posts?
Tools for Communicating
Do you need assistance with specific software or technical skills? Check-out LinkedIn Learning* (formerly Lynda.com) an online training resource containing thousands of videos on the latest software tools and skills. All U Sask students, faculty and staff have free and unlimited access to this resource.
| Name of Tool | Description | Use For Communicators |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Slides / Slide Carnival / |
Slide creation and presentation tools |
Share your slide presentations or posters. Also a useful tool for creation. |
| Google Drive | A cloud-based storage tool from Google, which allows for synchronizing and sharing files across multiple devices. Includes Google Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheet), and Slides (presentation). | Can be a place to collect downloaded articles, images, or other files for later use. Folders or individual files can be shared with others as long as doing so does not violate copyright restrictions. Also a useful tool for curation and collaboration. |
| Google Hangouts | A Google communications tool that can be used for communicating via text, audio, and / or video. |
Can be used to communicate with team members for collaborating on a project. Livestream and record a presentation, even with multiple presenters. Can take questions live and answer them. Final product saved as a YouTube video. Also a useful tool for collaboration. |
| Templates* (from the UofS) | Various communication templates from the UofS | This site contains a collection of templates including Word templates, presentation templates, and research poster templates. |
| Wiki (Confluence supported at USask)* |
A web-based tool which can be used for adding notes, images, and links for individual, group, or public viewing. Can also be used for collaborating with others. Wikipedia is an example of this. |
Share your work so that others can access it and possibly even build upon it. Also a useful tool for curation and collaboration. |
| Blog (Wordpress supported at USask)* | A blog (short for web log) is an online tools that can be used for sharing reflections, news, photographs, and other pieces of information that others may comments on. It may be public or private. It can have more than one contributor / author. | Can share everything you create either through embedding or links. Also a useful tool for curation and creation. |
*Tools officially supported at the University of Saskatchewan
Resources for Communicating
Seneca College's Sandbox website has an amazing array of information (e.g. instructions, tips, examples, modules) on creating and communicating various digital media projects, including:
- Present Awesomely
- Digital Storytelling
- Student Video Projects
- Creating Infographics
- Simply Awesome Websites
- Creating an ePitch
- Creating Educational Videos
- Designing Digital Assignments
- Finding Free Images and Audio Online
Writing Supports
Writing Help Centre:
Visit the Writing Help Centre to receive feedback at any stage of your paper or project. The Writing Centre is located on the first floor of the Murray Library. You can also submit your work online and receive feedback within 24 - 48 hours.
Writing Centre tutors can help you with:
- clarifying goals
- improving organization and writing style
- learning how to outline, draft, and revise
- practicing the conventions of writing in a discipline
- noticing patterns of error in writing, which will help focus editing and proofreading
- understanding the rules of grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation.
Tutors cannot edit or proofread (i.e., correct the grammar and punctuation). They will teach you about writing using your work as an example of writing areas of strength and weakness.
The Writing Centre also offers many workshops and online resources.
Publishing
Publishing in USURJ:
Have you written or created a great research piece? If so, consider submitting your work to the University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal (USURJ). Submissions can include articles, reviews, artwork, and research snapshots
USURJ is an open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal featuring original artwork and scholarly articles by University of Saskatchewan undergraduate students. All submissions are reviewed by established experts in a relevant field. The journal is supported by the Office of the VP, Research and the University Library, including the Writing Centre. It is indexed in the DOAJ.
- Original student work
- All disciplines and professional colleges
- Single or multi-authored
- Co-authored (professors)
- Artwork and photographs
- Multimedia
- Research papers
- Review papers
- Research Snapshots: provide a concise overview of students’ ongoing work, its significance, and any preliminary results, but they can also take the form of a mini-analysis.
Presentations
Student Learning Services has resources dedicated to giving presentations.
The Undergraduate Research Initiative also provides a variety of introductory How-To guides on the following topics:
- How to Present Your Research
- How to Present Creative Projects
- How to Create a Research Poster (templates available from USask Marketing and Communications)
- How to Write an Abstract
- How to Participate in a Challenge
- How to Network during Research Events
Are you looking to present your research locally? Present your research at the annual Undergraduate Project Symposium (UPS) hosted by the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union. The UPS is an annual event highlighting the research, scholarly and artistic works of undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan.
Creating a Podcast
This blog post (from the University's Distance Education Unit) provides information for both instructors and students on designing a podcast for an assignment. There are tips and resources for students as well as information specific to submitting audio files via Canvas.