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Wednesday 25 January 2012

Induction New Students 24 January 2011

Induction 24.1.12 bapp


BA Honours Professional Practice (Arts): Induction January Starters
Tuesday 24th January 2012  Trent Park Campus Mansion Building


10am             Welcome and Introduction to Middlesex University
Room 218 (10am -11am)
Introductory PowerPoint about expectations of course; important dates, academic adviser role, the use of social media, the Programme and Module Handbook and online resources such as the BAPP

Read these.

11am                         Library Visit: Introduction to IT Literacy and Library facilities
Library Reception Trent Park (with Adam Edwards and Rosie Sinden-Evans)
PowerPoint available under the Induction tab.


12 - 12:30      Lunch
Student Union

12:30-1pm    Informal questions and enrolment issues
Room M209 (12:30pm – 3pm) also Avni Shah and Gifty  Ohemeng M219


1pm                Expectations of BAPP(Arts) Programme
Brief discussion about scheduling in time for the course (6 hours per week estimated as being required)

1 - 2pm          Communication/writing exercises
·       What’s on your mind? Drawing exercise (Paula)
·      Group activities: looking at advertisements for simple visual messages
·       A brief discussion about the use of effective writing on the course, and a 5 minute writing exercise

2 - 2:30pm    Introduction to the 1st Module (Alan Durrant)


2:30-3pm      Discussion of tasks and sample blogs
                        A brief tour of the BAPP(Arts) Libguide


3pm                End of Session



Wednesday 18 January 2012

Oral Presentations 30th and 31st Jan 2012 or therabouts

The presentations will focus on the main points from your inquiry and artefact - so some elements of the structure are 'givens' and reflect the style of professional practice - a bit of reportage in the 'design brief'  but also a lot of leeway for creative elements. This could mean, for example, mentioning points from the critical review such as your professional role, the context of the inquiry, tools used, findings and analysis and implications(added 20/1/12).


PLEASE ADD COMMENTS WITH OTHER POINTS THAT ARE HELPFUL...


As Natalie has said, it is your 'interpretation',  so like your blog, it should be done in to go over your inquiry and artefact but also to communicate what you want to communicate to your audience of academics and professional peers. 


It is about 10 minutes long... with Questions and Answers from the audience after that - you might want to mention some reflection about your learning for example. Like effective writing - it does not have to be dull!


Powerpoints are quite easy to do because  they have visual elements, but do not format them so much that you are in a strict regime of bullet points and reading out in a mechanical style. You can add performance related techniques if they fit into the over all ideas - the choice is up to you.

Some points to consider...

1. 1 minute per slide is a rule of thumb - think about how that is going to work - so 30 slides packed with text are too much - fewer slides and less text - simplify

2. Try not to use a font of less than 18 for visibility on PowerPoints

3. Some of the text right toward the edges may be difficult to read - but it is good to fill the slide.

4. Images and diagrams work well with speaking - you might have visual or audio elements but remember that some of these seem not to work on the day - the university's equipment might be older than what you have - so do you need to bring your computer? I will have my 2008 Office as a Mac powerbook on the day... and the equipment form the conference rooms at Trent Park.

5. You don't need to write down everything on a slide that you are going to say, but you can add notes to them that only you can see - you can prepare sheets about what you want to say.

6. Remember your audience - what will they be interested in - you have professionals and academics - try to represent your achievements but don't be afraid of adding some 'flair'. Sometimes people add performance elements, especially those that have been a part of the inquiry to provide evidence of the work being discussed.

7. Yes some questions will be from people that have read your inquiry - so yes be able to answer about the literature, findings and conclusions - so this 'viva' gives evidence that you have done a lot of hard work. What have you accomplished? How can your represent your artefact?

8. Rehearse in front of a colleague or friend - or alone - to get the timing and confidence up.


There are plenty of sites out there - I quickly googled a few and they are not supposed to be anything more than a quick search on my part... Most of all - have the final presentation be what you want it to be.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/presentationskills.htm
http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/present.htm
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/
http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/orals/
http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/powerpoint.htm
http://www.cheney268.com/training/powerpoint/powerpointtips.htm
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_bohannon_dance_vs_powerpoint_a_modest_proposal.html

Wikipedia UK in the dark 18th January 2012

Wikipedia UK is having a day in the dark in protest... http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/18/wikipedia-blackout-protest

Also - where to go for information - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16601517

Monday 16 January 2012

Dancer Comments on cruise ship accident

Rose Metcalf was a dancer on the Costa Concordia cruise ship and describes the accident and the crew's reaction. Refer to link in the title.

Also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16569082

Thursday 5 January 2012

Early January Reminder!!!

If anyone needs to talk to me please email, call or skype- especially if you are having difficulty with your 9th January submission deadline. Please let me know if there is something I can do to advise. I am not giving written feedback, but can discuss your work orally with you.

My best advice is to not wait until the last minute - and if your send in the work - use recorded post. The digital version is sent to BAPP@mdx.ac.uk

I am in the office all this week - Mon and Tuesday next week.

THE DEADLINE IS MONDAY by 4pm for paper copies (digital by 12 midnight officially).

I will be putting more information up for finalist Oral Presentations (for Module 3) shortly - so watch this space. If you have not booked a time on the 30th or 31st January- please do so...