Lately, everyone has been talking about Twitter.I’ve heard about it from friends, family, and instructors.While I was initially resistant to the idea of posting updates about what I was doing all the time, I’ve begun to warm up to the idea of Twitter. It could be a great way to get my name out there and let people know that I am searching for a job in the publishing industry.
Twitter is a free social messaging tool that allows people to stay connected.You can update your status on your cell phone, instant messenger, or through the twitter website.To create a twitter account you simply have to give your email address and come up with a username that isn’t already in use.Once you have an account, twitter helps you search for people you know by accessing your friends and contacts on msn messenger or hotmail.As well, twitter gives suggestions for people you could follow.Some of those people include well-known bloggers and celebrities.
Here is a video that explains Twitter in plain and simple terms.
Twitter allows you to follow people even if you don’t know them.Depending on the person’s security settings, you may have to send a request to get their permission to follow them, but most people will allow access.To “follow” a person means that you will receive notification when they update their status on twitter, also known as tweeting.A tweet is a text post of 140 words or less. I just created my twitter account and am looking forward to searching for people to follow.More updates will come later as I attempt to tweet and follow others. Do you use twitter? Have you found it helpful in your professional life?
Over the past couple of months I have been learning about various online tools that will assist me in my future career.One of these tools, which is my favourite and has proved to be the most beneficial, is the wiki.A wiki is a way to share files between users.You can password protect your account so that only the people who have the password have access to your wiki.As I’ve mentioned before, I am a student in college and I do a lot of group work.Before I was introduced to the wiki, my group members and I were constantly e-mailing our work back and forth to each other causing my inbox to always be full and clogging up my folders.Once we learned about using wikis we were able to create our own account and post our work there.We can view, comment on, and edit each other’s work once it is posted.Now, instead of a constant barrage of emails, I am emailed once daily if our group wiki has been changed.
Pbwiki is a website that allows you to create a wiki for your company or group for free.Using the wiki is an easy process that even I was able to master.You are able to make folders and separate pages for as many categories as you want, and can upload, edit, or delete files.The wiki’s recent history is listed on the first page once you sign in, so you can see what the other members of your wiki have done. If you do have difficulty understanding how to work the wiki, here is a video that explains it all in plain English.
Anyone who uses the internet is aware of Wikipedia.It is a “free encyclopaedia that anyone can edit” and is probably the most well-known instance of the use of a wiki.
The wiki has completely changed the way I do group work and I would highly recommend checking it out if you find yourself bogged down with emails when working with others. Comment and let me know if you found using a wiki helpful.
Annick Press publishes picture books, fiction and non-fiction titles for children, young adults, and teens.Their company mandate is to provide “Excellence and Innovation in Children’s Literature”.
Overview
The website offers the user important information regarding the titles in Annick’s catalogue.The price, size, and format are all listed when you click on each title to learn more about it.As well, the number of pages, the age range for which the book is targeted, and the ISBN numbers are all stated.For most books, a few lines of text regarding the author’s background and bio is given, as well as links to the author’s other titles.In addition to this information, there are excerpts from the book and reviews from other authors and well known media sources.All of this information is important when viewing the books from a marketing perspective.It is well organized and easily accessed upon arriving at the homepage.
Web 2.0 Features
The website for Annick Press is extremely user-friendly and provides the browser with a multitude of different web2.0 features including podcasts, videos of trailers and author readings, and blogs.The user is able to access information quickly by utilizing the top menu and sidebar.I think it is important to note that there is information available specifically for teachers if they were to use one of Annick’s titles is the classroom.Supplementary information for lesson plans and suggestions on how to use the book in the classroom and where it can fit into the curriculum are particularly helpful.
Branding and Marketing
The company’s mandate is to provide innovative and excellent children’s literature.The website sells the company’s overall message that they are the place to go for great children’s books.Annick focuses on the quality of their books and the information that they offer to the reader.They have many books listed and allow the user to access this information through the books’ topics, authors, or age groups.As well, there is a search engine available that pulls up any book even remotely connected to the terms used when searching.Because the books are so accessible and easy to learn about, it really promotes the idea that Annick is the go-to place for children’s books.
The language of the website is primarily intended to inform the browser.The site does not pressure the user into purchasing.Annick Press uses the website as a tool to inform the user of the quality and content of their books.Each book is given equal space on the site and there is detailed information regarding each title.By informing the user of information such as awards that the author has won or ideas on how to use the book in the classroom, Annick is instilling the idea that their books are superior and offer more to the reader.This in itself is a marketing tool.Annick is not selling their books to the user in an obvious way, but they are creating the mindset in the user that Annick Press offers the best children’s books.
Graphic Design
From a graphic design viewpoint, the website could make a stronger marketing impact if they increased the size of the images showing the covers of their books.On the homepage, and even when you click on the books to read more information, the image of the cover is quite small and can be difficult to see.Sometimes it is hard to read the full title or to decipher the images.If they were to increase the size of these images it would allow the user to view the cover more easily and therefore they are more likely to remember the cover.This way, when a consumer is browsing in a bookstore they are more likely to recognize a cover of an Annick title and recall what the book is about and that they were interested in it.
Why you should care that your children are no longer learning cursive writing.
As of 2006, the Ontario Ministry of Education changed their curriculum guidelines regarding Language Arts in the primary grades.The first mention of cursive writing now occurs in the grade three writing section.As a specific expectation for the publishing section of writing, it now states that students must be able to “use some appropriate elements of effective presentation in the finished product, including print, script, different fonts, graphics, and layout.”The use of the word “some” has resulted in the decision to teach cursive writing being left to the discretion of the teacher.Prior to this change, students were expected to begin learning cursive in grade two, and continue practicing it throughout the rest of the primary and junior grades.Now, many students are entering the junior level without ever being exposed to cursive writing.Aside from the obvious problem that some children will never learn cursive writing, there is inconsistency within schools.A child who does not learn about cursive until grade four or five will find themselves frustrated as they struggle to catch up with what some of their peers have already learned.
Why is Cursive Writing Important?
Taking Notes
When taking notes in high school or postsecondary institutions, cursive writing still proves to be the most effective means of transcribing the information.Students are able to write quickly and can therefore keep up with the lecturer.As well, legibility counts in these situations.How can an educator mark your child’s brilliant essay if they cannot read what he or she has written?
Computers vs. Cursive
With the prevalence of computers in our high-tech society, people think the need to write legibly and quickly is being replaced by the need to type.Some people argue that class time spent learning cursive writing is a waste of time and would be better spent learning how to type efficiently.Both skills are important for students to learn, but one cannot replace the other.Many people, especially students, cannot afford a laptop to carry around with them, and until computers become as thin and light as a notebook and pen, they are far more cumbersome.As well, many assignments must be handwritten.When writing assignments in class or during exams, most educators do not give their students the option of using a computer.With cursive writing, students are able to write more quickly than with printing and when writing a timed exam, speed is an important issue to consider.
Cursive Writing Improves Fine Motor Skills
Cursive writing has proved particularly effective when teaching students with fine motor skill issues or disabilities such as dyslexia.Fine motor skills refer to a child’s ability to coordinate small muscles, such as those in the fingers, with what they can see in front of them.A child who has problems with their fine motor skills will have difficulty doing up buttons, cutting with a knife and fork, and using a pen or pencil to transfer their thoughts onto paper.According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, cursive helps to improve motor skills because of the continuous hand motions.The students’ pencil seldom leaves the paper and the repetition of fluid strokes strengthens the students’ ability to connect their brain to what their fingers are doing.
Cursive Writing and Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a disability which results in a person having difficulty reading, spelling, and writing as their brain does not process language in the typical way.Many special education teachers have found cursive writing to be easier to teach to their dyslexic students than printing.Fewer letters look similar in cursive so students do not confuse them as easily as they do when printing.As well, the continuous left to right motion of cursive writing helps to prevent students from turning their letters around.According to the British Dyslexia Association, “by making each letter in one movement, children’s hands develop a ‘physical memory’ of it” and it becomes easier to create the correct letter.
Cursive Writing Aids Creativity
Cursive plays an important role in creative writing.When students are writing they are encouraged to express their ideas as naturally as possible.Cursive writing helps to keep one’s thoughts flowing continuously more than when printing or typing on a computer.The fluid motion of the hand in more inline with the way our brains think creatively and allows for a more natural output of ideas.When writing in a journal or creating a story, a student can find more of a rhythm and flow with their writing when using cursive.
What Can You Do?
Parents need to create an open dialogue with their children’s teachers about cursive writing.If it is not being taught in your child’s classroom, ask why.Parents should think about the possibility of giving cursive lessons to their children at home if the teacher is not doing it at school.There are many books available aimed to make cursive writing easier and practice sheets can be found online.Consider picking up a cursive writing workbook or checking out an online resource here.Helping your children work through the activity sheets could be the perfect project to keep them busy during the summer holidays and give you a chance to brush up on your cursive skills too! Encourage your children to write letters, shopping lists, and short stories in cursive writing. Below is a video to give you some tips on how to start teaching cursive.
Flare magazine uses many web2.0 tools on their website.They offer their users RSS tools which will send updates to the user regarding new content on the website.As well, there is a budget calculator, bookmarking tools, chat forums that discuss celebrity gossip, health and fashion, streaming radio, and a pop culture blog.
The web2.0 tools that Flare uses on its website encourage the magazine reader to visit often.The RSS updates that the user receives tell her of new content that would be of interest to her.Because she is aware of this new content, she is more likely to visit the website often and read the articles.The editors of the magazine are better able to get across the information they want to the user and have their work read.As well, because the user can bookmark interesting articles and go back later to read them, the magazine is ensuring that she is able to access the editorial content on her own time.
The website for Chatelaine magazine offers online users the opportunity to read multiple blogs dealing with topics that are often found in the magazine.As well, there are many video feeds regarding topics such as food prep, fitness, DIY, and beauty.There is a calorie counter, a BMI calculator, streaming music, and RSS tools.As well, there is a huge section devoted to chat forums.Every possible topic you can think of is listed and there is a general forum just in case the one you wish to discuss is not covered.
Chatelaine gives the online magazine users access to chat forums where readers can discuss any topic that they feel is pertinent.These chat forums encourage the reader to return to the website often as they can create a sense of community for the reader.This sense of community and belonging translates into branding.The marketers of the magazine want the reader to feel like she belongs and to associate Chatelaine with something that is comfortable and a place where she can freely voice her own opinions and read those of others.The user feels loyal to Chatelaine because of those feelings and will buy the magazine in order to continue feeling this way.The magazine marketers are capitalizing on people’s desires to belong and feel like they are a part of something.
Loulou magazine offers its online users RSS tools.These tools provide updates to the user regarding new content on the website that may be of interest to them.Other web2.0 tools found on the Loulou website include an editor’s blog, a virtual model that the users can adjust to look like themselves and dress up in various clothes, and video content of various topics that the user may find interesting.
The web2.0 tools found on the site encourage the user to spend a lot of time there.There is a lot to play around with and watch in addition to the articles that the user likely came there for in the first place.Because the user is spending so much time on the site it is advantageous for the advertisers.The longer a person spends on the site, the more likely they are to see the banner or link advertising a certain company.The more times a person sees the company name or logo it increases the chance that they will visit the company’s site or try out that company’s products in the future.
This is the start of my very first blog. I am making it for a course I am taking in the Book and Magazine Publishing program at Centennial College. I am a confirmed laggard when it comes to technology so hopefully this goes well. Wish me luck!
