Learning Journal Wk1&2

During my first two lectures for Communication Skills for Digital Media, I learnt what the module is about and what skills I will be gaining. The group was split into smaller groups during the first session, in order to let people get to know eachother by asking questions about one another. We then had to present each other to the rest of the group ( for instance; names of people, what courses they are doing and where they hope to be in the future) so straight away we had practice in presentation skills and speaking in front of an audience. We were then put into different groups to get to know more people from the module, and given the task of creating a presentation in which my group chose the topic of '2D animation'. We had to plan when we would be meeting up to work on the project and each had individual research tasks to do. We decided on which slides we would each present, making sure we had an even amount to present each. During the other groups presentations we partook in peer assesment, writing down the pros and cons of each presentation. From this I learnt how to improve myself for next time I give a presentation, and that small things make a big difference. For example, speaking loudly and clearly, making sure a presentation isn't too short or too long, and making sure to include examples of certain artists that you have discussed.
We then completed two internet research tasks, where we had to evaluate which websites were most reliable for certain research briefs. This taught important skills for internet based research as I learnt how to ensure reliability through looking at; the author and their motivation/qualifications, if the site is published by a credible organization(government/academic institution), if the information is consistent with other reliable sources or based on scientific/practical evidence, and so on. I found this task extremely helpful as the ability to recognise reliable sources is a critical skill. Also, many discussions were had throughout the task which further encouraged group work and communication skill.