Reflection of ALES 204

Throughout this class I have learned many different ways in which people can get information and ideas out there. The dissemination of information is beneficial to everyone as it allows for educating the mass population, collecting thoughts and ideas, presenting opinions, and accreditation for discoveries. Using social medias enables people a medium to present themselves, their ideas and information, and for others to discuss the information presented. The theme for my experience in this class was learning that I knew very little about what I thought I knew a lot about. Communication has always been something I thought I was good at, and knew a lot about, but my view on communication was very narrow. In my mind scientific communication and popularization occurred through papers and presentations; I never considered the use of social medias to disseminate information. Furthermore, until this class I never realized how incorrectly I presented information.

As I mentioned in my very first blog, researchers need to share their findings to validate their ideas and to receive credit for their work. Beyond the online sources of journal articles, and the presentation of information in papers, I really didn’t know many other forms to present information. Speech and e-mail were obvious ones that I routinely used, but I soon realized that I knew little about them too. There is a proper format for speech, presentations and e-mails, and it is important to use the formatting to ensure the delivery of information is effective, accurate and efficient. However, the use of speech and e-mail are limited in their efficiency based on the small number of people receiving the information. As a result, other methods of distributing scientific information include Twitter, Blogging, and Podcasting. Although these forms use aspects of communication, including speech and text similar to the e-mail, they enable information to reach a larger population. I had never heard of these forms of communication, let alone employed them, but I soon embraced their capabilities to share and receive. These formats are further enhanced through tagging. Tagging allows people to search for information using a few key words that relate most closely to their interests. As a result, by including tags, authors can increase the spread of information, and people can target desired information of their interest. Other social medias facilitate your finding information, including bookmarking sites like Delicious. Of course it is important to give credit where credit is due; not only is this an ethical consideration, but correct referencing also reflects your own credibility.  The most common way to credit someone else’s work is through referencing and citations. I experienced the importance of this first hand while making my Wikipedia Document and Science Review Article. There are so many ways to reference information, but the most important part is that it is done accurately and completely. However, sometimes the best way to present information is through a picture; after all they say a picture is worth a thousand words, (which can be really useful when you’re on a word limit). But, most people forget that using pictures require s referencing too. It is always nice to share your pictures, but you need to make sure they are used in a professional way when they are released to the masses. Creative commons allows you to share your pictures, and gives others the opportunity to reference your work. Websites such as Flickr, not only facilitate people to share photos, but also allows them to label their pictures for easier finding, and protective licencing.

Sometimes the information you are trying to spread is about yourself. The various forms of social media serve as a great way to inform people about your talents, skills, capabilities, and market yourself to prospective employers, peers and mentors. In this situation, it is important that you present yourself in a creative, but still professional manner. There are many ways to achieve this balance, and many social medias to facilitate its presentation. I learnt firsthand that Facebook is a great tool to present yourself professionally. Facebook and other medias can be used as an inventive cover letter and resume. In the same way, LinkedIn can be used to present yourself to potential employers and industry members, and also serves as a fantastic forum for networking and research. Networking is a commonly overlooked requirement of the job hunt. These sites give you opportunity to present yourself and find others to connect for your purposes as a student, industry member, and employee. At the same time, using these resources shows employers your tech and social media savvy; which is important attribute required of employees in many current and future work positions.

All of the information I have gained in ALES 204 has enabled me to contact people within my industry in ways I never even considered. I am blown away by how many people have harnessed the power of social medias for use in Agriculture and Animal Science. I know my fellow classmate Laura feels the same way, I have experienced many of the same things as she mentions in her reflective blog. I know I will use all of this information on social media communications, and social media tools in the future while job seeking, completing research, networking, and simply satisfying my curiosity. In addition, it is important to consider communication in everything you do weather online, or in person. How you present yourself really affects how your information is accepted and translated.

 

Information, Communication, Education and Agriculture

I am always surprised when talking to my non-aggie friends how much they don't know about agriculture. It is not because the information isn't out there, it is due to a lack of communication and education. Education relies heavily upon communication. As presented in ALES 204, the way information is expressed and presented determines the uptake or rejection of that information.  Public education is a problem that has plagued the agriculture sector for quite some time, especially the livestock sector. With around 2% of the population in developed countries actually producing the food, it was inevitable that people in these places become disconnected from agricultre. As a result of this disconnection, the general population has recieved poor communication and absent education regarding the agriculture sector. Furthermore, when information is not communicated properly there is potential for the formation of misleading conclusions, that have been harmful to the agriculture sector.

Food Inc. movie trailer - Although this documentary illustrates some relevant problems of agriculture, its misrepresentation in the first section about animal production is the greatest problem the livestock sector faces today. These misconceptions are up taken as a result of a lack of real communication and education coming from the agriculture sector itself. This video and the untruths it presents, inspired this blog post.

One the biggest challenges facing the agriculture industry today, is the misinterpretation and misguided information relating to the production of animals. After watching the above video in my Capstone class earlier this semester, I was appalled by the horrible presentation of information regarding animal production and agriculture. Coming from the agriculture sector, and a scientific background I know the presented information is false. But I could see that how if the information was presented to someone without my experience, because the video effectively communicates its intended message, that they could be convinced in believing the myths to be truths. I think it is really interesting how information can be construed simply through the way it is presented. Although the video never comes right out and says that agriculture is evil, the message is clear simply from the way the information is presented. As we have learned in ALES, the presentation of information is equally important as the information that is presented. In the same way, any investigation of animal production and agriculture immediately showcases the evils of animal production and factory farming, but it is much harder to find the other side of the story. In our class we discussed why people have become to disconnected from the realities of agriculture, and why the general population believes in the negative views of animal agriculture.


Infographic from ALES-204 blog
http://www.hackcollege.com/blog/2011/11/23/infographic-get-more-out-of-google.html
 - look at this infographic not only is it cool to look at,
but its also really informative regarding the correct way to use Google search -

The first reason these untruths about agriculture are so prevalent, is the accessibility of the information. Enhanced technology in the way of social medias has facilitied an increased spread of this information. A simple search of agriculture first presents the negatives of animal production, and it isn’t until pages of search results later that information on the truths of the matter can be found. By situating the information so that it is easily found, the information is effectively disseminated. But, using my newly honed Google searching skills I found the following blog - foodmommy.blogspot.com/ - that relates to the misconceptions of agriculture, and many of the interests of the students in ALES 204. Using previous education and experiences in farming, and as a mother, as well as a background in research, the Food Mommy author speaks to nutrition and food, and the author's issue of wading through the masses of contradictory information regarding agriculture. Not only is the blog complete and esthetically appealing with regular posts with pictures and links, a tag cloud and Twitter updates, it also provides credible information. Many of this blog's posts relate to the authors frustration with inaccurate information about farming, and agriculture. Her investigation and provision of information routinely cites conversations and media releases relating to the myths of agriculture and the disconnection of the public from the production of their food that causes the generation of these myths. Her critical review of a lot of the information presented to the general public addresses many of the topics discussed in both my Capstone class, and our ALES social media communications class.

 

 Agiculture and Agrifood Canada's attempts to educate the public about Alberta beef production in an interesting and engaging way. There are more videos available on produce, grains and diary products.

As agriculture advocates, it is our duty to spread the accurate information, and educate the public about agriculture. In order to educate non-agricultural people about the industry, we need to communicate with them at an appropriate level, and in an efficient and engaging way. Share with them the essential information they need to know to have a better understanding of the industry in interactive ways such as blogs, videos, and infographics.  It is detrimental to the image of agriculture that misinformation, and the negative side of the story is presented more effectively than the positive, and truthful side. There is a wealth of information easily available about farm animal cruelty, news articles about greenhouse gas contributions from agriculture, and ideas about factory farming, that society has become sceptical and unaware of the agricultural reality. When false information is interesting and in their face, people aren't likely to search for scientific articles, read up on government regulations, or visit farms to see how the industry actually operates. As the future of the agriculture industry, we need to learn from this class, and employ new means to spread information that shows the brighter side of agriculture, such as the Food Mommy blog, and the showcased YouTube video. Furthermore, using tags and labels could help with the delivery of information, and to make this side of agriculture found more often.

It may be obvious that I am a little passionate about this subject, my classmate Sarah Spotowski is passionate about her area of study too. She found a blogger about museums that inspired her in much the same way as Food Mommy's blog inspired me. Check it out - http://spodorkski.blogspot.com/

Wikipedia Article

This week's assignment required us to expand on a Wikipedia article. I have used Wikipedia in the past, during my university career to get a basis for my research on a topic for papers. In one of my classes I was asked to write about bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), but to my dismay there was minimal information available on Wikipedia for which to base my research on. Because of my experience, I chose to write my Wikipedia article on BHV-1 and its infection in (IBR) to assist future fellow researchers investigating this disease. Here is the link to my article extension

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_herpesvirus_1

Source: osp.mans.edu.eg                Source:  homepage.usask.ca

This picture shows a symptom of IBR from BHV-1 infection known as 'red nose' - check out my Wikipedia article to learn more about the disease and the virus.

As mentioned, I commonly use Wikipedia to begin my research on a topic, however, this information is usually not as credible, and reliable as university professors require from paper sources. Therefore, I made sure I credited all of the research I did in my Wikipedia article; this way students researching IBR and BHV-1 can use my Wikipedia article as a source of other sources for credible information. It is very important to present crediable information, and correct credit for the information your present online because in the end, doing so affects your credibility, and in science credibility is everything.

I enjoy learning about the science behind animals, and animal health almost as much as I like interacting with them. IBR can affect dairy cattle as well, just like this one.

I chose IBR and BHV-1 because animal health is really interesting to me. I enjoy learning about the different diseases that affect livestock, and the many different ways scientists are using to treat and prevent the diseases. Social medias such as Wikipedia that allow peer editing and review, really facilitate learning from others and the transmission of knowledge on a large scale. I also appreciate the fact that Wikipedia uses an encyclopedic style of information provision; that is there are no opinions or judgements, only neutral and verifiable facts. This is important when you are doing research using tools such as Wikipedia because it allows you to gather the information and construct your own educated opinion and judgement. However, a deterrent I found to sharing your knowledge on Wikipedia was the complicated formatting required. I appreciate the ability to embed links, but maybe more people would be willing to share if it wasn't so challenging and time consuming.

My fellow classmate, Jen Hay, is planning on writing about Hardware Disease. This is another disease that affects cattle that I find really fascinating. Be sure to check out her post too when it is done.

http://ales-jenhay.blogspot.com/



Communications Explored

It has been really satisfying how much I have been able to apply the content of this class to other situations. At the same time, I have never realized how much communications is taught in other classes. It is kind of like how you never see something until your forced to notice it, then you see it everywhere. The fact that I have learned about appropriate presentation skills and good communications in business and animal science classes, illustrates the importance of communication everywhere, all the time. In my AREC 323 class, students have to do a group project creating a business. In introducing this project, the professor showed us a few clips and exercises on team work and communication. I found this one particularly interesting and relevant to ALES class material, - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqk0baXEaL8. The video talks about how the communication of a message involves many components, including tone, body language and of course words. We talked a lot about the correct use of these aspects of communication in the presentation labs. Although I think social media is a great way to communicate, we have to be conscientious that we are only getting part of the total message.

We have all experienced the email complication that the video talks about, but message communication became even more relevant to me, in my field of study this past week. I am enrolled in an animal production capstone class and a large component of the class is about communication in the industry. We have to do regular journal reflections on the progress of our projects and what we have learned, so in my reflection I wanted to tie in the issue of communications within our group and outside of the class. Within our group, we have experienced the email miscommunication of the message issue. A great portion of this problem was due to the construction of the email, and an unconsideration of tone due to its casual nature. I then started thinking about miscommunication in my field of studies, and with animals. Due to the lack of words in an animal's message, we have to gather other cues they are offering in order to receive the whole message. Unfortunatley, unlike emails, there is no specific way to format, and recieve a message from animals.

Outside of school I do a lot of riding and barrel racing, and with horses, the message I receive is reduced to many visual components. Due to the lack of words, which makes up MY whole message, I often misinterpret messages from my horses. For example, this horse is sore and not working right, although she tried to tell me this, I interpreted her message as her misbehaving. As a result, we fought for a long time before my vet and I recognized the whole message.  
The importance for proper and whole communication using many sources, in the workplace, and in education, is synonymous to communication when working with animals in animal heath, production and science. Check out my classmate Kira's blog - http://kamacmilblog2.blogspot.com/ - She too is active in horses and really interested in communications and animal behaviours, and in her blog she talks about her experiences receiving messages from animals. She has also found some really great researchers in the field of animal science via tagging. Check that out on the ALES 204 communication blog under lecture 16 - (http://ales-204.blogspot.com/search/label/module%206) 

Professional Facebook Profile

Now that you have seen a little bit about me as a student, have a look at my new facebook profile - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000936990592- there is also a link on the side. It includes all you need to know about me if you were to hire me as an animal nutritionist. It also has some of my interests, favorite movies and music, so that you, and prospective employers can get an idea about my personality. Afterall, personalities are important in team settings such as those that operate in most major feed formulating settings.

I am starting to realize that a seperate, openly viewed facebook profile could be very useful.  My business profile can be used to connect to future jobs and connections. This profile can also be used to connect with co-workes and researchers in my field of study. We could use Facebook to set up meeting events, get the word out on new findings, employment oppertunities, brainstorm ideas, and much more. Perhaps even, some of my clients could join Facebook and we could communicate through my professional profile.

The main reasons why I think this Facebook profile is a good idea is to inform future bosses of what is important to me, what i am interested in, what I have done and who I am professionally. When interviewers, and potential employers are looking for information on applicants, many “google”  the name of the applicant. Now when future employers "google" my name, the first thing they will see is a Facebook profile attuned to the job. They could see a bit about me, and what my ambitions are for my future career and see if my style could match their job setting.

I have also added a link to a potential future employers website in the field of animal nutirtion, here and on the side. http://www.cargillanimalnutrition.com/

Another fellow blogger, bachelor of Animal Scicene student, and ALES class member is http://ales204-laura.blogspot.com/. Laura, is also a member of my capstone group. We are doing a project together on Dairy Heat Detection. I am sure her professional Facebook profile will help her in much the same way as mine will help me in her field of Wildlife Conservation.  

First Assignment - Intro to communication and me...

My name is Bailey Smith, I am a fourth year undergrad student in the faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences and I am majoring in Animal Science. My studies have been specified particularly to Nutrition and Reproduction, with focus on Equine and Dairy. I love what I learn in these classes, and I am always eager to learn more. One class I am taking is ALES 204, for which I am required to blog about what communication means to me in my field of study.
 In my field of studies, communication is very important in many different circumstances. Although I am not interested in the area of research, it is very important to my field of interest, and communication is especially important in research. In research and in animal science, one may have the most accurate and intriguing theory in regards to how something works, what should be changed or improved in a process, or how something should be done, but if they cannot communicate their ideas then these thoughts are useless. Ideas need to be shared with the scientific community to receive validation, credit and to be further investigated. Communication is also important for many of the animal science majors that will find careers as anything from sales people to vets. Communication in the form of speech, writing, body language and presentations with customers, clients and coworkers is essential in order to be successful in any of these areas. If one cannot translate and express their positions, thoughts, ideas, feelings or knowledge, then operations of any kind would be nearly impossible.Currently, in my studies communication is equally important to my success. For example, my ability to communicate difficulty understanding material to my professor ensures I receive the help I need. Also the ability to write papers, tests, or blogs such as this one, illustrates to my professors that I am understanding the material, that I am participating in the assignments, and ensures that I receive credit for the work I put in. My experience with communications and my ability to communicate has drastically improved throughout my time at the university through the classes I have taken and the efforts I have made. For example, in my first year English class, I had a professor question if English was my second language in response to my first writing assignment; obviously both this professor and I were in need of some better communication skills. However, I don't think I would have the same issue today. In summary, communication is vital in all aspects, and in many forms in my field of study and as a student.