Presentation Overview

Here's our presentation.

Online Meeting Tools

Distance education is a fairly new concept. Even though it is fairly new, "Research shows that distance education can be as effective as face-to-face instruction" (Motamedi). Some factors influencing the successful use of video conferencing include: instructor's teaching style and degree of interactivity, motivation of students, organization of course, and preparation of instructor (Motamedi). Some benefits of video conferencing include: reduce travel time and expenses, provides visual presence to learners at remote sites, supports use of diverse set of media, and education can e expanded to new audiences (Motamedi). Some disadvantages include: can be expensive with time and money as networks can break down, teachers must learn how to effectively use the video conferencing medium (Motamedi). They also stated "The cost of setting up a high-quality videoconferencing based electronic classroom can easily exceed $100,000" (Motamedi). However, I find this hard to believe as we found free tools that work great.

We focused on three online meeting tools: Skype, Join.me, and Google Hangouts. Donna and I had no trouble setting up Skype. With it being so simple to figure out, it was limited in features. I have used Skype (and FaceTime) for interviews and calling home and it works great. It is good for just video and talking but not very helpful for teaching tool.

Join.me is a little more complicated. Join.me allows screensharing. However, without being a paying customer only the person who started the meeting can share their screen. Also, it is required to download a plug in before. This tool is good for collaborating.

Out of the three google hangouts is the best. This tool is completely free and allows both users to have access to each others desktops. It is more flexible and is great for collaborating and teaching.

Motamedi, Vahid. "A Critical Look at the Use of Videoconferencing in the United States Distance Education." Proquest. N.p., Dec. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

Facebook

Facebook is one of only original social networking sites still around. I remember creating an account nearly eight years ago. It has captured some of my best and worst moments online. Some of the pros of Facebook are it's easy to set up, you can like, comment and share, successful pages will update page regularly with useful and interactive material, and you can link different accounts using Facebook apps. Some cons include: updating page can take more time than expected, for businesses it can take a while to build up fan base, must monitor closely because customers could post negative feedback and that needs to be taken care of quickly (Dara Creative). It will take time and effort to keep up with Facebook but the outcomes are worth it.

If a business does not have a Facebook page, they are missing out on a big opportunity. Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of a free marketing tool with an audience of 728 million every day?! Facebook is used by people of all ages. It started out with teens but throughout the years has evolved to be for all generations. Having a Facebook presence allows the company to become more personal with the customers. Facebook allows one to plan posts ahead of time and schedule them making it easier. Having a Facebook page is free, however, you can pay a minimal charge to create advertisements. When setting up your page you can choose categories your business would go under and other users with those same interests will likely get your advertisement.

At my past internship Facebook was our best and favorite marketing tool. It is nice because it gives you analytics of how you're doing over time and where your clients are based out of, making it easier to target them. I prefer Facebook to all the other social networks we have looked at so far.

"Pros and Cons of Facebook for Business." 2014. Dara Creative, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Pinterest

According to Tyrell Marketing, in January 2012, Pinterest had 11.7 million unique visitors. Pinterest is a simple tool where you can search and find what you need easily. One downfall is you have to request to be a part of it, but this is no problem as they will accept within a few days. It can be challenging to use for businesses as the competition is so thick. Pinterest forces one to link to other accounts including Facebook or Twitter (Tyrrell). Crimson designs reports a few positives are every image is hyperlinked to the original site, you don't have to leave comments, and one can message pins to specific users. A few downfalls of Pinterest are the specific audience is mainly women and the image quality must be high which can be difficult for some companies (Crimson Designs).

Pinterest is one of my favorite past times. I have boards for just about everything. For this activity I focused on social media marketing. I found two particular infographics that interested me. The first has some tips for improving your social media as a business. I particularly like the second one because it uses the same topic, coffee, and shows how it would be posted on each social media site.

Pinterest is a great site for visual learners. I love it because it doesn't feel like I am just reading a book or an article but using the infographics makes it more fun and engaging. 

"Pros and Cons of Pinterest." Tyrrell. N.p., 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

"Crimson Designs." Pinterest Pros & Cons for a Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Linked In

LinkedIn is a great way to gain exposure for your business or you as an employee. It offers a great way to stay current with news in your industry. "Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn will tell you all the major data you need to know about a company" (LinkedIn for Business). It provides an opportunity for users to display their knowledge and skills and prove credibility (LinkedIn for Business). With these positives, there are also some downfalls. One is this network contains a lot of spam. In the beginning it can take awhile to set up but once established, it's easy to keep current (LinkedIn for Business).

LinkedIn is one of those tools that when I spend an hour or two on at once and then don't check again for a couple weeks. I started out with a simple profile and throughout this past summer I have developed it and added my resume to it and continuously update it. It is beneficial because it allows one to apply for jobs quicker and allows one to demonstrate their tech-savvy talents to their employers. It is also handy because you can upload samples of your work and as a marketing focus, it is nice to show visuals. I'm still not sure what I am supposed to post or share, and what the point of that is but I do like to expand my connections and look for jobs online. My friend who is in graphic design loves it because she is able to display her work. I have sent multiple recommendations to coworkers and old bosses of mine, hoping they will take the time to write a brief response. It has taken some time but I have grown to like LinkedIn.

"LinkedIn for Business: Pros & Cons You Should Be Aware Of | Cision." Cision. N.p., 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Google Docs

Blogs are great for sources of information which can be used for business, pleasure or academically. Applications such as Blogger can be used as a clever marketing tool for businesses; it can drive traffic towards their website and reach new readers. It’s a great way to get feedback on an idea that they might want to develop further. Having an outside perspective and a little constructive criticism is invaluable for business, especially when it’s free! Applications such as Blogger is a great contribution to the world of business, pleasure and education as it can be used any place, any time and it can also boost income, which is always a bonus! (Donna)

Youtube is a useful tool for learning how to do different things. It is beneficial for certain teachings but I wouldn't recommend it for learning principles but step by step tasks are nice for visual learners.

Twitter can be useful to find opinions on certain topics or big events. However, I find that it is better used for personal reasons like getting in contact with a friend or finding jokes about school or getting updates on a game. I found it useful to choose a profile and check out the articles and information that one page posted. (Beth)

Google docs is convenient when it comes to working collaboratively but not physically being together. Before google docs, for groups to work together that couldn’t meet up they would have to email the file, edit, save and pass on. Google docs is much simpler and saves all those steps. Even when not working in groups, google docs is convenient to use if on a public computer, the only risk is the internet might be down. (Beth)

Twitter

Twitter is one of the most popular social networks used in today's society. According to Grosocial, a few benefits include: twitter is massive, every tweet goes to your followers, tweets are easy to create, and you get to the point. Some of the disadvantages include: it's busy, not ideal for visual content, character limit of 140, and not everyone can advertise.

Twitter is not exactly my favorite social media, but like any other 20 year old, I still have an account. Up until now, I have used Twitter as a personal tool and just for fun. For this activity, I tried using it as a professional tool.

I started with a general hashtag search of marketing. These results led me to a wide variety of topics. I found that hashtags, unless very specific can lead to an overload of information from too many different sources. However, it popped up with some of the top marketing accounts. This led me to follow an account @AMA_Marketing. I find it easier to find an interesting profile and go through their posts rather than search through several accounts' posts.

While on the AMA Marketing page I did find some useful articles and facts.

Twitter can be used in a variety of settings. From a company's standpoint, they could post new product releases, discounts, surveys, and accomplishments, etc. Twitter is a good way to promote to loyal customers and possibly have your customers retweet your posts, giving you additional free advertisement. 

Extra Credit

Some educators view social media and technology as a road block to education, some welcome it with open arms. One possibility for Twitter engagement in the classroom is posting surveys or quizzes online. Twitter allows the in and out of class interaction. However, speaking from personal experience I think involving Twitter in the classroom can be distracting. My high school went 1-1 (every student got a laptop). This was meant to be helpful education-wise and it was very beneficial but at the same time it did provide a lot of distraction. "Twitter has great potential for making educational experiences engaging, creative, fun and interactive for learners" (Rockinson, 2011). I agree with that statement, as long as it is monitored and applied to the classroom effectively. 

Rockinson-Szapkiw, Amanda J. "Engaging Higher Education Students Using Twitter." N.p., 2011. Web.

"The Pros and Cons of Twitter." GroSocial. GroSocial, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.