Week 2: Communicating Digitally

This week you will be exploring elements of information, TED Talks, learning with video, listening, and various means of communicating information. By the end of the week you will be able to create oral presentations using an online presentation/lecture capture software (OBS Studio). This software will allow you to capture yourself presenting visually on video, while also capturing the slides of a PPT presentation you will be using to support your presentation, multiple audio or video sources, and dynamically switch between “scenes” to make your presentation considerably more dynamic.

Something to really focus on this week is not just how but why communication platforms and formats like TED Talks are so effective and engaging. Why are people so captivated by them? Why does a TED Talk on topic X get hundreds of thousands of views but virtually the same content by perhaps the same person will get very little on another platform? Without flashy imagery or expensive production–consider the vast majority of TED Talks are, at their core, just Powerpoint presentations–why do people love them so much?

Learning Objectives for Week 2

  • Further explore translating a typed script into an oral, video presentation.
  • Compare and contrast informational sources with regards to credibility and viewpoint
  • Explain the importance of accuracy and attribution (cause) in communicating information
  • Define information and information theory
  • Critically analyze media types for effectiveness in communicating information
  • Become proficient with the OBS Studio presentation/lecture capture software
  • Utilize PPT to show images supportive of a presentation instead of text
  • Communicate information/story effectively via a presentation capture system
  • Identify the 5 elements of a story and the 5 elements of a plot structure
  • Explore TED Talks.
  • Explain digital storytelling and the 7 elements of digital stories

Consumables

Each week there will be a number of items for you to consume, be it reading, watching, listening, or a combination thereof. Note that some of these are local pages and some are links outside the site! (You will find the first two items in the LMS.)

Readings and videos

  • Read part I: Simple (pp. 7-75) in your TED Talk book.
  • Read chapter 2 of News now: Visual storytelling in the digital age.
  • The 7 Elements of Digital Storytelling
    • “The Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley, California is known for developing and disseminating the Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling, which are often cited as a useful starting point as you begin working with digital stories.”
  • The 5 Secrets of a Successful TED Talk
    • “What makes someone charismatic? What makes a successful TED talk? We embarked on a big experiment where 760 volunteers helped us analyze hundreds of hours of TED talks. We were looking for patterns between the most popular videos and the least popular videos and we were shocked with what we found. Find out which patterns we found in the most popular TED talks.”
  • How to Make Video Content That Is More Engaging
    • “If there’s one goal that you should have when you create video content, it is to make it as engaging as possible. Engaging videos will be far more effective at fulfilling any goal, and will get more exposure while at the same time drive viewers to take action.”
  • Benefits of Video Scripting & Storyboarding
    • “I’ve spent the last couple months coordinating video series for several of our clients, and it’s been a roller coaster ride to say the least. But we’re rockin’ and rollin’ now, and it’s all thanks to scripts and storyboards.”
  • The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (19 minutes)
    • “Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice – and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.”
  • Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are by Amy Cuddy (21 minutes)
    • “Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that power posing — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can boost feelings of confidence, and might have an impact on our chances for success.” (NB: follow the provided link in the description for more.)
  • 5 Ways to Listen Better by Julian Treasure (8 minutes)
    • “In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, ‘We are losing our listening.’ In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening – to other people and the world around you.”
  • NPR TED Radio Hour, Spoken and Unspoken (5 subtopics; 50 minutes)
    • “We communicate with each other in all sorts of ways. In this hour, TED speakers reflect on how words and methods of communication affect us, more than you might expect.”

Software to install

This week is OBS Studio week!

Assignments

Your assignments for this portion of week 1 are as follows:

  1. Install OBS Studio.
  2. P2 OBS Studio Presentation Project
  3. Respond to your colleagues' Spark videos from Project 1 in the social channel and say ‘Hi!’
  4. Quiz #1
This course is adapted from ETCV 301: Interpreting and Presenting Digitally, developed for the University of Arizona by Dr. Stephen Arnold.