Jacobsen's 2001 Professional Seminar Class

Background

We learned a great deal about our history as individuals, each other as classmates, and about our diverse countries of origin. We rediscovered the variety of cultures that are represented in Canadian society. We learned about conducting research using a range of sources, and also how to present our research using multimedia. 

We want to share some of what we learned to guide your efforts as you embark on your own Family Treasures project. 

Selecting your Family Treasure

• Karen suggests that you choose an object that you are very curious about, or that you care deeply about. The research will be a lot more fun if the object has some meaning for you. 
• Maria suggests that in choosing your object, you consider something personal about the Family Treasure that is important to you, and provides a context that you can talk about.
• Carla suggests asking friends and/or fellow students for advice on research strategies, on presenting your ideas, and on developing your powerpoint or web page presentation.

Planning and Research

• Heidi and Laura suggest that you start thinking about ways in which you will storyboard and present your ideas. Having a plan will help you to refine the questions you ask family members or other experts. For example, Heidi researched the value of a gold coin that has passed through the generations in her family. She knew that she needed to gather some information from coin dealers because of the plan she created before starting her research.
• Gregor suggests using concept mapping tools to storyboard and organize your ideas - a 30 trial version of Inspiration can be downloaded from the web [Inspiration.com].
• Ykje suggests that you organize your ideas ahead of time related to the end result you want to achieve. For example, do you want to create a serious presentation, a humorous one, a storytelling adventure, and so on. Consider carefully whether the object offers a metaphor, symbol, or theme that you can build upon in your presentation, that connects the past and the future.
• Alicia suggests you start thinking about how you will make connections between the past and the present with relation to your Family Treasure. 
• Paul suggests that you dig deep for the history of the object. You can do this by: 1) interviewing your family, 2) searching the web for background information, some history, information about a significant topic related to your family treasure, 3) interviewing other experts, and so on.
• Bonnie and James suggest using the internet to research topics related to your Family Treasure, such as the country of origin, history of the item or related items and topics. The web is also good for gathering some pictures for your presentation.
• Where applicable, Jane suggests looking at topics related to your Family Treasure as part of your research. For example, Jane researched the shipping line that her father used to travel to Canada in the course of her research on the abstract of the ship's log of the actual voyage.

Constructing the Presentation

When preparing your Family Treasures multimedia or hypermedia presentation, we have a few suggestions to guide your work.

• When constructing your actual presentation, Cameron suggests that you do not be afraid to be as unique and creative as possible. 
• Ryan's advice is to not to get carried away by animations, sounds, and other media effects because it can take away from the meaning of the presentation.
• Gregor adds to Ryan's advice that one might pick a master template that suits the goals of a particular presentation.  Some considerations to keep in mind: 1) pictures often show up well against a dark background;  a "funky" or light-hearted graphic is good for humorous or fun subjects, but might not be suitable for a more serious topic (e.g., Dad's war diary), and 2) chosen animations or sound effects should suit the treasure being discussed (i.e., fun effects for a joyful topic, perhaps less effects for a sombre topic). 
• Sarah and Renee suggest you consider your audience, and design your presentation to be appealing and interesting. 
• Rob adds that it is important to rehearse your presentation so it goes smoothly, and test out your presentation on more than one type of computer to make sure it is compatible.
• Sabine and Malinda suggest that in constructing your powerpoint or web page presentation, that you do not have to put every word on the screen to communicate your ideas. Summary points can be elaborated upon in an oral presentation.
• Craig reminds you that it is important to consider the form of the presentation. For example, for a web page you will need to provide more detailed explanations because it will need to stand alone, whereas a powerpoint presentation in seminar can be explained further.
• Arlene suggests you make sure there is an implied organization to the web site so people know where to start, and have an idea of the scope of the information presented.
• And finally, Bonnie and James suggest that you use the KISS principle - keep it simple!!