Maya Angelou
Ensure your portfolio has a personal Voice! As Maya Angelou said, “When words are infused by the human voice, they come alive.” Strive to make sure your electronic portfolio and resume captures your personality, not just your academic and career accomplishments. I recommend incorporating your own voice through a variety of formats.
Incorporating self- reflection on your own journey will provide a demonstration of effective communication skills. Employers will expect future employees to not only communicate effectively, but they need to possess the ability to express their ideas through the use of a variety of media. Why you might ask? Because communication technologies are evolving at a pace that is unparalleled in history. Consider for a moment how communication techniques have changed dramatically over time.
Incorporating self- reflection on your own journey will provide a demonstration of effective communication skills. Employers will expect future employees to not only communicate effectively, but they need to possess the ability to express their ideas through the use of a variety of media. Why you might ask? Because communication technologies are evolving at a pace that is unparalleled in history. Consider for a moment how communication techniques have changed dramatically over time.
Prior to 3500 B.C., communication among indigenous people was dominated by paintings until Egyptians developed hieroglyphics in circa 3200 B.C. The first alphabet composed of 22 symbols (all consonants) evolved with the Phoenicians in circa 1200 B. C. As illustrated in the infographic above, communication proceeded to change with the Chinese inventing the first postal service in 900 B.C. followed by messengers on horseback delivered messages in 200 B.C., and the first printing press in 305 A.D. It would require another 1100+ years before Gutenberg would refine the printing press by inventing movable type. The Internet would not evolve until 1969. When we compare the progression from hieroglyphics to the Internet (a period of roughly 5400 years) with the progression from the first text editors in 1976 and the creation of HyperText Markup Language in 1978 followed by the World Wide Web in 1990, we should not be surprised that many people are lost in the information age. Check out this video on YouTube.com that illustrates the History of Communication. I particularly enjoy this presentation because there is humor, graphic design, and technology blended in an entertaining presentation (6:27 minutes). Technological advancement has been evolving at light speed since the launch of the web.
Check out this YouTube video that illustrates the History of Social Media: A Timeline over 2 Decades (3:07 minutes). The video and the list above only highlights the major forms of social media that have evolved, but it is clearly evident that new channels of communication are evolving rapidly. Future graduates from our academic programs will need to demonstrate their ability to write clearly and utilize the latest forms of communication to convey information to the customers of the future. How will you demonstrate your communication skills and the effective utilization of the current channels of communication? How will you infuse your personality and professional skills through your eportfolio? Check back for further information on infusing your voice and demonstrating your skills in your eportfolio.
- 1990 - Search Engines
- 1994 – Wikis created by Ward Cunningham
- 1996 – Instant Messaging
- 2002 – Social Networking started with Friendster, then MySpace followed by Facebook.
- 2006 – Microblogging was initiated with Twitter
- 2010 - Pinterest introduced an image "pin board" with access by invitation only until 2012 when the Social Media provider skyrocketed to third place behind Facebook and Twitter.
- 2010 - Apple introduced Instagram an online photo-sharing and social networking service named for the similar format to the Kodak Instamatic Camera.
- 2011 – Online Content Collaboration requires a combination of web design, social networking, and word processing.
Check out this YouTube video that illustrates the History of Social Media: A Timeline over 2 Decades (3:07 minutes). The video and the list above only highlights the major forms of social media that have evolved, but it is clearly evident that new channels of communication are evolving rapidly. Future graduates from our academic programs will need to demonstrate their ability to write clearly and utilize the latest forms of communication to convey information to the customers of the future. How will you demonstrate your communication skills and the effective utilization of the current channels of communication? How will you infuse your personality and professional skills through your eportfolio? Check back for further information on infusing your voice and demonstrating your skills in your eportfolio.
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