BITS 221 Administration Technology Procedures

Welcome to the BITS 221 Course Weblog

2010-06-03T22:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the BITS 221 Course Weblog. This blog will serve as a repository of information and resources for the Spring 2009 Administration Technology and Procedures course at Davenport University.

Please feel free contact me via email with questions or concerns regarding this weblog.

Our Last Class : (

2009-07-27T16:33:00.008-04:00

I am sad that this class is coming to a close and that our last day is this Wednesday, July 29th. I have truly enjoyed working with and getting to know each one of you a bit more.

During our last class we will try to wrap up our weblog, portfolio and personal branding projects. I will give you an overview of your grade and any outstanding work, and you will present your weblog and portfolio projects to the class. We may have a visitor (Susan Helser) in class Wednesday interested in seeing the excellent work you have done this semester.

Finally we will wrap up the class by completing our Final Exam which will also become part of our weblogs. The Final Exam will be much like the research assignments we have been completing.

I will give you time to research and compose the exam/essay in class. I ask that you save your sources in a Diigo list and in a Word document as well. The exam, which will be in essay format, will ultimately be posted to your weblog and also saved in a Word document. I will be looking at the printed version and the weblog version when I grade it.

The topic for the Final Exam is:

Learning environments, web 2.0 and web 2.0 learners: How are web 2.0 services and ideals revolutionizing our approach to learning? How does this carry over into the world of work?

Here are a couple of lists to get you started:
web 2.0 + work | learning 2.0 + web 2.0 learners

Presentations and Beginning your Job Search

2009-07-22T10:47:00.006-04:00

This week we will focus in on preparing for presentations of all types, conquering presentation anxiety and honing in on our creativity to develop memorable presentations and materials.

We will also look at preparing for a job search, brush up on resume tips, strategies for writing an attention getting letter of application and preparing for an interview.

Preparing for your Interview:

One practice exercise that can be very helpful is participating in a mock interview. Although we were not able to complete our practice interviews in class last week, I would like each of you to look at the common interview questions listed in our text. Give them some thought and prepare answers to the questions that give you the most difficulty. The book lists some of commonly asked interview questions on page 358 and also toward the end of the chapter. If you have any personal favorites that you would like to include that would also be appropriate, or you may add common interview questions that you have found from other research.

In any case, once you have a list of 4 - 5 of the toughest questions, write out your answers or a strategy for answering such questions and we will discuss it in class this coming Wednesday.

Please bookmark any interesting sources of help on the subject, link them up in a diigo list and post your questions, answers, and the link to your Diigo list on your weblog.

Four Generations in the Workforce!

2009-07-15T13:06:00.007-04:00

Today's topic examines generations in the workforce.

I would like you to generate another Diigo list that compiles articles on characteristics and viewpoints of the different generations in today's workforce. Along with your list, summarize your findings and any strategies for bridging generation gaps and place both on your blog.

Records Management

2009-07-01T14:20:00.003-04:00

This week (July 1st) we will look at records management systems and respond to discussion questions 1-5 on page 200. Please post your thoughts and links to related articles and research on your blog.

You may choose to emphasize one question more than another, and your answers may be structured in an article or numbered format.

July 8th: Leadership, teams, and workplace culture

2009-07-01T13:09:00.007-04:00

This week we have had yet another excellent and thought provoking discussion on leadership styles, reward systems, how teams work together and the cyclical dynamics of team interactions and workplace culture.

While this is a mouthful it is a recurring theme that has prevailed throughout our discussions, revealing itself in one after another personal example from each of us in class. These dynamics permeate every workplace system without prejudice. If the leadership, culture and team interactions of an organization are healthy, its products will reflect that. If they are not, it will reflect that as well.

Next week we will not be meeting due to the 4th of July holiday, but I would like you to continue to investigate how these three aspects of the workplace are intertwined: Leadership; teams; reward systems; and workplace culture.

For next week:

(1) Create four separate Diigo lists for this research to mark the separation of the four areas of study (leadership, teams, reward systems, workplace culture).

While they are related and dynamic concepts that flow from one to the other, it is important to understand them separately as well as how they work together. We will use your research the week we return to develop some personal strategies and leadership goals for our careers. I would like to take the concepts we have studied and develop a tangible, systematic approach to handling common workplace situations that will ensure that we are true to ourselves and those we serve. This goes beyond the 'rules for life' that we strive to uphold and should look at how to apply our time tested beliefs in situations that are not ideal and maybe even impossible.

Everyone is a leader. Only the choices of what to teach the world varies. Each one of us communicates something about how to handle things in life through our every day actions and choices.

(2) From your research develop an initial list of strategies that you will personally employ in the workplace to help you make consistent choices that ensure effective decision making and actions in the workplace.

Proof positive: How we get the news has changed.

2009-06-26T00:19:00.003-04:00

Michael Jackson's untimely demise illustrates another sign of our times as one social network after another proves positive that our news is happening real time.

Michael Jackson's death roils Wikipedia
Michael Jackson Dies: Twitter Tributes Now 30% of Tweets
News sites swamped following Michael Jackson's death

And this doesn't even account for the news spread via sms.. which is how my teen found out around the same time as some of the news reports.

Even more evidence that the job search process is changing..

2009-06-26T00:12:00.003-04:00

Check out today's article on Business Week discussing how the job search as we know it is changing:

Recruiting: Enough to Make a Monster Tremble - Online job-search and headhunting is changing rapidly, and frontrunner Monster is losing ground to LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and even Twitter.. [read on]

Portkeys, portfolios and portmanteau

2009-06-24T15:17:00.005-04:00

As always we had lots of fun in class discussing our portfolio projects and how to create a network of sites that help to define and illustrate your personal niche and talents.

Specifically we discussed how to incorporate VisualCV, LinkedIn, print versions of resumes and portfolio items. We also looked at ways to extend our portfolios using creative strategies such as adding slide shares for portfolio items, or creating a personal videos that professionally highlight personal skill sets.

Written Communications, Culture, Catholicism, Innovation & The Number 42

2009-06-17T14:22:00.009-04:00

As always we have seamlessly covered the entire gamut of topics in our in class discussions.

To summarize: We covered the techniques and tips for effective business communications outlined in Chapter 6. Specifically we focused on writing concise messages using short sentences; editing unnecessary information; using a friendly, active voice; using a positive tone; and including complete information. It is worthwhile to review the strategies outlined in Chapter 6. The guidelines given on pages 157 - 161 are practical tips to ensure effective business communication practices.

As always we discussed many integrated aspects of culture in interpersonal and written communications and even carried over into the culture of the thumb and belief systems in general.

As part of our discussion we have called to question the relationship between belief systems, culture and change. So this week, we will ask ourselves and research:

"How can we be innovative to survive and thrive in these times?"

While this is a bit distanced from our original topic, it is relevant to our job search, goals and every day choices in a tough time. It is my hope that we will uncover information that will help prepare us logically for needed change in our state, our economy, and our way of thinking.

Remember that the "we" in our research question above refers to us personally and the companies, organizations, and/or ventures that we may entertain in the future. So apply your research to your personal goals and visions for the Future, as well as the choices and paradigms of interesting organizations and business models you discover in your research.

For next week, research the topic above. Organize your findings into a Diigo list and share your thoughts and resources with us on your class weblog. Oh, and don't forget to Tweet!

Spongeblog Squarepants and the Online Portfolio

2009-06-10T09:01:00.022-04:00

Earlier today I was undecided on whether to move on in the book and cover a new topic, but I have decided to continue researching and developing our online portfolios. There are many ways to approach the project so we will continue to explore them and develop our ideas as well as look at some additional examples this week.

As outlined last week in our Spongeblog Squarepants Social Networking Presence Diagram, the portfolio is a piece of our online identity.

Today we discussed how we can make our portfolios stand out from the crowd, and we generated ideas about what to include in our online portfolios. ...And on that note, here's Version 2 of Spongeblog Squarepants Social Networking (The online portfolio) for your viewing pleasure.

Developing your online portfolio and preparing for your job search

2009-06-03T11:20:00.004-04:00

Today we will be further developing our online portfolios and preparing materials for future job search expeditions.

Specifically we will continue to add information to our LinkedIn profiles and explore other ways to exhibit our work and skills online.

We will also explore site names and domain names as an additional step to help build and place emphasis on your personal brand.

I will be asking you to research how other people are using social networking tools, such as wikis, blogs and other tools to showcase and link up their experience, skills and samples of work. As always I would like you to compile your sources into a list on Diigo and post a summary of your findings (with the link to the Diigo list) on your weblog.

Workplace Collaboration and Information Processing

2009-05-27T11:33:00.004-04:00

This week we will explore workplace collaboration and information processing and how these technologies and processes are evolving.

Based on our discussion of information processing and collaboration in the workplace, research trends in enterprise software and web-based solutions, as well as cloud computing. Identify which solutions have the best overall functionality and accessibility.

For next week, add your favorite software & web-based solutions to a new Diigo list along with any articles related to work flow, collaboration and information processing trends and best practices.

Finally make a "Must Have" list, a "Could Have" list, and a "Could Care Less if it Has" list for your dream collaboration system. Once you have your lists and supporting articles, post a summary of your findings, your 3 lists (above: Must Have, Could Have, and Could Care Less if it Has) and a link back to the articles and solutions you bookmarked using Diigo on your weblog and share them with your friends on Twitter.

Building your workplace reputation

2009-05-20T09:02:00.003-04:00

With tools like LinkedIn, BusinessCard2 and the prevelance of social networking it is easier than ever to get a jump start on your professional reputation. We have begun putting some of those pieces in place already.

This week we will continue to develop our LinkedIn pages, send our first tweets and create a personal business card on BusinessCard2.

We will also research what kinds of behaviors in the workplace and within the social networking sphere are the best approach to increasing our credibility and professionalism, and also which we should avoid. So I will be asking you to create a list of "Do's" and a separate list of "Don'ts", and we will also create yet another Diigo list that will serve as a compilation of resources related to behavior in the workplace, professionalism and how social networking tools fit into this mix. (Note: You are welcome to discuss the positive and the negatives of social networking in regards to reputation.)

Building Your Online Identity

2009-05-13T11:28:00.010-04:00

This week we will be extending our workplace identity by developing an online reputation and identity using a variety of social networking tools, including LinkedIn, Twitter and our blogs.

As we discussed in class, please experiment with using different email accounts for different purposes (work/job hunting/spam catching/personal/bacn) and different aspects of your online identity. If you do not already have a neutral (in between work and personal on the email continuum), all purpose email account, consider creating a free Gmail account for this purpose which can be associated with your blogger account.

For next week I would like you to further explore how to develop your online reputation (i.e. your personal brand) and share what you have found. Feel free to reference my list on developing your visual identity and brand on Diigo. Keep in mind that since we are branding ourselves we may have to get creative in how we apply the advice given from the articles I have referenced.

I would like you to share your findings by creating a new Diigo list cataloging the articles you referenced. Please post a brief summary of your findings with the link to your Diigo list on your weblog for next week.

For Next Week...

2009-05-06T11:37:00.006-04:00

Next week we will begin to work on our Personal Branding project. Please bring in a photo of your self, or some other icon or image that you would like to customize to become your "visual identity".

Also think about what type of impression you are trying to create. We will try to develop this in a visual sense.

Today we will work on creating a Diigo account and our first Diigo list.

Adding your first Diigo list to your blog:

Sign in to Diigo and create your list.
Begin your search on our topic of the week "Our Ever-Changing Workplace".
As you find sources that you think are interesting or relevant, bookmark them using Diigo and check "Add to a list".
When you are done adding articles to your list, go to the list page in Diigo under Diigo -> My Lists on the toolbar (remember you will have to sign in and add the toolbar at home).
View the items in your list and organize them in the way that makes the most sense (you can re-order items in the list or move things from the top to the bottom).
Next we need to get the link to your list -- Select and copy the URL (web address) of your list page. It is located at the top of the page and looks like http://www.diigo.com/list/username/List-Name.
After copying your list URL, create a new post on your weblog (in Blogger).
Summarize your findings in the new post and add your list as a link in the post. You can also add your list as an item in the sidebar of on your weblog if you like. (We'll cover how to do that in more detail next week : )

Feel free to email me with questions if you get stuck on any particular part of this process, or bring your questions to class next Wednesday and we will work out any bugs in the process then.

Have an excellent weekend!! -Nicole

BITS 221 Course Overview

2009-05-02T22:40:00.005-04:00

This course is designed to prepare students to support an administrative department in a variety of office tasks. Students compose business documents, file correspondence, use proper telephone technique, process mail, make travel arrangements, and plan meetings. A focus throughout the course is business etiquette and professionalism as related to the duties of an administrative assistant. We will extend this idea a bit further and look at how technology and business work flow is changing. Specifically, we will look at how we can use emerging and existing technologies to improve processes within the work place and develop personal skills that will increase our value to current or prospective employers. We will also focus on marketing ourselves as we go out into the workplace.

As a starting place I have developed the following list of tentative topics that we will explore during the course of the semester.

The Future of the Workplace
How Technology is Changing
Connectivity and Collaboration
Generations in the Workplace
The Economy & Cloud Computing
Preparing Yourself for the New Workplace
Getting Ready for your Job Search
Your Web 2.0 Resume

We will focus on how things get done in the workplace and the skills and technology that can help us become more efficient and improve information processing as a whole.

As a means to that end, we will work on several interrelated projects. Specifically, we will develop a Weblog (1) and an Online Portfolio (2). We will also work on a Personal Branding Project (3).

Our assignments will become the content of our weblogs as individual blog posts. And our Final will be a theme-based essay on a topic of interest from class.