1C My You Tube Channel

You tube has been a fantastic way of promoting myself as a dancer. I put together a showreel of my professional footage to send off to casting director. Its a great tool to send your footage overseas to directors. I gained my cruise contracts through my Showreel so I have found YouTube a fantastic tool for me to use. 

KATIE SCOTT SHOWREEL

Please follow my channel. any feedback will be greatly appreciated 

Reflection as a Catalyst for Change - My Research and Ideas

Reflection as a catalyst for Change

How often do you reflect though out the day? How often do you come up with an amazing business idea? Or a fantastic class you want to set up? And how often do these reflections create change? 

After reading through the blogs of the campus session in which I unfortunately had to miss. I decided to do a bit of further research of my own and delve further into reflection and how it affects me within my professional practise. 

Gillie Bolton uses an interesting metaphor to describe this power of reflection.  One metaphor for reflection is the mirror which projects back the object being looked at--as it is.  She, instead, prefers the notion of the “Looking Glass” out of Alice in Wonderland:

“Alice ... has just crawled through the mirror.  She looks around her and, in this looking-glass-land, even "the pictures on the wall next the fire seemed to be all alive." In my experience, the things seen from the Reflexive Writing side of the looking glass are or are about to become, all alive.” 

(Reflection in the Electronic 

Writing Classroom

L. Lennie Irvin, San Antonio College)

Bolton points, here, to the transformational nature of reflection for the person doing the reflecting. Notice that reflection is represented as a catalyst that has the effect of a change—a change of knowledge, a change of awareness, even a change of consciousness.

As a performer we tend to be harsh on ourselves. Failure and Success; two words which we use to define how well we are doing. If you get cut from an audition - FAIL - If you fall out that pirouette - FAIL. We spend so much time being hard on ourselves rather than reflecting how we can do better in the future. The word failure being the common denominator stopping changes.

Gibbs created a reflective cycle to follow in our professional careers.

However I read an interesting article written by Jonathan Payne.  Jonathan Payne is a High Performance Mental Conditioning Coach working with high performance athletes, entrepreneurs and business executives. He lives in South Africa. You can find more of his articles at http://www.jonathanpayne.co.za. As he deals with high performing athletes I believe it was more relevant to us as performers.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Learn-From-Failure-And-Become-A-Top-Performer&id=8613603

The article explores how we all will fail at some point. Any successes has been a direct result of failure. What the article explores is how we reflect and learn. He uses a learning cycle developed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford to help reflect and develop failure.

Here's how the learning cycle rolls out:

1 Doing something, having an experience

2 Reflecting on the experience

3 Concluding from the experience, developing a theory

4 Planning the next steps, to apply or test the theory

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8613603

The DOING part is for example going to the 5th audition this week and being cut first round.  You know you are a fantastic dancer, you were top of your class at college, your assessments were top of the class, but your just not getting there. So you have experienced the doing part but you haven't quite reached you expectations. 

The next stage is to REFLECT - just simply doing the auditions will not help you learn. You need to reflect on this learning starts as you begin to reflect on what has happened.

In this case it could be a case of - “I fell off my turn” - “ I didn't perform the choreography in a way that they wanted” 

The next step is critical - CONCLUDING. Here is when we make conclusions based on our reflection. It is at this point where the danger of self-recrimination and negative self-talk rears itself. Thoughts such as "I'm a failure", "I will never be as good as... ", "I think I should give up", begin to arise. This is where we as performers need to block out that inner voice and create an action plan moving forward. “This week i will concentrate on my performance skills” 

This is where we as performers should formulate a PLAN of action. Creating a plan we need to ignore all inklings of self doubt. Focus on forward planning, what we can do to improve on our failures and see failures as an opportunity to learn rather than hitting walls and damaging our progress. 

A fantastic read I encourage all to read is “The Secret - by Rhonda Byrne” It focuses on positive energy and the way it can help us move forward and It has helped me keep positive through my injuries and subconsciously keeps you on track professionally - I highly recommend this book to all professionals wanting to succeed in their goals. 

The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE by Thomas J. Peters (Author) - This book is something that was recommended to me by my colleague at work. It focuses on small changes you can make to big differences in your life. 

In summary - Thought processes are vital to become successful within our performance careers. We are going to be knocked back 9/10 - but if we follow the ideas and learning developed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford we can reflect on these failures and create change which ultimately will make us a true professional and successful in any career path that a we choose! 

Thoughts and comments always welcome. 

1B Web 2.0

What is web 2.0

From my understanding of the readers and my further research, Tim O'reilly created the term Web 2.0 to describe the cumulative changes in the way Web pages are made and used.

"Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online."

"Some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword" - This was an interesting quote that I took from Tim O'reillys reading. There are no technical specifications as how Web 2.0 has developed, yet we use it everyday in our day to day lives, to be honest I think we have become so dependent on these technologies that we would be lost without them.

So what are the differences between web 1.0 and web 2.0?

Interaction - This it the main difference here - and for me, the more Web 2.0 develops the stranger everyday social interaction becomes. Think to yourself, how often have you sat at a table with all your friends and every single one of you are on your phones? Tweeting, browsing Facebook, updating Instagram, snap chatting. 

When it comes to social media sites such Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I can see the benefits of these sites when used professionally. I successfully ran a business through Facebook, and after reading other blogs most of us will mention  "The Hustle" which is is a fantastic way to connect with other dancers within the network. What I feel the danger here is - Are these social media sites anything but social?

This link is a You Tube video (Yet another Web 2.0 tool) which will get questioning the way you use Facebook : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

"I looked around and I realised this media we call social is anything but.
When we open up our computers, its our doors we shut"

In our generation, personally I feel like Social media has sped out of control and instead of being proactive and present we are glued to screens. We have become so obsessed with other peoples lives that I feel sometimes we forget to live our own.

"A world of self interest, self image, self promotion. A world where we share our best bits, but leave out the emotion"

I experienced this whilst being on my last contract. Messages from my friends commenting on what an amazing time I look to be having. Meanwhile, behind my Facebook profile and all the pictures of me smiling on beaches and travelling the world, my "Facebook friends" weren't seeing pictures of me in drill or in  my tiny cabin or doing all my duties. To the rest of the world My life was perfect but all is not as it seems on these social media sites. I am sure fellow cruise workers can relate. 

Mark zuckerburg claimed that "connectivity is a human right" - but can we not connect with real life human contact rather than just our screens?

‘Seeing the network as platform’ 

"all the data and the software that manages the application is not run locally on your computer and can be accessed from anywhere in the world"

This is an amazing thing to be able to do, to connect with people throughout the world and the way you can share and network with complete strangers is something which we can really work towards with our professional practise. It is something I use on a daily basis, connecting with clients and candidates networking in a way that is useful to us.

1. Architectures of Participation 

Any one can participate in Web 2.0. It is a social and professional tool which is quick easy and cheap for everyone involved. Money, time and skills are all factors which hold us back whilst networking. Web 2.0 enables us to explore not only our own ideas, but to share, post ,tag, comment, and collaborate and develop ideas with colleagues, friends or complete strangers!

The best part here is being able to customise our own network platforms. We live in a world now where you are represented by your online profile. We sit there and we tweak sentences and filter pictures until our online profile is our perfect version of ourselves. First impressions count - But is it our online profiles that are our first impressions? 

The ways we can interact with each other is incredible the way we can , but can we predict user behaviour? For example, Wikapedia use to allow anyone to edit the information on there. How will the information be reliable? Whats stopping someone on Facebook upload those photos of that boozy night out - which would ruin your credibility? 

Making sure you control your profiles is at the upmost importance here - making sure all the control is with the user and you don't leave settings open to the rest of the network. YOU can be in control of your profile and your online reputation.

I am interested the way we can use these technologies and customise our profiles in a way that represents us. Even within our course, each blog is different, we al have a different way of learning and different layouts to our blogs. Most of us will never meet - its fascinating that we have all been joined together through the use of Blogs - Also being so far away, it really helps me to read through peoples blogs who have attended sessions and its interesting the different array of ideas we have through the readers. 

As discussed I do have worries in the way Web 2.0 allows us to connect share and respond. As shown in O'reillys meme - the main two points here for me are , hackability and user behaviour. Hackability is a valid point here. How safe is all our information on the internet, who can see the information on your profile? Does it save if you deleted it? What if someone hacked your profile?

2. Remixable date and transformations

Further reading: Dr Axel Bruns

"Bruns argues that in fact there isn't a step by step transition from reading and consuming materials to making and sharing them online, more that each of us as we participate are both producer and consumer." (reader 1)

I wanted to explore this further as I feel it refers directly to a career in the performing world.  We are our own brand, our own producer but we have to consume the industry around us and those in it in order to progress. We were constantly reminded at college - YOU ARE YOUR OWN BUSINESS  We are the product, so how we market that product is how successful we will be. This creates a great link into how I should be using web 2.0 in my practice. As mentioned in architectures of participation a lot of our variables come down to money. I can honestly say the life of a struggling dancer will never be a rich one which gives us Web 2.0 as a cheap readily available option right at our finger tips. 

Knowledge is power. Being able to remix and transform data between us and improve on it using the wonders of the net.

3. Harnessing collective intelligence

Web 2.0 offers a "social space for people, strangers and almost strangers with diverse backgrounds to come together as equals, as generators of ideas, to deliberate and act collectively"  (Feenberg and Bakardjieva, 2004, p 37). 

The usage of blogs here at Middlesex is an amazing idea to connect with fellow students and an opportunity to connect and study long distance whilst publishing your thoughts and theories online. It enables us to comment on each others ideas and grow as professionals - I will probably never meet any of you in real life but we can work together and get to know each other through blogs. This makes Web 2.0 fantastic for classroom purposes. 

As suggested by Gruber in 2008, "there are three components of an online system that support collective intelligence" (Reader 1) 

The 3 components:

1. Social System

2. Search Engine

3. Intelligent Users

Im finding this within the course here that we are expressing ourselves through online blogs and share and comment between each other sharing each others theories and research really helpful. We have so much information at our fingertips which we can create, respond and develop further ideas.

How I use Web 2.0 in my professional Career?

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=AAMAABBrc0gB0F3isbZSmak8kYQNP89oV97IVFg&trk=hp-identity-headline

Linkedin - is my bible at the moment (not to be boastful here) but my profile is the most viewed profile out of my company at the moment. This is because I use Linkedin religiously and commercially as a networking tool. I post jobs that I am recruiting,  with businesses and connect with clients and candidates. My job is all about gaining rapport with people and learning to connect and network with the correct people so I make sure my Linkedin profile is as professional as can be. Page Personnel have given me strict deadlines to follow to create my profile as its not just representing me, but it is representation of the whole company.

Twitter - is also a fantastic tool, following people within the business, seeing what they are tweeting about. Gaining commercial knowledge and giving you that step forward in the game. 

You Tube - You tube is an amazing way to send your showreel to casting directors and creating a channel in which you can upload your work to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEMU3iapKJg

Any comments about my showreel will be much appreciated.

Some links to some Web 2.0 tools I have newly come across whilst exploring Web 2.0 to help develop my technologies further - 

EXPLORING PIN INTEREST - KATIE SCOTT - Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all of your projects and interests. I have created a BAPP board to pin interest things I have found interesting during research. 

http://katiescott02.blogspot.co.uk - This Blog is also something I have discovered during my course also.

Im sure I will be learning to utilise my communication technologies further through out my course.

Refrences

(1) http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/566/262964/Module_1_BAPP_Handbook_3730_Reader_1_2011-12_final.pdf

(2)http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.105.3421&rep=rep1&type=pdf

(3) Bruns, A. Towards produsage: Futures for user-led content production. Proceedings: Cultural Attitudes  towards Communication and Technology 2006, eds. F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachovec, and C. Ess. Murdoch University, Perth, 2006, 275-84. Also available at http://snurb.info/files/12132812018_towards_produsage_0.pdf (accessed 25 Nov. 2006). 

1A- Second Draft of CV

Edited CV

After reviewing my CV I could see that this needed to be changed. Looking at my CV from a critical point of view I could see I needed to change it for when I finally begin auditioning again. There are many improvements I needed to make to create the perfect Dance CV.

Profile

I wanted my name to be in bold and bigger at the top, as I am sure you are aware the amount of dancer CVs that are handed in at an audition I didn't want my name to be inconspicuous on the top. I want to be remembered from an audition so having my name in bolder letters at the top will help me achieve this. Next to it a copy of  my headshot so I will be recognised and remembered from the audition.

Format

The format on my CV before was all wrong. I formatted my CV so that it would be clearer to navigate around. Changing the fonts and making the titles bolder - in general just making everything bolder and clearer. 

Experience

Looking at my first draft of my CV I had put my most recent experience and professional experience on the bottom. I arranged all this so my most recent contract was at the top right down to my first ever contract. Also there are no dates on my previous CV - so I made sure all dates were put on my CV. 

Second Draft

Looking at my second draft, I can see that it has improved vastly after looking at from a professional point of view. Being injured, and having the time to critically evaluate my CV has helped me improve my current Dance CV. 

I will be coming back to look at my CV and creating a final daft.

Any comments or other improvements are welcomed.

Thank You

1A - First Dance CV - Critically Evaluating My CV

Evaluating my Dance CV Profile

Looking at my Dance CV I can see that the CV needs a lot of work. A CV is important as it needs to represent you and your experience to the best as you can.  I can see from looking at the CV that is is not formatted very well and there is no need for my experience whilst training at college as I have Professional dance experience at the moment.  

What I want to do is reformat the CV and put relevant and up to date experience (as i haven't even got my recent experience on there) and make it more attractive to whoever will be looking at my CV. I want my profile to represent me as well as I can.

The things I would like to improve on are:

• Profile - Create a clearer an bolder profile
• Format - Reformat my CV make it clearer to navigate around my professional experience
• Relevance - Make my CV less frantic and take off things that are irrelevant
• Professionalism - Make my CV more professional

Please note: Fake Contact number on CV.

1A - Initial Thoughts

As my injuries have me out of performing for a while, within my current job as a recruitment consultant with "Micheal Page Recruitment" . I spend the majority of my day scrolling through many peoples CVs, interviewing different professionals from different backgrounds and placing individuals into jobs around Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield and Doncaster. I currently specialise in business support, secretarial, PA and Administration. (A lot different from my performing background) It was interesting for me at the start, looking at professional CVs and comparing them to my own and looking at the CVs from a employers perspective. 

From the performance aspect of things - whilst  running a promotions company "Azure Promotions" I found that the kind of CV I recieved was a completely different type of CV.  I was sent through promotions material such as; professional photos and showreels t from dancers and models as well as their performance CVs. 

As I have two agacent careers - for me it is best to have two seperate CVs. One performance CV; listing all my current performance experience including: headshots, demos and showreels and one contrasting CV of which is more of a corporate CV containing all my pomotional work and recruitment experience. 

Please see later posts for my CV profiles