Kenton's Infotainment Scan

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of May 19, 2013

2013-05-18T09:07:00.002-05:00

1. Communication and Outreach Coordinator, Volunteer Manitoba

2. Sales and Publicity Manager, Turnstone Press

3. Summer Special Events Assistant, Manitoba Arts Network

4. Digital Advertising Coordinator (term), Think Shift

5. Summer Communications Coordinator, Lake Winnipeg Foundation

6. Summer Events Coordinator, Lake Winnipeg Foundation

7. Regional Communications Manager, CBC

8. Director of Policy and Communications, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

9. Editor, Issues Ink

10. Premium Whiskey Promotor, Mosaic for Johnnie Walker products

11. Web Marketing Manager (and Social Media Coordinator), Pinnacle

12. Technical Communications Officer II, Manitoba Public Insurance

13. Social Media Specialist, AAR - Auto List of Canada

14. Communications Analyst, Canadian Centre for Child Protection

15. Event and Marketing Manager, Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park

Eleven new words to burn into your mind like a pair of cheek-a-boo shorts

2013-05-14T09:02:00.003-05:00

See number three, below.

1. Anticipointment - Getting ready to feel displeasure.

2. Attractual - Good looking as verified by science.

3. Cheek-a-boo - The hot, new shorts that were sweeping Coachella, if by "sweeping" you mean one person.

4. Nap Trap - The ongoing act of intending to "take a short snooze" before embarking on work, then waking up fully clothed, confused, and still sleepy the next day.

5. Nerdistry - The art of being boringly studious and up to date on all matters related to science fiction.

6. Refreshtivities - The vigorous consumption of beverages.

7. Someone-elsie - A photo of someone other than yourself.

8. Printernet - The stack of papers on your seasoned colleague's desk consisting of the entire Web in printed form.

9. Twerk - Person who tweets on behalf of his or her employer.

10. Writers' Blog - The inability to update your blog, because you're too busy writing other stuff.

11. Youngcle - Your father or mother's brother who is younger than you.

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of May 12, 2013

2013-05-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

1. Creative Marketing and Communication Leader, Vandenbergs Fine Jewellery

2. Web and Social Media Marketing Coordinator, Pinnacle

3. Summer Student, Literacy and Essential Skills Outreach Worker, Literacy Partners of Manitoba

4. ECommerce Marketing Coordinator, Ben Moss

5. Summer Marketing Assistant, Southport

6. Announcer, On-Air Host, CJOB

7. Audition Notice, Dying to be Thin, MTYP

8. Museum Interpreter, Manitoba Museum

9. Head Projectionist, Cinematheque

10. Summer Museum Programmer/Promoter, Ross House Museum

11. Communications Analyst, Canadian Centre for Child Protection

12. Senior Marketing Specialist, Cargill

13. Advertising Designer, CDC

14. Summer Communication Assistant, Dufresne

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of May 5, 2013

2013-05-04T11:59:00.003-05:00

1. Marketing Coordinator (Summer), Southport

2. Promotions Coordinator, Corus

3. Feed and Play Operator, CTV

4. News Reporter/Weekend Producer, CTV

5. Editor, Canada Lutheran

6. Member Services Coordinator, Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association

7. Manager, Entertainment and Hospitality Marketing, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation

8. Communications and Event Coordinator, Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba

9. Social Media Champion - Great-West Life

10. Marketing Coordinator, Westburne

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of April 28, 2013

2013-04-27T11:23:00.001-05:00

1. Instructor, Graphic Design, Red River College

2. Instructor, Composition and Communications, Red River College

3. Web Communications Specialist, Delta Waterfowl Foundation

4. Web Communications Analyst, Manitoba Hydro

5. Marketing Communications Manager, YMCA-YWCA

6. Summer Curatorial Assistant, Mennonite Heritage Village

7. Summer Programme Assistant, Manitoba Craft Council

8. Summer Marketing and Community Outreach Assistant, Sarasvati Productions

9. Summer Production Assistant, Sarasvati Productions

10. Summer Research and Planning Assistant, Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library

11. Senior Marketing Manager, Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet

12. Events and Volunteer Coordinator, Steinbach Arts Council

13. Summer Programs Coordinator, Freeze Frame

14. Sales and Promotions Manager, Winnipeg Free Press

15. Vice-President, Capital Campaign and Development, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation

16. Development Officer, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of April 21, 2013

2013-04-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

1. Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Vita Health

2. Communications and Fund Development Officer, Ronald McDonald House

3. Marketing Coordinator, McDiarmid Lumber

4. Associate Manager, Social Media Engagement, Great-West Life

5. Communications Coordinator, Winnipeg Humane Society

6. Internship, Aboriginal Public Information Assistant, City of Winnipeg Aboriginal Youth Strategy

7. Senior Marketing Specialist, Cargill

8. Freelance Video Editor, Issues Ink

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of April 14, 2013

2013-04-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

1. Communications Coordinator, Manitoba Securities Commission

2. Communications Officer, Marketing and External Relations, Red River College

3. Mobile Journalist, Sun News Network

4. Web Communications Specialist, Delta Waterfowl Foundation

5. Account Coordinator, Direct Focus

6. Marketing/Communications Generalist, Manitoba Blue Cross

7. Technical Publications Specialist, MacDon

8. Technical Writer, Buhler Industries

9. Senior Communications Officer to the Executive Policy Committee, City of Winnipeg

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of April 7, 2013

2013-04-06T19:30:00.002-05:00

1. Digital Media Editor, GoldenGirlFinance.com

2. Advertising Sales Supervisor, Sun Media

3. Web Communications Specialist, Delta Waterfowl Foundation

4. Afternoon Driver Announcer, Astral Media (Brandon)

5. Online Sales Specialist, Winnipeg Free Press

6. Canada Council for the Arts Summer Student Program

7. Locations Coordinator, Manitoba Film and Music

8. Senior Communications Officer, City of Winnipeg

9. Field Marketing Distributor, Events Marketing

10. Outreach and Learning Coordinator, Mountain Equipment Co-op

11. Employee Relations Specialist, MNP

12. Advertising Designer, Computer Distributors of Canada

Implementing two kinds of e-portfolios in advertising class (and where the blog posts have gone)

2013-04-03T17:30:00.001-05:00

Where have all the blogposts gone? Good question, mom.

I knew I'd been busy with a mountain of freelance work, marking, class preparation and the master's degree when my mom asked me how come "the place she used to go to read my stories" now no longer has any stories. You know how moms love their stories!

Unable to post top-secret client work, or lame representations of marking and class preparation, I'm instead posting this screencast I just did for one of my master's classes. It talks about implementing two different kinds of e-portfolios - original and curation - in the ad major, which is something we'll actually do next year in a more meaningful way than we did this year.

Enjoy, mom.

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of March 31, 2013

2013-03-30T12:12:00.000-05:00

1. Multimedia Coordinator (term), Goodfellow and Goodfellow Real Estate

2. Video Journalist, CTV

3. Communication and Member Relations Representative, Manitoba Society of Pharmacists

4. Senior Marketing Proposal Writer, The Headhunters Recruitment Inc.

5. SEM/Paid Search Specialist, Magellan Vacations

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of March 24, 2013

2013-03-23T11:33:00.001-05:00

1. Editor, Cattle Country, Manitoba Beef Producers

2. Communications Assistant (Summer Term), Richardson International

3. Communications Coordinator, Richardson International

4. Circulation Manager, Contemporary Verse 2

5. Development Assistant, Manitoba Opera

6. Executive Director, Manitoba Writers' Guild

7. Events Coordinator, Manitoba Writers' Guild

8. Director of Development, Manitoba Theatre Centre

9. Reception Services Assistant (summer), Winnipeg Folk Fest

10. Process and Communications Consultant, The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba

11. Education and Marketing Coordinator, Victoria Lifeline

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of March 17, 2013

2013-03-16T10:06:00.003-05:00

1. Marketing Internship (unpaid), Koba Entertainment

2. Marketing and Communications Intern (unpaid), Folklorama

3. Communications Coordinator, College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba

4. News Camera/Photographer, Shaw

5. Social Media Rep, Artbitrage Magazine

6. Spécialiste en Marketing/Marketing Specialist, Caisse Populaire Groupe Financier ltée

7. Manager, Business Development, Deschenes Regnier

8. Proposal Writer, Pollard Banknote

9. Senior Marketing Intelligence Writer, Pollard Banknote

10. Social Media Coordinator, Globe General Agencies

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of March 10, 2013

2013-03-09T10:35:00.002-06:00

1. Student Technical Assistant, City of Winnipeg

2. Junior Social Media Strategist, Cruise Media

3. Communications Intern, Food Matters Manitoba

4. Reporter/Anchor, Shaw Media

5. Account Executive, Astral Media, Brandon

6. Senior New Media Project Coordinator (term), Canadian Museum for Human Rights

7. Summer Interpretive Guide Bilingual, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

8. Volunteer Coordinator, Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition

9. Production Assistant (summer), Winnipeg Folk Festival

10. Performer Services Assistant (summer), Winnipeg Folk Festival

11. Production Artist, Direct Focus

12. Instructor, Department of Theatre and Film, University of Manitoba

13. Press Secretary, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

14. SEM/Paid Search Specialist, Magellan Vacations

15. Divisional President, MS Society

16. Communications Manager, Elmwood Community Resource Centre

17. Event Planner, MTS Iceplex

18. Marketing Coordinator, Wes-T-Rans Company

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of March 3, 2012

2013-03-02T09:22:00.000-06:00

1. Summer Promotions Coordinator, Astral Radio

2. Communications Coordinator/Graphic Designer (term), AMSC

3. Communications Summer Student, Royal Canadian Mint

4. Summer Marketing Coordinator (soccer background), TrojanOne

5. Senior Producer, CBC

6. Graphic Designer, United Way

7. Marketing Program Manager, United Way

8. Events Associates, United Way

9. Director, Communications, United Way

10. Campaign Coordinator, United Way

11. Curator of HBC Museum Collection, Manitoba Museum

12. Regional Campaign Manager, Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

13. e-Business Manager, CAA

14. Travel Services Coordinator, CAA

15. Walking Tour Guide, Exchange District BIZ

16. Corporate Relations, Federated Insurance

17. Advertising Designer, CDC

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Feb. 24, 2013

2013-02-23T10:43:00.001-06:00

1. Director - Reader Sales and Service, Winnipeg Sun

2. Announcer, Swing, Power 97

3. Mobile Producer, Westman Communications Group

4. Marketing and Communications Lead, Beakerhead Creative Society (Calgary)

5. Communications and Innovation Coordinator, Construction Safety Association of Manitoba

6. Marketing Associate, Jostens

7. Community Coffee Cruiser Coordinator, Tim Hortons

Plus: new association - The Winnipeg Search Engine Marketing Group (meet and greet coming up on March 20)

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Feb. 17, 2013

2013-02-16T09:56:00.004-06:00

1. Street Team, Corus Radio

2. Request for Proposals, Heritage Minutes, Historica-Dominion Institute

3. Director of Marketing and Communications, MTC

4. Assistant Brand Manager, Vita Health

5. Marketing and Communications (Summer Position), Composites Innovation Centre

6. Manager, Programming, Shaw

Eleven new words to fill your muggle

2013-02-12T12:25:00.002-06:00

See number 7. Has nothing to do with Harry Potter.

1. Appservescence - The tendency of awesome apps to rise to the top of the app store.

2. Cinnamom - Mothers who know the secret ingredient to every great dessert.

3. Deeprest - The way to overcome depression.

4. Diss Stress - The way to overcome stress.

5. Fulfilling Station - A self-actualization facility.

6. Hamnesia - Eating a great pork roast and forgetting about it.

7. Muggle - See photo, above.

8. Obamatoba - What we'd call our province if Obama had bought it, as suggested in the New York Times (see paragraph 12).

9. Strawb - A straw for smoothies.

10. TOFT - Too Obscure For Twitter. Example: "What's this about Carole Pope stepping down?"

11. Twaffic - Twitter traffic reports.

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Feb. 10, 2013

2013-02-09T11:37:00.000-06:00

1. Summer Communications Student, Canadian Border Services Agency

2. Event Assistant, Bruce and Boivin Consulting Group

3. Videographer, CBC

4. News Reporter, Bell Media

5. Promotions Director, Corus

6. Communications Assistant, Summer Student, Manitoba Lotteries

7. Junior Volunteer Coordinator, Summer Student, Manitoba Lotteries

8. Community Events Team, Summer Student, Manitoba Lotteries

9. Aboriginal Public Information Assistant, City of Winnipeg

10. Marketing Development Assistant Manager, Great-West Life

11. Employee Relations, Boeing Canada

12. Communications Coordinator, Siloam Mission

13. Client Relations Coordinator, U of M

14. Marketing and Customer Specialist, Scheller Metal Fabricators

15. Coordinator, Digital Media, Winnipeg Jets

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Feb. 3, 2013

2013-02-02T08:57:00.001-06:00

1. Summer Student Positions (Communications Assistant, Community Events, Etc.), Manitoba Lotteries

2. Marketing Manager, The Eureka Project

3. Reporter/Editor Internship, Canadian Press (Halifax) - (Apply with letter, references, and work samples by Feb. 15 to kevin.ward@thecanadianpress.com)

4. Search Specialist, Fund Development, Canadian Red Cross (Toronto)

5. Morning Show Co-Host, Power 97

6. Morning Show Co-Host, 99.1 FRESH

7. Advertising Coordinator, Dufresne

8. Conference Planner, The Fairmont

9. Community Relations Assistants, MPI

10. Marketing Coordinator, Portage Place

11. Director, Government and Community Engagement, University of Manitoba

12. Project Supervisor, Events Marketing

13. MTS CreComm Scholarship

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Jan. 27, 2013

2013-01-26T09:22:00.000-06:00

1. Writer and Social Media Coordinator, Canadian Mennonite University

2. Director of Marketing and Communications, CancerCare Manitoba Foundation

3. Account Coordinator, Direct Focus

4. Marketing Communications, CUBEX

5. Marketing Specialist, Naylor

6. Photographer, Princess Auto

7. Communications Coordinator, HUB International

8. Communications and Marketing Coordinator, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

9. Marketing Coordinator - Email, IC Group

10. Campaign/Event Manager, FineLine Communications

Unique solutions for your advertising-cliché needs

2013-01-22T21:42:00.000-06:00

Hello ad clichés, my old friends. I've come to talk with you again.

My war on advertising clichés has been hard fought and lost over the past decade, yet I soldier on even while knowing, inevitably, the day I retire from work will be filled with gifts emblazoned with the word "unique," as though my hatred of the word was some personal foible and not the war on creativity and humanity itself that I know it to be.

This year, I provided to students a handy list of the words, phrases, and constructions to avoid when creating an ad. I challenge them, you, and the population of planet Earth - nay: the Universe - to never use any of these again in advertising or life.

See you at the unique retirement party!

Unique
Solutions
Something for everyone
From (blank) to (blank), we have it all
Whether you want (blank) or (blank)…
A wide variety of...
We are dedicated to...
We believe...
We aim to...
No matter the occasion...
For all your (blank) needs.
We provide you...
We offer you...
We cater to...
(Blank)…since 1980; Since 1980, we’ve been...
We are proud to...; Proud providers of...
(Blank) is located in (blank)
Can be found
We promote...
For people from all walks of life

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Jan. 20, 2013

2013-01-19T10:03:00.000-06:00

1. French Language Services Officer, St.Amant

2. Advertising Account Manager, McKim Cringan George

3. Part-Time PR Assistant (and internships), Vine Multimedia

4. Weekend News Editor/Presenter, CBC

5. Web Producer, CBC

6. Reporter/Editor, CBC

7. Associate Producer (French Services), CBC

8. Corporate Communications Coordinator, Protegra

9. Employee Relations, Boeing

10. Deputy Editor, Canstar Community News

11. Technical Writer, Buhler Industries

12. Web Content Writer, Western Financial

13. Events and Communities Manager, 24-7 Intouch

14. Marketing Assistant, Multicrete

15. Marketing and PR Internships in China, CRCC

How to implement technology in the classroom

2013-01-16T07:34:00.000-06:00

“Technology is the answer. What was the question?”
– Andy Petroski, director of learning technologies, Harrisburg University

There’s a big difference between being a proponent of educational technology and effectively integrating it into the classroom.

I believe that the initial problem for most teachers – getting buy-in from management and financial support – is so large a hurdle, that if you’re lucky enough to actually secure the technology, you feel a little like Robert Redford at the end of the Candidate when he wins the election: “What do we do now?”

In his SlideShare presentation, Petroski rightly points out that teachers tend to fall into three different groups:

Those who want to start using technology
Those who are using technology without an instructional strategy
Those who are using technology with an instructional design strategy.

I’ve often found myself in the second group: teachers who love and promote using technology, but for wont of time and support (and other convenient excuses) haven’t implemented the instructional strategy to go with it.

I believe that the key to implementing technology in the classroom is no different than the key to implementing anything new in any workplace (and to life itself): careful planning.

The lessons/recommendations, re: best practices:

1. Support and buy-in from the top

Technology integration doesn’t happen in isolation. A couple of years ago, I embarked on a big tech project thanks to a grant available from my college. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a buy-in from a key decision maker, so imagine my surprise when midway through the project, he suggested I hand over the iPads for staff use. I didn’t. All hell broke lose. Again, I say: "careful planning."

“Support” can also mean financial support. What happens if there are unforeseen circumstances? Is there an emergency fund available in case things don’t go as planned? I’m thinking of two iPads with cracked screens.

2. Agreement from within (among teachers)

Cultivating openness among teachers to accept that technology is a part of learning is key. One of the things to do right is get a buy-in from teachers from the start in the key project areas – writing, graphic design, and programming. In this way, the project is a partnership, not one person telling other people what to do.

3. Support and buy-in from parents

My students are college-aged, so this wasn’t a concern for my project, but it would be if one were working in elementary/high school environments. Suffice to say, NOT having access to technology and support at home can have a detrimental effect on a young person’s education.

4. Support from IT and educational assistants

Are you going to be using Wi-Fi or server space? Do you need to stream video content? Do you need a trained person to assist students with learning? It’s virtually impossible to do anything tech-related without these two functions onboard. The key is to not allow the IT department to “wag the dog” by influencing what happens in class; teaching comes first, and IT supports that function.

5. Training

I think the need for teacher training is often overstated; after all, billions of consumers purchase and integrate technology into their lives with no training whatsoever. Gone are the days when we’d take electronics out of the package and wonder how or if they’d work – the best gadgets and resources today are intuitive.

That said, there are situations in which teachers will require training, and will need to build their own confidence before showing up in the classroom to teach or integrate the new technology. Part of that is a change in mindset, particularly for digital immigrants. Technology is always changing and learning about it (and staying in front of it) is a constant – at school and at home.

Integrating technology is a process of planning, negotiation, and teamwork; one has to be open to new ideas and accept that frustration and troubleshooting are just part of the journey. By planning ahead and allowing for the considerations outlined here, you can manage issues as they arise and do a better job the next time. Just watch me.

Recommended video (thanks to instructor Ilse Dyck for sending it my way):

Karen McGrane: Adapting Ourselves to Adaptive Content - fantastic presentation!

Description:
“For years, we’ve been telling designers: the web is not print. You can’t have pixel-perfect layouts. You can’t determine how your site will look in every browser, on every platform, on every device.

"We taught designers to cede control, think in systems, embrace web standards. So why are we still letting content authors plan for where their content will “live” on a web page? Why do we give in when they demand a WYSIWYG text editor that works “just like Microsoft Word”? Worst of all, why do we waste time and money creating and recreating content instead of planning for content reuse?

"What worked for the desktop web simply won’t work for mobile. As our design and development processes evolve, our content workflow has to keep up. Learn how to adapt to creating more flexible content.”

Everybody's talkin' about communications jobs, week of Jan. 13, 2013

2013-01-12T09:38:00.001-06:00

1. Director of Communications and Marketing, Canadian Mennonite University

2. Communications Co-op Student, Devon

May 6, 2013 to end of August. This is a paid co-op communications position in Calgary. Employer will pay travel costs and assist with accommodations. The company is looking for a joint-degree student who is returning to school in the fall. If a second-year student is returning to the U of W in the fall to pick up courses, he or she would qualify.

3. Festival Manager, Winnipeg Fringe Festival

4. Internships for students with permanent physical disabilities, Shaw Media

5. Events and Volunteer Coordinator, Steinbach Arts Council

6. Manager, Community Relations, MPI

7. Events Coordinator, Manitoba Schizophrenia Society

8. Special Events Coordinator, Parkinson Society Manitoba

9. Global Marketing Associate, Momentum Healthware

10. Technical Writer, MacDon Industries

11. Marketing Proposal Coordinator, ft3

Can Lore bring social networking to the classroom?

2013-01-08T23:52:00.001-06:00

If you've ever wished that school could be more like Facebook, then Lore might be your new bff.

Lore is a new platform (the buzzword is "learning management system") that I've been testing in my Creative Communications classes this year; we did a quick rollout in advertising class last semester, and this semester I'm expanding it to public relations, work placement, and the advertising major.

If you'd like to visit last semester's ad class to have a look, go to: join.lore.com/A89X6W (you need the last six digits to join the class and sign in).

In essence, Lore is school in a Facebook environment without students having to “friend” instructors or worry about others seeing personal, non-scholarly information.

Teachers and students can use it to have discussions outside the physical classroom, and there’s a gradebook, calendar, document uploader, and Facebook-style timeline and newsfeed, where teachers and students can post information and have public discussions.

Students can upload their profiles and resumes, join “class communities,” and “groups,” message one another, and have coursework-related discussions among themselves inside and outside the class. As the network builds, grads can continue to participate in discussions, providing advice and mentoring to new students.

Key inspirations (from an instructor in my master’s program) for enhancing in-person instruction with online activities:

“Create dialogue and structure.”
“Give students more control.”
“Make your own online experiences.”
“Try something you’ve never tried before.”
“Impart a vision about what “distance education” can look like.”
“Find ways to increase dialogue, decrease structure, and increase autonomy.”

The only issue: I'd love a mobile app to go with the website, but I assume it's on its way. See you on the discussion board!