Module 5 Writeout

For my final presentation I will be looking at the reasons why people don’t feel safe riding their bikes. According to Business insider there has been a 40% increase in people commuting by bike since 2000, however still under 1 million people ride bikes and there are over 204 million cars in use despite the benefits of cycling. Cycling is significantly cheaper that taking a car in terms of maintenance as well as this it has health benefits as it allows people to exercise on their way to and from work. It is also very convenient due to share bike systems, in the next 5 years San Francisco aims to have 10-15% of all trips be taken by bike. Mikael Colville thinks that one of the main reasons people don’t ride is that safety equipment is a deterrent. As well as this cyclists feel threatened by cars, not being separated from the road and pot holes and other surfaces are not smooth on the road. 53% of riders said they viewed riding in San Francisco as unsafe. To try and get more people to use cycling as their main mode of transport it is important that their concerns are addressed. The biggest way to do this would be through the introduction of separated bike lanes, as well as this a reduction of speed limits could be a possible solution. In conclusion, cycling is definitely an effective mode of transport but as a result of safety concerns many avoid using it. In the future numbers of riders could be increased through addressing these concerns.

Module 4 Reading Response 3

“Why Students Can’t Google Their Way to the Truth”

This article spoke about the problems with finding reliable information online and how sometimes students see unreliable sources as good sources. The article discussed research that was done at Stanford that showed “middle school students were unable to tell the difference between an advertisement and a news story.” I think that overall this article showed the importance of making sure that the websites being used are reliable through both looking into the website itself but also checking that the facts given on the site are similar or the same as information in other sources.

Module 4 Reading Response 2

“Men Explain Things to Me” – Rebecca Solnit

I found this article really interesting to read as it spoke about a lot of things that I had never put much thought into. Solnit explains that in many circumstances a woman can make it clear that she knows what something is but a man will still explain it to her as if she doesn’t. One part of the reading that really stood out to me was when Solnit explains how extreme thisĀ  can be in some cases where women hardly have a voice at all. She talks about how in places in the Middle East a woman’s testimony is not seen as valid legally “so a woman can’t testify she was raped without a male witness to counter the male rapist.”

Module 4 Reading Response 1

Kathryn Bertine

Bertines article taught me a lot about women in cycling which was something I didn’t know much about. She discusses how making a documentary helped her to see the inequality faced by women in cycling which was what inspired her to take action, this was first done through her petitioning for women to be able to race in the tour de France. Even though they were successful to an extent the race that was put in place for women was shorter than the one available to men. Throughout her career as a cyclist Betine has continued to fight for equality which is really inspiring.

Module 3 Reading Response 3

“Bike Snob”

I found the excerpt from this book really interesting because it displayed information about people in the biking world in a way that was both humorous but easy to understand. The author went through and listed different types of cyclists such as “the roadie” and “the mountain biker”. The author then went on to explain what the cyclist was like and finally their compatibility with other types of cyclists listed. This exert helped me figure out what I wanted to do for presentation 3 as I started to think about different groups in Australia on both a national scale but also in terms of suburbs and how they interact with one another as well as the reasoning behind this.

Module 3 Reading Response 2

Duarte- “HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations”

Duarte’s reading addressed both the importance of an audience in the overall success of a presentation but also the need to know about the group you are speaking to. The part of this reading that really stood out to me was Duarte’s discussion about how to understand an audience. In her work Duarte explained that it is important to have a general idea of the audience’s idea on an issue you are speaking about. This allows the speaker to approach the topic in a way that the audience is more likely to respond to. As well as this if the speaker has some knowledge of the background of an audience they are able to use language and evidence that will be able to relate to.

Module 3 Reading Response Post 1

Rendell – “An Ocean of Air”

Rendell’s work opens with really powerful imagery of the tour de France, he vividly describes the physical strain that the riders undergo throughout the duration of the bicycle race, but he also emphasizes the perseverance shown by the cyclists; “if lungs and legs are still intact there is no giving up.” Rendell then goes on to emphasise the importance of teamwork in cycling. He discusses how difficult bike races can be as it is so easy to lose by just parts of a second. In saying this he looks into why it is so important for cyclists to work with their team, he talks about how if one person is left behind the entire team is impacted, therefore it is important that everyone is aware of their team mates and willing to make sacrifices for them if they need to.

Discussion of Rehearsal Videos Project 3

I filmed all three rehearsal videos in a row for this presentation as I had done it for the one before and found that it was something that worked for me. In my rehearsal videos I practiced without using my slides which is something I think I want to change for next time as I think it would have made me more comfortable when using the slides in the actual presentation. Similarly to what had happened with my project 2 rehearsal videos I found some problems in my first rehearsal and went back into my speech and fixed them between the videos.

Individual Conference Project 4

During my conference Professor Hunt went over what some good sources I could use would be for the upcoming presentation. We also talked about how I am really dependent on my notes when I’m making speeches and it results in me spending a lot of time looking down at the paper even if I know what I am going to say. We discussed how I could try and find away around this for my next presentation and possibly try and not use notes. Finally, Professor Hunt gave me an idea for my module 5 presentation. We talked about how it would be interesting to look at why people don’t feel comfortable riding on roads which is something that I can relate to, he helped me find some useful sources to use when looking into this.

Discussion of Rehearsal Videos Project 4

Like I had done for the last few presentations I filmed all 3 rehersal videos in a row because I think this helps me work out what I need to fix in my speech. I wanted to try and use my notes less in this presentation so I did my rehearsal videos without them but I had my powerpoint in the background for reference so I knew where I was going with the points in my speech. In the first video I found myself looking at the powerpoint more, I also noticed a few of the bullet points were in an order that didn’t make as much sense when I was speaking so I went in and changed a few things around. As I practiced more I felt more comfortable without my notes.

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