Example of Good and Bad Websites

I have chosen to do my project on the Disney Cruise Line website vs. the CruiseOnly website. I do apologize in advance for my voice on the video, I have been sick and it has been difficult to talk.

My example of a bad website was Cruise Only. I chose this website because, it was a website that had a relation to my major, which is Hospitality Management. CruiseOnly is a travel agency based website which allows potential clients to find information on cruises. First off, I did not like the color scheme of this website. The colors and pictures were difficult to understand. When booking a cruise or even researching information about a future cruise, you want the information to be visible and easy to navigate. On CruiseOnly, the information was difficult to find and did not give you much info on cruises because you have to call their TollFree phone number to receive any type of price. If a person were to book their cruise on this website, they would call the phone number and speak to a travel agent, they can not book this by themselves. Also, I did not like that on the homepage of this website the promotional pictures were showing activities aboard the ships rather than the ships themselves. As a travel agent myself, I want to make sure I am promoting the product itself and then I will market the amenities later. I would definitely not recommend this website to anyone for their bookings.

On the other hand, my example of a good website is Disney Cruise Line's website. This website is absolutely beautiful. The colors and pictures are vivid, the page is easy to navigate and it is easy to find prices to a potential cruise. Disney shows off their ships proudly on the website and not just amenities. As soon as you enter the website, you are welcomed by a breathtaking picture of Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Also, I love that the website offers a virtual tour of each ship so guests can take a look around the ship before they board, to get familiar with the areas. Finally, another great feature the website offers is the tours of the ship's staterooms. All cruises have a variety of staterooms, but Disney seems to offer many types of verandah rooms. Disney shows all options of the website through pictures. I would recommend this website to anyone who wants easy access and navigation while booking a cruise.

What I've Learned In Class Post

          This semester, I have learned so much in this class. Taking this Digital Portfolio class opened my eyes to many new tools for me to use not only for school, but in my professional life as well. Over the last few months we have used many great tools such as Blogger, ScreenCast, different apps and Voicethread. Before this semester,  I was not good with computers at all. I was nervous to take an online class that was based on different programs and different websites.

I am glad I took this class because, it helped me learn so many new websites to help me progress with my schoolwork. Being a Hospitality major, time management and staying organized in a constant networking environment is so important. In this class, my favorite part of the semester was learning about the different types of apps that are offered. I loved our App Smackdowns. All of my fellow classmates gave me some great ideas for apps I should download to keep me organized, keep mental health positive and work on time management as well as many other ideas. I loved learning about everyone and everyone's majors. I learned so much from all of my fellow students as well as their future work fields. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone.

Social Media Etiquette Project

Here is the link to my Social Media Project. I chose to do the project on the controversial tweet about Kim Kardashian West naming her new ShapeWear company, Kimono.

https://voicethread.com/share/13333162/

Storytelling Blog Post

I had to use Pixton. ToonDoo does not work on my computer.

http://zimmertwins.com/node/1759271?designated=new


http://zimmertwins.com/node/1759268

Chapter 4

In our book, Chapter 4 is titled, "Building A Collaborative Culture". In Chapter 4, it describes ways on how to improve your collaborative culture. Examples on ways to improve your collaborative culture are putting relationships first, establishing trust, online etiquette and sharing visions.

The chapter goes into depth about the difference between Congeniality versus Collegiality. According to the book, these two topics are very similar but they also have one important difference between the two. Congeniality refers to the relationships we build and the sociable and friendly traits we deliver towards others. Collegiality on the other hand refers to being friendly and building relationships to the people who work with us or do the same jobs as us.

In the Hospitality industry, building Collaborative Cultured based relationships are really important. This field is first and foremost a networking business. The world of hospitality expands and evolves based on who knows who and who make connections. Hospitality is a business where, "it isn't what you know, it is who you know". Building a collaborative culture is extremely important because without the collaborating and networking, it is very difficult to become successful.

Building trust and establishing relationships in the work field are the key to success. Hospitality is defined as "the act of giving a generous and friendly welcome to entertaining guests". It will be difficult to establish a good bond and trusting relationship with anyone who is not hospitable.

This chapter can relate to my future career because, building a collaborative culture is imperative. As mentioned above, this industry is a network based field and building trust between colleagues and clients are a must. One main trait a person needs to have in hospitality is, congenial traits. You need to build these relationships and build these trust levels with clients and customers to have a successful business and connection with your consumers. But none of this would be possible if we don't build the collegiality relationships. Building the relationships and trust with staff, as well as working as a team can make building the bond with clients that much easier. When everyone is on the same page, great things happen in the work place. And when the workplace runs smoothly, such as a hotel, the clients are happy.

Source: Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, and Lani Ritter. Hall. The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Solution Tree Press, 2012.

App Smackdown: HiTask

HiTask is a calendar based app. It helps create a sense of organization to all school assignments, work assignments and keeps your team on track. HiTask allows its users to create a calendar to help make your day flow easier. On top of creating a calendar, you can also add teammates to the calendar and they can add to it as well. Also, on top of calendar events, you can add projects to the app and have others edit it. The app sends out emailed reminders to fellow staff members about any task, event or project as well. This app is very useful, especially in the Hospitality industry because, this field is very busy and can become chaotic. HiTask will keep me organized between meetings, interviewing, hiring and other work related projects I will need to do in my future career.

Chapter 5 Blog

In Chapter 5 of our book, it summarizes many different websites on how to expand our personal learning networks. Blogs, websites, wikis, podcasts, microblogs and tagging are all important topics in this chapter. Chapter 5 gives examples on what each website is about and how to use them.

For example....if you would like to start a blog, similar  to this one, you can use the websites Blogger, Edublog or Tumblr. A blog is a journal based website, in which the writer will create a posting about a specific topic and it posts in chronological order. These are great for people who like writing and making posts about their day, a hobby or even their school assignments.

The chapter also talks about how to manage your online reputation. This is extremely important. Some of the best ways to manage your online reputation is to remain professional through all of your postings. Always proof-read your work, look for spelling errors and grammar errors. This is extremely important, especially if you are trying to obtain a new job position. Employers sometimes look on a person's personal social media accounts before hiring them.

This chapter ties to my future career in Hospitality, because just as I mentioned above it has to stay professional. Working in the Hospitality and Tourism industry, you have to constantly remain in a well put-together manner. Part of our jobs are constantly working with people, and if you do not act professional, your clients will not take you seriously. Networking through Podcasts, Blogs and other websites are extremely important in this field. Emailing is also a big part of working in Hospitality. You wouldn't send an improper email, and expect to receive a professional one back.

For example....if you were checking into a hotel and the manager was on their phone, not paying attention to any of their work, and ignored you while you were in line...would you stay there again?
Probably not! That is because first impressions, especially on a professional level are always key to success.

App Smackdown: Hosco

Hosco is a Hospitality based website/app that is similar to LinkedIn. The difference between LinkedIn and Hosco, is that Hosco is specifically designed for Hospitality students, educators, employers, employees and corporate executives. In Hosco, you have the ability to create your personal profile with your headshot, email and contact information, resume with references, language skills, work related skills and a brief biography on yourself. By signing up for this app, it gives Hospitality professionals the chance to network around the world with others. This app is wonderful for people seeking new jobs around the world and for employers looking to hire new employees. This app also offers videos and articles that gives tips on how to succeed in your career and your networking profile. Besides networking, the articles gives tips on how to prepare yourself for traveling to other countries, how to fully prepare yourself for your dream job interview and even you get to watch a video from the CEO of Marriott. This app/website is extremely helpful for someone like me, in the hospitality field. This app will definitely help me expand my networking abilities, not just for school, but down the road in my career path.

Ch 6 Blog

In Chapter 6 of the book, "Building Your Connected Learning Community" it talks about how to expand your networking abilities, how to use social medias to broaden your network and evolving your community. All of these topics in the book are great ways for me to broaden my personal network in the Hospitality Management field.

The Hospitality and Tourism Management field works solely on networking. A popular saying in the hospitality world is, "it's not what you know, it's who you know". All of my professors this far in my educational career have told me this. I transferred into Stockton University back in Fall 2018. Since then, every Hospitality professor I have had, has told me networking is important in this field. All of my professors have shown me different ways to make the most of your personal brand.

For example, in one of my hospitality classes, Career Development, we started our personal brand by creating resumes, going to career fairs to network with companies and we created LinkedIn accounts. My professor, told my class how important it was to network with people not only in the Hotel Industry, but Restaurants, Theme Parks, Corporate Teams, Airlines, Transportation Agencies as well. The more broad your network is, the more doors will open for you in your future career. Also, Dr Albano took us to a Career Fair to network with companies for potential hire. We dressed in professional attire, resumes in hand, and spoke confidently to the employers about our career goals were and exchanged business cards with all of them. I really enjoyed that day, it was so much fun to learn more about what my major has to offer!

Growing and Nurturing your Personal Learning Network is important because, you want to make sure your personal network is safe and efficient. On LinkedIn, there are suggestions offered to you on what the website feels is a good fit for connecting you with others in your same industry. Even if you know these people, it is important to always check their profiles to make sure they are exactly who they say they are. There are so many unfortunate events going on in this world, where people pretend to be other people. If you consistently check profiles for accuracy, it will only create a more efficient network for you and will open a more efficient network for others when they want to connect with people you may know.

The design of your network page is also very important. For example, on LinkedIn there are many different sections on your profile page. These include your professional headshot, your resume with references, skills, past experience, and letters of recommendation from former colleagues. Making sure your profile page has no spelling and grammar mistakes is very important. It does not look very professional if you are trying to sell yourself and you have many errors on your resume. Employers will always look for mistakes and it can cost you your dream job!

In conclusion, creating your personal brand can be challenging but oh so rewarding! The hospitality field is one of the most customer service based industries out there. Branding and networking are one of the top priorities when a person wants to broaden their career paths. Growing your network takes time and deciding who you want as a part of your network takes work. With some patience and hard work, anyone can create their own personal network. All of the hard work will be worth it in the end!


Source: Nussbaum-Beach, S., & Hall, L. R. (2012). The connected educator: learning and leading in a digital age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Ch 2 Connected Educator

When I first started college about 7 years ago, I thought I had my whole life planned out. Picture this: I am 18 years old, an award winning Pastry Cook and had the passion to open up my own bakery. Upon completing high school, I went onto Pastry School in Philadelphia hoping I would obtain a Bachelor's Degree. Now, even though in 2013 I did in fact move to Philly to go to Pastry School, I did not receive my Bachelor's for a good reason. During my time in Philadelphia, I was selected to take part in the Disney College Program. In August of that year I moved down to Orlando and pursued my life long dream of working for "the mouse". Living in Orlando was magical! I often give credit to The Walt Disney Company for giving me guidance on my career path change.

While working at The Most Magical Place on Earth, I had the great opportunity to work for Disney's Boardwalk Resort and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. I have to admit, at the time, when I first found out I was going to be a Resorts Cast Member instead of a Parks Cast Member I was a bit bummed. I mean who doesn't want to work in Magic Kingdom with a view of Cinderella's Castle?! 

At Disney's Boardwalk Resort, I had the incredible chance to work at The Boardwalk Bakery. Being a Pastry Arts Major at the time, I was so excited. After spending six magical months at the bakery, I felt as if my Pastry Arts life needed to be put on the back burner for a while. In January of 2014, I was transferred to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort where I spent 5 more magical months as a Restaurant Hostess at The Turf Club Bar and Grill. Having the opportunity of working in both resorts is what gave me the initial idea to switch my major to Hospitality and Tourism Management. I have a passion for the Restaurant Industry as well as Theme Parks and Hotel Lodging. I thank Disney everyday for showing me the right path I am meant to be on. 

In Chapter 2 of the book, "The Connected Educator", some of the main points made in the chapter focuses on Professional Learning Communities, Personal Learning Networks and  Communities of Practice. 

Professional Learning Communities are system based structures usually organized for teachers. This face to face structure is often used to network and gain professional trust over the teachers audience. 

Personal Learning on the other hand is working as a one man show, more individually. This Do It Yourself structure is based on personal growth, and building knowledge based on independent networking. An example of DIY would be working towards a certain goal or task, independently and achieving that said goal. The third learning theory is called Communities of Practice. In this theory it spreads by one person creating a theory which then gets networked either through social media or face to face. This theory then spreads to a whole community which leads to sharing new ideas and concepts to a whole group of peers. 

Source: Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, and Lani Ritter. Hall. The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Solution Tree Press, 2012.

Introduction Video

About Me!