Collaboration in the Age of Remote Learning

Over the past year, more than ever, we have seen the various possibilities for growth and learning transform into new ways and reach new heights. How we learn about things used to seem like an empty idea, but now is a concept that students, institutions, and creators alike have a deeper intention toward. We learn by being engaged; and, in the digital age with a year of technology serving as a main source for communications, it is important to be creative and intentional in the approach. While beginning the plans to spruce up the media for Beautiful Social, our team has been considerate about the ways in which our audience will best receive our message. We have identified a few possible audiences that will consume the videos that we are creating. The first is potential students looking to possibly take the course. The second is other educators looking to implement a similar course in their own institution. The third audience are the potential community partners that are looking to collaborate with Beautiful Social. 

At the start of this project we had to analyze what our potential challenges could be as the semester progresses. The two biggest challenges that we recognized are getting appropriate content and the editing process. Since Covid has restricted our ability to film new content on campus, we were given access to all of the past footage from Beautiful Social projects over the last ten years. This was hours and hours of some good and some bad content that we could potentially use for our videos. While searching through all the different video footages we were mainly looking for what we thought represented B-Social the best way. There were a lot of very good and usable clips but there were also clips that could not be used at all. All though it got frustrating at times, we were really able to study all the clips and have a better idea on what we wanted our video to look like. This has allowed us to show the growth and evolution of The Beautiful Social Research Collaborative since its conception 10 years ago. 

The next challenge was finding a way that we could all collaborate together to edit our videos. We received access to a site called WeVideo which allows multiple people to edit the same project at the same time. It was new to all of us so we had to work together to figure everything out. WeVideo was very easy to figure out and use allowing all of us to work together on this project. WeVideo gives access to stuff like different transitions, backgrounds and audio that allows us to put our video together cleaner and more efficiently.  This software also connects directly with GoogleDrive that allows us to import media and save media in our Google Drive. WeVideo is a very simple and organized software that is allowing us to create and work together while being located in separate areas. 

This project has been difficult not being together but by having access to technology that we have today has been a huge help. We have been able to be more efficient in communication through zoom, google docs, Slack, and even through Imessage. 

Our hope for our video is to impact future students and nonprofits to get involved with Beautiful Social. We want to grow B-Social and make it more well known to everyone, especially on social media platforms. The goal is to have a bigger following and engagement through all the social media accounts.

What is Your Message?

To create a powerful piece of media and to do so in congruence with a community partner, it is important that the message being conveyed aligns with the work being developed. What is the message you want to communicate to your audience? Are you like our production team, hoping to share ways that students and organizations come together to create social change? What is the purpose behind what you are doing and what should people take away from that?

Finding Your Audience

Once you have a message conveyed, you must decide who this message is supposed to reach. Who is your audience? For our production team, we want to reach interested students, community partners, and institutions who want to take part in collaborative work for a greater cause. Directing your message to your audience makes the work you do much more meaningful and personal.  

Collaborating with Your Group

Transparency is key when it comes to working with others. Open communication in terms of in-person or Zoom meetings and discussion on group messaging platforms is crucial when working with several people who operate on different schedules in their own creative ways. Having a scheduled time to meet with one another is a useful tool that will hold each member accountable for their work however you choose to split up responsibilities. During the scheduled time, offering advice to one another, sharing ideas, and making plans going forward is a great way to continue to see progression. 

Be Conscious of What You are Creating 

You should be proud of what you are creating. This should not be a meaningless project, there should be some purpose that is driving you! What you are creating is shining light on an organization or partner that has put trust in you to drive out their mission. With that being said, it is important to be intentional with what you are doing and where you are going with the work. No matter the media, it is important to be enthusiastic and meaningful across the board. For our team’s productions, we are intentional with how we are cutting clips and where we want to place them.

Receive Feedback 

It is important to know that the first piece of media you put together in your project is oftentimes not the final outcome you end up with. Receiving feedback and constructive criticism is crucial to create a piece of work that everyone is proud of. There will be things you will edit several times, change things around, scratch an idea all together, or add something completely new. Getting opinions from group members, your group fellow, or community partners will strengthen you as a creator. It is important to remember that all those working on this project and all those impacted by it want it to succeed, so taking feedback positively will only advance your work going forward.

Promote & Share Your Work

Sharing your video creations on various media platforms is a great way to promote your organization. By uploading your content to the organization’s website and other media pages, such as Instagram and Facebook, more people will see your work. Creating unique hashtags is another effective way to promote your work and for it to be seen alongside future work, as the hashtag will stay consistent throughout. 

We hope that some of our insight can help in your own specific plans. Keep a look out for some new promotional videos!