I'm a huge fan of instant messaging. At home I use Yahoo! IM and when I'm not at home I'm using Meebo to talk to friends and former colleagues. Meebo can located at http://www.meebo.com . The best part about meebo is that you do not have to download anything to your computer. As a result, I'm able to chat anywhere.
I was chatting with a friend of mine who was a former colleague and we were discussing blogs. I sent her the link to my blog for the class since she is interested in them. We started discussing wiki because of my earlier post. There are two wikis programs that she likes in particular. One of them is Wetpaint which can be located at http://www.wetpaint.com/ and the other is Pmwiki which is located at http://www.pmwiki.org/ . Wetpaint is a web-based wiki and does not require a download. Pmwiki is a software based program and has to be downloaded.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Word to PDF converter
I've been thinking about the digital portfolio and have decided to take some of my word files and convert them to PDF files for ease in uploading. I found a really neat software that can be downloaded for free which allows you to convert those files. The name of the software is PDF995 and can be located at http://www.pdf995.com/download.html.
Hope this is helpful for anyone else. We get questions like this at the reference desk and now I know where to find it.
Hope this is helpful for anyone else. We get questions like this at the reference desk and now I know where to find it.
The power of blogs
Okay, I've been struggling for quite a while with the power of blogs. My general thoughts were that nobody is really going to be reading this stuff that I'm writing except for members in my class. Then, I made a comment about Elluminate because of my experiences with it. I thought it was a great product. However a colleague told me that they were not impressed with that type of format for online instruction because it was a bandwidth hog. I wrote all of this in a previous blog. Today, I decided to read through and see if anyone had commented on my blogs. I was fully anticipating that only individuals in my class would be the only ones commenting. However, I got a comment from what I think was someone from the company that creates or distributes Elluminate. He provided me with more information about Elluminate and explained that it was designed for educational institutions. He also stated that it was used in developing nations where high speed Internet access was generally not accessable. The results there have been outstanding. As a result, of this experience, I believe that I can put forward my thoughts and reach people way beyond just my immediate world at Texas A&M University- Commerce.
I have also discussed the power of blogs in education with my professor, Dr. Wickersham. She discussed that blogs could be a way of communicating with parents and students. I had not really thought of this as a possible use of blogs and technology. However, if a blog was to be used in this format, it would need to be set up so that only parents and students could only look at it. As a result, privacy would be maintained.
I have also discussed the power of blogs in education with my professor, Dr. Wickersham. She discussed that blogs could be a way of communicating with parents and students. I had not really thought of this as a possible use of blogs and technology. However, if a blog was to be used in this format, it would need to be set up so that only parents and students could only look at it. As a result, privacy would be maintained.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Some thoughts
There are several ways that I can use the skills that I have learned in local, staewide and/or global connections. First there is the development of web pages. I have created one for my government documents department at Texas A&M University – Commerce. The webpage that I have created for the government documents department is located at http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/library/govdocs/ . I have also created tutorial that allow students to learn how to use various resources at the library. They are located at http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/library/govdocs/tutorials.htm . I believe the creation of more of these tutorial is a great method of reaching more individuals.
In my opinion the more methods that we use technology, the more individuals we can reach in higher education. However, I still believe that face-to-face classes should still be a component in education. There are instances where there are not any substitutions. I believe that the interaction that is received in face-to-face cannot be substituted by any technology. In many cases, people feel more free to say that they do not understand the concept in those online courses. In those situations, the instructor can clarify the concept further.
The messages that I received loud and clear in Romano’s Empowering Teachers with Technology and Empowering Students with Technology by Alan November is that we need to be creative in our use of technology in the classroom. We have lots of potential uses in technology that we already exist. It is simply up to us to find methods of using these curent technologies to facilitate education.
In my opinion the more methods that we use technology, the more individuals we can reach in higher education. However, I still believe that face-to-face classes should still be a component in education. There are instances where there are not any substitutions. I believe that the interaction that is received in face-to-face cannot be substituted by any technology. In many cases, people feel more free to say that they do not understand the concept in those online courses. In those situations, the instructor can clarify the concept further.
The messages that I received loud and clear in Romano’s Empowering Teachers with Technology and Empowering Students with Technology by Alan November is that we need to be creative in our use of technology in the classroom. We have lots of potential uses in technology that we already exist. It is simply up to us to find methods of using these curent technologies to facilitate education.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Things I have pondered about
As I have been reading the class notes and Empowering Students with Technology by Alan November, I have thought about how technology could be utilized in both work and in the classroom. As I was reading about the RSS, I thought they were the same as wikis. After becoming involved with Bloglines, a RSS aggregator, I learned to think of them more as a newsgroup where individuals post on particular news stories.
However, in the workplace, a wiki would be a great place for colleagues to post comments about things they’ve learned and keep everyone informed as to what is going on in their departments. After doing some searching on the web, I found a free wiki creator that does not require downloads. The name of the website is pbwiki.
As I was reading Alan November’s book, I started to think about video conferencing. I’ve used a form of video conferencing in preparing for my presentation. The software that we are using is Elluminate. It allows us to talk together through microphones and write online to each other. We have even constructed a paper with it. The video conferencing is live so we have been able to discuss everything in real time. I spoke to a colleague about the values of the software. However, I was told that those types of are bandwidth hogs and are not as valuable at this time. However, I sometimes question that assumption if other higher education institutions are using it.
As I continued reading further in November’s book. I started to think about server space for creation of a Web site. Since I’m not made of money I started to look for places that allow you to have free server space. I had some difficulty locating those spaces. I know as a student I’m allowed to have free server space. However, I was thinking of locations for when I’m not a student. If anyone knows of a place I would be interested. I don’t know what I would put on it though. I’m just considering this as a learning process.
However, in the workplace, a wiki would be a great place for colleagues to post comments about things they’ve learned and keep everyone informed as to what is going on in their departments. After doing some searching on the web, I found a free wiki creator that does not require downloads. The name of the website is pbwiki.
As I was reading Alan November’s book, I started to think about video conferencing. I’ve used a form of video conferencing in preparing for my presentation. The software that we are using is Elluminate. It allows us to talk together through microphones and write online to each other. We have even constructed a paper with it. The video conferencing is live so we have been able to discuss everything in real time. I spoke to a colleague about the values of the software. However, I was told that those types of are bandwidth hogs and are not as valuable at this time. However, I sometimes question that assumption if other higher education institutions are using it.
As I continued reading further in November’s book. I started to think about server space for creation of a Web site. Since I’m not made of money I started to look for places that allow you to have free server space. I had some difficulty locating those spaces. I know as a student I’m allowed to have free server space. However, I was thinking of locations for when I’m not a student. If anyone knows of a place I would be interested. I don’t know what I would put on it though. I’m just considering this as a learning process.
Desktop Publishing
After class I worked on some of my old handouts to see if I could use some of the new skillls that I learned to improve them. I added a watermark which contained an image of the Federal Depository Library Program logo to each one. I took the image from web and tried to slap it in as a watermark. Unfortunately, you are only able to insert a jpeg as a watermark. As a result, I used my version of PhotoShop to change the format to jpeg and insert it. The result was a very professional looking handout.
I have tried to use the “track changes” tool in the past. In a conference that I am preparing to present at, my co-speakers and I used it to write up a explanation of the presentation. The problem was that nobody was that nobody knew how to update and change the corrections. It ended up it was easier to print out all of our changes and then just retype the whole paper because of our lack of knowledge. The class session was helpful in learning how to utilize the function better.
The skills that I have learned has an impact on my educational technology definition and vision. knowledge of additional desktop publishing skills allows me to create flyers and handouts which are more professional and eye-catching. In the past, I created pretty plain handouts. These skills can also be used to create library database handouts which assist visual learners better though the use of text boxes and arrows. As a result, more indivdiuals learning preferences are met. Many of these skills are also transferrable to other software programs. As a result, the desktop publishing skills can be utilized in web design.
I have tried to use the “track changes” tool in the past. In a conference that I am preparing to present at, my co-speakers and I used it to write up a explanation of the presentation. The problem was that nobody was that nobody knew how to update and change the corrections. It ended up it was easier to print out all of our changes and then just retype the whole paper because of our lack of knowledge. The class session was helpful in learning how to utilize the function better.
The skills that I have learned has an impact on my educational technology definition and vision. knowledge of additional desktop publishing skills allows me to create flyers and handouts which are more professional and eye-catching. In the past, I created pretty plain handouts. These skills can also be used to create library database handouts which assist visual learners better though the use of text boxes and arrows. As a result, more indivdiuals learning preferences are met. Many of these skills are also transferrable to other software programs. As a result, the desktop publishing skills can be utilized in web design.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Blogs and Del.icio.us.
Blogs and Del.icio.us. are two very interesting online resources. In my opinion blogs are a good format for allowing any individuals to provide their opinion on any topic. They are also great resources for allowing individuals to update others about what is occurring in their life. However, an outsider should not consider it to be a primary resource when doing research. They should use it in conjunction with other resources to verify and validate what was stated.
Del.icio.us is an outstanding online resource. I don’t know how many times I’m not at home and cannot remember the Web address of a Web site. This would allow me to go directly to my favorite Web sites from any computer. I had learned about this resource at a librarian conference. However, this was the first time that I actually got to use it.
Del.icio.us is an outstanding online resource. I don’t know how many times I’m not at home and cannot remember the Web address of a Web site. This would allow me to go directly to my favorite Web sites from any computer. I had learned about this resource at a librarian conference. However, this was the first time that I actually got to use it.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Things learned in the January 30 class
I learned several things in class on January 30th. First I learned about www.searchenginewatch.com. The website provides information about the various search engines on the World Wide Web. Some of the features that it provides individuals are search engine searching tips and a listing of the various search engines out there. One of the interesting articles that they had on the Website was a Nielsen NetRatings for the search engines. In July 2006, the five most popular search engines were Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and Ask. I was surprised that some of the meta-search engines like dogpile and go2net were not included in the top used search engines. I have found them helpful sometimes in finding obscure resources.
Another Web resource that I found interesting was www.archive.org. I had fun viewing friends’ websites and seeing how they have evolved over the time. My only complaint was that it had lost some of the previous archives of changes on the websites. As a result, even though it was a great resource, I tended think that this would not always be reliable for seeing websites that have been eliminated. For example, some government agencies are eliminated and much of their information is on the websites. Once the website is eliminated we lose the information that they provide.
Another feature that I found interesting was the link: command that can be used in the search engine Google. This could be a very effective method in finding out if a website is valid.
I was also not aware that if a www was not listed in a URL, the Website was not registered. I learned at a Super Bowl party that I went to last Sunday that you can register and purchase a domain at places like www.godaddy.com. Several of my friends have registered their websites. I learned that you make an agreement with company for a certain period of time. I was surprised that the prices for registering a domain were under $10.00 for several years. However, you can get some extras which will raise the price to around $15.00 - $20.00. You can also purchase server space with the companies but that can be pricey, because the charges are at a per month basis.
Another Web resource that I found interesting was www.archive.org. I had fun viewing friends’ websites and seeing how they have evolved over the time. My only complaint was that it had lost some of the previous archives of changes on the websites. As a result, even though it was a great resource, I tended think that this would not always be reliable for seeing websites that have been eliminated. For example, some government agencies are eliminated and much of their information is on the websites. Once the website is eliminated we lose the information that they provide.
Another feature that I found interesting was the link: command that can be used in the search engine Google. This could be a very effective method in finding out if a website is valid.
I was also not aware that if a www was not listed in a URL, the Website was not registered. I learned at a Super Bowl party that I went to last Sunday that you can register and purchase a domain at places like www.godaddy.com. Several of my friends have registered their websites. I learned that you make an agreement with company for a certain period of time. I was surprised that the prices for registering a domain were under $10.00 for several years. However, you can get some extras which will raise the price to around $15.00 - $20.00. You can also purchase server space with the companies but that can be pricey, because the charges are at a per month basis.
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