Converting Video Files

Over the past week or two I have posted about the different web application I use.  Today I wanted to post about another great web application.  Zamzar is a great web service that allows you to upload a file, determine the format you wish to convert the file to, and have the newly converted file emailed to you.  The service converts image, document, music, video, ebook, and other files.

This service is great when working on projects involving video or audio files where you need the sources in a certain format.  Although I don't use this service often, when I do use it I'm amazed at how well it works and how much the service helped me in my project.  File conversions that would often require additional software to perform the conversion can be carried out through the Zamzar service without downloading or installing software.  One more great thing; there is no need to establish an account to use this service.

Great Brainstorming Tool

This weekend I was reintroduced to a great brainstorming tool.  Over the past few months I have been using Microsoft Visio to as a brainstorming (mind-mapping) tool for a research project and the new project management Master's degree I have been developing.  Visio works great but requires the software to be installed on the device.  This weekend I was helping my wife with a project and we needed a diagramming tool.  I first thought about using Diagramly, the diagramming tool I blogged about several weeks ago, but then I remembered another great free web-based tool for diagramming...Bubbl.us.

Bubbl.us is a brainstorming tool that allows the user to connect a series of boxes (or bubbles) as part of a mind-mapping diagram.  What is great about this tool is the ease in exporting the diagram to an image file and embedding it into a Word document.  Also, since it is a web-based application, it is OS-independent and I can access my saved diagrams from any computer.

We were pleased with the results and she now has access to this diagram for future use from her own Bubbl.us account.

New Instagram User

I know I'm late on discovering this great app but I'm still excited to begin using it.  Earlier this week I downloaded the Instagram app for my iPhone.  I began playing with the app and applying filters to my existing images on the phone.  I am pretty impressed with the functionality in this simple app.

Using Instagram I'm able to take pictures from my iPhone, enhance them, and send them to my Flickr account. This app also has links into other social medias sites but, right now, I'm just using my Flickr account.  I think this will really change how I use Flickr now that I have an easy way to upload pictures.  In the past I needed to connect my digital SLR to my computer, download the pictures, and then upload the pictures to Flickr.  With Instagram I'm now able to simply upload the pictures right from Instagram.

Unfortunately, if Facebook's acquisition of Instagram takes goes through, the future of the product and its integration with other services may be altered.  I'm pretty sure if this occurs Instagram will never integrate with Google+.

Virtual Desktop Environment

Today our department met with the IT department to discuss the software needed for our Fall semester classes.  Every spring we go through the software currently installed on the lab computers and determine if the software needs to be updated, removed, replaced, or left as is.  This year our meeting included a new dimension; the virtual desktops.

During the Spring semester our IT department rolled-out a new virtual desktop environment for us.  I plan to take advantage of this new environment in an online version of the Database Modeling course I'm developing this summer.  In the past, the online section of this course relied on using Microsoft Access rather than the SQL Server software we use in the on-site section.  Due to implementation challenges our students faced when trying to install SQL Server Express on Vista or Windows 7, and the incompatibilities of SQL Server Express with Apple OS, we were not able to use SQL Server Express in online sections and had to rely on Microsoft Access.

This fall however, we will have our students use a remote desktop session to connect to a virtual server where they can use the Microsoft Management Studio Express software to connect to their SQL Server database instance.  It sounds more difficult than it actually is to connect to the database.  This new environment will allow our online students to have the same tools and experiences as our on-site students.

Managing Information Overload

Now that the semester is over, I'm trying to catch up on the reading I pushed to the side while grading and preparing for all of the end of the year activities.  I have a stack of journals and magazines, a bagillion items in my RSS reader, and a few books I want to peruse.  With all of the changes in the information technology field I am obligated to stay current and this requires a lot of reading.

I am trying to develop a strategy to manage the information I review so that I can read what is important to me, be aware of industry trends outside of my direct interests, and have the ability to recall or re-find the information I come across.  This is a familiar struggle and one that I continue to try to overcome.

I am beginning this endeavor by first defining my immediate areas of interest and limiting the articles/feeds/books to this area.  Topics outside of my area of research and interests will be simply visually scanned so that I can be aware of the current trends and issues.  In order to increase my ability to recall or rediscover the information I gain from my readings I will continue to take notes or capture articles in my Evernote account to make sure I have the ability to search and find these articles or notes in the future.

The amount of information available to us is both overwhelming and exciting.  We just need to develop a strategy to filter this information so we can both narrow our expertise and broaden our awareness.

Big Data for Education

In this month's KMWorld Raths wrote an article about using learning analytics to predict at-risk students in higher education.  Using products like Signals institutions are able to evaluate student demographics and performance to identify those students that are struggle academically.

This form of analytics is more common in the business world but, as seen in this article, the academic world is beginning to see the potential of analytics and big data.  I can image this will greatly improve recruitment efforts but it is also great to see institutions use this new tool set to help students succeed.

New Master's Program

During this past year I have been working on a proposal for a new graduate program at the college.  I developed a proposal, worked with our marketing department on a market analysis study, and presented the completed proposal through the various committees and departments for approval.  This past Friday (May 11th) the college's Board of Trustees made the final approval for this new graduate program.  The program is not officially approved.

Beginning Summer semester 2013, our college will start offering courses towards a Master's of Science in Project Management.  Similar to the other graduate program I direct, this program will be online and taught by mostly practitioners.  More information to follow.

I'm very excited to begin work on developing the program and offering our first classes next May.