Thursday, May 31, 2012

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.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

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+.

Monday, May 21, 2012

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.

Friday, May 18, 2012

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.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

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.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

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.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Indiana Jones and the Commonplace Book

This weekend my son and I watched the third Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  This is the first time I saw the movie since I was his age.

The first half of the movie consisted of the good guys and bad guys searching for Dr Henry Jones' (the older Jones) journal.  In this journal, the archaeologist recorded diagrams, maps, notes, clippings, and other pieces of knowledge related to his search for the Holy Grail. This journal is actually what was traditionally referred to as a commonplace book where individuals would compile knowledge in a single location and refer back to the entries for recall and further memorization.

The commonplace book is a fantastic personalized knowledge management practice that is less practiced today in the age of electronic storage and searching.  I wonder how moving away from the commonplace book to more electronic forms has affected our ability to memorize and retain the knowledge we capture.  Both Dr. Jones (Henry and Indiana) appeared to have the ability to recall the knowledge recorded in the book better than I would have been able to.  Maybe it's just Hollywood or maybe there is some truth here.  Maybe there are some advantages to the traditional form of knowledge management.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Summer Projects

We are nearing the end of the traditional academic year.  Next week is finals and then the campus empties for the summer.  While I'm wrapping-up my classes I'm also beginning to think about summer projects.  Since the IT Leadership courses (the graduate program I direct) are offered during the summer semester, I'll be around during the summer.  Without the usual meetings and other events on campus during the summer, it is a good time to take on some extra projects and prepare for the next year.

This summer I'm preparing for a new course in BI that I will be teaching in the fall.  I'm also working on developing an online version of the data modeling course I taught for the past few years.  These two course preparations will take some time but I should also be able to find time to make some improvements to some of my administrative processes as well as starting a new research project.

The Summer semester offers a nice change of pace on campus.  I still have a lot to do but, with the quiet hallways and empty parking lots, I find it to be a very peaceful and productive time.  While I always look forward to the end of the academic year, I also look forward to when the students return to campus.  It is great to have these changes on campus.

Skills to Look for in Project Managers

Today I read a brief article describing the eight skills to look for when hiring an IT project manager. The headlines caught my attention...