Semester Reflections

Over the semester there has been an enormous amount of work that needed to, and has been, completed. Looking back upon those events I can say, in all honesty, that I am truly proud of what I have accomplished. This semester I have found a new confidence in my ability to present, network with others and work in project teams. During the semester I have also been able to acquire a new job which will allow me to attend grad school after the upcoming spring semester. In essence I am happy to have been able to reach out this semester through my blog and hope anyone who read it enjoyed it thoroughly, thanks.

Twitter and My Personal Feelings

In all honesty when I first created a Twitter account for school I was extremely apprehensive. My apprehension did not come from a lack of comfort in regard to being on Twitter but rather a lack of respect for it. When Twitter first went live a few years ago I immediately dismissed it as a foolish toy to entertain bored students in class. However as time went on and I began to explore Twitter I realized it has some extremely beneficial functions. The one that I would like to bring to everyone's attention is obviously information/news. When I say "information/news" I am referring to the ability to follow companies/individuals that you are interested in. Once you chose to follow something you get automatically update, if you chose, on things that they post. In my opinion this fact alone makes it a valuable tool and has definitely changed my opinion of the site as a whole.

Tips on Presenting

I have been doing a ton of presentations lately and given that fact I thought it would be nice to list a few tips I find helpful when presenting.

1: Stay calm

2: Finish your project ahead of time

3: Practice your presentation

4: Play off other group members

5: Look at key points and then fill in the gaps with your own thoughts

6: Don't put your hands in your pockets

7: Walk around the room

PortableApps "What is it?"

This is going to be a very short blog about a project which I completed this semester on PortableApps. To give a brief description PortableApps is a software which can be installed onto a flash drive which allows you to install and run applications directly from your flash drive. If you are interested in PortableApps I will include the link to their site bellow.
Link: PortableApps

Moodle vs. Blackboard

This semester I have been working extensively with Moodle on the construction of a 10 hour course module. During this time there has been a lot of debate over which is a more effective LMS. Consequently I have decided to outline several advantages and disadvantages for each system in an attempt to quell some of these issues.

Moodle Advantages:

1.       Free

2.       Small learning curve

3.       Open source

Moodle Disadvantages:

1.       Security vulnerabilities

2.       Limited scalability

3.       Interface needs work

Blackboard advantages:

1.       Easy to navigate

2.       Secure

3.       Very scalable

Blackboard disadvantages:

1.       Expensive

2.       Difficult to learn

3.       Hard to customize (not open source)

Key Points of End User Development

·         Key Points:

o   Framework Includes:

§  Conceptual Model “That specifies the elements that define the domain of organizational collaborative systems” (Antonaya, Bravo , and Gallardo pg. 1). This includes:

·         The “Structure metamodel”

·         The “Activity metamodel”

·         The “Instrumentation metamodel”

§  Generic Component Model which allows the satisfaction of three main issues that arise in OCS. This includes:

·          “Provide a connection between the modeling process of collaborative environments with the subsequent implementation process” (Antonaya, Bravo , and Gallardo pg. 1).

·         “Provide a mechanism for specifying the requirements of interactivity and collaboration characteristic of groupware” (Antonaya, Bravo , and Gallardo pg. 1).

·         “Encourage the incorporation of features of adaptability and reusability to end systems” (Antonaya, Bravo , and Gallardo pg. 1).

o   Technology Architecture:

§  The “Service model”

§  The “Execution model”

§  The “Communication model”

Antonaya, Sergio, Crescencio Bravo , and Jesús Gallardo.

"EDUCATIONAL PROG (TIN2011-29542-C02-

02)." EDUCATIONAL PROG (TIN2011-29542-

C02-02). n. page. Print.

End User Development Article Review

The article I have chosen to review is “A Framework for the Development of Organizational Collaborative Systems”. This article is mainly focused on the basic outlining of a framework which includes a conceptual and generic model focusing on end user development for organizational collaborative systems (OCS). This article further delves into a technological architecture section which outlines three additional models. The conceptual model includes three sub models, the first of which is structure. The structure sub model briefly outlines how to set up the static portion of the end user environment. The second sub model is Activity which discusses the construction of the dynamic portion of the user environment. The final sub model of the conceptual model is instrumentation which reviews several tools used in OCS. The generic model was the second to be discussed in the article which addresses three main issues associated with the end user development of OCS. The final section in the article was the technological architecture section which outlines three additional sub models. These models include the service, execution and communication models all with the intended purpose of implementing the architecture described in the earlier sections of the document. Antonaya, Sergio, Crescencio Bravo , and Jesús Gallardo. "EDUCATIONAL PROG (TIN2011-29542-C02- 02)." EDUCATIONAL PROG (TIN2011-29542- C02-02). n. page. Print.

Blackboard and Social Learning

The intent of this blog is to define what Blackboard is and how it can be used for social learning. Blackboard is a tool used by Universities around the country to facilitate inter university file exchange and collaboration. This system allows students and professors to connect in several different ways outside of the traditional classroom environment. One of those ways is through open class forums. Everyone enrolled in a particular class is grouped together and placed into a separate virtual space away from the collective. In this virtual space students and professors can discuss class assignments and key concepts through the use of open forums. Students can also submit work, preform surveys, quizzes, tests and numerous other things. If anyone is interested I can give a more in depth analysis of Blackboard in regard to social learning simply comment and I will do so as soon as possible.

Role-Playing Game Theory and What I Learned

This blog will include a finalized version of the research which I completed in regard to Role-Playing Game Theory. I have added this research to the RPGT Wikipedia article page and will therefore link that in this post as well. Fantasy or role playing games are an ever expanding phenomenon which stake no particular claim to boundaries. Role playing games come in an immense array of various types and categories which we will briefly delve into; the first of which being the traditional table top RPG. These games, or more specifically, “(TFRPG), has its historical basis in miniature war gaming” (Williams, Hendricks, and Winkler pg. 3). When using the term “miniature war gaming” we undoubtedly refer to games like Warhammer 40K which is played on a table top with miniature figures. The battles unfold by rolling dice, using rulers, tokens and various other devices to perform a wide array of desired actions. The second RPG to be analyzed is known as CSG or collectible strategy game. This type of RPG has a much broader context than that of a TFRPG due to the fact that it draws elements from both types of RPG’s. A CSG is defined as “a setting and a system, but the setting resides in the background, while the system is integrally tied to some of the collectible material artifacts, such as cards, miniature figures, paper dice, pre-formed plastic constructibles and even pinback buttons.” (Williams, Hendricks, and Winkler pg. 5). These types of games are played using special attributes which are associated with the particular collectible being used. You can place these collectibles in an attack or defensive position, role dice to perform a specific action and much more. Note that this type of RPG is typically associated with CCG or collectible card games (Ex. Magic the Gathering). The final type of RPG to be discussed appeared around the 1970’s and is known as OVCG or Online Video and Computer Game. OVCG’s are defined as RPG’s that “ require either a personal computer or gaming console in addition to gaming software, rather than source books, cards, or dice” (Williams, Hendricks, and Winkler pg. 6). Note that OVCG’s did not truly reach their pinnacle until the 1990’s when the ability to play games cooperatively via large networked servers became available. Current examples of these types of games are World of Warcraft (Blizzard), Rift (Trion Worlds), SWOTOR or Star Wars: The old Republic (LUCASARTS, BioWare and EA) and Atlantica online (Nexon).[1]

Williams, P., Hendricks, S., & Winkler, K. (2006). Essays
on reality, identity and experience in fantasy
games. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland &
Company, Inc Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=i7UBWz6LBK4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA19&dq=role
""playing game theory&ots=YIs5Cci6IY&sig=vLzlRWNWvTqRI12m9zV9M9kFeU0

Role-playing game theory

The Benefits of Skype

Skype is an amazingly useful tool with numerous useful and effective functions. In this blog I will list some of those features which I find most useful. Before we move forward however I would like to briefly define what Skype is. Skype is, in its purist form, a tool which allows users from all around the globe to communicate via a visual or audio connection. Now that “what Skype is” has been defined we can move onto why it’s useful. Firstly Skype can be used to conduct meetings for a wide variety of purposes including school and business consequently forgoing the need to travel to a particular destination. This in turn saves time and money allowing individuals to be more productive and efficient. The last function I will discuss is not related to the software in a technical sense but rather monetarily. Skype is, in case some people don’t know, free to anyone who chooses to download it; it simply requires you to register an account and you may use the service freely.

Moodle and Security?

Moodle is an extraordinarily interesting tool which can be used to cost effectively host Online courses/modules. In working with Moodle throughout this semester I find myself asking the question “where is the security”? When I say “Where is the security” I am referring to the fact that Moodle is an open source application and consequently more susceptible to security threats than non-open source software. The documentation I have found in regard to Moodle’s security deficiencies is more addressed at “what you should do in case of system intrusion” and not “what’s being done to prevent it”. It would seem to me that before Moodle can be fully trusted by educators it needs to revamp its security standards. If anyone has any comments on this please feel free to post them bellow.

Project Charters and Having Them Signed

This is going to be a very short blog on the importance of getting a client signature on a project charter. This semester one of the teams I am on was tasked with researching an event management system which was to be implemented at a local business. The project started out slow from the get go and was plagued with numerous delays on both the project team side and client side. Toward the end of the semester our group met with the client to obtain approval on the software which was to be researched. Our charter was supposed to be signed during this meeting but was unfortunately forgotten about and scheduled to be signed at a later date. The following day we received news that an event management system would not be compatible with how this company conducts business. Consequently the project was set back several weeks and all of our previous research had to be scrapped. If the charter had been signed from the get go all of that could have been avoided and we could have simply submitted our previous research.

Wikipedia Article and the Communities Response

This semester one of my classes was assigned to research a Wikipedia article which related in some way to E-learning, further research the topic and improve upon it. It is a common misconception among some individuals that the Wikipedia community is difficult to break into and, if new, changes proposed to an article may be shot down. However my team and I were able to easily submit changes and find acceptance from the community. Due to this fact I have decided to give some brief pointers which I believe are essential in integrating yourself into a particular Wikipedia community. The first tip I would like to discuss is research; research is key in the understanding and comprehension of any subject, the same is similar in regard to Wikipedia. If you attempt to make changes without researching the topic then your changes will be immediately denied. The second pointer is documentation; documentation is imperative in regard to the proposal of changes. Any changes you would like to make must be thoroughly referenced or your proposed changes will be denied until they are referenced. The final tip is courtesy. When I say courtesy, I am referring to the submission of your proposed changes to the talk page prior to your actual implementation. If you disregard this step your changes will most likely be removed and/or the community will be aggravated with your lack of respect.

PMI and My Experience

Earlier this year I was instructed by one of my professors to become a member of PMI (Project Management Institute). Following my registration I was called upon to work one of their many luncheons; the following is a brief reflection on what I took away from the experience. When I arrived on the day of the luncheon me, and one of my good friends, was immediately put to work signing members into the conference room where the meeting was being held. My feelings toward the meeting at this point where rather lackluster, I kept thinking “Nothing of any benefit is going to happen” and looking back, that could not have been further from the truth. As the meeting progressed I was able to make my way into the conference room where individual speakers where presenting various techniques used in PM. As I continued to listen I absorbed numerous techniques for managing projects which can only be learned through years of experience. The moral of the story is if you ever find yourself in the position to join PMI and attend a luncheon do not let it pass you by, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll find.

"The Future of E-Learning"

After reading the discussion located at URL: elearningindustry.com I was left with a rather bad taste on my pallet. Throughout the article most of the responses focused on particular types of technology, or, outlandish futuristic dreams with holograms. In my experience the technology that will be in place 5 years from now is rarely what you, or, the industry predicts it will be. Rather in 5 years I see a significantly more integrated HE learning environment. In this environment you will see a more blended learning experience with both in class and online instruction. Online resources and tools will be more closely used within the classroom and more online classes will be available. As to what technology will be used to greater facilitate these online environments, I can not say. However what we can say is that the physical classroom and online classroom will become one in the same over time.

Designing Social learning

Over this past weekend an assignment was issued in my ITEC-544 course effectively asking what is required in order to design effective social learning. After much though and deliberation I came up with 2 key ideas which I believe to be of the utmost importance in regard to social learning design. In the constant effort to save time I have decided to include what I wrote for class in the blog post bellow rather than rewrite what has already been written. When designing for social learning one must do numerous things in order to not only get the message across but also make the material take root, and grow. That being said one of the most important things to take into account in designing social learning is the Audience. One can identify the audience by first looking at the type of people who are interested in the material you are discussing. For example, If your teaching the best practices for car sales than chances are your audience is outgoing. Given that you can design your social learning to be geared more intensely on interaction. If you are teaching individuals about algorithmic design than chances are they will need some time to get comfortable in their surroundings. Forcing this type of person in to a social learning situation to soon would simply close there minds to any further learning that may have taken place. Another thing that must betaken into account is Age. If you are designing social learning for people over the age of 50 than you may want to consider a more tempered social learning approach. This is simply due to the fact that people of this age did not learn by interaction with others as much as they did by a lecture style of learning. Oppositely people of a younger age will most likely be used to leaning socially and thus a more intense social learning module can be implemented. Once again, There are many other things that must be done in order to design social learning these are just 2 different things i decided to discuss.

Today's Lecture and Moodle

In today's lecture we had a very interesting speaker by the name Felicia Collins. Her power point presentation was directed at the use of Moodle under the context of online course taking. The presentation mainly focusing on her use of the software for elementary education. Before delving into what she discussed I first want to provide clarification as to what Moodle is. In its simplest form Moodle is an open source software used for the management of online courses. Felicia discussed some of the software's numerous add-ons which where all focused on making the running of the class smother and more natural. The lecture also briefly discussed some of the hosting options that teachers had for Moodle. These options included hosting on a personally owned sever or hosting through various companies. The intent was to also discuss the IT aspect of Moodle but, ironically enough, she had server credential issues. She then followed up her lecture by highlighting some interesting methods she used Moodle for in her classes. The one question that I felt was asked, but never answered, is as follows. Given the fact that Moodle is open source, which means support for the software is not guaranteed, than why would teachers use it? The problem I believe arises with an open source learning management system lies with support. When a corporation chooses to use a Linux/Unix distribution on their own systems they have numerous programmers and IT staff in place to take care of unforeseen issues. In addition to that fact some large corporations even develop their own Linux/Unix distributions. With that being said how does a teacher fix these issues, which will arise, and furthermore how does a teacher explain that to parents.

Learning through Social Media (FaceBook)

Throughout this fall semester I plan to have almost all my blogs focus on using social media to teach. With that being said I have decided to briefly asses some of the benefits and drawbacks of Facebook for learning. We all know that Facebook is an extremely popular social media site where people from all over the world can talk, post pictures, post videos, discuss issues, join causes and just chat with friends. However what most people don't realize is how useful Facebook can be for teaching. Facebook can be used to easily connect with students, given the fact most people have one. Once connected instructors can post questions and request that students collaborate together virtually to answer them. This simple request fosters conversation and interest in the topic even after students have left the formal learning environment. Facebook also has a plethora of apps developed for it which can benefit the learner. An example of one such features is Google Docs, which allows for students and instructors to share, collaborate and comment on course documents in an electronic format. These things are just a small number of the ways an instructor could use Facebook for learning. As stated above I will continue to discuss social media and learning throughout this semester so keep in tune for next weeks post.

AITP Student Chapter Welcome Back Event

Early this evening from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m I attended an AITP Student chapter meeting. I walked through the door with the expectation of leaving with a rather sour taste in my mouth. However as the meeting went on I was pleasantly surprised with the extensive number of student volunteer positions as well as officer positions available in the organization. I now intend to invest extensive time with the organization and strongly encourage other IT students, and even non IT students just intrigued, to come to a meeting.

My Mission

My intentions, in regard to this blog, are fairly simple. I want to bestow upon people pertinent information within all forms of emerging technology spanning across both public and enterprise grade devices. It is my hope that this enables individuals to more completely understand technology they are purchasing, or just want to know more about.