Instant Messaging

Hello everyone! I am back again to talk about instant messaging (IM) and share some of my views on the topic. 

For years instant messaging was one of my favorite methods of communicating. I have often used it to stay in touch with friends that live far away and to chat while other gamers when I’m online. In fact, when my husband and I started dating it was one of our favorite ways to stay in touch. One of the primary advantages to IM was that we could share music, pictures, and files in real time.

However, I haven’t used it as much in the past year.  With the new functionality available for text messaging, and the ability to do Facebook status checks an comments via apps on my smartphone, IM has become an out of date technology for me. My husband still uses it from time to time when he is gaming, but that is really it.

In business, I know some people still use instant messaging to connect with associates at work. However, in my profession it is generally considered an unprofessional form of communicating. Interestingly, email and texting are both acceptable. I am not sure if this is just my particular corner of the industry, or if Aviation in general has considers IM to be taboo. 

Over the years I have tried a number of IM programs including AOL's AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and Windows Live Messenger. I have always found the interface and functionality of Live to be the most useful.  As a visual person I like the skins that can be put on the Live instant message boxes, and find the data sharing options to the most effective. If you are looking into getting an instant messing program, this is the one I recommend. 

Review - Skype

Sykpe is an interesting program that allows you to connect with people over the internet. You can use it to call people for free, send files, instant message, or – and this is my favorite part – video call people. I used this program to talk with my sister in Las Vegas. It was awesome because it allowed our children to interact with her and my nephew in real time. As a military family, we have both friends and relations scattered all over the world. While texting and phone calls are nice, they aren’t nearly as interactive as video.

The other advantage of Skype is on the business side. If you need to video conference with a colleague, this allows you to share files and share links with them as well.

Another advantage to this kind of VOIP program is cost savings. Long distance phone calls can be expensive, but with Skype all you need is your computer and an internet connection. Of course, that can also be your disadvantage as well; the equipment required. To use this successfully you’ll need a powerful enough computer, a webcam, and a strong enough internet connection. Otherwise, the data will transfer so slowly that your video will be annoyingly choppy or not work at all.

Still, these days most people have the required equipment and connections to make this a practical option for them. I recommend checking it out and seeing for yourself!

Review - LinkedIn

Today I checked out the business networking site called LinkedIn. To be honest, the last thing I really want is yet another Social Networking site – at least that is what I thought until I found LinkedIn. The site isn’t just about chatting with friends; it’s about make professional business connections. It can help you to network with your business associates and learn about connections that they have that you might not have known about before. That can be helpful because you may find job opportunities or potential business partners available that you didn’t know about before. I recommend completing a full profile so people can learn more about your experience and qualifications, then checking out the jobs section.

The first thing I checked into was the Jobs Home page. I have to say, I was a little impressed. I found several jobs that are relevant to my work experience listed automatically. The first to jobs listed where positions I was already aware of, but the convenience of the postings seems really practical. LinkedIn also allows you to save jobs and to follow companies that interest you. This can be really important in a field where key positions my only open up once every couple of year. All in all, I think this site has phenomenal potential for business networking, and I highly recommend people check it out. In fact, I’m having my husband sign up tonight! 

Check out this Video: What is LinkedIn?

Social Networking

Hello everyone, 


This week I am taking a look a Social Networking sites. Below is a comparison of the things I look for in a Social Networking site and how the three main sites, Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster compare. Honestly, I prefer the look and feel of MySpace. I love the customizable background and being able to had pictures, videos, and music to my site. Unfortunately, Facebook has become far more popular in recent years. As such, more of my social contacts use this site, which has lead to my using in almost exclusively. Friendster seems to have some interesting options including and virtual wallet and gifting set-up, but this site is still in it's infancy. This means, that like MySpace, fewer people use it, which makes it impractical for my use. It does seem to have some potential, so perhaps this will change in the next few years. 

	MySpace	friendster	facebook
Layout and Design	This interface is not customizable and tends to have a busy, crowded feel.	Many layout and design options and highly customizable.	This interface is not customizabl e.
Status Updates	Yes, with ‘Like’ option as well as comments.	Allows you to comment.	Allows you to comment and give virtual gifts.
Photo Sharing	Ability to post, share, and organize images.	Ability to post, share, and organize images.	Ability to post, share, and organize images.
Social Game Interaction	Many game options available that you can share with friends. Invites to such games can become annoying.	Not as many unique game options available.	Many game options available that you can share with friends. Invites to such games can become annoying.
Mobile Applications	Apps available for most smartphone platforms.	Apps available for most smartphone platforms.	Currently no app available on android platform.

Podcast for Web 2.0 Class

Podcast for Web 2.0 Class




Podcast Powered By Podbean

Hello everyone,
Click the link above to check out my first ever podcast!

Podcast Review - Lab Rats

Lab Rats is a video podcast that focuses on showing it’s subscribers tips and tricks on how to use the technology you are already using. For example, the latest show explains how to connect your laptop to your T.V.  I tend to be the kind of person that prefers to do things myself, so this kind of information is useful to me. The only downside to the show I found was the interruptions they have for sponsor plugs. I tend to avoid commercials almost religiously though, so this is probably just a personal peeve.  Interruptions or not, I still enjoy the videos and highly recommend them. Check it out by clicking the link above to go to the website or subscribe to the show directly using the feed link at the bottom of this page.

Podcast Review - Tech 5

The thing I like about Tech 5 is that it is fast. I try not to consume a lot of news because of all the negativity, however, I do try to keep on the most important information pertinent to my field. This podcast keeps you up to date on the latest tech news in five minutes. There are a couple of down sides to it as well. First, obviously because it is only five minutes, it is not the most detailed. The other downside to it is that the host is opinionated, but not in the funny entertaining way. Still, if you are looking for the latest tech updates on the fly, this may just be what you need. Check it out by clicking the link above to go to the website or subscribe to the show directly using the feed link at the bottom of this page. is that it is fast. 

Podcast Review - Boag World

Boag World  is my favorite website podcast. If you have any interest in learning about web design this is the podcast to subscribe to. The hosts are knowledgeable, funny, and put a hilarious British twist on every episode. 

The show has been on the air for over five years now and this year the added downloadable ebooks to accompany the podcasts for every season. Click the link above to go to the website or subscribe to the show directly using the feed link at the bottom of this page.

Wikies and Web 2.0 – In the Classroom

Hello everyone,

In keeping with the current discussions on the use of Wikis and Web 2.0 technologies to promote learning I have added a discussion to the Wikispaces site called Wikies and Web  2.0 – In the Classroom. Check it out. 

Shift Happens Discussion Reviews - Why not Wikis

This discussion delved into the idea of using Wikis in the classroom as a way to help teach students. Some people worried about student content, but others pointed out that every edit and changed can be tracked in the history section. User Eduwiki provided the following link for educators to check out different options with using a wiki for education: http://eduwikius.wikispaces.com/Wikis. I recommend checking out the Power Point presentation on this topic.

You can reach this discussion here: Why not Wikis

Shift Happens Discussion Reviews - Preparation of Students for the Future

As with the last post, this one also focused on education. However, this time I did find some suggestions for addressing student education that I felt were useful. User jdmarrs  started off with a long and detailed explanation of why he felt Power Point presentations were vitally useful tools, but while his points were valid, they did not address today’s technology. His ideas following that were more on point.

One of his key points involved funding for education. Comparing our education system with Sweden’s free university level education and health programs, he made a valid point. Sweden is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. They place a focus on the people, with an emphasis on education and health care. How can we possibly hope to prepare our children for a technologically based future if our schools can barely afford buses and textbooks? Every year educational funding is being cut because American culture is not placing enough value on our most important resource - our children!

He also had a couple of other good ideas, including adding the use of YouTube videos and podcasts as tools. His view was a little limited though. YouTube can be a fantastic tool. Yes, there is junk out there, but as a teacher you can add the good videos you find to your PowerPoint’s or presentations.  Teachers could also make their own, so they know that they are giving quality information. Plenty of teachers are already doing this. There are even some that are producing their own podcasts. There is a great British web design podcast called Boagworld that has really helped me learn the material in one of my classes. Using these tools means being discriminating, but with good dialog and screening I believe they can enrich our children’s learning and functionality on the web. 

You can reach this discussion here: Preparation of Students for the Future

Shift Happens Discussion Reviews - The Essential Shift

This discussion focuses on educators. As a mother of five and the sister of a teacher, the challenges educators face in keeping up with the current trends are of primary importance. Unfortunately, there were not many answers to the issues posted – yet. Still, I think the important thing is that we are asking the question: how do educators keep up with the rapidly changing technological culture? 

You can find this discussion here: The Essential Shift