Final Learning Unit
The Final Learning Unit for InfoTechTools dealt with using video once again. The first task was a group meeting using WIZ IQ as the meeting place. This meeting was basically a real-time video conference between all members of InfoTechTools. Basically the meeting gave everyone a chance to use this software and communicate with the other members. The only issue during the meeting was that some participants did not have earphones, but used their computer speakers instead. This caused a great deal of echoing when anyone began speaking. Other than that, the meeting was a huge success.
The second task was to participate in a group meeting using Flash Meeting through the Open University page. I created an account for this site, and validated it; when it came time to log in, the site did not allow me permission to sign on. I tried several times and even tried creating another user name and password, but had no luck with it. Several other class members had similar issues with logging in, so we were instructed to simply join the meeting as guests so we could still view what was going on. However, when following the link to the meeting, and trying to join as a guest, I had zero luck. It seemed as though the site was suffering from some severe technical issues. After looking on NING at what other classmates were posting, it seemed as though they had similar problems once again. Due to the large volume of problems with the meeting, it was eventually canceled.
The third task required us to provide a class assessment through the website Seesmic. Once again, I was experiencing technical difficulties with my web camera and could not directly reply to the Final Learning Video. I had to create my response off-line and upload to to Seesmic. Below is the link to my response.
Course Assessment response using Seesmic.
Additional Course assessment replies as well as comments to posted photos using Voicethread can be found by following the links below.
We were also instructed comment on a comic strip on the Bitstrip website. This comic was related to how we felt about the class. It was a pretty cool touch; I liked commenting this way. It was different, and I like thins like this. Check it out.
In summary, this class was really fulfilling, and I would gladly take it again. I learned a great deal about the internet and how to effectively use it. Thanks Dr. Alam for a great class!
Learning Unit 13 – Making Online Movies
Learning Unit 12: Experimenting w/ Audio & Video
For this learning unit, we were asked to do several things w/ video and the internet. More specifically, we looked at several different video formats, created different videos, and tried out a few video streaming & conferencing websites.
Activity1: I viewed some high definition videos at both the Microsoft Website and Apple Website. At the Microsoft site, my two favorite videos were the Coral Reef Adventure (viewed in 720p) and The Magic of Flight (viewed in 1080p). For the Apple site (which I thought was much better than the MS site), my favorite high definition videos were BBC Motion Guide-Japan & BBC Motion Gallery Presents CCTV (China Central Television).
Activity2: I created a video of my nephew playing with blocks using my digital camcorder. Since my camcorder captured both the audio and video on the same file, I did not have to perform any file manipulation to get the video on my computer; I simply dragged and dropped the movie clip from my camcorder to my computer. My camcorder saves all videos as a Windows media audio/video files so all I had to do was upload that file to the Vimeo website; the video of my nephew playing with his blocks can be found there.
Activity3: I used my digital video camera to create a live recording of myself and posted it on the web. My first attempt at this did not go so well. I tried using the Upstream website to create a TV Channel entitled “The Practical Engineer”, however I was only able to record audio. I could not get this site to recognize my video camera. I then tried uploading my live recording on the Livevideo webiste. After experimenting with the capabilities of Livevideo, I was successful in uploading my profile video on this site. I chose the livevideo website for uploading my recording because it was listed right after Upstream. I simply worked in order, and did not get a chance to experiment with the Stickam website, so I cannot comment on how good it was.
Activity4: I registered on the Wiziq website; I can be found under the username callen. I received several invitations from fellow classmates as well as my teacher for this site, however when I accept them, I still cannot see them as my friend/contact on this site. I think there is some type of architecture issue going on with this site because I have been monitoring my class website on NING, and it seems as though other classmates are experiencing this problem as well.
Activity5: I signed up for the Seesmic website; I can be found under the username callen. I uploaded an initial profile video on this site, but I had a great deal of trouble finding it on the site. I really do not like this site, as I had a lot of issues with navigating around on it. Maybe I’ll like it a little better after I use it a little more.
There was also a reading assignment for this learning unit; the articles/opinions were very informative.
Learning Unit 11 – Presentation Editing
Learning Unit 11 proved to be very useful. Prior to this unit, I always wanted to know how to create a presentation and narrate it via adding audio. Starting off this unit, we were asked to view various panoramic views and choose our favorite one from two predetermined websites. My choice was an awesome picture of the Great Wall of China; you can find it on my stumpleupon site: http://c5allen.stumbleupon.com or you can go directly to the site and view it: http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/great-wall.html.
The “meat” of the assignment dealt with creating a power point presentation about Social Bookmarking and posting it to slideshare. My Social Bookmarking presentation on slideshare can be found by the following address: http://www.slideshare.net/c5allen/social-bookmarking-361177/.
We were then asked to create a separate audio file, save as an .mp3, and then use slideshare to edit the presentation by incorporating the audio into it. So I created an audio file using Windows Media Encoder and my microphone. I then translated the audio file into .mp3 format using Windows Audio Converter and uploaded it to the internet at the following address: http://www.archive.org/details/AudioForCallenSocialBookmarkingPresentation. So when I tried editing my presentation in slideshare, I was prompted that this feature has been temporarily disabled due to technical difficulties.
Since I was unable to create my narrated presentation using slideshare, I downloaded a trial version of Articulate and narrated my presentation slide by slide. After doing so, I published it and uploaded it on my freewebs site on the following address: http://www.freewebs.com/chris5allen/Slide%20Show/player.html. I really thought using Articulate was very easy, and I liked the idea of narrating slide-by-slide as opposed to creating one sound file for the whole entire presentation.
I also elected to once again use Windows Media Encoder and create a movie of my presentation w/ narrated audio. After doing so, I uploaded my movie to archive.org at the following address: http://www.archive.org/details/SocialBookmarkingPresentation. All you have to do is go the the left side and click on “Windows Media (7.0MB)” and elect to download the movie. Or you can view my presentation on Google Videos at the following address: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6101156164245828493&hl=en. I hope you enjoy my movie presentation on Social Bookmarking.
If you did not want to follow any of the links to my presentation, here it is:
Learning Unit 10: A try @ Collaboration
For Learning Unit 10, our class was asked to participate in a collaborative document writing process. We had to use Google Docs to write about the different types of Social Networking Software (SNS) that we have tried so far and come to some sort of consensus as to which is superior. The second collaborative document was constructed using WetPaint Wiki and delt with comparing various word processing software; mainly MS Word and its online rivals and choosing the best one.
I think our class has a ways to go before we get the whole collaborative thing nailed down. We tried conducting an online meeting to discuss how to go about starting the Google Doc, and had much success in achieving the common goal of laying the ground-work for the article. However, when we tried conducting a follow-up meeting to work on the Wiki document, the outcome was not nearly as successful as the first meeting. Many people did not bother attending, but those who did really did accomplish a fair amount.
As I am writing this, it is about 10:00 p.m. and the assignment is due in 2 hours. After looking at both documents, I can see that many classmates still need to contribute their parts. It is a shame that people always wait until the last minute to do their parts in a group assignment when everyone’s grade counts on the participation of others. Oh well, I am posting the document anyways as I am not going to stay up and wait for the others. It’s too bad those who take an active role in something have to deal with this. Oh well, below are the links to the documents.
Social Networking Software Article:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2532895/socialnetworkingsoftware?ga_uploads=1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=d28krnt_25m9zb6bdt&hl=en
Word Processing Software Article:
http://wordprocessor.wetpaint.com/page/Word+Processor+Comparison+Article
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2538804/Word-Processor-Comparison-Article?ga_uploads=1
We also were instructed to bookmark specific types of software that enables audio processing and podcasting websites, video editing, and real-time communication. Please see previous posts for my delicious and stumbleupon site links. Enjoy.
Image Editing (Learning of Unit 9)
The other part of Learning of Unit 9 was to play around with editing and uploading pictures to the web. A modified picture of my recent trip to Florida can be found on one of my web pages at the following address:
http://www.freewebs.com/chris5allen/
I also uploaded some pictures of my recent trip to France as well as a supercross race that I went to some time ago. The pictures from France can be found at the following address:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Chrisw.5.allen/France
While the pictures from the supercross race can be found at the following address:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25286934@N05/
I also tried my luck at embedding a logo (using Inkscape) that I made for InfoTechTools class on the same webpage that I show the picture that I tried modifying. The logo is hyperlinked to the the word “logo” within my ramblings at the bottom of the page:
Project/Time Mgt. Program Comparison (Learning of Unit 9)
For ENGR 6923 Learning of Unit 9, several popular project/time management programs were looked at and taken for a test run (evaluation). The programs that will be discussed are Google Calendar, MyOffice (Facebook Application), ZohoProject, & Yugma.
Google Calendar – This program offered by Google seems to be modeled just like the calendar portion of MS Outlook. One can track their daily events and invite others to view their calendar. There is some functionality in regards to how one can view their schedule and tasks, but that is about it. This is a very simple program to use, but it lacks quite a bit of functionality.
MyOffice – This program is offered by Facebook, and is a few steps above the Google Calendar. Once a group is created withing this program, one can invite whomever they want to join. From there, documents be be uploaded for the group to review, topics can be suggested for discussion, tasks can be assigned to members of the group, and events/milestones can be tracked within the group calendar.
ZohoProject – This program is similar to the one offered by Facebook, but slightly more advanced. The same functionality mentioned in the previous paragraph is present within this program, with also the ability to view a tracking gantt chart and schedule meetings with other group members. This program is slightly easier to use than the one offered by Facebook as all of the menus/screens are much easier to use and have more options available.
Yugma – This program really leaves the project/time management side of things and deals with “real time” collaboration. I participated in a trial with a fellow classmate (James) and went through all the bells and whistles of this program. Basically with Yugma, one can share their desktop with others and also grant permission for others to take control of their desktop remotely. With that, one can also record what they do and play it back for everyone (who is viewing) to review. Very large files can also be transferred between users (rather than relying on e-mail). This program reminded me of a way cooler and free version of Windows NetMeeting. It was by far my favorite program of this particular evaluation.
Image Editing Programs
Below are some good examples of image editing software that is available these days; these programs can edit raster or vector images. If one doesn’t feel the urge to download freeware, there is also a list of online programs that can edit images as well.
Raster Image Editors:
Artweaver (http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version) – Freeware program that supports many digital brushes; it has all the standard image editing tools.
IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/) – Freeware program that is very simple to use; supports many different file types, has paint options, can create many effects, etc.
Photobie (http://www.photobie.com/) – Freeware program that makes image editing by providing many editing templates and scrapbook features.
Vector Image Editors:
Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) – Freeware program that enables the creation of multi-page presentations or books as well as graphs and charts.
Synfig (http://www.synfig.org/Main_Page) – Freeware program that is a little more advanced that other vector image editors; it has a great deal of advanced editing functions.
ZCubes (http://home.zcubes.com/) – Freeware online program that has a great deal of functionality besides image editing; very easy to get familiar with and use effectively.
Online Image Editors:
http://www.online-image-editor.com/
http://www.lunapic.com/editor/index.php?action=tint
Comparison of Collaboration Tools (Unit of Learning 8)
Below are several links to a document my collaboration group for InfoTechTools (Group #1) published as part of Unit of Learning 8. The purpose of this discussion was to compare MS Word 2003/2007, Google Docs, Zoho Writer, and Wiki.
Comparison of MS Word, Google Docs, Zoho, and Wiki on ZOHO website
http://writer.zoho.com/public/c_allen/Learning-Unit-8-Group-1
Comparison of MS Word, Google Docs, Zoho, and Wiki on WIKI website
http://infotechtoolsgroup1.wetpaint.com/page/Learning+Unit+8
Comparison of MS Word, Google Docs, Zoho, and Wiki on Google Document
From this exercise, I would prefer to use Zoho Writer for any type of collaboration activities. Even though it took a few misunderstandings between the group members and the software before things started going smoothly, once the group got comfortable with the software, the document was published with ease. One of the biggest pros with Zoho Writer is the ability to instant message group members real-time while everyone is writing their part(s) of the document. For that matter, I choose Zoho Writer was the superior collaboration tool going forward.
Social Networking Site Comparisons-My Thoughts (Learning of Unit 8)
These days, there are a whole lot of choices for someone who wishes to keep up with their friends via the internet. Sites such as Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, Pownce, & FriendFeed compete with each other to gain popularity among the individuals flocking to the internet to partake in the social networking revolution.
For the purposes of InfoTechTools ENGR 6923, I had the opportunity to join each one of the sites mentioned above. Some, I have had limited involvement with; others, I have embraced fully. Here is what I have to say so far…
Facebook is at the top of my list in terms of ease of use and enjoyment. I can easily navigate through my community and check out all of my friends’ sites for updates. It is very easy to add widgets and join various groups on this site; The amount of “add ons” is endless; I can subscribe to RSS feeds, blogroll, upload videos & pics & presentations, and much more. This seems to be one of the more socially accepted sites because I had no problems finding many of my friends, classmates, and co-workers on this site.
Ning is also a good site, but I think it’s geared more toward using when part of a collaborative group or teaching/learning discussion group. It is an excellent tool for teaching an online class (as the case for ENGR 6923), but I think in terms of using for social networking purposes, it really lags behind Facebook. It has the functionality to add blogs, videos, widgets, pictures, discussion groups. The only issue I have with this site is that you must subscribe to a particular social network (Such as InfoTechTools). It is not really an open network in the sense that one can easily make contact with people they actively searched out (such as the case with Facebook).
LinkedIn is a site that is geared more toward professional networking. Personally, I think its main use is for people who are actively seeking new employment or searching for technical information. The one thing I don’t like about this site is that it asks for information regarding work experience, employment history, etc to add as part of your profile. If you are using this site for solely building a technical professional network, someone else from your company who is also using this site might think you are looking for another job. This would be the only drawback from using this site because it is almost like posting your resume for the whole world to see. A human resource person from your company might not like this idea, and get the wrong impression when finding their co-workers on this site.
Pownce is a site that I am not that crazy about. It reminds me of Twitter, but with the added option of checking other social networking profiles on other sites. I like the option of tagging messages as “private” so not everyone can see them as well as how easy it is to import friends from other social networking sites, but that is about all I like about this site. It would be much nicer if the user could go directly to their other social network sites from Pownce without having to log into each site. Because of this, I really don’t see the benefit of linking additional social networking sites to this one.
FriendFeed is a site that basically ties all of your other social networking sites together and lets you know what everyone in your network is doing across multiple networking sites. I really like this site as I can get a snap shot of everything all in one place without having to log into multiple sites each day. One can view all new posts and messages, but must log into a particular site if they want to post something to that particular site. The user can post messages within this site if they want to.
Given my exposure to the sites mentioned within this opinionated blurb, I would have to say that in terms of having fun and keeping up social internet appearances, I have to pick Facebook as my “go to” site. This site is very popular among internet users, and most of my social network subscribes to it. If I am partaking in some kind of formal brainy collaboration exercise, I would have to pick Ning as my site of choice since the functionality is geared toward discussion & collaboration. All the others are just secondary “fillers” that I would visit when I had some free time.
My profiles can be access at the following addresses:
Digg: http://digg.com/users/c5allen
Stumbleupon: http://c5allen.stumbleupon.com/public/
Delicious: http://del.icio.us/c_allen
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/c5allen
Pownce: http://pownce.com/c5allen/
Friendfeed: http://friendfeed.com/c5allen
C5allen's Weblog 