Well, week 2 is well under way and we've been responsible for immersing ourselves in some pretty impressive tools to finish off this 1 credit intro class. Some with an organizational nature like the Social Bookmarking sites, some with some impact on personal work habits and structure like the online storage sites, and some related to communication and distance-learning like the video conferencing using Skype. While this class has been designed primarily as a preparation for us, as students, to start the process of online learning it has opened up a window to so much more for me on a professional level. The big surprise for me is the impact it is having on my personal practices as well.
1. I haven't stopped using Google Chrome at home since the Browser reviews.
2. I am now signed up and using Diigo as a bookmarking tool (along with a Delicious account tied into it). I haven't used the sharing features yet, but I haven't stopped brainstorming about it's possible uses.
3. I have signed up for a SugarSync account and am currently using it for some basic online storage. I have files on my home PC synced and I also installed the Android app for it on my phone. My mind is bouncing with thoughts of all of the possible uses of an online storage site and how it would impact my work and personal habits. I am kind of testing it out first with the files I currently tote around on my 2 flash drives and if all goes well I intend on making the switch.
4. I've setup Skype on my PC and had a pretty impressive group video conference call with the 2 fellow colleagues. I had used Skype sparingly a year or two ago but I only used the voice portion of it and if I remember the quality wasn't all that great. Well, the voice AND video quality were spectacular and like the other tools mentioned above it has set my wheels spinning for possible professional and personal uses.
5. I've even stumbled across a few sites on my quest for useful research documents that have provided me with some extra bonus networking resources like Scribd and LinkedIn.
All in all I would say that the "Cloud" is becoming a more realistically attainable goal than I had ever imagined.
I just attended an in-service through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (my school district) on what we call "curriculum day". More often than not I am stuck sitting through sessions that have little to do with my content area and rarely help me with my curriculum. The librarian at my school felt the same way and decided to do something about it by designing and hosting a curriculum day of her own for her fellow media center colleagues for the second year in a row. Hmmm...will this class provide me with the kind of forward thinking and initiative to do something similar for my computer teacher and technology coordinator colleagues next year? So far so good. :-)
Laurence I think it's nice that your finding other networking resources. Linkedin is very nice and popular especially if you like to network and meet new people. I was introduced to Linkedin almost 3 years ago. I also agree with what you said about the class openining up a window for you on a professional level. So far I love all the new things we are learning and I too use these new tools for myself. I guess when the class says intro, that's what it really was, ha! Is the android app you installed on your phone the Sugarsync? If so I would love to download that app as well. Learning that there are other ways you are able to get "free" storage services are wonderful. Well good luck with you and your brainstorming lol.
ReplyDeleteYes, the android app I installed was SugarSync. I was in my SugarSync account and it was able to send the download right to my phone...pretty impressive. I was able to browse and open files that I have stored in SugarSync right from my phone. I wasn't able to edit files but it was because I have the free version of OfficeSuite Pro on my phone which only let's you open and view, not edit. Not sure I would sit there and edit documents on my phone anyways but being able to view them pretty much anywhere, anytime could come in handy. SugarSync gives you 5GB of free storage compared to DropBox's 2GB, which was a bonus for me. They actually have a referral program that would give both people an extra 5GB so if you're thinking of installing SugarSync let me know and I could try and figure out how to send the referral link. Thanks for your comments.
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