Mark DuBois Weblog

AdobeMAX began with the keynote by Kevin Lynch (“Welcome to the revolution”) which emphasized mobile as well as multi-screen environments (such as the digital living room). Gaming and Adobe’s acquisition of Day Content Management System were also covered. Some interesting points from the keynote included the prediction that bandwidth for mobile devices would exceed that of cable modems in the next few years. Many smart phones now have the computing power of desktop systems from several years ago (and are rapidly catching up in terms of capabilities). We are at a most interesting time as the mobile ecosystem evolves. Throughout the day, I participated in a number of BYOL sessions – Bring Your Own Laptop. I have listed the ones I attended below (along with a brief synopsis of each session). One aspect that struck me was the incredible networking opportunities afforded by actually being present at this event. I was able to speak with a number of people and garner numerous insights which is incredibly difficult being located in central Illinois.

• Building an interactive portfolio with Flash Catalyst – this session emphasized round trip aspects in the workflow between Adobe illustrator and Flash Catalyst. Unfortunately, the lab materials provided lacked many of the necessary components to to work directly with the assets provided. Still, we were able to watch the instructor create a small portfolio (with transitions between states) in a relatively short amount of time. The portfolio also included some video clips. Although the lab did not live up to expectations, this was most helpful to me as I will be using Flash Catalyst as part of the user interface discussions in CMWEB 150 and I got a number of interesting ideas from the discussions we had as part of this session.
• Building Drupal Themes using Dreamweaver CS5 – this session lived up to its name. We first covered terminology and fundamentals so everyone understood how to work with the Drupal environment. We had been requested to pre-install the Acquia Drupal test environment and the Zen theme. The instructor then walked as through creating a sub-theme (which closely matched the materials provided) and also discussed creating templates in Drupal. All our work was accomplished via Dreamweaver CS5. This was a good review for me as it has been a while since I modified a Drupal theme.
• Build your first AIR application for Android – this session was all about experimenting with current technologies. We developed an employee directory and chat application using Flash Builder. We were then able to test using Device Central and out browsers. Most of the emphasis was on the version of Flex Builder presently under beta testing (called Burrito). It was eye opening to see how one can develop and deploy significant technology in a relatively short time.
• After the main sessions ended, I participated in a “meet the teams” session. I chose to participate in the Dreamweaver team (and got the chance to speak with Scott Fegette – manager of the Dreamweaver team at Adobe). It was also helpful to be able to put faces on those who have been working on BrowserLabs and NetAverages and other Adobe initiatives. I provided feedback as to how much I appreciated the extensive use of comments in the CSS in Dreamweaver CS5. I believe this really helps students learn best practices when they examine the code they generate as they build a web page.
• The last event of the night was an invitation only session hosted by RIM (Research in Motion) which focused on the new Playbook which should be available in the first part of 2011. During this session, I had the chance to meet and speak with Stephanie (Sullivan) Rewis and Greg Rewis. Stephanie created all the templates in Dreamweaver. Greg and Stephanie gave a presentation on HTML5 during the educator summit on Sunday. I also had the opportunity to speak directly with a number of individuals at RIM regarding their plans for use of the Playbook. I gained a number of insights as to how this tablet device might be used in a corporate setting.

Overall, this was a very busy first day of the conference. I have provided links to a few of the photos that I took (below). You might want to view them as a slideshow at Flickr.

These are some of the photos I took while attending AdobeMAX in Los Angeles. Thought you might enjoy seeing a bit of the downtown area. Most of my time was spent in sessions and meetings so I didn’t have much of a chance to tour the city. All of these photos were taken while walking to and from the Los Angeles Convention Center. I will be posting many more details about my experiences at AdobeMAX in the coming days.

Sunday, October 24, 2010 was a very full day. I participated in the community manager summit and the education summit. Lots of good information was received. The actual conference starts tomorrow and my brain is already stuffed with new information. I learned some creative ways to use Adobe Presenter as well as many other items. Met a lot of new people and renewed a lot of friendships. This is a fantastic event. Here are a few of the photos I took throughout the day today. I also learned that the conference will be back in Los Angeles again next year (from Oct. 1 – 5, 2011).

Tonight, Adobe Education Leaders were able to take a :behind the scenes” tour of the new School of Cinematic Arts buildings on the campus of USC. These are some of the photos I took in both the George Lucas and Steven Speilberg buildings. Approximately $175 million has been granted to the school and these buildings are a part of that investment. My sincere thanks to those responsible for the tour. It was most impressive. We also had the opportunity to meet a number of the finalists in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards.

Thanks to Laurie Burruss, I was featured in the October, 2010 issue of the lynda.com academic newsletter. I have consistently used lynda.com as a resource to learn more about a number of topics. I never cease to be amazed as to the breadth and depth of their course offerings. I find this to be a consistent source of great information. I put together a short video which includes the  work of some of my students (Larry and Anna) and explains how I prepared for a recent class. I was struggling with what sort of project to come up with for the class and lynda.com provided me with the appropriate inspiration. Laurie – thanks for the excellent article. I am most appreciative.