To educate, inform, inspire

WorldSkills Insights

August 19, 2015 - ICC , Technology , Travel , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

All told, my trip to São Paulo, Brasil was a very interesting and informative trip. I learned a lot about the processes involved with WorldSkills. I received my Expert pin (there was a small ceremony among the experts at the conclusion of the competition where each received a special pin […]

WorldSkills Closing Ceremony

August 16, 2015 - Technology , Travel , Web - by Mark - No Comments

The closing ceremony for WorldSkills was held on the day after competitions ended (C+1). This event was broadcast throughout the world. Overall, Brasil scored the most medals. The U.S. got a Bronze medal in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. Lauryn Erickson received the “Best of Nation” medal – she received the […]

Windows 10 First Look

July 29, 2015 - Technology , Windows - by Mark - No Comments

I “bit the bullet” today and installed Windows 10 on one of my computers. Yes, I am an early adopter. That being said, my level of frustration with Windows 8.1 is not going away any time soon. I have previously reviewed an early version of Windows 10 and wanted to […]

Book review – Semantic Web

July 15, 2015 - Technology - by Mark - No Comments

The July, 2015 issue of Choice Magazine published my review of the following book. Since many readers of this blog do not typically have access to that magazine, I am placing a copy of my review here. I do not recommend this book. It is an example of a book […]

Adobe Preview CC

July 8, 2015 - Adobe , Mobile Apps , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

In addition to Hue, Adobe also released Preview CC for iOS devices on June 15. I thought readers of this blog might be interested in a short overview of the capabilities of this app. Essentially, you develop your design comp (for either a mobile app or a mobile website) in […]

Adobe Hue

July 1, 2015 - Adobe , Mobile Apps , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Adobe released another app for iOS devices on June 15. This one is called Hue. In some ways, it is like the app Color (formerly Kuler). But it works for video. Essentially, you take a photo and select the desired color which you can then apply to a video clip […]

Oops – part 2

June 24, 2015 - Technology - by Mark - 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that a hard drive crashed on one of my computers. I also mentioned that I would follow up my original post with an overview of the hardware aspects once that was completed. I did order a new hard drive and it was delivered […]

Bluemix

June 17, 2015 - IBM , Technology , Web - by Mark - 2 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to experiment with IBM’s Bluemix facility. This is one of those instances where I am overwhelmed at the possibilities. This service relies on the open source Cloud Foundry. Bluemix is a PaaS (Platform as a Service) environment, it is also MBaaS (Mobile Backend as a […]

Oops

June 10, 2015 - Technology - by Mark - No Comments

There is a simple fact we all try to ignore (things die). In this case, one of the computers I use on a daily basis decided to have a snit (and go to digital heaven or what ever alternatives exist for bits) over the weekend. First, when I powered it […]

Working Connections 2015

May 27, 2015 - Technology , Travel , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I had the great honor of teaching at Working Connections in Springfield, Illinois during the week of May 18 – 22. This is a great event for community college faculty and staff. You have the ability to network with peers from throughout the state. I renewed friendships with many and […]

Professor – would you please do my work?

May 13, 2015 - ICC , Learning , Technology - by Mark - 2 Comments

As we conclude this semester, I thought it might be appropriate to continue my discussion from the beginning of the semester (see Issues > Concerns > Problems). Frankly, I do not see the situation improving. Those reading this should pause and consider what they are asking in various classes. As […]

What I like about Adobe Acrobat DC

April 22, 2015 - Adobe , Mobile Apps , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Adobe recently released a significant update to Acrobat. When I first opened the tool [viewing a PDF document], I saw the following (and felt a bit overwhelmed). Note the changes to the interface, particularly the options on the right for the given document. Wow. There are a lot more options. […]

Wipster and Adobe Voice

March 25, 2015 - General , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

I have been experimenting with the Wipster application for a few weeks. Essentially, this is a site where you post a video for others to review and approve. They can add comments in the video (as it plays). Although the service is not free, I am finding this to be […]

Office Mix

March 18, 2015 - Learning , Technology , Windows - by Mark - 1 Comment

Assuming you are running MS-PowerPoint 2013 or higher, you might want to try Office Mix. It is a free add-on for PowerPoint which allows you to “create and share interactive online videos.” You can include screen captures, screen recordings, polls, and quizzes. You can upload your completed presentation to the […]

Screen Capture Utilities

March 4, 2015 - Adobe , ICC , Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

I have been helping a peer with one of their online classes this semester. They expressed an interest in learning about different tools to record the screen. I decided to take a different approach this week and provide this document I created for their use. This is an alternative approach […]