User Reviews: Zoho Office Suite & Picnik

I am always looking for free applications online from computer protection to media players as well as office suites and image editors. For my home computer, the Microsoft Office suite is what I use as well as the Windows Live Photo Editors and Viewers. As it was alluded to in the directions and in this course overall, school districts need programs with multiple user licenses and this can become very expensive. Cash-strapped school districts are looking to people in the technology departments to think “outside the box” to find cheaper or free alternatives to the Microsoft Suite and more established software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Of the suggested free office suite programs, I was already familiar with and used Google Documents so instead I wanted a review a program I never used before. I had never heard of Zoho as an online office suite, but after I started to use all of their options I saw there were great benefits to their offerings. The first big plus to the software was is was based on cloud-computing which allows users to be on any computer to access documents (Microsoft Hotmail has the SkyDrive which is the same premise. If you access to the Internet, you can grab your work from “a cloud” and use it on any computer instead of the work being on one dedicated computer.) which allows the flexibility to be anywhere with Internet access and pull your work, make changes, and save it for later. Zoho offers word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation applications similar to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively. The one component that stuck out to me was Zoho Invoice; a similar, but smaller invoice program compared to more well-known programs such as Intuit QuickBooks. This may be a great alternative to handle simple invoicing depending on the size of the school district. Overall, this office suite would be a great alternative to the Microsoft Suite (compatible with all Microsoft formats) because it is free, but the one big con I see is how good the support and response time to issues is compared with Microsoft (Zoho was started in 1995 while Microsoft was started in the late 1970’s-early 1980’s).

For the photo editor, I chose Picnik to review because I never heard of it and I liked the name. When one goes to the homepage/launch page, the page is very eye-catching listing what one can do with their pictures for free, but also giving you the option to upgrade (This is very similar to Avast virus protection software. The free version is so good imagine upgrading!). Additionally, this application allows one to edit photos online from photos located on popular websites such as Picasa (Google) Flickr (Yahoo!), FaceBook, or off your own computer. This is also a cloud-based application, Internet-based, allowing the user to pull photos online instead off one, dedicated computer location. Also, one doesn’t need to register or download anything to use the free version this give peace of mind of downloading viruses or being put on a mailing list and receiving spam. As far as photo-editing, the usual suspects are there such as cutting and cropping photos, special effects, resizing plus it works on Macs and Window-based computers. I would highly recommend this program to use at a school district level. It is only web-based which doesn’t need IT department support to install and maintain and with it working on a cloud students can work at home and at a school using and editing photo projects.

BASIC HR Services Department - Overview of Services

The purpose of my website is to inform visitors of the services I perform at work as well as giving visitors an overview of the services as a whole and why they are important. Employers are faced with many legal obstacles everyday and to help to cut costs and ensure all legal procedures are followed many will hire third party administrators such as BASIC. This also takes any internal bias, or perceived internal bias, and shifts it to a third party. This allows an employers’ HR department to shift focus to more personal issues related to their employees. I included each service my department provides in a separate section to describe the purpose of each service and why it is important to an employer.
• Dependent Verification Audits: This helps employer ensure only legal dependents are enrolled on medical insurance plans and dependents that should be on medical insurance plans are removed. This can brings hundreds to thousands of dollars in savings to the client.
• FMLA: This sometimes complicated law should be left to the professionals due to all of the situations that arise and how notifications must be followed under a strict timeframe and time used must be tracked accurately. There are many black and white areas to the law to be interpreted and a third party administrator is able to process, track, and administer free from bias.
• HR Consulting: Many employers who decide to keep the services “in house” still need consulting from time to time. Be it an unemployment insurance hearing, complicated FMLA issues, or a whole host of employee discrimination issues. This service is essential to avoid litigation.
• Premium Consolidation: This saves an employer time and ensures benefits are enrolled and termed in a timely manner. Insurance carriers have strict timeframes to enroll and term benefits. A third party administrator is able to perform this function immediately and ensure enrollments and terminations.

Three Branches of National Government

The above concept map represents the three branches of the national government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. This is a visual representation the national government have three separate, but equal branches of the national government. The Executive Branch is comprised of the President of the United States who is both the chief executive and commander in chief of armed forces. He/she does have veto power to overrule proposed laws. The Legislative Branch is comprised of 100 Senators (two from each state) and House of Representatives (the number of members based on population). They write and pass laws and determine how much money each department of the government receives. The Judicial Branch comprises of the nine Supreme Court justices. They determine if the laws are legal and follow the U.S. Constitution.

Lesson Plan: What are checks and balances and how do they apply to the three branches of government? How do the branches interact with each other and how are each important? What are the pros and cons of our type of government compared to other governments in the world?

The concept mapping above is a very important visual representation indicating how each branch is connected to the other branches showing how each stand on its own, but are part of one government.

How To Maintain Your Computer's Performance

Computers must be maintained to keep them running at maximum performance. Like an automobile getting its oil changed every 3,000 miles, it is very important to change the oil on your computer on a weekly basis to make sure it is running correctly. As an Introduction to Computers student, it is important to know how to schedule weekly computer maintenance to ensure your computer is running smoothly.:

1. Delete Internet history, cookies, and temporary files: Click on Tools, Internet Options, Delete under Browsing History, Select all the Check Boxes, and click on Delete. When browsing on the Internet many unneeded temporary files are collected and takes up space on the hard drive.

2. Disk Cleanup: Click on Computer under the Start menu. Right click on the C: Drive and Click on Disk Cleanup. This is a powerful tool. There are many files collected during the operation of your computer that can be safely deleted to free up space on the hard drive. You can select any or all of the selections. When clicking on each selection, there is a description of the files and how much space will be freed if deleted.

3. Registry Cleaner: While on the Internet, many files are collected that are needed any more, but take up space. Also, files and files extension may become broken or outdated. By using a registry cleaning tool (For Example: CCleaner is a very good free cleaning tool.). This tool will scan your computer for any temporary files the browser cleaning and disk cleanup doesn't find and allow you to safely delete them. It will also scan the registry for any unneeded file extensions or broken files that can be safely deleted.

The goal of this lesson is to give the student an overview of the workings of the computer while on the Internet and how the computer should be maintained for maximum performance. The performance is as important as the hardware and software used for education.

Washington D.C. Attractions Walk Activity

Lesson: Washington, D.C. Attractions Walk Assignment

Grade Level: 6th Grade

Subject: Mathematics

Overview & Purpose: The student must imagine he/she are on a class trip to Washington, D.C. The student must determine how long it would take walking at an average speed of 4 mph to walk from major tourist attraction to major tourist attraction in Washington, D.C. By clicking on each marking, you can determine the distance of the next attraction by entering directions to the next attraction at each point. The purpose of this activity is the student must use their knowledge of time, speed, and distance. The student must determine the time it would take to walk from attraction to attraction as well as the total trip.

Objective: To reinforce the student’s understanding of how maps are useful in determining distance, through the use of the Google Map and basic mathematics skills is the main objective of this activity.

Materials Needed:

• Google Map
• Pencil
• Paper
• Calculator (Used only to Check the Answers)


View Washington, D.C. Tour in a larger map

Subscribe To This Podcast

Podcast Subscription: NPR Education Podcast
How To Listen/Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes
My Yahoo!
Zune
RSS Reader Feed
Windows Media Player
Synopsis : The National Public Radio website has many audio podcasts to choose from episodes of their shows to subjects such as food, the economy, the environment, and education. I listen to NPR at lunchtime every day at work for the news, weather, and talk. The website allows me to choose what I want to learn more about. I picked the Education section in particular due to the nature of our assignment. Currently, there are interesting podcasts entitled: Why is College So Expensive?, Do Too Many Kids Go To School?, and many others of interest to college students. One interesting statistic from the first podcast is the United States’ loan balance has exceeded one trillion dollars!

Go Big Blue! - University of Kentucky Basketball Midnight Madness

October 14, 2011 - The official start of the college basketball season at the University of Kentucky - Big Blue Madness. I have been a Wildcats fan all of my life. I attended Transylvania University (just NE of UK on the map) for a semester back in 1996. I still bleed blue!


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Cognitive Load Theory Explained - Dr. John Sweller

Two Influencers on Psychological Foundations of ID

B.F. Skinner introduced the idea of Behavioral Learning Theory

Robert M. Gagne introduced his own Theory of Instruction

Flickr Photos

Visit my Flickr Page and see random photos from outside my house and the neighborhood.

The Deliciousness Has Landed....

Take a look at my personal Delicious.com page and see what interests me.

Web 2.0 Wiki Page

The Web 2.0 - How Technology Has Changed the way we get directions and the way get maps plus how the Free Software Movement has affected the Web 2.0 at my wiki page

Cone/Siegel Imagination Reflection

I had heard of blogs and have seen the icon for RSS feeds on my Internet Explorer browser, but never had any hands-on experience with either. I follow politics closely and have seen the power of political blogs on elections and public opinion. Blogs have real-time power and can affect people positively and in some cases negatively. It gives people the opportunity to speak their mind and give their opinions. My early impression of my blog is positive. It is a blank canvas I am able to use to add whatever I am feeling at the time. It is a very open forum. As far as a RSS Reader feed, I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked on the icon and was presented with this large amount of information for me to search and use with the most up-to-date information possible at my fingertips. This is something I will explore with other subjects as well.

Edgar Dale’s Cone was based on his belief people learn by actively doing things in contrast to reading it or observing it. The Cone lends itself best to reading text, listening to lecture, and watching still and moving pictures. Both blogs and RSS feeds have text for the viewer to read about a particular subject. Someone may read a blog if one is drawn to the person or their subject matter while the reader may subscribe to a website’s RSS feed because one is interested in the subject matter as defined, described, or explained by the blog author or RSS feeds. The RSS feed may also have links to audio and video selections while a blog writer may include audio and video links on their blog. Audio and video makes the subject matter come alive through the computer screen (http://pharmacy.mc.uky.edu/faculty/resources/files/Step%20Dales%20Cone.pdf.)

After reading Siegel’s article, his example of the electronic version of a book made the biggest impression on me. The writer of the book never intended the book to be read on a screen. I think the author is saying the reader is losing the physical connection of holding an actual paperbook instead of reading the words off the screen. Another example I thought of was the person who prefers to listen to a vinyl album instead of a compact disc. The vinyl record has all the clicks, skips, and imperfections, but a CD sounds crystal clear. The listener is not looking for a perfect reproduction, but wants to connect with the imperfections of the recording. “Scenarios provide today’s learners with the power to become effective thinkers and doers.” This quote from the article is exactly what Dale’s Cone was trying to achieve. A learner is a doer; not a onlooker. The Scenarios software allows the user to write down their thoughts as a blog does while a RSS feed is more imaginative compared to a book because a user is able to search by date, time and author of a particular feed. You can’t do any of it in a regular book. I or my students would be able to interact, search for only the information that is needed and have access to the most- up-to date and relative information. I think Postman would say even if you have access to 100 libraries worth of information it isn’t worth anything if you don’t get anything out of it.

(https://pilot-elearn.wmich.edu/content/enforced/8361-44185.201140/SiegelFallingAsleepWhitepaper.pdf)

To Transform Education or Not To Transform Education? That is the Question.

            Overall, the Joseph article for the case of technology transformation had great insights on how the educational system (and the world as a whole) has been nudged (and almost forced) to evolve from the Industrial Age to the Informational Age. The Internet and all its possibilities did not get widespread exposure until the early-to-mid 1990s and over the last 20 years the possibilities have exploded. You can buy and sell almost anything, read the news, check your horoscope, email your friends and family, and maybe most importantly access enough information to fill enough volumes to fill 100 libraries all at your fingertips. This of course begs the question how can all of this technology (and all of its moving pieces) be harnessed into the tools to equip and mold students’ minds in this changing and competitive world.

            Though the article does give great examples on how technology can transform education is does not give any specifics on how the roadblocks to implementation can be overcome. First, money from the federal government would be needed to buy all of the equipment needed to make the technology transformation. Currently, there is a big fiscal crisis and unless money from other programs in the Department of Education could be used for this new initiative the money would need to come from local governments or from internal means in each school district. Next, the Department of Education would need to be greatly involved in implementing the structure of this new type of learning. Right now, most if not all schools are bound by the No Child Left Behind laws which must be followed.  Also, a child’s emotional development must be taken into account when developing this new type of learning. The article did touch on it briefly, but did not give specifics. The only way to divide students up currently is by age and measureable skill levels. Of course, there are variances to the age and skill levels of the students in each grade level, but for the most part the students are on a level playing field. Lastly, who would determine the new curriculum and what it would contain? Would it be developed at the local level to be approved by the state or national level?

             If all of these roadblocks (and many more) were overcome, the idea of transforming learning through technology would be a great benefit to education as a whole. It would allow students not to be held back just because of their age and grade level, but be able to determine how quickly one advances by their skills and how quickly the material is learned. Computers and the Internet would enhance the learning the experience for teacher to student communication and student to student communication. This allows for collaboration among students to find the best answer to a problem and be a part of a team. Additionally, students would be better equipped for the changing world to be able to contribute to the world in different, productive ways. In conclusion, technology would allow students the opportunity to talk and interact with students from different parts of the country and world as well as visit different parts of the world (virtually) to compare and contrast how their area is different or alike. It would also allow teachers to see how teachers in different states or different countries are taking advantage of technology as a teaching tool (Reigeluth, C.M. & Joseph, R. (2002). Beyond technology integration: The case for technology transformation. Educational Technology, 42(4), 9-13.).

.           I would be curious to read what Neil Postman’s thoughts would be about the Internet and how technology has affected all aspects of life including education and learning almost ten years after he wrote this article. What if we always went with our first instinct on new advances in technology and didn’t see how they evolved? What would we have missed out on? When President Clinton launched the idea of the Information Superhighway to connect schools to the Internet, the author assumed this was just another way the government was trying to insert itself into everyone’s lives. The author tried to paint a picture of teachers being replaced by computers instead of computers complementing teachers. Back in 1992 when this article was written, the power and abilities of computers were not widely known. The Internet, or the World Wide Web, was in its infancy and really didn’t have a purpose. Over the past twenty years, the Internet and other technological advances (I-Phone, the Kindle, Blackberry, etc.) have far exceeded anyone’s expectations on the affect and influence they have had to teach and change ones minds. The author did not give enough credit to students’ ability to want to learn beyond the standards of learning developed centuries ago. The abilities of the teacher and students in a more advanced dynamic are discounted by the author as unneeded and not the answer to the problem. The classic teacher/student classroom is still the best starting point, but with technology this starting point can be evolved for the good of the teacher and student. Technology is not the only solution to the problem, but it can help (Postman, N. (1993). Of Luddites, learning, and life. Technos Quarterly, 2(4).).

Introduction

I am 33 years old. I am married. I have two children. I live and work in Michigan. I am ordinary in most regards, but I do have strong opinions on many subjects such as politics, sports and life in general. I hope through this blog I will be able to share my opinions and I hope people will agree or disagree strongly with what I believe. Debate is a great way to shape and move discussions forward.