Cloud Apps Page Added
While recently reviewing my “best of” posts, I also looked at its top keywords. Seeing cloud computing ranked as the highest keyword inspired me to add a bit more about the Cloud. So I have decided to add a cloud application page.
The Cloud App page is a compilation of free cloud applications. Many of these are useful online learning tools. So far, I have listed 20 apps, but there are many more out there which I hope to add as I encounter them. Please feel free to recommend your favorite free cloud app and I will add it to the list.
On The Cloud
On occasion, I have written about the “Cloud” and have expected to use cloud computing more and more. So, it is time to reflect on how much cloud computing I do. Here are the tools that I use while on the Cloud, in no particular order:
WordPress - my blog
Delicious - bookmarking and sharing my bookmarks
Twitter - sharing my incoherent thoughts on e-learning
LinkedIn - professional networking, participating in e-learning/ISD groups and keeping an updated professional profile
Google Docs - occasionally creating docs and spreadsheets
Gmail - easy, simple e-mail
Picasa Web Albums - store, view and share my photos
YouTube - everyone knows what this is for… my videos
Screenr - creating quick, easy screencasts that I can Tweet and/or embed in my blog
ChartGo - this one is new for me, but I like how easy it is to make charts that I can keep on the cloud or save on my hard drive (yes, I have a hard drive too)
I think I have established a bit of a residence on the Cloud. Are there cloud apps that you would recommend? I would love to here about them.
Google Chrome OS Announced
Google has announced they will release the Chrome Operating System in 2010. This OS is for netbooks and takes full advantage of the cloud. Thus, less of a need for a hard drive and a much quicker machine. In fact, they are currently boasting of a 7 second boot-up time. The success of a Chrome OS can mean a huge leap in cloud computing and hopefully more e-learning tools and apps on the cloud too.
Here is a video preview of Chrome OS.
Not sure what cloud computing is?
- Cloud Computing in Plain English (explanation from CommonCraft)
- Cloud Service and Deployment (Brandon Hall)
Free and Easy Chart Creation Tool
Here is a free, practical tool for creating charts.
ChartGo.com provides an incredibly easy to use web-based tool for creating charts, including bar, pie, line and area charts. You can quickly create a chart, save it, and add it to a course, website or blog. They also provide numerous avenues of sharing your chart (URL, e-mail link to chart, social bookmarking, Twitter, etc.).
If you want something more sophisticated, stick with Excel. If you want something you can create in a matter of minutes, this is the tool for you. Here is an example of a chart I made.
Here are some more examples of the types of charts you can make.
For Those of Us Who Didn’t Get a Google Wave Invite
If you did not get a Wave invite, but would like to get a peek at it, here are few videos from those that did get invites.
And here is the Google Wave team on launch day.
FYI: If anyone out there still has a Wave invite, I am still interested in receiving one. Thanks!
Feds on the Cloud
U.S. Federal agencies are utilizing cloud computing and now have an app store, Apps.gov, which provides federal agencies and their staff with cloud computing applications. This includes business apps, productivity apps, social media apps, and cloud IT services.
Here is the video Apps.gov provides as an introduction to cloud computing.
Many corporations, and individuals, are still very hesitant to use the cloud, but hopefully the government’s move to using the cloud will encourage others to use it. Especially if the government’s use results in efficiencies, cost cutting, and being environment friendly.
How will cloud computing affect education? The Don’t Waste Your Time blog just added a post on this very question. And he gives the “good” and the “bad.”
You can also read how Google is playing a role in this.
Delicious, Take Two
I signed up for Delicious social bookmarking quite a while ago, but it just didn’t take for me. Perhaps the fact that I could not access it at work or that I was perfectly happy with using my browser for bookmarking. Either way, I set-up Delicious and just never really used it beyond the first few days. Why not give it another try. After all, I am trying move more onto the cloud, I can have my bookmarks in one place and I can share sites that I value. Let’s hope my new job does not block Delicious. I will find out tomorrow.
Here is what I like so far:
- Everything can be tagged - easy to stay organized
- Adding a badge widget to my blog, promote sharing my bookmarks
- Adding a Delicious tag cloud to my site or blog (see my Delicious tag cloud below)
- Viewing how many people, and who, bookmarked pages. It’s motivating to see someone tag my pages
- Finding new and interesting sites by viewing other people’s bookmarks
- Easy access from any computer, if Delicious is not blocked by the “man” at work.
- Customized descriptions of each bookmark can be added
So, I started with bookmarking and tagging the links I have collected on my Free e-Learning page and added a few blogs, blog communities and some e-learning resources.
And here is my Delicious tag cloud.
FYI: Here is a great video on social bookmarking and Delicious.
I am sure there are additional features on Delicious that I should be using. Let me know what Delicious tools and features you would recommend.
Economic Times - Impact on Distance Learning
Has the economic struggle had a positive or negative impact on online learning?
This question has been posed a lot on the e-learning blogs, for example.
The Boston Globe just published an article titled Where the Jobs are in Anxious Times. Distance learning and a few related fields are noted as being areas where there are jobs
Here are quotes from the article that pertain to distance learning, social media, cloud computing, and mobile technology.
Government stimulus funding has been creating new opportunities in education and energy, says Clark Waterfall, a partner at Boston Search Group. “We’re seeing activity in for-profit education companies, and companies geared to distance learning and corporate learning,”
A new role at many companies is a social media expert, who can help the company communicate with customers and prospects using new channels like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. “Sometimes that job is called ‘community manager’ or ‘community rep,’ ” says Tom Summit of Rowley-based Catalyst Recruiting Corp. “But the people who can get hired are the ones who can relate online activities to quantifiable metrics. What are you doing for the company, aside from just starting a blog?”
Cloud computing - technology services that can be accessed over the Internet - is another area of increasing activity. “I also see a lot of interest in search engine marketing” - making websites more prominent in search results - “and engineers who know how to design websites with that in mind,” Summit says.
Keith Cline of Dissero LLC says one position that can be hard to fill at the moment is a mobile application developer. “If a company is trying to build an app for the iPhone, there aren’t a lot of people who have that experience,” he says.
Where the jobs are in anxious times
By Scott Kirsner
Globe Columnist / June 14, 2009
It is good to hear that there are opportunities out there in the fore-mentioned fields and probably more to come. From my own glances at job boards it appears companies are still hiring people in the distance learning field.
Graphics on the Cloud
I have slowly been moving onto the cloud. Thus far, I have starting using Google Docs and Picasa Web Albums (also Google). My motivation for using Picasa is to put all my graphics in one place. I have one too many computers each with too many graphics. This includes family photos and e-learning graphics. So, what better than to consolidate and organize on the cloud. Plus, I can easily access and share them with others.
An online photo album is nothing new and Picasa has many features you can find on other graphic tools found on the cloud, I am sure. But here is something I really found convenient about Picasa, e-mail upload. Here is how they describe it:
Email upload
You can now forward photos to your online albums using email. Perfect for use on your mobile device, you can even collaborate with friends by submitting photos to one album with the same email address.
I am really finding this convenient. Through Picasa, I set-up a Picasa web address, then I just send the graphics to it as an attachment. It then ends up in my Picasa drop-box. Real easy. So, now if the graphic is on the phone, I send it in an e-mail and it is there. Found it on any of my computers…e-mail…and its there. And if someone sends it to me as an e-mail, I can just forward it onto the drop-box. I can also send others the address and voila, they put graphics in Picasa for me.
FYI: If you use Picasa, you will find the e-mail upload listed under “New Features.” It will walk you through setting up the e-mail drop-box.
