An Inside Look at MindManager 7 Mac

I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker for this webinar, An Inside Look at MindManager 7 Mac, and to share how I am using Mindjet MindManager in the classes that I teach at the graduate level in assistive technology. If you are not familiar with MindManager you can preview the recorded webinar and find out about all of its new features on the Macintosh which I really enjoy. You will be able to view some of the mind maps that I have created and find out how I use it when I teach. You can also download the mind maps that were used on the webinar and if you don't own Mindjet MindManager you can download a trial version form the Mindjet website. You should also know that there is a version of MindManager for Windows as well and there file compatibility. Enjoy the webinar!

MindMeister Adds New Features

The MindMeister Team shared this update with me which I thought you would find interesting. MindMeister is an online application that allows you to do mindmapping right within your browser With each update the program adds more and more functionality. One of the really powerful features is the ability to share your mind maps and collaborate with other people over the web. Check it out and tell me what you think.

What's New in MindMeister

* Links on ideas

Support for internal (between maps, or also to individual nodes) and external (websites, email addresses) links on ideas

* Automatic layouter

No more overlapping ideas and branches with the new auto layouter - can also be triggered manually on "messed up" maps by pressing F8
* Note and link previews

Notes and links on ideas can now be previewed by hovering over the respective icon, including site previews
* Reworked, more organic lines

We've changed the line drawing mechanism so that mind maps now hopefully look more organic. The poll in the last newsletter went in favor of the slightly rounded lines (with about 40%)
* Automatic canvas resizing

The map canvas will automatically resize to the size of the map, e.g. on import of large maps or when adding lots of ideas
* Changes view date slider

In changes mode the footer will display a date slider that you can use to constrain the time period for which changes are shown. Clicking on links in notification mails will only highlight changes since your last visit.
* Start new map from idea

You can quickly create new maps from ideas through the right-click menu, and the new map can automatically be linked to the current one
* Export as PDF

The map canvas will automatically resize to the size of the map, e.g. on import or when adding many ideas
* Enhanced printing

Choose whether you want to print in full size or fit to page, and with open or closed branches
* Browse public maps

You can now browse, search and view all public maps on MindMeister - let us know which ones you like through the good old star rating system!
* and much more...

Interesting Paradox - Choices

Gladwell - TED Talk - Malcolm Gladwell talks about providing choices that people don't even know that they want.





Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central belief of western societies: that freedom of choice leads to personal happiness. In Schwartz's estimation, all that choice is making us miserable. We set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them, and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. His relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, TVs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, whom and when to marry), underscore this central point: Too many choices undermine happiness.

Mindjet’s Project Management Jetpack

If you are using Mindjet MindManager for project management then you will want to take a look at their current release of the Project Management Jetpack. The Project Management Jetpack consists of a White Paper on how to use MindManager Pro to get the most out of jumpstarting your projects with MindManager. Additionally, Mindjet’s Project Management Jetpack includes 19 templates that will help you:
* Prepare a business case
* Gather project requirements
* Collaborate on scope
* Identify project risks and issues
* Present project status
* Develop project checklists

Project Management Jetpack is available directly from Mindjet, Inc.

TouchGraph Visual Search Engine

Being able to visually see the links between ideas and information is a very powerful tool as we search the Internet. Using a very familiar mind mapping metaphor, TouchGraph has developed a visual search engine that can display the network of connectivity between websites as reported by Google's database. I tried it out by typing "web 2.0" into the search field and what resulted was a set of web sites that were interconnected and laid out very much like mind maps. Clicking on any one of the website brings up additional information in the left pane. You can use TouchGraph with Facebook, Google, and Amazon to do a search. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Mindsystems ThemeReader Business is Released

I just received this email from Mindsystems that I thought you would be interested in. I did post a review of Mindsystems ThemeReader earlier this month which you can find on my blog. Mindsystems ThemeReader used in conjuction with MindManager is a very exciting piece of technology that can scan your documents and then output them as a MindManager map.

As you have already evaluated some of Cirilab's technology, we thought you may like to know that the latest version of the popular MindManager® / KnowledgeLink® addon, Mindsystems ThemeReader Business has just been released!


This breakthrough new technology will take your planning capabilities
to a whole new level. Mindsystems ThemeReader is the latest advancement in information management. Based on years of high level international research, this new technology is actually able to scan information, determine common themes and convert it into a visual MindManager Map or KnowledgeLink Tree. You can summarize and convert 100 page documents in seconds. Information that used to take days to understand can now take minutes, all at the click of your mouse!

Great for quickly understanding complex documents or 'unlocking'
information that is buried inside traditional Word® files. Up to 20 different
formats supported including Word® integration, PDF, HTML Web pages and WordPerfect®.

Teacher's Guide to Mind Mapping

Gideon King, the developer of NovaMind Mind Mapping application has released a wonderful resource for educators who are using mind mapping in the classroom. The book is visually very appealing and the content will certainly help teachers to think about how they can use mind mapping effectively in the classroom across the curriculum. A Teacher's Guide to Mind Mapping is generously packed with beautifully printed mind maps in full color and clearly shows the power of this tool for students. As someone who is a specialist in working with students with disabilities, I have been a real advocate of the power of these tools with students with a range of learning disabilities. Mr. King in his book talks about the advantages of mind mapping and how it can facilitate memory, comprehension, and learning in the classroom. Mr. King illustrates the many ways that mind mapping can be used across the curriculum and the power of using visuals to address the needs of students with varying learning styles. If you are new to mind mapping or need some new ideas of how to use mind mapping technique and strategies then you will want to pick up a copy of Teacher's Guide to Mind Mapping.

Understanding eLearning 2.0

My article - Understanding eLearning 2.0 - was just published on ASTD's Learning Circuits.

I would like to thank readers of this blog for helping with contributions. As I said in the article:

Thanks

This article would not have been possible without considerable discussion and input from many different people who have taken part in discussion around this topic via the blogosphere. For example, in the discussion on the blog post, "e-learning 1.0 vs. 2.0 - Help Needed," you can see that Howard Cronin provided the analogy of AM/FM, CD, and iPod adaptor. Thanks, and I look forward to the continued conversation.

Mindmanager 7 for Macintosh Webinar

Today I was a participant in a Mindjet webinar "Get the Inside Look at MindManager 7 Mac and Walk Away with your Own Copy." looking at how I use Mindjet MindManager in the courses that I teach at the College of St. Elizabeth. I had the opportunity to share my ideas about how I use MindManager 7 for the Mac as well as MindManager Pro 7 for Windows in the work that I do. Mindjet, Inc. has recorded the session and once it is available you can download it and listen to it. I find that having the ability to visually manipulate my ideas works really well when designing my courses. Having the ability to move ideas around the mind map makes it easy for me to get the a flow for the course. Likewise, I use MindManager 7 to design each of the class lectures which gives the students a great overview of what is going to be covered that evening. After each class, I export the mind map as a PDF file and upload it to Blackboard so that my students can refer to it. Using MindMananger Pro 7 as a presentation tool has been another effective use of the application. Having the ability to design my mind maps on myMacintosh at home and then being able to open them on my PC in my office has been a very important feature.

To get a comprehensive overview of the the webinar you can go to Michael Sampson's Blog. Michael did a great job of reporting on the event and I am sure you find his blog very informative and one that you will want to put into your RSS Reader.

Aide RSS Filtering Tool

AideRSS looks at a variety of sources of information including comments, technorati, bloglines, icerocket and del.icio.us to determine what posts are generating the most interest. It provides a widget that allows you to show your top posts for month or year. You can see what it thinks are mine in the right column of the blog.

I've been creating similar information manually for a while, so it's nice to have an automated support for it.

I've not quite figured out how to take a very large list of blogs, e.g., all edublogs, and have it filter those down. It imports OPML, but the interface didn't seem intuitive. I'll let you know if that works later.

Change Your RSS Feed?

A while ago, I created a feedburner feed for this blog so I could add lots of stuff to the feed - most importantly I publish a daily summary of my new del.icio.us links. It appears that most people still point to my Blogspot feed.

I would suggest that readers of this blog might want to change over to the FeedBurner feed to get this added functionality: http://feeds.feedburner.com/eLearningTechnology

How Wikipedia Works and Wikis in the Enterprise - HBS

Great article - How Wikipedia Works (or Doesn't) that looks at Andrew McAfee's experiences around the "Enterprise 2.0" article and Wikipedia's Articles for Deletion process. It's an interesting discussion of the net impact of Wikipedia's process - which can be frustrating, especially to casual users. At the same time, I've also had some very good experiences such as when my 10-year old son updated Wikipedia.

At the bottom of the article, the author interviews Andrew about the use of Wikis in the enterprise. A couple of things jumped out at me:

Sean Silverthorne: Is Wikipedia a good model that transfers to a corporate environment?

Andy McAfee: No is the short answer here, simply because (a) how valuable is the corporate encyclopedia, and (b) how much enthusiasm or incentive do we have to contribute to the corporate encyclopedia? But an encyclopedia is only one of the things you can build with wiki technology.

This is a somewhat strange answer. In my experience, Wikis often start (and sometimes end) as an easier-to-use replacement for simple web publishing (an intranet that's easy-to-edit). For example, you have a bunch of resources that get shared and you want to put them up. Or you have a set of reference pages. The old way would be to work with your IT staff's content management system or to hand-craft web pages and go through a painful posting process. The new way is to use a Wiki and just click the edit button. Often, you don't really expect end-users to edit the pages when you start out. Sometimes, they end up editing them, sometimes they don't. But it is still easier. My strong belief is that:

Anytime you think about creating a web page, you should probably think whether it wouldn't be better to make it a Wiki.

The article later discusses:

Silverthorne: Have you used wikis yourself?

McAfee: I can give you a couple of examples because I try to use wikis in a fair amount of my own work. I was organizing a 40-person conference of academics and needed to take care of all these administrative tasks that I really hate doing, like putting the schedule together. And I thought, "Ding, I'm going to outsource this to the people who are coming to the conference." So I put up a couple of initial wiki pages and e-mailed them to everyone. I said, "Here is the bare -bones schedule. You guys tell each other and tell all of us what you think we should do in each of these slots, and if you want to present in one of these 4 daily slots, just add your name to the list." And with very little pushback, the Web site for the conference self-assembled, and most people were quite happy with it. The amount of overhead went through the floor.

I also use them in my MBA course Managing in the Information Age. I tell my students that about half their grade will be based on wiki contributions. So I solve the incentive problem that way. And then I have to deal with all the problems of, "Well, what do you want us to do?" ("I'm not telling you.")

A couple of great examples. Both are uses in smaller workgroups which is probably an early place to look for adoption. I've similarly used Wikis in conjunction with a class environment, and it's quite natural, especially if you have collaborative exercises defined for the students.

FastTrack Schedule 9.2

As I use MindManager Pro 7 from Mindjet Inc., more and more, in the work that I do, I have found it to be an excellent tool to help me organize and keep information that I use in one spot. The power in the tool from my perspective is that it allows me to quickly see my ideas and to organize them the way I see fit. Having the freedom to move my ideas around frees me up to allow my ideas to flow without the need to know exactly where the idea fits in. After looking at one of my mind maps I can always go back and change things without being concerned about the structure. As I use use MindManager Pro 7, I am always looking for new ways to extend this powerful tool for the projects that I am working on. Having said that, I have begun to use MindManager Pro 7 with project management software to help me get a different perspective on the tasks and timelines.

Mindjet Inc., has done a wonderful job of creating a product that is extensible so that other companies can develop applications that take advantage of the ideas that have been captured in MindManager Pro 7. I recently had the opportunity to preview from AEC Software, FastTrack Schedule 9.2 which is a comprehensive standalone project management software application that is cross-platform and runs on the Windows and Macintosh platform. Having just begun to use FastTrack Schedule 9.2 myself, I found it an ideal tool for someone who is just getting their feet wet in project management. The program is very visual and intuitive and provides users a quick way to jump start their project by using on of the many templates and example files that are available.

Since I am a MindManager Pro 7 user, I was really interested to see how FastTrack Schedule 9.2 could be integrated into my workflow. As MindManager Pro 7 becomes entrenched in the business and educational marketplace other publishers are looking for ways to marry the programs together. In this respect, AEC Software has really done an excellent job of being able to take data from MindManager Pro 7, and bring it into FastTrack Schedule 9.2 to do the project management. While MIndManager Pro 7 is an excellent tool for brainstorming and communicating ideas it does not have all of the tools to do project management and this is where a program like FastTrack Schedule 9.2 comes in. MindManager Pro 7 is an ideal tool for doing your brainstorming, putting your task lists together and assigning resources, however when you want to look at your project over time then you need a true project management software application. One of the really nice things about using these two applications together is that the work that you initially had done on the project can be exported from MindManager Pro 7 and brought effortlessly into FastTrack Schedule 9.2. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 can import any MindManager document and bring in all of the data that was stored within the MindManager map. If you used the Task Information pane to assign a Start Date, Due Date, Duration, Resource, and Percent Completion to a task all of this data comes over when you import your MindManager mind map into FastTrack Schedule 9.2. When I was working with my MindManager Pro 7 project file I also had included relationships among different tasks and I was glad to find out that these relationships were also carried over into FastTrack Schedule 9.2. For individuals who are just getting started with project management having the on ramp of a program like MindManager Pro 7 really can kick start your projects which can be polished off with FastTrack Schedule 9.2. Click here to view video.

One of the real strengths of FastTrack Schedule 9.2 is it ease of use and the interface. I particularly enjoyed the Gantt Chart view which allows you to see a list of your tasks and the duration in days, weeks, or hours that tasks will take. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 allows you to directly access the data and so if a you need to change a task duration you simply take your mouse place it on task bar and drag the task bars right border to the right to extend the task duration. You can also decide to draw task bars using the Draw bars tool, thus eliminating the need to enter Start and Duration information into a dialog box. However, FastTrack Schedule 9.2 allows you to enter task information as you see fit, so if you more comfortable using a dialog box to enter the information you can do so. The Gantt View is gives you a great overview of the project and makes for a great way to present and communicate the information. The Gantt View also allows you to look at the project to see if there are any obstacles and whether things need to be adjusted in order for the project to be delivered on time. The Gantt View also can show you milestones as well as a way to track the percent completed of each task along with the assigned resource. The Gantt View also allows you to quickly look at how your activity bars are linked and their dependencies. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 quickly lets you see the impact of making a change on one activity and watching how that ripples through your project. Linking activities is accomplished very quickly with the Draw Link tool. You simply click on the Draw Link tool and then click on the activities. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 supports four different dependency types: Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish, and Start to Finish. You will find the FastTrack Schedule 9.2, Gantt view a great tool for communicating your projects, and if you would like you can add graphics, text and legends to the Gantt View to spruce up the document.

While having a timetable for your project is the first step in the project management cycle you will also need to get a handle on how resources are being allocated. Using the Resources view gives you a great overview of how your resources are being used and if you will need to make adjustments in the scheduling in order to accomplish your desired outcomes. The Resources View can quickly tell you if you have over allocated a resource which in that case you will need to make some decisions about hiring more people or delaying the project. All of this information is at your finger tips and a great guide as you move through the project. For those users who are new to project management FastTrack Schedule 9.2 also has a Calendar view which displays the information in a monthly calendar view which makes sharing the project information easier for those who are not accustomed to reading a Gantt chart.

When all is said and done, FastTrack Schedule 9.2 is a very easy on ramp for individuals who are just beginning to use project management software but one that can grow with them as they develop their expertise. The program is very fluid and one that allows you to jump into. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 uses standard Windows and Macintosh conventions which enables you to be up and running very quickly. When it is time to share your project there are lots of ways to do so. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 now supports the data exchange format known as iCalendar (.ics) enabling you to view project data in a calendar form. If you are using a Macintosh and have a .Mac account you can publish your Calendar view with a click of the mouse and view it on the web or if you like you can export your views in a picture format (ie. jpeg, pdf, png,) for use with PowerPoint or Keynote. You can even export the data from Fastrack Schedule 9.2 back into MindManager if you would like.

From my standpoint, FastTrack Schedule 9.2 really extends the usefulness of MindManager Pro 7 and allows me to delve into project management at level that I am comfortable with. FastTrack Schedule 9.2 is a very approachable cross platform project management software that shines in its ease of use, its presentation capabilities, and it is price point. If you are using MindManager Pro 7 and want to take the stab into project management software then take a look at FastTrack Schedule 9.2-it has a lot going for it.

PersonalBrain 4 for Macintosh

I have had a chance to use the PersonalBrain 4 on the Macintosh and have really enjoyed playing around with it. The PersonalBrain 4 is a wonderful visual repository for ideas, attachments, web links, spreadsheets, and calendar events. Its forte is really the ability to link or associate the various "thoughts" that you have into one single repository. Additionally, the PersonalBrain 4 has unique indexing capability that allows you to find information almost instantaneously. The PersonalBrain 4 indexes all of your information in addition to your attachments (ie. Word, PDF, Excel) , which makes it easy to go to one place to find what you are looking for. Making associations between ideas is very easy and intuitive in the PersonalBrain 4. I have put online a small video to give you an idea of how the PersonalBrain 4 works on the Macintosh. As I use it I will put up some other short videos. The PersonalBrain 4 is an ideal personal information manager for those of you who like to be able to visually organize your information. To view the video click here or on the screenshot.

Life is a Picnik!

Last week I attended the DigitalLife Press Preview and had a chance to watch and speak to the representatives from Picnik.com. By using your browser and going to Picnik.com you are provided with a full set of editing tools that are very easy to use. With so many people using digital cameras the developers of Picnik realized that they need and easy way to edit them. Once you upload your photograph you will find it easy to crop, remove red eye, sharpen, rotate, or auto-fix your photo. You can upload your photographs from your computer or from the following services: Flickr, Picassa, FaceBook. Take a look at Picknik I'm sure you will find it to be a valuable tool in your software kit.

MIT Demonstrates "Wireless Electricity"

The ability to direct and transmit electrical power through the air, without wires, took a further step from the theoretical to the practical in June when a group of MIT researchers demonstrated their "WiTricity" concept.

The technology works by transmitting electricity as a magnetic field oscillating at a specific frequency. Through "magnetically coupled resonance," the "receiver" can capture the electricity, making for an efficient and safe method of over-the-air transfer.

Wireless transmission of electricity has been understood in theory since the work of Nikolai Tesla in the 19th Century. Safe, efficient and cost-effective wireless electricity could hold countless beenfits, from eliminating the need to install costly copper wiring to lowered reliance on batteries for small devices. However, despite the success of WiTricity, the technology has a long way to go before it is deployed commercially... not to mention the need to better understand side effects such as interference and possible effects on health and the environment.

Source: Self Service World

NovaMind 4 for Mac Released

Gideon King recently emailed me about the release of NovaMind 4 for the Macintosh, one of the premier mind mapping applications on the Macintosh platform . Sporting a whole new interface users should find it easier to format and work with NovaMind 4. There are two new versions that were released NovaMind 4 Pro and NovaMind Express. Here is a screen shot of a mind map. A new Windows version is in the works as well.

eLearning 2.0 Presentation - ASTD OC - September

I'll remind people when it gets closer, but if you read this blog and can come to a presentation in Irvine, CA on September 12, it would be great to have a few blog readers there.

Details here.

How to Stop -- Or Live With -- Global Warming

According to research at Princeton, current technologies are capable of stopping (or at least slowing) the rate of global warming by 2050 if properly applied. Using a mix-and-match approach, students who participated in a game-like experiment found that the current portfolio of energy-saving policies and technologies (flourescent bulbs, nuclear power, wind turbines, reducing deforestation, etc.) could indeed keep global greenhouse gases constant over the next 50 years. The trick is to apply these solutions to developing countries, where rapid industrial growth will put them on track to overtake the developed world in greenhouse gas output within the next several decades.

Meanwhile, Live Science has a top-10 list of side effects of global warming, such as more severe allergies, more sinkholes from permafrost melting, a less dense upper atmosphere that will affect how satellites orbit the earth, more forest fires and rapid deterioration of ancient ruins. Perhaps the strangest prediction of all: mountains that lose their glaciers and permanent snow caps will actually "grow" as the weight on them decreases.

Got Jing?

I had the opportunity to get a preview of new application called Jing, from the makers of Camtasia Studio and it is really awesome. Think about all of the times that you want to grab a picture of something on your screen and send it to someone that you may be IMing. Or say you want to quickly show someone how to use a feature in a software application and want to do a quick screencast. If you have ever been in this situation then you need to take a look at Jing. Jing is a software and sharing tool that is available for Mac and Windows which lets you share pictures and videos very quickly. The Jing application is always available and with a user defined hot key you can get it started. Once you have grabbed a screen image or recorded a video you are immediately given a URL that is copied to the clipboard to use. The images and videos are stored on your Screencast account that you will be prompted to create the first time you use Jing. This is a very handy utility and one that I know I will be using often in the work that I do. It is a great tool for Just in Time training. Here is an example of what you can do with Jing.

The PersonalBrain 4 Released

TheBrain Technologies LP, released The PersonalBrain 4.0 for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux today. The PersonalBrain 4.0 is a visual management software application that allows you to relate information precisely as you want to. It works by allowing you to capture your thoughts and then associating them in a web structure. The program uses the construct "thoughts" which are ideas that you type into the PersonalBrain. Once you type your "thought" you can add a "parent," "child," "sibling" or jump thought to your idea. This in effect lets you categorize your ideas and move about your map.

The major difference between this application and mind mapping tools is that underneath the hood is a relational database that is keeping your thoughts, links, and associated files organized and arranged according to the way you desire. Imagine clicking on a category and watch as the program bring up all of the thoughts and links. The program lets you really drill down and capture and store an incredible amount of information. You can attach files, images, web links, notes to your web and have The PersonalBrain index and keep the information at your finger tips. I found the program to be very responsive on both the Macintosh and Windows platform and will be trying it out some more over the next couple of weeks to see how I can use it to construct some knowledge databases. The PersonalBrain 4 has extensive Search feature that lets you quickly locate information in your knowledge database. Once you create your visual management system you can click on a "thought" and jump to the information. You can export your PersonalBrain files as a SiteBrain website or as simple HTML. You can also print your PersonalBrain (Pro version) over multiple pages. Some of the features may vary depending on the version of the PersonallBrain that you are using.

Pimp My Course

In a comment on Podcasting has No Inherent Pedagogical Value - which has some interesting comments in it around technology and value - I was pointed to an interesting article in the Chronicle - Pimp My Course and Stephen Downes summary of some of the responses. It seems that no one is sure if the author is serious - but I worry that some people might actually think so, especially since it reminded me of conversations I had with fellow professors 15 years ago when I was teaching computer science at Loyola Marymount.

When I first started teaching, I felt that much class time was wasted as I wrote stuff on the board and had them feverishly trying to take notes to keep up. Unfortunately, that's how I went through school and so I did the same thing. I quickly realized that I could have a much better classroom experience if I provide my students with class notes that meant they only had to write down the 20% that was in the discussion or dialog around the topic that would be there thoughts on the topic. I also changed to start every topic with a problem that would hopefully capture their interest and then answers would unfold through the material as we worked through and discussed it together. It changed the dynamic somewhat, but, of course, it's still lecture. What technology did I use? MS Word - posting links on an intranet - remember this was 15 years ago.

Now I would definitely be using a Wiki for my class notes and syllabi - it's just easier. I'd also have students use blogs for collaborative learning assignments.

Still, even using MS Word and problem-based learning seemed like a big leap from what other professors did in their classes. When I discussed this with them, they seemed to conceptually get the idea, but none of them seemed to change to actually do it. It's not like as a young professor I really challenged why they would stick to a note-taking approach, but it was interesting to me.

Back to the Chronicle article. I'm still not sure how serious the author was ... which is maybe why there's such concern. I could believe that 60-80% of teachers/professors feel that way. But it was also interesting to see the comment in my other post that points out that unless you start with what you want to be happening for your students and in your classroom, technology makes no difference.

Visuwords- A New Graphical Dictionary

Thanks to Vicki Davis for sharing this site. Over the years I have enjoyed using Visual Thesaurus and watching the interconnections being made for the words that I entered into the application. Now Visuwords can do the same thing and it is free. Just entera word and click on the Enter key and off it goes to cresate a web with the word. If you enjoy using mind mapping application you will enjoy seeing your words come to life in the web.

Visuwords™ uses Princeton University’s WordNet, an opensource database built by University students and language researchers. Combined with a visualization tool and user interface built from a combination of modern web technologies, Visuwords™ is available as a free resource to all patrons of the web.

Podcasting has No Inherent Pedagogical Value

Found via Dave Boggs - Consensus: Podcasting Has No 'Inherent' Pedagogic Value

This would seem to be another article where the headline sounds more interesting than what the content turns out to be. The article tells us:

The pedagogical value of podcasts depends almost entirely on student motivation and the learning "context" of the application.

Podcasting does not contain any inherent value. It is only valuable inasmuch as it helps the instructor and students reach their educational goals, by facilitating thoughtful, engaging learning activities that are designed to work in support of those goals.

Isn't that a no duh? Isn't that any technology? It's not the technology - it's how you how you apply it?

New Products from Logitech

Logitech announced two new products at the DigitalLife Press Preview yesterday that I though you would be interested in. The first product is a new webcam called the Quickcam Pro 9000. Here are some of its features:

• Carl Zeiss® optics: Get more detail and clarity from Carl Zeiss® optics. Logitech’s glass lens designed in collaboration with Carl Zeiss®, the global leader in camera optics.
• Premium autofocus: Your images stay razor-sharp, even in close-ups.
• HD video: Video calling and sharing has never looked so real at 960 by 720 pixels.
• Higher megapixel performance: A true two-megapixel sensor. Up to eight-megapixel* photos (enhanced).
• RightLight™2 Technology: Adjusts intelligently to produce the best possible images in dimly lighted or poorly backlighted settings.
• Integrated microphone with RightSound™ Technology: Enjoy crystal clear conversations, free from echo** and annoying background noise.
• Ultra-wide field of view and intelligent face tracking: Keeps you right in the middle of the action.

Logitech also announced the MX Air™ mouse which can be held in the air and used without the need to have it on a desk. It is designed to be used with a PC home media systems.

Features:

• Laser performance: On your desk, enjoy laser-precise tracking and instant response.
• Freespace™ motion sensing: In the air, use MX Air™ to browse and play your favorite media. The sensor transforms hand motions into natural, responsive cursor controls. Adjust volume by waving to the right or left; skip tracks with a flip of the wrist.
• Scroll panel: Experience hyper-fast scrolling at the touch of a finger—on your desk or in the air.

eLearning or e-Learning vs. learning

Thanks to Big Dog, Little Dog saw an article/post from Donald Taylor on Training Zone - It's Time to Drop E-Learning - a horrible title given that the author is only calling for dropping the "e" from the front of the term. I found a few things interesting about the article:

I would have to register to leave a comment, thus, I'm posting instead. Likely they won't have trackbacks. So, people who read the article probably won't find this information.

There's been a LOT of discussion around this topic and related topics. While the author cites a few related pieces of information, they don't point to various sources on the same topic and consider what they have to say...

• eLearning or Learning? - More to It
• Is it e-Learning or eLearning?
• E-Learning: Will We One Day Lose the E?
• Is the Term ‘eLearning’ Going to Become Extinct?
• The end of "e"-Learning!!Europe’s E-Learning Industry Group Revamped, Renamed

As I said back in May 2007 -

Do a search for "drop the e" elearning and you'll get 74 results, but there are literally thousands more out there. Including an earlier article from CLO itself: What's in a Name? and a post by me: What to Call Ourselves and Our Industry?

In terms of specific content - Donald argues -

The ‘e’ in e-learning is all about delivery. Gutenberg didn’t rave about the b-learning his printed books provided; I’ve never heard a lecturer enthuse on v-learning for voices, so why the ‘e’? Even as the concept of e-learning was being slowly re-habilitated in the Learning and Development profession, the term itself was still flawed.

And, he's right that the "e" is about delivery. Of course, the terms "email" and "ecommerce" seem to be fine. And these certainly are delivery based terms.

Donald also discusses that eLearning is associated with cost cutting measures. I would agree that we need to move people beyond that. Especially with the potential value offered with the network effects in eLearning 2.0. Just as email and ecommerce open new possibilities, so does eLearning.

Donald tells us:

Too many see e-learning as yesterday’s fad.

I would tend to agree with this, but without another term such as eLearning 2.0 or something like ePerformance to describe the broader mix of solutions, then we are better off trying to refine the meaning of the term than we are to drop the "e" and hope that people understand what we are talking about.

Interestingly, Donald suggests we get rid of the term, but doesn't suggest an alternative. Get people to start using an alternative, and I think you've got something. But just suggesting to get rid of the term is not all that helpful.

Inspiration 8

Having spent the better part of my career in education my first mind mapping tool that I came in contact with was Inspiration. To this day it still remains one of my favorite applications when I am planning or need to organize my ideas. I can recall when I first came across Inspiration how wowed I was to be able to create a mind maps which such ease. Even today being able to use the RapidFire and Auto Arrange feature makes creating a mind map a very easy task. Despite all of the changes and versions, Inspiration remains a relatively easy program to use. While it has it strong roots in education it is certainly a very viable alternative for mind mapping for the business community. While I tend to spend most of the time in the Diagram View (mind mapping) it is nice to know that with a click of the button, I can see my map in the Outline View. I tend to use the Outline View when I want to rearrange my ideas-by simply dragging the idea up or down the Outline View.



Inspiration 8, is a full featured graphic organizer and mind mapping tool which I know will help you think through situations and processes with more clarity. Inspiration 8 adds the ability to search and add graphics from the Inspiration server which is a great way to access clip art and photographic images. If you are working in a school you will be happy to know that all of the clip art and images have been checked and screened for appropriateness. Inspiration makes it very easy to link notes, files, movies, audio, and hyperlinks to an idea to spruce up your mind map. There are lots of ways within Inspiration 8 to format your mind maps to get them to look just the way you want them. If you need to share your mind map it is very easy to do and Inspiration 8 gives you a couple of different way to do it. You can transfer your outline to Microsft Word or Appleworks, with a click of the transfer button. Or if you want to create a PowerPoint slide presentation from your mind map you can also do that to. It is also easy to output your map to a HTML file and put it up on the web. Or if you simply want to share your mind map you can export it as a .gif or .jpeg. file. You will find Inspiration 8 an easy program to master and just in case you need some assistance Inspiration now includes instructional movies to help jump-start you.

Tracking Social Media for Possible Confidentiality Violations

Found via FastFoward blog -Attention Business Bloggers: Big Brother is Watching
- Techrigy is a new start-up that focuses on:

Real–time social media management for enterprises with SM2.

As blogs and wikis spread throughout enterprises, organizations must deal with compliance and risk-management issues that are created from communications through these media. Not only are employees communicating through these media at work, but they are also doing so at home. Is your organization aware of what employees are communicating through blogs and wikis? Are communications through these media that are affiliated with the organization or company being monitored for liability risks and being retained in case of litigation?

Techrigy’s SM2 is an enterprise–level management tool that helps organization control and monitor blogs and wikis that employees are utilizing. SM2 discovers and inventories all blogs and wikis being used in an organization, records these communications and monitors them for risks and liabilities.

SM2 can help your organization implement and utilize social media by providing a tool for monitoring these media and enforcing your organization's compliance policies.

Yes, that's right it watches what employees do to try to determine if there are risks. At first, this might seem like a really bad thing, and I'm sure that Stephen Downes won't be happy. On the other hand, it may help address the common objection that is often raised by organizations around this very topic. I personally don't think this is different than email or IM. Anything put in an email can possibly be leaked out. If anything email can be worse. Of course, you can't see what people are putting in their personal email right, so at least you have more visibility.

Reading More - But Differently

Several bloggers have picked up on a BBC News Piece - 'More reading' than in 1970s. The report's main point is that reading as a whole and reading of books has gone up:

One of the researchers, at Manchester's school of social sciences, Dale Southerton, said there was a popular perception that people were reading less but all reading had gone up, reading books had gone up the most - and there were 17% more people reading them.

One of the more interesting posts about this comes from Ewan McIntosh - We're reading more than ever before - no surprise for bloggers?. He first points out that he as well reads more books than before. But, also adds:

The thing is, I get just as much quality and enjoyable material from my blog browsing on the old feedreader as I do from the printed books I get stuck into (and have to pay for). Some of those even have their own blogs, with development of the content taken further. Many of the books I read are also ones sprung from the writing of a blog I've followed for a while.

I think that most people who regularly read blogs and even more so if you write a blog, you find that you start to read differently including when you read a book. Probably the two biggest differences are:

• Skim to find interesting content and then dive in.
• Capture what make sense for me and likely for blog readers.
• Fish around for other stuff on the same topic.

But what you find doing this is that books and even more so magazines often have very little content that has any depth. It's not a surprise to me to skim right past a bunch of blog posts looking for things that will be interesting. It is a surprise to skim through a whole magazine not finding anything worth capturing. Or even worse when it's a book. (Actually the worst is an hour long presentation - because you can't skim.)

My gut tells me that most everyone finds this experience over time, but I'm not sure I've ever had this discussion.

DigitalLife Press Preview

Tonight I will be going to the DigitalLife Press Preview in New York to get an idea as to what we can expect to see in the early Fall as companies preview their new innovations in the technology space. Many of these companies sell directly to consumers and will showing off their latest wares. According to the Press Release some of the companies that will be present are: Dell, LeapFrog, Palm, SimulScribe, Pentax, M-Audio, Mio Technology, Logitech, Kingston Technologies-just to name a few. It should be a lot of fun! Look for some news tomorrow abut my adventure into the Big Apple!

The End of "Cheap Food"?

From the end of World War II until now, most nations have enjoyed plentiful and relatively inexpensive food supplies. But now, according to the well-known futurist think tank Global Business Network, that era may be ending.

GBN cites the near doubling of corn prices on the world market in the past year as evidence that this trend has already begun. Factors that are driving up prices include increased demand by the growing world population, as well as the growth of Asian economies. The latter is significant because, as economies prosper, meat consumption increases... and with it, the need for livestock feed. Increasing consumption of bio-fuels will stress grain supplies even further. Throw global warming into the mix (crop yields can fall by up to 5% for every 0.9 degree F rise in temperature) , and the stage is set for possibly much higher food prices worldwide, shortages, and ultimately, mass starvation in the poorest countries.

Writes GBN's Gwynne Dyer, PhD, "In the early stages of this process, higher food prices will help millions of farmers who have been scraping along on very poor returns for their effort because political power lies in the cities, but later it gets uglier. The price of food relative to average income is heading for levels that have not been seen since the early 19th century, and it will not come down again in our lifetimes." [Emphasis added]

Source: Arlington Institute

CoMapping on the Web

As a software space, mind mapping is a hot area for software development. It would seem that almost everyday there is another announcement about a new mind mapping application. Much of the software development in this area is happening with mind mapping applications that are running on servers and can be accessed using a standard browser. Just as Google has Docs & Spreadsheets running on the web, other companies are offering up their software in some cases using a subscription fee strategy.

One of the newer mind mapping applications to be served up on the Internet is comapping. Comapping is a full featured mind mapping application that feels as if you are running from you computer's hard drive. Comapping lets you create mind maps with all of the standard features you would expect. You can easily format your ideas using different icons that are supplied, attach notes, task information and hyperlinks. The library of icons is limited as compared to other applications and right now I don't see a way to add your own graphics to your mind maps. It offers some advanced features like being able to import Freemind and Mindmanager maps directly into the application. Comapping excels when you need to or want to collaborate about your mindmap. It is easy to share your mind maps by inviting someone to be able to view and edit them by simply entering their email. Once the invitee receives the email they can click on a link and have access to your mind map. One of the other nice features is being able to create a slide presentation from your mind maps. By clicking on the Advanced Tab you can select the Add Snapshot as a Slide and build a slide show from captured screen shots. This is a handy feature! There is a lot to like about comapping and if you go to their website you can set up a 30 day trial account. A 6 month subscription to comapping is $11.95

Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software- 2nd Edition Released

Chuck Frey who is synonomyous with visual learning and mind mapping has just released Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software- 2nd Edition. Chuck has added over 20 plus Case Studies so that you can see how other professional are using mind mapping software effectively. I for one am looking forward to reading it and seeing my Case Study in print. This looks to be Chuck's best resource ever on mind mapping and it is worth taking a look at it on his site.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 Updated

Odessa, Ukraine, July 10 2007 – CS Odessa today has released a service pack for its business productivity software product ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5. Mind mapping and brainstorming techniques are often recognized as helping people boost their business effectiveness and productivity, and our latest offering MINDMAP 5 is a sophisticated tool that is easy to use for mapping out a new process or task.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 provides a simple and intuitive toolset that can be used in project planning, personal organizing and team management tasks using the mind mapping visual metaphor. MINDMAP 5 easily integrates into one’s daily office workflow because of the tight integration with the Microsoft Office product line and many popular project management tools.

MINDMAP 5.0.3 service pack is available to any registered customer of version 5. Individuals who are currently evaluating ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5.0.2 version can now download the newest release to evaluate our MINDMAP product offering.

Google Apps in the Classroom

Ira Socol in his Blog SpEdChange has an excellent post about how students can use the array of Google applications effectively throughout the day.

If you have a student with organizational troubles – and isn't that all students? Then, there is no better tool than the fully-implemented Google Account. This is the ideal study-and-life-support solution for almost all secondary and postsecondary students.

Combined with the Firefox Browser (for PC or Mac) and free add-ons to that system, the Google supports can provide an absolutely free system that will give your student the tools that help put academic success far more within reach.

Read the blog post for some really great ideas!

ThemeReader and MindManager Perfect Together

I came across this interesting utility that adds incredible functionality to MindManager 6 or 7 for Windows, which was reviewed in the last issue of Inclusion Times. Imagine a scenario in which your students have to read through a long and complex Word document and figure out what it means. Well with ThemeReader from Mindsystems it is now possible with the aide of MindManager to simply Right click on the Word document and select ThemeReader. ThemeReader begins to process your Word document and when it is done it creates a MindManager mindmap which summarizes all of the key points in the Word document. Using artificial intelligence and sophisticated algorithms, ThemeReader looks for recurrent or common themes in the document and graphically displays them in MindManager 6 /7. Mindsystems ThemeReader™ is powered by CiriLab's revolutionary “Knowledge Engine” technology. This advanced new technology is able to quickly analyze a file or document and pick out recurrent or 'common' themes. The MindManager Map that is shown was automatically developed from a proposal that I created in Microsoft Word. This is a very handy and powerful tool for students as well as educators who need to analyze information. This could be a very interesting way for students to analyze their reading material or for that matter their written work. This could easily be used to help students in the area of reading comprehension. Using ThemeReader alongside MindManager 6 or 7 and a text to speech application could go a long way to assist students in the area of comprehension. The text to speech application could be used directly within MindManager 6 or 7 to help students who have reading disabilities. If you are using MindManager 6or 7 in the classroom then take a look at this handy and useful add-on.

Cheetah in the spotlight!

As announced, today July 6, IBM Informix Dynamic Server 11.10xC1 can be downloaded from the Passport Advantage site.

So, any customer with a support contract can download and start using it.
This is probably the most significant release in several years, and represents a lot of work from a lot of people. Hopefully, this release will keep in line with IDS 10 stability, performance and reliability. I also hope that the rhythm of improvements will continue and contribute to strength Informix market position.

Media and documentation are planned for July 30, accordingly to the US product announcement.

Don't hesitate to contact IBM and your user groups if you have any feedback you think is useful. Many of the new features are customer driven, and represent answers to issues or requests made by customers. Nobody knows better what should be put in there than the customers. Your feedback can really influence some future features and contribute to the continuous improvement of IDS.

By the way, IIUG has put up an open survey where you can vote on favorite topics for it's 2008 Conference. Whether or not you're planning to be there, your feedback is interesting.

Now, stop browsing and start downloading :)

GhostReader Text-to-Speech for Max OS X

Amsterdam - 5 July 2007 - AssistiveWare(R) / ConvenienceWare(tm)
today announced the release of GhostReader(tm) text-to-speech
software for Mac OS X. GhostReader 1.1 replaces TextParrot 1.0 and
introduces a number of new features with an enhanced user interface.
Just as ghostwriters write for other people, GhostReader can read for
you!

GhostReader is a Universal Binary, multilingual speech solution for
Mac OS X that allows users to listen to their documents with
naturally sounding voices in a language of choice. It also allows
users to create their own personal podcasts or audio books by
exporting to iPod-ready iTunes tracks. Or, users can just use it to
speak selected text in a handy reader window with play, fast forward
and rewind functionality. In some applications, such as Safari,
GhostReader enables users to listen to text by just pointing the
cursor at the text. Now users can sit back and relax while
GhostReader reads the text under the cursor.

Voices are currently available for the following languages: US
English, UK English, Czech, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German,
Icelandic, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, American
Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Turkish and
Swedish. GhostReader itself is localized in English, French and
German.

New ConceptDraw Business Suite by CS Odessa

New ConceptDraw Business Suite by CS Odessa Lets You See What You Can Accomplish

San Jose, California, July 5, 2007 - CS Odessa today announces the general availability of their completely updated ConceptDraw Business Suite three integrated software applications that address project planning, team communications and business graphics production in a single product suite.

ConceptDraw Business Suite consists of ConceptDraw 7 Professional, ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 Professional, and ConceptDraw Project 3 ˆ three applications that visually manage different types of information to provide managers and team leaders with a turnkey solution for any process or project. All three products are Vista compatible and have a new updated interface, enhanced usability and a comprehensive set of professional features. All of the new versions listed above will support native Mac OS X. (ConceptDraw MINDMAP 5 will be released August 2007)

MindManager Removing Topics Tip

Here is a tip on how to reuse parts of your mind map by using the Remove Topic command. Enjoy!