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Digital Technology Wordle

 A link to a Wordle I created for random digital technology words and terms

digital technology Wordle

Last Posting for CI 5530 Class

This post will wrap up my blog activity for my CI 5530 class. I'll still keep the blog since I have it. I might make some changes or use it for something else. I've enjoyed the experience learning about blogging and checking out the blogs of my classmates. I will say that I've just about run out of things that are remotely interesting to talk or write about. Below is my last video. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer.

New Media Applied Knowledge to Date

Well I'm getting pretty close to being wrapped up for this semester. I've had the opportunity to use some of what I've learned from this class in my professional life. I'd like to give a brief update here.

I'm currently involved with a team at work tasked with helping employees understand and accept that the role of our site in the corporate network has changed and the site will have roughly 50% the staff it has now. Combined with that is the mission is to also have engaged upbeat attitude employees as well. Not a short order by any means.

Our approach so far has involved starting blog on the corporate intranet and sharing some frank dialogue and commentary. From the onset our strategy has been to take a viral approach as opposed to a top down approach. I had the opportunity to speak at a department meeting Thursday and share some insight into the power of social networking. I referenced the recent events taking place in the Middle East and North Africa and the dramatic change underway in part enabled by social networking tools.

I hope all of you have a great summer. I know some of you are in the same class I am in this summer. I hope to see all of you online.

Kind regards,

Ray

How Font Size Influences Learning

Have you ever increased the font size of a key point in something you wanted someone to learn? Maybe bolded a word or two to provide the proper emphasis? Maybe next time you should consider putting these important points in a small font or some unusual font if you really want them to remember.

One of my colleagues sent me this article from the NY Times basically stating that if you have to work harder or concentrate more on the words or passage you are more likely to retain the information. I can't count the number of times I've underlined, bolded, or otherwise provided some form of emphasis to a piece of text in the hope someone will retain it. At the end of the day the amount of effort we put in will normally equate to the result.

Digging Out After the Storms Last Weekend

As I speak to more people and go about my daily life I see more and more devastation resulting from the storms last Saturday. My family and I were very fortunate in that the two systems pretty much went up either side of us. It was scary enough as it was.

If I learned one lesson it would have been that even though the odds are slim, it pays to be attentive to emergency procedures and be aware of what your responsibilities are during this type of disaster. The people at the Lowes store in Sanford would have been far worse off had store employees not known what to do and where to go. The destruction was almost beyond belief.

Observations From Our Recent Bad Weather Experience

In the aftermath of our recent tornado experience I combined my own experiences with those of others I talked to and I developed a couple of observations.

• When the meteorologists say bad weather is approaching pay attention
• When the power goes out your DSL internet access is useless
• Your TV is useless too (see above) 
• Smartphone batteries go really fast when you use the internet to follow the storm
• Accept that the best tool you may have is a battery operated radio tuned to an AM station
• Make sure you have batteries (see above)

Luckily for us the worst it got for us was that we spent some time in the dark listening to AM radio broadcasting an up to the minute report on the storm movements. After the danger passed the sun came out and we went out and checked everything out. Nothing more than limbs and twigs for us. In times like these we have to remember those who weren't as lucky and be there for them.