Wordle: A Self Portrait

I must credit Lisa Abate for this fabulous idea, but I was inspired to create a Wordle using my resume. It's fairly common knowledge that some organizations use word scans to weed out applicants. And while I'm not really out in the marketplace for a job, I kinda wondered what my resume says about me.



I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised. Though, I do wonder how many people can claim eLearning and Agricultural as similarly-weighted keywords. I suppose I am a bit of an odd bird in that respect.

Of note, I will be covering the chapter over resumes in my Business Communications class in another week or two. I think I'll have my students conduct this same exercise as part of their review process before submitting a final version. It's a great way to look at the big picture and revise your wording accordingly.

Thanks, Lisa!

Tweet-a-deedle-dee

Twitter is nothing new...in fact, it should be celebrating its third birthday this year. Admittedly, I tend to think of technology already "old" once it hits three or four. I sometimes forget that not everyone (or everything) moves at speed of change. Still, it's amazing to me to watch the adoption rate grow and penetrate into varius sectors. From friends to colleagues, I've seen corporations and government agencies alike form a more perfect union of Tweeple. And now I get to watch as my own agency looks at jumping on board the train. I love being a part of shaping this endeavor, but recognize that we have to create guidelines of acceptable use and governence. In an effort to show others how Twitter is being used in government, I came across a variety of blog posts that mentioned various entities and their page. Unfortunately, there were either not many list or too many that included personal twitter pages; i.e., someone posting mine as an example of my agency. So, here's a bit more extensive list that's more for my reference than anything. But if anyone comes across it, I'm sure it may be of some use at least.

• US Gov http://twitter.com/USAgov
• US Gov Spanish Portal http://twitter.com/GobiernoUSA
• Citizen Services http://twitter.com/GovGab
• Department of State http://twitter.com/dipnote
• Supreme Court http://twitter.com/USSupremeCourt

• Joint Forces Command http://twitter.com/USJFCOM
• US Air Force http://twitter.com/AFPAA
• US Navy http://twitter.com/flynavy
• US Army http://twitter.com/USArmy
• US Coast Guard http://twitter.com/CGBlog

• NASA http://twitter.com/NASA

• HHS Women’s Health http://twitter.com/womenshealth
• HHS Bird Flu http://twitter.com/BirdFluGov

• EPA http://twitter.com/Greenversations
• EPA Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds http://twitter.com/epaowow

• Dept of Ag Food Safety http://twitter.com/FoodSafety
• Dept of Energy Argonne Lab http://twitter.com/argonne
• Small Business Admin http://twitter.com/BusinessDotGov
• US Geological Survey http://twitter.com/USGS

• TSA http://twitter.com/TSABlogTeam
• Homeland Security http://twitter.com/HomelandSecurit

• Alcatraz http://twitter.com/alcatrazisland

• State of Colorado http://twitter.com/coloradogov
• State of Kentucky http://twitter.com/kygov
• State of Vermont http://twitter.com/vermontgov
• State of Utah http://twitter.com/UtahGov
• State of South Carolina http://twitter.com/SCGOV
• State of Maine http://twitter.com/www_maine_gov
• State of Rhode Island http://twitter.com/rigov

• Austin PD http://twitter.com/AustinPD
• Houston FD http://twitter.com/HoustonFD
• City of Round Rock http://twitter.com/roundrocknews

And then there's my personal favorite that isn't really a government agency per se, but still shows the extent at which government has adopted Twitter...http://www.tweetcongress.com.

Free for the Asking!

This list is courtesy of Mike Sullivan, Training Specialist with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Mike compiled these resources as a quick overview of associations, training sources, newsletters, and web pages providing free or low cost training and/or traning-related articles. If you have other sources, please comment this post and share them with everyone!

Free Membership/Training Resources

• SACC Training & Delopment Subcommittee [http://www.dir.state.tx.us/sacc/training/]
• Intergovernmental Training Council [contact Mike Sullivan]
• DIR Internet Links and Resources [http://www.dir.state.tx.us/education/links.htm]
• DIR Statewide Accessibility Online Training and Tutorials [http://www1.dir.state.tx.us/accessibility/training/tutorials.htm]
• Public Electronic Services On-the-Internet (PESO) Working Group [http://www.dir.state.tx.us/peso/]
• State Office of Risk Management Agency Outreach & Training [http://www.sorm.state.tx.us/training/training.php]
• State Purchasing Training & Certification [http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/prog/training-cert/]
• Fiscal Management Training [https://fmx.cpa.state.tx.us/fmx/training/]
• HHSC Project Management [http://www.hhs.state.tx.us/IT/schools.html]
• HHSC Accessibility Center [http://architecture.hhsc.state.tx.us/myweb/Accessibility/website/index.shtml]
• Austin Adobe User Group [http://ammug.nhive.com/], [http://groups.google.com/group/aaug (Google Groups membership required)]
• E-Learning Council [http://www.elearningcouncil.com/]
• Austin Community of the Society for Technical Communication [http://www.stc-austin.org/]
• Greater Austin Forum on Diversity and Inclusion (GAFDI) [contact Lenell Duggan or Jeremy Solomans]

Online Resources

• Vital Smarts: Crucial Skills Newsletter [http://www.vitalsmarts.com/subscribenewsletter.aspx]
• Managing Young Talent Video Newsletter [http://www.rainmakerthinking.com/subscribe.php]
• Fresh Milk Leadership Newsletter ( [http://www.contentedcows.com/]
• Leadership Library [http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/]
• Management Library [http://www.managementhelp.org/]
• Retaining Talent Articles [http://www.keepem.com/ResourcesArticles.asp]
• Development Dimensions International Events [http://www.ddiworld.com/events/events.asp?type=2&sort=3]
• Employment Practices Solutions Newsletter [http://www.epspros.com/]
• ADA Related Info/Webcasts [swdbtac@ilru.org]
• "Corporate University" Xchange [http://www.corpu.com/]
• Train the Trainer e-Zine [http://www.bobpikegroup.com/pages.asp?pageid=37783]
• Employee Motivation Articles [http://www.trainingmag.com/msg/index.jsp]
• Workforce Management [http://www.workforce.com/]
• Online Education Resources [http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/]
• Instrucitonal Media Selection Guide [http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/]
• Computer Training Blogs [http://www.intelligentedu.com/blogs/]
• Effective PowerPoint Tips [http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/newsletter.htm]
• Microsoft Office 2003 Tutorials [http://www.pitt.edu/~edindex/Office2003frame.html]
• GroupWise 7 Help [http://www.cedarville.edu/cf/compserv/help/helppages.cfm?Category=Groupwise]
• Web-Building Tutorials [http://www.w3schools.com/]
• Information Resources Training Classes & Events: Training Resources [http://www2.kumc.edu/comptraining/events.html]
• Purdue Online Writing Lab [http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/]
• UV Hyptertext Writer's Guide [http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/welcome.html]
• Accessibility Consulting [http://www.jimthatcher.com/]
• Creating Accessibility on the Web [http://www.peregrineproject.com/accessibility/]
• Accessible Distance Learning [http://www.accesselearning.net/]
• FEMA Independent Study Program [http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp]

Low Cost

• Texas Department of Insurance Audiovisual Library [http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/safety/videoresources/avcatalog.html]
• Society of Government Meeting Professionals [http://www.sgmpaustin.org/home/]
• Austin Free-Net Computer Classes [http://www.austinfree.net/classes/]
• Skillpoint Alliance [http://www.skillpointalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=446]
• Center for Community Based and Non-Profits at ACC [http://www.austincc.edu/npo/development/current.php]
• Texas Distance Learning Association [http://www.txdla.org/]
• Texas Workforce Commission Training & Development [http://www.twc.state.tx.us/development/train/twc_training.html]
• Knowbility/AIR [http://www.knowbility.org/main/]

eLearning Interactivity: Finding the Middle Ground

On Friday, Feb 13, it was amazing to see the turn out of various state agencies across Texas. Whether you're a full-time training organization or a some times information sharer, there was a little bit of something for everyone. Both the morning and afternoon sessions held 18 discussions each and the topics were delivered over the course of three individual rounds to allow people the opportunity to attend the discussion of their choosing. I know some complained about the layout and set-up in the morning, but as a table hostess, I loved the afternoon set-up. I would like to thank everyone who stopped by our table to talk about eLearning interactivity with us (I was co-hosting with Jeremiah McNichols (an Instructional Designer with TEEX)). If you missed the hand-out or our general comments, never fear! Slideshare is here!

eLearning Interactivity: Finding the Middle Ground

View more documents from Tonia Dousay. (tags: expo elearning)

When designing interactivity, consider:

• Who do you have available to develop interactions/courses?
• Who is your target audience? How old are they? What jobs do they have?
• What are your technical capabilities to build interactivity? What are the technical capabilities of your audience? Do they have accessibility issues? Do they have a broadband connection?
• When will you be delivering the content? Is it is synchronous or asynchronous?
• Where are you delivering the content? Is it via LMS? Is it via a webinar? Is it via CD-Rom?
• Why are you delivering the content? Are you training a workforce? Are you providing much needed information?
• How will you develop the interactions/course? What funding sources are available?

Our discussion grazed across the use of break out rooms and web touring in webinars as well as low-tech solutions like journal keeping assignments in blended courses.

eLearning in the 21st Century

Many, many thanks to Joy Hall Bryant and all of those responsible for making the 2009 State of Texas DIR eLearning Forum a wonderful experience! It was certainly an excellent day to step back and look at the possibilities as well as what state agencies are doing in the eLearning world. I know that personally I made a number of new contacts and learned about some awesome activity going on across the state.
I was also honored to present the first session of the day over eLearning trends and tools. For those who missed the presentation or would just like to see it again, I've added it here. I must give credit to Dr. Mark David Milliron for the trends table I saw in one of his own presentations as well as inspiration for structuring the presentation. Be sure to visit SlideShare directly to see my notes and sources.

E Learning In The 21st Century

View more presentations from Tonia Dousay. (tags: trends elearning)

WorldCat

I first heard about WorldCat at a conference last Spring. I can't recall if it was at TAMUS' Teaching with Technology or TxDLA's annual conference. In either case, I remember thinking what an awesome tool it is. Currently, more than 10,000 libraries participate in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), and as such are tied together via WorldCat. It contains more than 90 million different records pointing to more than 1.2 billion physical and digital assets in more than 360 languages. Impressive. Even better, you can search for an item in the catalog and, based on your IP address, it will tell libraries with the item as well as how far away they are from you. Beyond just being the coolest, largest library catalog search, WorldCat has a few other nifty aspects. You can build a reading list (or any list really) of books, periodicals, journals, etc. For the researchers needing to build that bibliography, WorldCat will help you with that as well! And last, but not least, you can add a WorldCat plug-in on your browser or even add it to your SMART phone.
So, if you find yourself in need of such a nifty tool, head on over to http://www.worldcat.com and check it out for yourself.

Adventures in Teaching

For whatever reason, something possessed me a few weeks ago. When asked by a friend and neighbor if I was interested in picking up two Business Communications courses for her, I jumped on the opportunity. Apparently my regular job, part-time gig teaching pilates at Aerofit, and monthly happy hour planning weren't enough. So, here begins a new chapter where it would seem many parts of my professional career will merge. I have the opportunity to incorporate a teensy bit of eLearning in to my course. It shall be an interesting challenge. Now if only someone could have realized that requiring LMS training prior to allowing access isn't a bad idea...if they schedule the training to run concurrently at any time or at least before the beginning of the semester. It doesn't do me any good to hope to use the eCampus when it will be three weeks in to the semester before I can actually use it. Of course, there is irony in my having to take the training; I do manage an LMS afterall....

eLearning in the 21st Century

We're eight years in to the 21st century and we're still asking what eLearning in the 21st century is/will be. Is it because we're an ADD society with a short attention span? Or are we still trying to disseminate answers to the rest of the masses? Or is it because we never really answered the question in the first place? Whatever the answer, eLearning in the 21st century is my topic for the State of Texas DIR E-Learning Forum in Feburary.
On one hand, I can pull from across the spectrum of videos and blogs to illustrate what the masses see. On the other, I can rely upon the industry books and speakers I've encountered. Of course, I could blend between the two. What I really want to do, though, is use the session to empower those who will be attending the forum. My task, since I've chosen to accept it, is to strike a balance between showing and telling. Wait, maybe I can bring my mom's old Brothers word processor I used for Show & Tell when I was 10. I might be on to something here...

Don't Vote

In Kuwait, women did not have the right to vote until May 2005. Currently, men serving in the military or police are not allowed to vote. In the Dominican Republic, members of the armed forces or national police are not allowed to vote. In Guatemala, active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day. In Lebanon, women can only vote if they've had an elementary education. In more than a dozen countries around the world, you must be 19 or older to vote; in many of these, it's 21.

In the United States, you only have to be 18. We have been blessed with a fairly unrestricted right to determine our future. And yet, only 537 people decided the 2000 election. One vote counts. If you don't know where to vote next week, visit http://www.maps.google.com/vote. GO VOTE!

And if listening to me isn't enough, listen to this:

TXT Learning

In an age where technology has taken hold of many facets of daily life, I often cringe when reading an email or MySpace/Facebook message from one of my younger relatives. It would appear that their texting shorthand has trickled over into their normal vocabulary, and frequently makes my brain hurt (and eyes bleed). I present to you a completely fabricated Exhibit A:

r u coming 2 my grad prty? cant w8t 2 c u!!

Gah! Seriously, it's bad enough to see this in an SMS/MMS, but email?! How hard is it to type that out? Anyway, I digress...
Today's topic is that of a "new" service known as TXT Learning. According to their website,

It’s trivia on your terms. You decide the subject. And you decide when to answer.
Text questions are sent to your phone. Answer them on the way to class or during a cram session with your friends. Just be sure to mind your mobile manners.

Don't get too excited, I checked the "mobile manners" page. There's nothing about proper English. Still, the concept is interesting. They go on to detail their "story," which was written in a fashion that is surely most appealing to teenagers (it talks about ditching all those textbooks they have to tote -- just wait until college). In looking through their Brain Tank, the subjects posted are, in my opinion, well-rounded. There's even a category called College Prep (note to TXT-L people, how about a GRE category?). I gotta admit, for an information junkie like me, I wish something like this had been available when I was a kid.
Kudos to someone for coming up with this!