NorthStarNerd.Org

Facebook Screencasting Group

Beth Weber over at TechSmith (SnagIt, Camtasia) has announced a screencasting group on Facebook. DevCon eLearning attendees ... you should join!

Link to her blog for details, or Create a Facebook account and search on screencasting. (click upon thumbnail for expanded view)
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eLearning Devcon - Day 1

As promised, here is my report from Devcon - Day 1. This conference has already lived up to my expectations. The event is located at the University of Utah; my lodging is a dorm room which was part of the 2002 Winter Olympics Athletes Village. Thus, in between sessions, or if I need a longer break ... it's just a five minute walk back to my dorm.  Although I have a "single", other attendees are in my dorm's suite. Thus, I've already enjoyed some hallway conversations! Over lunch in the campus dining hall, I talked with some eLearning experts from San Diego, and a Utah PhD student doing medical research into the structure of DNA. Although she had nothing to do with our conference, it was a fascinating talk.

I'll make more information available later, but here is some preliminary information which relates to two great presentations which I attended this morning:

• Mobile Learning - A Reality: A.J. Ripin from Moving Knowledge
  (A.J. took us on a wild, and extremely useful ride through some of the newer development tools for mobile devices. Links to some of those tools are given below.)
  
  • GCast (mobile learning podcast application)
  • Impatica (create content for Blackberries)
  • GotZapp (mobile social network
  • Mooobl (sim for mobile devices)
• Why Wikis Wrule: Tom Reinartz from the University of Minnesota
  (Tom can only be described as an expert where it comes to using wikis in education. Use his presentation as a base point for exploring the world of wikis)
  
  • Master Presentation (all kinds of useful links!)
    (user ID and password = new6)
    
    • Two examples of learning ... one serious ... and ??
    • YackPack (sharing via audio)
    • Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University

Finally ... two photos of the campus!
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Father of the Bride!

My daughter asked me last night: "When are you going to blog about our big news?". 

In answer to Karen's question ... now!

This has been a busy week ... with a unique (and fun) lunch on Thursday with my future son-in-law. He met with me and Molly (my wife) to ask our permission to marry Karen. Although I expected to say "yes", I still had a large list of serious questions and issues I wanted to discuss! Friday night he popped the question to Karen.

Since this is a "knowledge management" blog, what would you ask a future son-in-law? While I won't embarrass Matt by listing the specific questions here, I did cover these subjects:

• meaning of marriage
• religion
• children
• careers
• finances

We had some nice discussions. Matt answered first, and then Molly and I gave examples from our 24 year marriage. Click upon the thumb nail image to see the photos and announcement!
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Social Networking in the Corporate World

This afternoon I leave for eLearning Devcon in Salt Lake City. My schedule normally only allows me to choose one technical conference each year which does not have a direct relationship to a current work project ... so why Devcon? I'll answer that question in this blog over the next few days, but it meets some of my key requirements:

• Focused ... with hard core presentations
• Participants live in dorms ... allowing for better intellectual interaction

With those comments ... it's off to the airport. I've just downloaded some podcasts from the Burton Group, including a recent interview with IBM Fellow Carol Jones on the topic of Social Software and the Future of Work (all podcasts). If you're not familiar with the Burton Group, they describe themselves as a "vendor-independent research and advisory services focused on enterprise IT infrastructure technologies. Known for our principle-based architectural approach and technical depth, each of our six highly-focused research services provide practical insights and direction for enterprise technologists and executives."

China's March on the 21st Century

Most of us, including me, never get to attend seminars at the Aspen Institute. Their seminars pull together some of the world's leading thought leaders. A recent Aspen Strategy Workshop was held on China. You may download the workshop's the 169 page book / report without charge.

• China's March on the 21st Century (pdf)

Here is how the Aspen Institute describes this book:
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"This publication is the outcome of the Aspen Strategy Group's summer 2006 workshop, the first session of its kind in which distinguished Chinese guests joined the ASG membership for an open exchange of ideas surrounding China's rise. The publication includes the revised versions of the 11 papers presented at the meeting as well as the workshop agenda and ASG Director Kurt Campbell's scene setter and concluding observations. Representing a rich range of fields and perspectives, the authors examine economic and transnational challenges as well as Chinese soft power, the implications for U.S., regional, and global security, and the possibilities for cooperation in the critical years ahead. Contributors include both American as well as Chinese participants such as Dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, Wang Jisi. Their analysis presents varying scenarios – engagement, coexistence, or heightened tensions in such areas as trade and military affairs."