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Webinar Alert! Engaging Diverse Learning Styles with Web and Mobile Multimedia Tools that Add Pizzazz to SoftChalk Content

Posted: May 23, 2013 in Education, Tech Tricks and Tips, Valencia
Tags: blackboard, blended learning, higher ed, hybrid, instructional design, online learning, Technology

I’m hosting a webinar for SoftChalk‘s Innovators in Online Learning webinar series on Wednesday, June 5, 2012 at 2 PM EST.

Engaging Diverse Learning Styles with Web and Mobile Multimedia Tools that Add Pizzazz to SoftChalk Content

To accommodate diverse learning styles as well as access to mobile content it has become increasingly important to use multimedia and instructional tools that enhance lessons. The tools featured in this webinar will be either free or cheap resources that easily incorporate a variety of multimedia into your SoftChalk content. Many of the tools have both desktop and mobile based solutions that are great to utilize with online and in class engagement. Plus many of these tools are great for student created content as well.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/417020289

BarCamp Orlando Photo Review

Posted: May 22, 2013 in Central Florida, Review
Tags: central florida, conferences, orlando, photography, photos, smcorl, startup

Check out this photo gallery from BarCamp Orlando hosted at Wall Street Plaza on May 18, 2013.

Check out this video featuring lots of other photos from the event.

Web App of the Week: Clipping Magic Can Remove Image Background in Seconds

Posted: May 22, 2013 in App of the Week, Review, Tech Tricks and Tips
Tags: app, blogger, photography, photos, presention, review

Cropping an object out of an photo in an image editor can be a tricky task, even with expensive photo editing software. A new web app Clipping Magic does it for you in seconds. All you have to do is paint the foreground object one color, the background object another, and the app does the work for you.

Just drag and drop a photo onto the site, and you’ll get a green box you can use to paint the foreground image, or the area of the photo you want to select. Click the red box to paint the background, or the part of the photo you want removed. You work with a version of the photo on the left, and you can see a live preview of the changes on the right, so you can always backtrack, or zoom in for a finer touch if you want.

After you are done fine tuning the image, just download the finished product to get the edited object , now on a transparent background in PNG format. The web app lets you share a link to the finished image, so you don’t have to email a file too. Clipping Magic is ideal for logos, screenshots, and other images where there’s a sharp pixel edge to the item you’re trying to highlight or pull out of an image. This web app would be great to quickly create images ready for Prezi or PowerPoint presentations. It’s currently free right now but they may start charging for the service in the future.

Finished Product

5 Quick Tips for Nonprofit Networking in the Age of Social Media

Posted: May 15, 2013 in Tech Tricks and Tips, Valencia, Central Florida

Recently I presented to the Association of Fundraising Professional in Central Florida on Nonprofit Networking in the 21st Century. Talking about how networking has changed and connecting with donors, sponsors, and fellow professionals has become a world tied to social media and technology. Below are 5 quick take aways from my presentation and a copy of the full presentation with lots of great links/examples.

Earn your social media karma. This means it’s important to give, share, and build up your social media karma with your donors and friends online. Don’t be the person who always is asking for something and not giving back. Build your social media karma for that time when you really need people to help support or share your cause.
Don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Relying only on one type of social media or online tool is foolish because you are missing out on a group of people who don’t use it. This could mean to focus on a few key networks or tools that give you a good reach of your donor and audience. Remember social media and tools can change very quickly, so it’s important to not rely on a single one for everything.
Learn about your audience and what mediums they prefer. I have been quoted in saying it’s important to learn about the medium someone prefers when networking. Some people want an email, other want a text, some prefer a tweet, and one might want that old fashion phone call.
Analytics are necessary. It’s important to find out if your audience is clicking on your links, engaging with your photos, or sharing your content. Try tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, and Bitly to test different formats, times, and postings types through a variety of social media channels. Learn about the insight on your Facebook page and how the number of followers, fans, and connections are not as important as engagement.
Engage, engage, engage. Engage with your audience, friends, and network on a regular basis. Give back to them, reply to them, retweet them, and connect with them on a personal level. You are a real person and not a robot. Make sure people understand that in connecting with them.

Check out a full copy of the presentation on my SlideShare: http://buff.ly/15Mwu6t

BarCamp Orlando: An unconference at its best!

Posted: May 9, 2013 in Central Florida, Random Information
Tags: central florida, conferences, local, orlando, smcorl, startup

BarCamp Orlando is coming back to Downtown Orlando very soon. When you think BarCamp, you might be thinking mixing drinks and juggling bottles but it’s not about that at all. BarCamp Orlando is an annual community-building event which aims to bring people from different backgrounds together for cooperative learning. Technologies such as Ruby, PHP, Java and C could be presented alongside graphic design, music, photography, and other new media.

They typically provide free T-shirts and lunch to all attendees with assistance from sponsors, since the event is totally free to attendees.

Schedule

9:30 am - Doors open, sign up starts for giving talks
10:00 am - Talks begin at all venues. Each presentation will last 25 minutes (we recommend leaving 5 minutes at the end for discussion)
12:00 pm - Lunch is served
1:00 pm - Talks resume
6:00 pm - BarCamp ends and the after party starts

Why not come out to learn and share? I’m sure I’ll be presenting one of my fun topics too!

For more information and to register: http://barcamporlando.org/

Check out this video from BarCamp Orlando 2012 (you might even see me!)

Return of Bb The Robot! Why I want to be a VIP BbWorld Blogger #BbWorld13

Posted: April 30, 2013 in Education, Social Media EDU, Travel, Valencia
Tags: blackboard, blended learning, conferences, higher ed, instructional design, online learning, orlando, Social Media, socialmedia, Technology, twitter

It’s almost that time of year. Blackboard World is right around the corner and it will be hosted in Las Vegas this year. This year Blackboard is hosting a contest to become a VIP BbWorld Blogger!

BB the Robot wants to remind you why I should be a VIP Blogger for BbWorld13!

Who wouldn’t want Professor Josh to be their VIP Blogger, especially on anything EdTech related! I’ve worked in higher education for over 15 years with over 9 years experience teaching educational technology to future K12 teachers. I have a Master of Arts degree in both Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology with a graduate certificate in e-learning. I currently work at the top community college in the nation, Valencia College, as an instructional designer helping faculty navigate the world of Blackboard every day. I’m also an associate faculty member for the Educator Prep Institute teaching the technology for educators courses and IT department teaching Social Networking for Job Search.

Want to know more? Check out my awesome infographic resume! http://vizualize.me/ny6I7gBtMm?r=ny6I7gBtMm

If you are reading this, you already know my blog http://professorjosh.com, which focuses on a variety of educational and technology related topics.

I also blog for our department at Valencia – Learning Technology Services Blog, which will include coverage of BbWorld for our faculty.

Many other schools have referred to the resources and the blogs we have developed, as they make the transition to Blackboard.

I’m on the planning team for a number of technology related events in Orlando: Florida Bloggers Conference, iSummit, TechVenture, and Startup Weekend Orlando.

I have been a speaker at numerous conferences on social media, multimedia tools, universal design, networking in the 21st century, and other topics.

Here are some sample of other conferences and events I have blogged about recently:

Why do I want to be a BbWorld Blogger?

I’m a blogger at heart! It would be a great experience to actually get a VIP treatment as bloggers at an event like Blackboard World. Many companies are just now understanding the influence of bloggers and social media to propel their company to new heights and be advocates. This opportunity would give me a chance to have access to a variety of keynote speakers and other privileges that would help me create a number of unique blogs on the Blackboard World experience to bring back to our faculty and staff. We have been with Blackboard since the start of Blackboard Learn 9.1, through SP1 to SP11. I’ve been through the ups and downs of a new software that is ever evolving. Blackboard always has some big announcements planned for BbWorld. It would be great to cover them in person.

Please share this post with @Blackboard #BBWorld13 on Twitter and tell them why you think Professor Josh should be a VIP BbWorld Blogger!

Trucks and Tech Help Build a Tech Community and Feed Hungry Techies in Orlando

Posted: April 28, 2013 in Central Florida, Review, Travel
Tags: blogger, central florida, food, foodtrucks, local, mobile, orlando, photography, photos, smcorl, Social Media, socialmedia, startup, Technology

On April 25, 2013, IZEA helped gather a group of sponsors, supporters, and food trucks to host the first Trucks and Tech event in downtown Orlando. This event aloud techies and foodies to unite, by showcasing Orlando’s tech community and munching on some delicious bites from local food trucks. This is one of the few events I have been to (I’ve been to a lot) that has helped unite the Orlando tech community and was family friendly at the same time. Most events don’t involve bring the family along to part take in the fun.

The crowd of about 500 people from diverse backgrounds and ages, flocked near the site of the old Amway Arena (future site of The Creative Village) to wait in line for some great grub and network with other techies in the community. I would say this was a successful event and heard from many attending they look forward to the next one. As the sun started to set, the temperature cooled down, and people continued to enjoy a buffalo chicken waffle, a sweet chocolate cupcake, a pulled pork grilled cheese, or a blueberry Sea Dog brew.

Want to watch a great video recap? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWMRPU16ogg

Want to see a lot more photos and keep up-to-date with events? http://facebook.com/professorjosh

A variety of food trucks came out to feed the hungry techies, including All Things Sweet, Cafe Cocoa Mo, The Crepe Company, Soup to Nuts, The Pastrami Project, and Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles.