Can’t say I’ve lost it. Lost is a strong word, it’s a lot like ‘hate’. I can feel it sturing inside, wanting to come out, wanting to see the light of day after many years of solitude — but for reasons unknown to me, it’s hiding itself.  I have passion, I have gusto, I even have cause. What I’m missing is direction.  I lack the pathway that will put me on the course I want to be on.

In my years of writing, I’ve noticed that most people lack one of a few things when they begin their ventures into blogging.

• Direction: The direction is all about the focus. You need to have focus on your topic.  Readers of a ‘professional’ blog will not want to hear the fluff, unless the fluff directly ties to the topic at hand.  Grab the focus and keep in line with what your original plan for not only that specific post, but also the site as a whole.
• Cause: There has to be a reason to write. Whether it be to get a simple point across or to bring awareness to something you believe in, there has to be that little something in your head that says “this is why I’m writing it”. Find that little something every time you write and keep it front of mind.
• Passion: The emotion of what you believe has to come through in your writing, without it you will never keep the readers attention. This has become especially true with the release of Twitter and the ‘microblogging’ atmosphere. When I started writing back in the late ’90s to early 2000s, the attention span of readers was long. You could write a post with meaning and easily keep a readers attention.  In today’s world, it takes a lot more effort to keep the attention of  a population with the attention span of a goldfish (approximately 3 seconds) and 140 characters.

If you know me, you know that there are three things in the world that get me talking. In fact, if you know me you’re probably sick of hearing me talk about any of these three things — unless you have a strong belief in any of them as well. And, if you do have a strong belief in any of these three things, than I probably consider you one of my good friends. So, what are they?

Social Networks/Media — Apple — Google

If there is a new social network available, I’m there. Apple News? I probably heard the announcement as soon as it was released. And Google? Well, I just love the belief system behind the Google name.  Now, combine any of the things into one device and you definitely have my attention.

Enter, Google+ (Google Plus). Wait, no, that’s not good enough… Enter the Google+ iOS App. Now it’s perfect.

Already on the Android Market, Google+’s native iOS app is simply in a holding pattern for the App Store. I can assure you I’ll be one of the very first to download the app.

Source: Mashable.com

Many of the people reading this know what QR codes are… for those unfamiliar with QR codes you can check out this link for a more thorough description of what they are and how they work. A QR code is a square bar code containing bits of data such as URL’s, text or other forms of information. As the United States begins adapting the concept of QR codes, we begin learning more and more uses for these nifty looking blocks of bits.

So, how can a semi-professional use QR codes to spread the word about who they are and what they have to offer? I found a wonderful article over atTheJobShopper.com that gives 7 very useful ways of using QR codes in the professional world.

1. LinkedIn page – direct the reader to your personal LinkedIn page to provide more detail and depth to your professional background. It would be best if you have a robust LinkedIn page, complete with blog links, social media feeds and recommendations.
2. YouTube video – link to a YouTube video page where they can view you describing your professional strengths and detailing the value you can bring to their organization.
3. vCard – although this might not be the best idea if you’re applying to a very large corporation through HR, it could work well if you’re submitting your resume directly to an identified hiring manager. Knowing that they will likely want to contact you directly at some point, you can have your QR code download a vCard with all of your contact information directly into their smartphone.
4. Blog page – if you have a professional blog, direct the reader to your page so they can read your posts and get a sense of how you think about industry issues and gauge how well you communicate.
5. Display a creative text message – The QR code can instruct the reader’s device to immediately display a text message on their screen. This is a perfect place to present your unique positioning statement, like: Tim Johnson is the person who will build lasting relationships with the people you want to do business with.
6. Custom landing page – create a custom landing page that highlights your professional strengths and direct the reader to your personal sales page.
7. Portfolio page – Showcase your work and direct the reader to an online portfolio of your best work. This is especially powerful for those candidates in design and marketing who can display visual examples of previous design efforts or marketing campaigns.

As QR codes gain steam and more professionals load readers on their smart phones, we will find these nifty little uses popping up. Get out there, learn them and utilize them as best as possible.  They will soon become an integral part of both the career world and the social world.

Source: The Job Shopper

It’s only been a few years since the words “social” and  ”media” came together, but since the merger the world, both physical and digital, have become vastly different. On June 30, 2010, Mashable.com, known for its ‘everything social’ news articles, launched Social Media Day, a “celebration of media going social.” With over 5,000 registered #SMDay events (this number does not include the non-registered events), the day became a staple in the social world.

This year, Detroit plans on taking Social Media Day 2011 to an entirely new level. Themed with the title “Detroit Rock City,” MotorCity Casino Hotel and Livio Radio have teamed up along with the social media teams of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings to bring the Detroit area a full day of events.

Social Media Day Events:

11:30am – 1:00pm – Pre-game #TigersTU (Tigers Tweetup) at Comerica Park. Like the SMDay Party at Motor City Casino Hotel, the #TigersTU will be offering raffles and prizes (amazing prizes, check them out!) during the game to attendees).

1:05pm – ? – Begin the victorious game between the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets.

? – 7:00 – Social Media Day Pre-Party located at the Overdrive located inside Motor City Casino Hotel

7:00 – 10:00pm – Social Media Day 2011 Detroit party begins! Prizes will be available throughout the event, the offerings also include a “Build Your Own Coney” station!

10:00pm – 2:00am – SMDay 2011 After-Party located at Amnesia inside Motor City Casino Hotel

Hope to see you all there! If you will be attending, be sure to say hi.

Today I read a great article by @mitchjoel that discussed the importance of blogging every day.  I think the idea that habits are broken by forcing your body and mind to think and do differently has been beaten beyond recognition, and I’ve gladly held the bat.  The thing is, I never thought that my lack of motivation (though the want was there) to blog every day was a habit.

Even if you have to force yourself. The resistance to not to do it will go away over time. Forcing yourself will create a habit. Habits are very hard to create (they can take weeks or even months), but once you have the habit, it will become that much more natural and an integral part of your development. A Blog is to your brain what the gym is to your body. Getting into the habit of working out is tough, but the benefits outweigh the struggle to get there.

I reckon my wife has gotten sick of hearing me reiterate the fact that the gym is overly important to personal, mental, and physical development… and yet, I missed my own cues of personal and mental development through blogging. I think it’s time to attempt a change, succeed or fail, and a change in the habit will be made.

On a side note, please pay attention to the first questions asked by Council Member Kris Wang… it makes me very sad for the city of Cupertino that these questions were asked.

Source: Edooce

#EdcampDet isn’t your typical conference, it’s considered an “UnConference.” No agenda. No scheduled discussions, only scheduled times. Edcamp is broken into 4 sessions, conference goers, at the beginning of the day, can toss up what ideas they wish to present. At that time, everyone else decides which presentation they wish to go to. Simple as that and surely not your typical conference.

Though I’m not a teacher, I’ve learned a lot about how educators can use technology such as iPads, iPods and iPhones in the classroom. It’s amazing how many education related applications there are in the App store. Lets take a look at a few of extremely useful ones presented to us today:

*Please let me know if you find any errors that I need to fix*

Session 1 – Mobile Apps in the classroom

Presentation by: Cheryl Lykowski (@CLykowski)

StoryKit – (FREE) – Create story, draw pictures, record voice/type text.

Bluster – (FREE) – Word Game – Helps develop vocabulary and word understanding for all ages.

Bubble Ball – (FREE) – Physics Game – Developed by a 14 year old, this game is great to learn about physics

Tinkerbox / Tinkerbox HD – (FREE) – Physics Game – This game is a lot like Bubble Ball, but has a graphically enhanced interface.

Paper Bridge – ($0.99) – Physics Game

Splash Desktop – ($2.99) – Control your computer through your iPad

Sound Note - ($4.99) Looking to take easy notes? Check out Sound Note.

Inkling – (FREE) – Interactive textbooks

Teacher’s Assistant Pro – ($3.99) – Get your own assistant in the classroom without having to pay them hourly. Track and report student actions, achievements and behavior

Games

Teachers Pick – ($0.99) – Keep track of your students behavior, pick names to group them, an amazing app that lets you do more with your classroom.

Websites

Discovery Education –
iEar.org – Great education based

Session 2 – Apptastic

Presented by: Melanie Gray (@sassysunflwr) & Karen Chichester (@kchichester)

Evernote – (FREE) – Keep records online for access anywhere.

Dropbox – (FREE) – It’s dropbox, and it’s amazing.

Dragon Dictation – (FREE) – Voice to text

PopMath Lite – (FREE) – Pop the bubbles to answer math questions.

Everyday Math Games – ($1.99) – Search Everyday Math

Toontastic – (3.99) – Creative learning tool that empowers kids to draw, animate and share their cartoons through interactive play.

Chicktionary – ($1.99) – Build words using Chickens!

Mad Libs – search Mad Libs on iTunes

Pictureka ($0.99) – It’s in this picture, but not in that one… wait, what? Help your kids find it fast with this game.

Stack the States – ($0.99) – Geographic game that lets you answer questions and stack the states.

Boggle – ($0.99) – The ultimate random word game

Bookshare (coming soon) – accessible books for readers with print disabilities

Tangrams – (FREE or 0.99) – great for learning spacial relationships

Go Sky Watch ($3.99) – Identify stars, planets and consolations by pointing to the sky

Star Walk – ($2.99) Learn about the solar system

Session 3 – What is Edmodo?

Presented by: Sarah L. Kentner (@SarahLKentner)

Edmodo has been considered the “Facebook for students.” The great service offers teachers the opportunity to not only have a paperless classroom, but also allows them to keep up to date in class happenings. What is the advantage of Edmodo in the classroom? Here are a few key points:

1. Handling substitutes can be difficult, so how can you be in the classroom without actually being in the classroom? Edmodo allows teachers to post assignments and check the progress of the students in real-time.
2. As with many colleges/universities, K-12 classrooms are beginning to help save the environment by going completely paperless. Edmodo assists in this by allowing the educators to upload assignments, tests, and more to the site. This then allows kids to download the file, do the assignment and reupload it to turn it on.
3. Free and cloud based! Edmodo saves the education system money by being free and cloud based. Save your tech team time, money and hassle, and keep your data safe by using the cloud based system Edmodo offers.

Thank you to @SarahLKentner for opening our eyes to the power of Edmodo.

Session 4 – Game & App Development for Education

Presented by: Steve Keinath (@keinath)

How can teachers bring education to a mobile OS? Try some of the great tools listed here at bit.ly/mobiclass.

• AppMakr – (http://www.appmakr.com)
• Android App Inventor – (http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/)
• DragonFireSDK – (http://www.dragonfiresdk.com)
• Corona SDK – (http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/)
• Kwik – (http://www.kwiksher.com/)
• Unity 3D – (http://www.unity3d.com)
• UDK – (http://www.udk.com) – Unreal Development Kit by the all powerful Unreal Engine 3

For web development applications, try PhoneGap; wrap your web site with an mobile OS app. Another tool brought up by an audience member, try Gamestar Mechanic that’s a WYSIWYG for game development.

Now that we’re at the end of the event, #EdcampDetroit was a huge success. Thanks again to @thenerdyteacher and the great staff that helped put this entire event together. And a huge special thanks to the great sponsors: Panera Bread, Wayne State College of Education, Edutopia, SimpleK12, TechSmith, Community Telecommunications Network, Brighten, Herff Jones Nystrom, Live Binders, weebly, and last but surely not least, Brain Pop.

So, while I don’t have children yet, it is very likely that this cute little thing will teach me great things about myself and my life. Here’s to the next few decades of writing about life, love and this little guy.

In the blog, they pin point 6 (or 8 if you want to count the very last two) key things that we must do in order to not only keep ourself sane during the day, but also keep things running smoothly on your end.

Point 1: Get rest ahead of time.

Point 2: Go Light.

Point 3: Bring Power.

Point 4: Be ready to say hello.

Point 5: Take notes.

Point 6: Stay hydrated.

And the beloved points 7 and 8: Bring ID/cash!

Be sure to read all about Bryan’s take on how we can prepare our mind, body and gear bag for a long day of inspiring talks. I’d like to add one detail to point number 3 (bring power). Be sure to fully charge ALL of your handy dandy devices prior to leaving the house/hotel for the days events. Power tends to be a scarce thing at some events so the longer you can run on reserve power, the better off you will be.