Instantly Messaging Everyone

Awe, the Instant Message!  Again, our generation is so spoiled, but man, I cannot remember how life was without using instant messaging.  It is super helpful!  Currently I use instant messaging with Google Talk, Microsoft Lync, and Facebook.  I intermingle these a lot but most of my instant messaging on Facebook is focused on family and friends.  I use Microsoft Lync solely for business instant messaging and I use Google Talk for a mix of all three.  All of these platforms cross over to my cell phone, so WIN!

Microsoft Lync is a bit more secure, I'm told, so we try to use it for all actual business related information that needs to be a bit more protected.  My work team is geographically separated (California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and a few states up in New England), so during meetings with our clients, it is a great way for us to communicate during these meetings.  Microsoft Lync also allows the ability to share screens and video chatting - so it is a double WIN!

I prefer Google Talk but mainly because all of the closer people to me are on it, so it is easier to chat with them all. :)

~Christina

Skype - A Military Family's Best Friend

I love Skype!  I do not use it as often as I likely should, but it is there when it is needed.  Skype is perfect for the geographically separated family.  We have used Skype many times when my husband is deployed so the kids can still see him when he tells them that he loves them.  It has also been very useful to our family because we do not live near either side of our extended families and Skype allows these family members to still experience things like blowing out birthday candles and/or the look on my children's faces when they open a Christmas present from them.

~Christina

LinkedIn - I will, thank you

LinkedIn has more of a business focus.  A user can define their personal profile with their education, career positions, location, special honors, etc.  The capability to search for friends, or connections, using names, groups, schools, by jobs, and even by their e-mail contacts.  One can e-mail another connection or person of interest.  A person has the ability search for jobs, look for people to fill positions, and even find a company to meet a need - all within a trusted network because one can find these people through others they know.

From talking to many hiring managers, many times a company will check a prospective employee's LinkedIn account.  If they see they do not have an account, or has not updated it, they sometimes pass them by.  LinkedIn is not just another resume builder that makes you look good on paper.  People see your contacts, your experience, and how well you can present yourself.  All of these aspects are very important to a hiring manager when looking for the right fit for their team.

I suggest every business person take the time to fully fill out a LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date.  I still receive job offers from my LinkedIn account because people I know that know others see my resume and know that a friend of theirs has already vouched for me, so that gets a foot in the door.

LinkedIn vs. Facebook vs. Pinterest

I picked these three social media outlets because they were created for such different networking purposes, but at the end of the day, they were all created for networking.

LinkedIn has more of a business focus.  A user can define their personal profile with their education, career positions, location, special honors, etc.  The capability to search for friends, or connections, using names, groups, schools, by jobs, and even by their e-mail contacts.  One can e-mail another connection or person of interest.  A person has the ability search for jobs, look for people to fill positions, and even find a company to meet a need - all within a trusted network because one can find these people through others they know.

Facebook is a social network that is not really focused on any one point, other than connecting people.  As with LinkedIn, one can set up their profile with specifics and can run a search for friends in the same manner.  As with LinkedIn, you can see friends that are friends with your friends, so a person can see an additional network of people who they may know.  Facebook also has the capability of Instant Messaging, commenting on posts, videos, and pictures, and sharing most information found on the Internet.  Users have the added availability to blog and create events to invite their friends to.

Pinterest is a social network that is focused on interests.  A user can do a search for Do It Yourself (DIY) ideas on how to paint a child's room and get a wealth of pictures and advise.  If the user particularly likes someone else's ideas, they can follow them.  The user can also "Pin" all of the ideas they like to their own board and come back to that at a later time.  The user's friends can see what they have pinned and review that material as well.

My Podcast

http://christina-warmington.podomatic.com/entry/2014-01-12T18_02_02-08_00

Podcastalley.com vs. Podcast.com

So, these two sites are somewhat of a train wreck right now.  Podcast.com is no longer a working site it seems and Podcastalley.com was under maintenance and it seemed to not have any Podcasts later than 2008.  I ended us Googling Tech Podcasts and I found a wealth of options.  I chose not to use either.

~Christina

The Verge Review

This is rather comical videocast for people like me that tend to not stay on one topic and enjoy a bit of information and a lot of other.  There is a lot of making fun and laughter on this show.  This seems more open and not so very stagnant and still.

One of the first things that was on the episode I watched was a really cool stroller that opens and closes with the touch of a button.

~Christina
http://www.theverge.com/video/the-vergecast

This Week in Tech (TWiT) Review

This is a pretty down to Earth type of Pod and/or Videocast that speaks about tech issues.  They cover new items in technology and cover business type topics too.  They were pretty interesting to listen to and rather enjoyable.
~Christina

http://twit.tv/show/this-week-in-tech

Buzz Out Load Podcast

This is a closed Podcast; after 1,588 Podcasts, the show is over.  I picked this Podcast because the name seemed relatively interesting.  Buzz Out Loud provides a Podcast and a Videocast, which was pretty cool because it seems when there is a group of people interacting, it makes more sense to see them.  While they were still running, this group of people provided a weekly update about technology news and updates.

http://buzzoutloudpodcast.cnet.com/

My Wiki

The Wiki I have created to explain what Wikis are and how they can fit into the world of Web 2.0 is here:

• ThePointofWikis - http://thepointofwikis.wikispaces.com/

Comparing 20th and 21st Century Education Wiki Review

The authors of this Wiki have started the conversation and comparison between 20th century education and 21st century education.  The differences pointed out on this Wiki are somewhat overwhelming, but I can certainly see it.  When I went to school the education was primarily teacher focused content that never seemed very relevant to our lives once we got passed how to actually write and communicate.  There was not a lot of focus on the children's needs; for example, if a child was very smart, they would get promoted a grade even if their maturity level was not quite ready for it.  The education my children receive is much more student focused.  There are more gifted programs, as opposed to having a child skip a grade, and the applications are much more based on their real life situations.  One thing pointed out on this Wiki is that our generation learned about technology and our children are learning through it.

This Wiki had many hyperlinks for key words or topics but this Wiki was pretty short and to the point.

Comparing 20th and 21st Century Education: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Comparing+20th+%26+21st+Century+Education

Digital Citizenship at Home Review

This Wiki discussed the differences between the different generations from the 1900 through now - separating us into the Matures with birth years between 1900 and 1946, the Baby Boomers with birth years between 1946 and 1964, the Generation X with birth years from 1965 and 1981, Generation Y with birth years between 1982 through around 2000, and the new Generation Z (also called Generation I) which were being born around the early 1990s - and the Wiki points out how we see technology different.  This Wiki focuses on the need for children to learn how to responsibly encounter technology so they learn how to use it in a healthy way.

This Wiki authors utilized hyperlinks and images to better get their point across to the reader.  They also provided very helpful links at the bottom of the page to push the readers on to additional information in within this subject.

Digital Citizenship at Home: http://ictpd-digital-citizenship-at-home.wikispaces.com/Young+people+in+the+21st+Century

St Leon Armenian School Wiki Review

This Wiki was rather interesting.  It provided a way to inform the teachers of the school about the 3 main principles the school and teachers will focus on (student engagement, student centered learning, and 21st century citizens) to achieve better teacher effectiveness.  This Wiki provided hyperlinks to additional information on each topic discussed and explained why these topics are so incredibly important in the current era our world is in.  At the end of the Wiki page, they had linked 4 versions of the Did You Know videos to encourage teachers to learn more about what is going on in modern times.

St Leon Armenian School Wiki: http://stleonarmenianschool.wikispaces.com/Definitions-3+Principles