Introduction to Google Apps & Google+

Here's a site I've created to get people in my school district thinking.

Introduction to Google Apps and Google+
https://sites.google.com/site/ksp667final/home

I believe that by implementing Google Apps for Education into our school, teachers and students will be more inclined to utilize the powers of social media (in particularly Google+). Feel free to wonder about and let me know what you think! You can either reply to this blog posting or leave a message in the Discussion Forum on the website I've created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wade Werner
@MrWerner35

Projects Rule! (KSP 619 & 667 Final Project Tour)

Here is a video presentation <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIlIcyTxZPw> which reviews each of the aspects of my final project.

Introduction to Google Apps for Education
https://sites.google.com/site/ksp667final/

The endeavor which I have embarked upon has the potential of being a major game-changer in my school district.  Up to this point, the website I have created is based off of a vision; though it may be serve as a catalyst to a systematic overhaul of our current internet and e-mail configuration.  It's my hope that this website may serve as a thought-provoking tool for my school district.

There are numerous training opportunities that students and staff will have access to.  I will be adding instructional activities and videos to their corresponding pages prior to submitting the final project.  The overall appearance of the website is meant to be aesthetically appealing with a straightforward approach to implementing Google Apps.  I've also incorporated aspects of the coherence, spatial contiguity, pre-training, and personalization principles.

Each sequential page (located in the navigation bar on the lefthand side of the screen) adds to the staff's knowledge of the social media (in particularly Google Apps).  The introduction of Google+'s Communities is one of the major aspects of this project.  Without having designated staff Gmail accounts for this project, I'm left with limited options as to how I present this information.  Overall, I hope this give you a good perspective on how I plan on using MML principles in my final project.

Thanks for stopping by!
Wade Werner
@MrWerner35

Mmm... Delicious! A Social Bookmarking Web Service

http://www.delicious.com

I went outside of my comfort zone on this assignment and began using a social bookmarking web service called Delicious.  Despite using other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+, I discovered that Delicious has some very unique bookmarking capabilities.  It's arguably one of the best social media sites to archive and organize favorable websites.

The user interface is set up so that users can navigate easily throughout each of the site's sections.  There's a simplicity to using this service that makes it very appealing.  Knowing that a lot of my colleagues struggle with information overload when it comes to technology, I'd have no problem introducing this social media site to them.  People may choose to link their Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts to Delicious so that they can add their friends to their Delicious network.  By doing this, users are able to see a newsfeed of the different websites their friends have posted using other social networking services.  I instantly searched for keywords such as education and technology and was thrilled with the results.  

Users will also find that the 'Discover' section is filled with an astounding amount of recommended websites that pertain to their interests.  Posted websites are also tagged with keywords which help users quickly locate and identify websites that intrigue them.  Websites may also be displayed by when they were posted, specific tag words, or by if they are listed as public or private links.  It's a nice feature for anybody that is trying to narrow down their search results.   Teachers may post sites by clicking on the '+ Add Link' section, tagging websites with 'tags' that are applicable to their students' assignments.  This would ensure that students using Delicious were able to find websites that are relevant to their studies.  Comments (with up to 1000 characters) may also be posted with the link.  

The Delicious 'Settings' section enables users to add a short biography (up to 140 characters), a website, and an avatar (not to exceed 2 MB).  Third-party providers allow users to import their bookmarks from various web browsers.  The latest version of Delicious.com features a new responsive design for mobile and tablet users.  I have grown accustomed to using the desktop version, though the mobile version offers the same clean and crisp look.  I've also read that there are a few bugs that they are working out in regards to editing posts and duplicate bookmarks.  I'm issues like these will be resolved in future updates to the app.  

I do not see myself using Delicious on a regular basis, however, I would have no problem using this service as a resource for current information and various educational and technological trends.  Students that chose to use Delicious would be able to customize it's services so that it displays news and information that is relevant to their studies.  I'm thrilled to have found this interesting social media site.