Week 14: Online Games

Online games are becoming increasingly more popular among not only kids these days but people of all ages. They are not only for fun but can also be used for teaching purposes. Teachers can create games that allow their students to have some fun while also teaching them valuable lessons. Games are becoming more specific so there is something out there for all different type of material. There are games available for marketing, politics, sports and many other things allowing for an enjoyable experience while learning.
There are numerous online sports games that could be used in Sports Management. Playing games with my co-workers could create a positive atmosphere among the office but may even spark an idea that otherwise would have never been thought of. It can to the development of companies through creating closer personal relationships and having some fun, both things that online gaming can provide.
This is an extremely funny video i found on the online game World of Warcraft. It provides a little glimpse that online gaming could require strategy and teamwork that could be useful in the workplace. It also shows some of the fun that people can have while playing games online.

Week 13: Distance Education

Distance education is designed to deliver education to students who are not physically on site in a traditional classroom or campus setting. It is an educational experience of equal quality that suits the learner's needs outside of the classroom. It is becoming more and more used in Universities around the world. It is also becoming more and more recognized for its potential to provide the same type of quality education that a classroom provides.
This growing type of education could be extremely useful in my field moving forward. If for some reason i was unable to attend classes i would feel comfortable continuing my education online. I could do this knowing that i would be getting an adequate education and not have to fall behind. Also if i need a better degree for a more quality job i can continue my work in my current location while taking classes online to better myself
Here is a website that allows you to search for different programs that are offered through distance education and the Universities that offer that program online. This site is valuable because you can see all the different types of programs that are offered through distance learning and the different Universities that you could take these programs at

Week 12: Professional Web Presence

With the new development of social networking becoming more and more popular I believe a professional web presence is something that everyone should consider. It allows you to do many different things through a website you can create and customize however best suits you. It enables you to share anything you desire with the outside world through a web site that you created, which is pretty cool.
I believe professional web presence projects will eventually turn into every persons online resume. Therefore i think it will be very useful as I am just starting so that others can see a little bit about me, my experience, and what i can bring to their organization. It is similiar to a portfolio in that if my web presence is of high quality and very thorough i am more likely to catch someone's eye.
This is my current professional web presence that i created in my education technology class. It tells a little bit about myself, some of the volunteer work i have completed, and the work experience that i have.

Week 11: Open Source Software

Open source software is computer software provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner and available within public domains. It is free of charge and conveniant for users with the only drawback being if the software is not working there is noone to help figure out the problem.
I could definitly see this type of software benefitting me in my future field of work, sports management. Many programs that are available through open source software will allow me to create more efficient documents, become more creative, and help me organize not only my work but my thoughts and ideas. Also the fact that it is free could save the organization money and spend it elsewhere.
This website is a great site for finding free open source software. It includes everything ranging from filesharing and backup to security and games. If you are a beginner to open source software this is a great website to get started.

Week 10: Concept Mapping

A concept map is one way to represent relationship between ideas, images, or words. Each word or phrase is connected to another with everything being linked back to the original idea. They are a great way devlop logical thinking and good study skills. The technique for visualizing these relationships is called concept mapping.

Many times in the sporting world there are presentations shown to display a new idea or show different options of a plan. Concept maps are great visual elements to enhance a presentation. They can provide clarity on a subject and also make the presentation more enjoyable for the audience through the use of visuals. It would be great for detailing the entire structure of an idea or line of argument.

I actually put the idea of concept mapping into use in the form of showing how my field can relate to social networking. Using the Webspiration, an online tool for concept mapping, i created this example: http://mywebspiration.com/view/374606a366b7

Week 9: Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is something that many people have already participated in unknowingly. Sending a web link you think is interesting to a friend is an example of this. Social bookmarking is tagging a website and saving it for a later use. What makes it unique is that instead of saving them to your browser you are saving them to the web. Since the bookmarks are online this allows for easy sharing with friends and coworkers. It allows you to specifically target what you want to see and narrow down the items you are looking for.

Being in the sport management field i see social bookmarking as a tool that could be often used. It allows you to save your favorite web sites and send them to your coworkers for another opinion. Another thing is you can see what other people have tagged and found interesting and maybe get a few different ideas that you otherwise would not have had access too. You can browse through items based on such things as popularity and recently added. This will give you numerous different sources for anything you choose to browse, a huge helping tool for any field.

This is a great example of a social bookmarking website. It is very organized and very simple to maneuver your way through. It allows for you to search for anything while also telling you what is hot right now. This is a great site for those that are looking to expand their social bookmarking.

Week 8: Podcasting

Podcasting is online audio content that could be compared to something such as radio on demand. The differenct is that podcating gives far more options in terms of content and programming than the radio does. Another asset of podcasting is that listeners can determine the time and the place of it deciding what they want to receive and when they want to listen to it, making it very conveniant. It allows listeners to listen at their leiusre.

Podcasting is definitly a tool i can see myself using in the future in the sporting world. The sporting world is one that is very busy and ongoing so a program that is so conveniant would be extremely valuable. One thing it could be used for is informational content that needs to be given out. The most important thing i believe it could be used for in my field is training via instructional material. People may be called upon constantly to do different sorts of jobs so having a podcast available with the necessary training for each job would be very valuable.



This video is a basic instructional walkthrough on how to create a podcast. This would be a great video for beginners that are unsure how to get started. It shows how to create and edit a podcast, and also how to distribute it.

Week 7: Digital Storytelling

As the name suggests digital storytelling is the use of computer based tools to tell a story. Most stories will focus on a specific topic and contaiin a particular viewpoint. Digital storytelling usually contains a mixture of computer-based images, text and audio. They story can vary in length depending on the story that is being told. The topics can wide ranging from personal stories to the recounting of historical events. The beauty of it is that it can be created by anyone on any subject and shared all over the world.

Being a sport management major i can definitly apply this to the sporting world in many different ways. Sporting events are very popular worldwide and digital storytelling would be a great way to share some of these events with people that could not attend. It can show future employees past successes of the program through a short story built on images and text. Also coaches can use this to show potential recruits different things about their program in a quick, simple way.



This video is a great example of what digital storytelling is and the many ways it can applied. It is also an example of digital storytelling in itself because it tells a story through text, images, and audio.

Concept Map- New Posts Begin

http://mywebspiration.com/view/374606a366b7

Week Five: Photoshop

Photoshop is a tool that almost everyone in the 21st century is familiar. Whether they have used it or have just heard the term, Photoshop is growing in popularity. The term has actually transformed into a verb where pictures are "photoshopped" or people are "photoshopped" into pictures. In class, we discussed how photoshop can be used by advertisements to manipulate customers. A tool like Photoshop holds the power to convey any message the advertiser wants to send and is used everyday.

A tool like Photoshop is invaluable in a field like Sports Management because it's a resource that allows to show what the imagination can only express. When giving a presentation or idea, Photoshop allows for the visualization and representation of ideas. Given this information, it's important to understand how data and information can be misrepresented by using Photoshop. I know that when using Photoshop I have to be careful to not use totally manipulative images and rather use logic and fact as well to support an idea.

This video shows the power of Photoshop in "enhancing" beauty. Not only does Photoshop alter an image it shapes society's ideal of beauty by putting standards and specifications of computer settings on it, Photoshop allows an artist to change the true identity of a photo with a few clicks of a mouse.

Week Three: Web 2.0

The third week of class addressed the functions of Web 2.0. We were assigned an activity to explore the tools and applications of Web 2.o and how useful these resources are. The primary function of Web 2.o is not to create a new World Wide Web but rather give a centralized home to the interactive information sharing applications from wikis to blogs to video-sharing websites.

Web 2.o is a unique tool that can be useful in a Sports Management major for many different reasons. The applications featured on Web 2.o allows users to connect to others online by publishing information and pictures and expressing opinions. Being able to connect to and use these social-networking applications will help me in my career by allowing me to establish connections with possible co-workers, bosses, and clients. The applications on Web 2.o are resources that can help to improve the communication of ideas in the workforce.

This is a link to a page that provides quick links to some of the social-networking applications available on Web 2.o. Exploring the different capabilities of these applications shows how useful the tools available on Web 2.o can be to anyone in a career involving working with others.

Week Two: MacOSX

The second week's primary focus was on a Macintosh Operating System. Being familiar with a Macintosh is important in this course especially because I am most familiar with a PC and the switch to a Mac is important in being successful in the course and possibly later in my career. We spent a good amount of time becoming accustomed to the processes and getting a better understanding of how to create projects and complete assignments on the Mac. The Mac shows an example of how far technology has come in the past couple years.

Due to the growing popularity of Macintosh computers, there is high likelihood that I will come across work in my career that involves being able to understand and work efficiently on a Mac. Sports Management is a field that requires me to be able to work quickly and effectively with other people. Often, time is of the essence in a sports management and being able to adapt my knowledge and work to another type of operating system will make me more invaluable. The Macintosh Corporation is increasing it's technological hold on the new millennium and it's important to keep ahead of the curve.

This brief commercial clip shows the revolutionary, cutting edge technology that Macintosh continues to compel the technological industry with it's newest invention, the Apple Ipad.

Week One: Educational Technology

Everyday, the world becomes more interconnected thanks to the tools technology gives society. We learned that education technology is the employment of different types of technological tools and resources, such as computers or digital media, to help develop and shape learning in the classroom or online. Education technology benefits both students and teachers alike by allowing them to enhance their educational experiences by using the technologies available to them. The more that technology expands, the greater number of opportunities students and teachers have to use technology to benefit the learning experience.

Although my major being Sports Management, I wouldn't be using the education technology tools in a classroom setting or helping students use these resources for learning, the education technology resources would allow me to better understand the constantly changing world of technology. The technologies I learn can be used to help me one day be better in my career by using them to give a more meaningful presentation or create a better work environment. By understanding the newest trends in technology it will allow me to keep up with other organizations in a field that is extremely competitive.

This next clip of a Panasonic VCR commercial from 1983 shows a glimpse of how technology has advanced so far in the past decades and how far we are likely to go in the next few. With the rapid change of technology in society, everyday technologies get lighter, faster, smaller, and increasingly simple to use. Today, VCR's are practically non-existent but in this commercial, these technologies were cutting edge.