My E-portfolio and mindmapping experience.

I found that using the mindmapping for the layout of my

E-portfolio helped a lot with keeping the design in order.

Sherrys Mind Map

I found that the software x-mind was very user friendly and easy to use. I probably will find myself using this software when I start my website design company.

Here is the link to my E-Portfolio

Sherry's Portfolio

This week we also learned about wikis. They are a great tool for coolaborating. It is different from a blog because it allows other users to make changes (group) where a blog is only 1 user and other can leave comments.

I am trying to convince my manager to allow us to start a wiki a my place of employment. This will be a big challenge to convince him of how it will help with the communication in our office. I think it is a very usefull tool. It keeps all the documents in one place where they can't get lost like e-mails can. If something becomes deleted you have a trail. When I start my own business, I plan on using wiki's to communicate and train my employess.

My E-portfolio and mindmapping experience.

Reflection of E-portfolio

Here is the link to my e-portfolio.
Sherry's E-portfolio
It was a lot of fun to put together.
I found it very easy since I am used to designing my own sites
using HTML. This was very simple and easy to do.
I am still trying to figure out how to add my videos that are not on youtube.
I will continue to work on this.
I am not sure if I'm going to keep this color scheme, but for now it looks
pretty professional.
I also added my own logo to the site, to make it look a little more creative.

Reflections on Mind Mapping

X-mind I thought was a very useful tool. It saves you from drawing it out on paper and then forgetting where you put the paper. This way you can save it on your computer and refer back to it when needed. It the more green way to accomplish your task. I find it very usefull to help organize your thoughts. I think I may try to use it with my report writing. I am in report hell right now and this may keep me organized. I let you know if it helps.
Mind maps can be used for:-
Problem Solving
Outline / Framework Design
Anonymous collaboration.
Marriage of words and visuals.
Individual expression of creativity.
Condensing material into a concise and memorable format.
Team building or synergy creating activity.
Enhancing work morale.

Mind Mapping

Here is my mind map for my e-portfolio.
F- My form is going to be a website
A- My audience is going to be my potential employer.
T- My topic is going to be my work I have created and my experiences.
P- My purpose is to market myself as a qualified employee who is will to take challenges to get a great job.

Here is the link to my mindmap

http://share.xmind.net/angels6889/portfolio-1/

Social Networking

This week I set up my Linkedin, Diigo and Netvibes account. I didn't have any trouble setting them up. The first one I set up was my Linkedin account (http://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrybates). This application is a professional Facebook. Here you are able to set up a resume' of all your accomplishments in the hope that one of your connections will view it and offer you an incredible job. My only thought while I was setting my account up was I don't have a lot of different jobs. I have been at the same job for 16 years which is about 1/3 of my life. I have accomplished alot at my current job, but I feel that my skills seem quite boring.

The nect application I set up was the Diigo account. I installed the tool so I can bookmark sites and RSS feeds and blogs without adding them to my favorite list. This makes it much easier to keep track of the things I am interested in.

My favorite application was the netvibes account. At first, I didn't understand the process. I kept playing with it and now I LOVE it. I also showed my daughter and she is setting up an account. It is great to have everything you use on one page. When I turn on my computer I know my updates from Facebook, My Blog, My email, the Weather. I also get the local news and the news from around the world. It is great.

My Experience with Tagging

I just needed to tell you my experience this week with Facebook. I went to my daughters recital last Sunday, and I took around 289 photos. When I got home I uploaded them to my Facebook account and tagged them with my daughters name and her dance teachers name. The next day, I checked my e-mail and I had 100 emails. This is the most emails I have ever received in one day. They were all requesting to tag my photos. Some were comments on the photos. I also had several friend request. I have now learned the benefit of tagging photos. Once you tag a person, it spreads through all their friends. Photos are the one thing I have found that grab peoples attention.
I just had to share this, since we are learning about tags this week.

Is Blogging the same as Facebook?

When one thinks of putting their opinions and feeling on the web, they assume you mean Facebook or MySpace. However, no one ever mentions a Blog. A blog is a more formal way for one to express themselves. A blog very rarely uses slang words. In Facebook and Myspace, the writing is often in code or slang.

Both Blogs and social networks allow one to upload videos, music and photos. They both are used to collaborate and to form a network of communication.

Blogs are used to help keep one informed on education, job and hobbies. Blogs are more in depth than the postings on social networks. They go into more detail. They can give specific instructions on how to do something, like setting up a blog.

Here is a quote I came across that I think is the real definition of a blog.

For centuries, writers have experimented with forms that evoke the imperfection of thought, the inconstancy of human affairs, and the chastening passage of time. But as blogging evolves as a literary form, it is generating a new and quintessentially postmodern idiom that’s enabling writers to express themselves in ways that have never been seen or understood before. Its truths are provisional, and its ethos collective and messy. Yet the interaction it enables between writer and reader is unprecedented, visceral, and sometimes brutal. And make no mistake: it heralds a golden era for journalism.
by Andrew Sullivan

My Reflections on setting up my Blog

This is the second blog that I have set up. The first one I did was for my Digital Photography class. This time I learned that I could link the 2 blogs together. My first blog, I really didn't like the style, so this time I found a style that I liked better. I like to design my own layout, but I still haven't figured out how to do that with Blogger. Therefore, I searched the Internet for blog templates and found several I like. I will probably change my style every couple of months.

This will keep my blog fresh. I am going to still try to play with designing my own site. I would love to have a unique style that no one else has.

Here is a video that helps change the templates. I hope you like it.