I am delighted to announce that E-Learning Queen's writing resources guide, Writing Survival Guide, which consists of a large set of original worksheets, templates, and flowcharts for use in writing and composition classes has been peer-reviewed by MERLOT and received a great rating!
Here is MERLOT's portal page of the Writing Survival Guide. As you can see, the site has been in MERLOT since 2008. Since that time, I've added flowcharts and have re-arranged a bit.
Here is the MERLOT review which was published in April of this year. I was delighted that the reviewers found the worksheets engaging, useful, and easy to use. It was also great to hear that they liked the graphics, which consist of cartoons that I digitized. The guide was penalized a bit for having distracting and intrusive ads, so they have been deleted. What seemed at first to be a great way to generate cash flow to support the site turned out to be simply a time-consuming and unproductive headache.
I'm all for promoting products, but I think that they should be integral to a website, and ad links, banner ads, pop-ups are often distracting (potentially even seizure-inducing!). To be effective, it's clear that there has to be some sort of win-win and immediately perceived benefit to the reader. At the very least, the ad needs to be relevant and useful. For example, it might not be a bad idea to include a link to a writing conference or workshop, if it's relevant to the audience.
But, back to the main point of this announcement. I'm thrilled that the MERLOT has peer-reviewed the site, and even more thrilled to know that there are professors who are using it as a resource. Very exciting! Please visit the site and share :)
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Mini-Lectures Using Learning Objects: Bosch's The Haywain (1516)
Animated learning objects that bring together images, audio, and interaction are a perfect place to engage students. Now that many translate to HTML5 and are designed to be responsive so that they play well on tablets and smartphones (and on all platforms) as well as laptops, etc., they're a great way to deliver mini-lectures. Click to see one that I created for the purposes of this blog. Hieronymus Bosch / Technologies of Perdition in The Haywain.
Hieronymus Bosch's The Haywain (1516) is a wonderful of example art and technology; specifically art illustrating technologies of perdition. It's profoundly apocalyptic as well as illustrative of the human condition. There is really nothing like Bosch when it comes to satisfying visual narratives.
So, I thought I'd put together a learning object as a "mini lecture." In this case I used Articulate Engage because it easily allows integration of images, text, and audio in a number of pre-prepared templates. This one is "guided image" and it features animated arrows along with interaction. It's a responsive object, but unfortunately, it's not responsive enough to be able to expand it on a touchscreen, which is rather unsatisfying.
I am also unsatisfied that there is not a "pause" or a "resume" control button on the audio player, and I ended up putting all the text in the scroll-down box because there is not a button for downloading the script as a single file, although the script is available if you have access to the Articulate Engage interface. There is no way to download the script from the object, though, and so I think it's necessary when using the object to include a separate link for the text of the script.
Thoughts on Learning Objects as Mini-Lectures
It is fun to think about how you can also repurpose your videos and incorporate them into learning objects that can be used as mini-lectures. What I like about learning objects is that you can use them within a learning management system, but you can also liberate them and host them on web space you might have (or simply use Google Drive with a setting to share with the world), and the can be "stand-alones."
At any rate, the possibilities are endless, and there are many different ways to use the new learning objects any time, any where, on all devices.
Here's one where I embedded videos shot in upstate New York (Yaddo Artist Retreat), on the topic of Sylvia Plath's journals. Learning Object: Mini Lecture with Videos on Sylvia Plath .
A few final thoughts
All comments and responses to Bosch and Plath by Susan Smith Nash. They are intended to encourage creativity to illustrate what can be done in online learning, and should not be construed as rigorous critical exegesis. Copy and paste into a term paper at your own peril.
 |
| Bosch's Haywain Mini-Lecture via Learning Object |
Hieronymus Bosch's The Haywain (1516) is a wonderful of example art and technology; specifically art illustrating technologies of perdition. It's profoundly apocalyptic as well as illustrative of the human condition. There is really nothing like Bosch when it comes to satisfying visual narratives.
So, I thought I'd put together a learning object as a "mini lecture." In this case I used Articulate Engage because it easily allows integration of images, text, and audio in a number of pre-prepared templates. This one is "guided image" and it features animated arrows along with interaction. It's a responsive object, but unfortunately, it's not responsive enough to be able to expand it on a touchscreen, which is rather unsatisfying.
I am also unsatisfied that there is not a "pause" or a "resume" control button on the audio player, and I ended up putting all the text in the scroll-down box because there is not a button for downloading the script as a single file, although the script is available if you have access to the Articulate Engage interface. There is no way to download the script from the object, though, and so I think it's necessary when using the object to include a separate link for the text of the script.
Thoughts on Learning Objects as Mini-Lectures
It is fun to think about how you can also repurpose your videos and incorporate them into learning objects that can be used as mini-lectures. What I like about learning objects is that you can use them within a learning management system, but you can also liberate them and host them on web space you might have (or simply use Google Drive with a setting to share with the world), and the can be "stand-alones."
At any rate, the possibilities are endless, and there are many different ways to use the new learning objects any time, any where, on all devices.
Here's one where I embedded videos shot in upstate New York (Yaddo Artist Retreat), on the topic of Sylvia Plath's journals. Learning Object: Mini Lecture with Videos on Sylvia Plath .
 |
| Learning Object with embedded videos -- perfect for mini-lecture on all devices on Sylvia Plath |
Full Text of Bosch's The Haywain Lecture
Bosch's apocalyptic imagination really shines in this piece, a large painting (4-1/2 by 6-1/2 feet) which is a triptych that creates a narrative that illustrates the human condition, after first living in the Garden of Eden, and then being cast out for sin. Far from Eden, the world is populated by Eve's children who inhabit the earth in a condition of degradation and sin. The second (center) panel, which is our focus here, features a fascinating vehicle, which is at the same time, a trap to tempt people, and also the vehicle that carts them away to hell. The third panel illustrates the hideous condition they will experience in Hell. A finely detailed digital copy is in the public domain.
The haywain offers "hay" (temptation) and it carts people to hell
The center panel illustrates fallen world with lust, greed, and gluttony. The haywain is a technological device - a vehicle that both tempts and takes away. There is certainly an echo of the Trojan horse here, as well as the ferry across the river Styx.
Haywain is a vehicle dragged by demons
The sinners who ride the haywain and try to grasp their share of the hay are being carted to the inferno by demons (note their horrific forms; part beast, part human...)
Relishing the exposure of human nature
Bosch relishes the exposure of true behaviors and relationships, and there is a true frisson in doing so in extreme detail. Bosch's essential message has to do with the battle between good and evil, and the struggle to overcome sin. Here we see humanity's essential nature (which is to be caught up in greed, lust, sin) and to be ignorant (or oblivious to) the fact one is being carted straight to the pit.
Bosch Summary
With his extreme detail, and the baroque exaggeration of the people and beasts who populate his art, Hieronymus Bosch never fails to fascinate audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The Haywain now housed in the Prado Museum in Spain is an excellent example of a theme that is repeated in his work: we live in a world inhabited by sin, temptation, and very real demons. Whether the figures are reflect a horror of the world's temptations, or a reveling in the human condition (with its extremes and ultimate perdition), has been an intriguing topic of debate. Further, Bosch's work is deeply revelatory and shows people's hidden motives and also the often unrecognized vehicles of our own perdition.
A few final thoughts
All comments and responses to Bosch and Plath by Susan Smith Nash. They are intended to encourage creativity to illustrate what can be done in online learning, and should not be construed as rigorous critical exegesis. Copy and paste into a term paper at your own peril.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Review of Administering ArcGIS for Server
If you are using GIS applications, you need a guide to help
you install and manage a solid backbone architecture that will allow you to
incorporate all the newest and most integrative GIS services.
 |
| Administering ArcGIS for Server |
Administering ArcGISfor Server (Packt Publishing, 2014) by ESRI award-winning Hussein Nasser is a clear, easy-to-follow
guide which takes you all the way from installation to configuring and
launching GIS services.
The first part of the book is dedicated to installing ArcGIS
for Server. The text guides you through what you need in terms of a Web server
as well as a GIS server. It also shows you how to test the installation track,
and then how to set up a production server. You can also learn how to set up a
virtualized environment, which can be very helpful if you need to run a virtual
machine.
Once you’ve installed ArcGIS for Server, Nasser shows you
how to configure it in order to run as a classical web service. He recommends
using a standard format and discusses SOAP and REST. Because a GIS service is a web service having
a geographical element, it is important to look at the two dominant services:
Esri and also Open Geospacial Consortium (OGC) services.
Nasser recommends using ArcGIS for Desktop (referred to as
Desktop) as the main map services authoring tool. While one could argue that
this approach may make you overly dependent on ArcGIS, both on the server side
and also on the authoring tool side, but at least you can assure yourself that
they are compatible.
The book is very practical. Once you’ve installed ArcGIS for
Server as the backbone architecture, Nasser guides you through how to consuming
services from GIS software in your system, with an emphasis on today’s main
needs, which usually revolve around visualization.
In the first part of the book, you can see how to use
ArcMap, QGIS, and even Google Earth from within your configuration. The book
includes a few exercises and examples, which are very helpful.
You may need to put together GIS services that run from your
server. If that is the case, you will need to plan carefully in order to
analyze the requirements, design the databases, optimize the database indexes,
and to deploy GIS services, which include enabling a geodatabase, a world
basemap and authoring custom GIS services. You’ll also need to optimize the
services (pool, isolate processes, and caching). Administering ArcGIS for Server will help you do so.
You’re also guided through security so that you can protect
your digital assets and intellectual property. Nasser guides you through token,
key, and how to connect to a secured service.
Finally, Administering
ArcGIS for Server addresses backups, documentation, logs, and optimizing the
flow (finding bottlenecks, etc.). The appendices are remarkably informative –
one of my favorite sections deals with the rise of ArcGIS Server and also the
benefits of a 64-bit architecture.
Thursday, April 03, 2014
Free: Technical / Professional Writing in a Device-Driven World
While technical and professional writing goals have remained the same, the world in which such writing is being produced has not. Smartphones, tablets, social media, GIS-enabled extreme interactivity have changed the way we communicate dramatically in just the last 18 months. What is the impact on you? How must you change your approach to maintain effectiveness?
View an archived webinar, Technical Writing Triage, offered free for a limited time, and learn how to create effective documents on all devices.
If you are interested in more in-depth instruction, you can earn AAPG continuing education units and an AAPG certificate if you sign up for the guided 8-unit online course on technical writing.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Creating Quick, Responsive Web and Mobile Map Applications
It is not
easy to find a GIS web app builder that takes you all the way from the basic
initial steps of familiarizing yourself with HMTL, CSS, and JavaScript to
fairly complicated web applications.
Building Web and Mobile ArcGIS Server Applications with JavaScript, by Eric Pimpler and published by Packt Publishing has
two main advantages: first, you can use high-quality GIS data (or at least data
that is specific to your needs), and second, you can create light apps that
work quickly over a number of different devices. You’re not likely to have
obsolete apps using HTML 5 and JavaScript, which is what is featured here.
The book is
very logically organized: you start by creating a base map, and then add layers
of data to the map, and then have it all display as a web page. You’re able to
add different types of data layers, which include tiled, dynamic, and feature.
The section on adding data layers is very robust (as it should be), and it’s
followed by adding Graphics to the Map. It’s important to keep in mind that the
graphics layer sits on top of the other layers – so, some data management /
housekeeping / filing protocols and customs are very helpful here. In this
book, the basemaps are provided by ArcGIS Online.
For a person
who does not work with GIS data or ArcGIS every day, it’s probably best to work
through the examples and see how they’re being developed. In that case, I’d look at chapter 8, “Turning
Addresses into Points and Points into Addresses,” and then work through the
example a couple of times. The chapter covers geocoding, which is at the heart
of web mapping applications. It’s the way you turn physical addresses into
latitude and longitude coordinates.
The book
clearly demonstrates how to write and test the JavaScript code in the
JavaScript Sandbox, and then it gives you a chance to practice. I also like the
little tips and tricks – example, use Notepad++ instead of Notepad for coding
(to avoid the extraneous code problems of Word, etc.).
In addition
to Geocoding, there is a very clear and easy-to-follow chapter on using
Geoprocessor, which is very good for developing models.
The appendix
gives an example of using ArcGIS templates and also Dojo in order to develop
user interfaces. This section alone is worth the price of the book. The
instructions are very clear and the screenshots appropriate and easy to follow.
Some of the
chapters contain a great deal of code and not perhaps as much detailed
explanation as might be useful for people who are fairly new. It would not be a
bad idea to have more callouts in the code to point to what exactly is
happening.
Overall,
this is a great manual – very practical and extremely timely.
Just a last
thought -- when you first read the title of the book, Building Web and Mobile ArcGIS Server Applications with JavaScript,
you may immediately ask yourself two questions:
first, why ArcGIS and why not Google Earth or Google Maps integrated
apps?; and second, why JavaScript?
First,
ArcGIS Server is the most popular and widely-used platform for developing GIS
applications for the web. It uses many different dynamic map sources, and is
not tied to just one (such as Google Earth). So, if you use ArcGIS Server, you
can incorporate the best possible map sources / GIS information.
Second,
JavaScript works really well with modern web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox,
Chrome, and Safari), and it works well with HTML 5. This allows maximum flexibility
with mobile applications. Using JavaScript in web applications will optimize
performance because the applications are dynamic and do not have to return to
the server for data. As a result, they are very responsive and use-friendly,
not to mention that they are also faster.
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Narrative Milestones Capture Hearts & Minds
Narrative milestones can be your secret to presentations that capture the hearts and minds of your audience for both technical and creative writing.
Have you ever listened to a presentation or a story and lost interest because it's just a jumble of information? Did you get the sense that the forest was being lost for the trees?
Or, even though the presentation was well organized and the skeleton / structure clearly visible, your mind still wandered off, utterly bored?
Chances are, the presentation was missing narrative milestones, which are critical in the telling of any kind of story, whether in creative writing, or in business presentations such as project summaries, training, sales, and investor conference calls.
What is a narrative milestone?
It is a temporal or topical "marker" within the text.
It is a temporal or topical "marker" within the text.
How is a milestone different than a subheading or a chapter title?
A narrative milestone is a trigger and a marker and it marks not just the passage and unfolding of information but also the sparking of emotional connection which keeps the reader engaged.
A narrative milestone is a trigger and a marker and it marks not just the passage and unfolding of information but also the sparking of emotional connection which keeps the reader engaged.
What is it good for?
It helps the reader or the listener develop categories or patterns for the creation of schema (or schemata) that will search as a framework for organizing information. It also helps the reader stay "hooked" or engaged in the text.
It helps the reader or the listener develop categories or patterns for the creation of schema (or schemata) that will search as a framework for organizing information. It also helps the reader stay "hooked" or engaged in the text.
Where are milestones most effective in a narrative?
There should be a milestone at the beginning of the text. It does not have to be the same as a topic sentence, but should definitely communicate how/why a listener should care about what is being said. Then, there should be milestones at regular intervals within your text. If you're presenting it verbally or via video conference, include a mini-milestone every 30 to 45 seconds, and a major one every 2 minutes.
There should be a milestone at the beginning of the text. It does not have to be the same as a topic sentence, but should definitely communicate how/why a listener should care about what is being said. Then, there should be milestones at regular intervals within your text. If you're presenting it verbally or via video conference, include a mini-milestone every 30 to 45 seconds, and a major one every 2 minutes.
What are the characteristics of an effective milestone?
An effective milestone is a great "hook" and combines conveys important facts while sparking an emotional connection.
An effective milestone is a great "hook" and combines conveys important facts while sparking an emotional connection.
Are milestones simply factual?
No. A milestone can trigger emotions, and so are effective rhetorically in utilizing both pathos (emotions) and logos (logic/facts). Thus milestones can be effective in a persuasive, emotionally compelling document or presentation.
No. A milestone can trigger emotions, and so are effective rhetorically in utilizing both pathos (emotions) and logos (logic/facts). Thus milestones can be effective in a persuasive, emotionally compelling document or presentation.
Narrative milestones will help you avoid that terrible sense that no one is listening to your presentation, or, worse, after reading it, they had absolutely no recall of the facts, nor did they have any sort of emotional response.
Building in narrative milestones can help you create a very effective presentation or story, and you can convince your audience to actually remember and care about it.
(also posted this blog entry in LinkedIn).
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Seven Top Cloud File Storage and File-Sharing Sites
Cloud-based file storage and transfer solutions change all the time, and it's often hard to keep up with their new features and plans. Here are seven excellent providers of cloud file storage and transfer, and each one has scalable solutions. I've made a quick list of their main attributes, but I encourage you to visit each site. Please share your own user experience, and let me know what you think.
A-Drive: http://www.adrive.com/
50GB of online cloud storage. Free. Can file share quite easily. Edit documents online. Remote file transfer. Easy search tool. If you wish to share a file, you may do so via a link that is created when you upload our file.
** 50GB storage free
**Easy file-sharing via link
**Edit word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Uses Zoho.
**Search your files via search tool
**Can remotely transfer files from external websites to your ADrive account
Google Drive: http://drive.google.com
5 GB of free storage / very convenient for sharing access to files. It is very simple to put files into the cloud, either by uploading them, or by dragging them from your desktop. File-sharing is also very simple. However, one should be a bit cautious, since it is distressingly easy to inadvertently share with your Google+ contacts or other individuals in social networks. You must be very careful review what you’re checking and giving permission for.
**Easy to upload using your Google account
**Can email notifications of file sharing very easily
**Free
**Mobile app
**Interfaces with Google Docs for easy editing / collaboration
Box: http://www.box.com
With Box.com, an individual may have a free account with 10GB storage space, and a 250MB file upload size. It’s very easy to use Box.com for file sharing, transfer, and storage. If you’re working with a team, however, it would probably not be a bad idea to upgrade to the $5/month version which allows you 100GB of storage, and a 2GB file transfer size. You can lock files, run access statistics, and also grant individual permissions.
**Mobile apps
**Desktop sync
**Good file preview options
**SSL encryption
**can share links / embed via email or social media
**can share / edit using online collaboration
Hightail (formerly known as YouSendIt): http://www.hightail.com
2GB free, file size up to 250 MB. I'm not sure why YouSendIt would change their snappy name to something like Hightail. The emphasis is on speed ("hightailing it" suggests moving at a high rate of speed). I like the idea of a "high tail" in conjunction with a "long tail" -- cloud plus persistence? Hightail is very easy to use for file transfer. You don't have to worry about old files haunting you or bloating your storage space -- your files will automatically be eliminated after a certain amount of time.
**Easy drag-and-drop approach
**Simple interface
**Works on multiple devices
iDrive: http://www.idrive.com
5 GB free. Good for cloud-based backup for personal and enterprise computers. Need to download apps. Here are the unique comparative advantages of iDrive:
**Very fast (incremental and compressed backups)
**Can backup multiple devices (PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Android devices) in a single account
**Can manage remotely
**Can backup Facebook information
JustCloud: http://www.justcloud.com
Can automatically back up documents, photos, and music stored on your computer. JustCloud seems to focus more on business solutions, with $19.95 per month for 100GB storage space and 5 computers. There is a free solution, but unless one signs up, it's impossible to obtain information.
Dropbox: http://www.dropbox.com
2 GB free. Expensive to add more storage. Can be a bit nerve-wracking / integrates with social media (Google Plus, etc.) Dropbox has great brand recognition, but is probably one of the most expensive. The website pretty unfriendly, too. It’s challenging to get a side-by-side comparison of the plans.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Audio Recordings
I'd like to start by confessing that I am a huge audio quality offender, but I'm trying to reform. I've recorded hundreds of podcasts and videocasts, and have cheerfully distributed them, thinking that pops, stumbles, background noise, and long pauses did not matter. After all, they were just going to be listened to via smartphone from a podcast or cloud-hosted file (SoundCloud or YouTube, for example) -- do not spontaneity and authenticity trump quality?
The short answer is, "No." Of course, over-editing and over-rehearsing can certainly diminish the user / listener experience. But, straining to hear a voice though the sound of a gale-force wind, or listening to awkward pauses, stumbles, and verbal tics will frustrate the listener to the point that they may not listen to the entire production, even if it's 30 seconds long.
Here are five tips to dramatically improve your audio recordings, whether they are stand-alones, or are combined with video or presentation slideshows.
1. Don't use the internal microphone on your computer or smartphone. If you're using your laptop, plug in a separate microphone -- perhaps a headset with microphone. If you're using a tablet or smartphone (for the times you're "in the wild" and want to capture an event), please use an external hand-held microphone with windscreen. Be sure to check to make sure that your software is not defaulting back to the internal microphone. Some programs such as Camtasia seem to do that often, and it seems only to happen when you've had a perfect take.
2. Invest in a headset microphone that puts money into the microphone and not just the headset. Gaming headsets are notorious for having wonderful headsets so that you can listen to all the game's music and sound effects, but they have the equivalent of a 4-dollar condenser microphone mounted into the swivel. Check into the specifications before you buy. Be prepared to pay more than $20.
3. Record (if possible) using a computer (or in some rare cases, a tablet) that allows you to adjust your settings and then to save as a project that you can then encode and export into different types of files (.wav, .mp3, etc.). Make sure you have enough space and speed: 2 GB of RAM and 2 GHz coprocessor). You will have more of an opportunity to control and edit your audio.
4. Use an audio editing program that has a number of effects, which include noise reduction, amplification, declipping, and more. Learn how to remove peaks, amplify, remove silence, and level your tracks, and to avoid clipping. Here's a great tutorial: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Audacity_Tutorials (thanks to Librivox.org).
5. Avoid editing and re-editing, and then re-saving copies of an mp3 file. If possible go back to the original recording and make all your changes from the original recording, rather than a processed copy of a processed copy of a processed copy.
Some of these tips seem almost laughably simple, but (I'm not laughing now!) -- I cheerfully disregarded them, since I assumed that no one would be listening on anything more than the most lightweight sort of smartphone and earbuds.
As technology advances and quality -- not just in the recording but also in the listening -- improves, it's becoming more important to take your skills to the next level. It's not too difficult once you've mastered the five basic tips, and you'll produce a much more agreeable sound.
I'm not where I'd like to be yet, but I'm working hard on taking my skills to the next level. I've invested in better equipment, and I'm working with
Recommended Audio Recording / Editing Software
Audacity Open Source Audio Recording and Editing Software
Pros:
* Free and open source
* Very flexible
* Easy to use
* Easy to edit files
* Expanded and constantly expanding set of effects (including noise reduction and amplification)
Cons:
Fairly steep learning curve: Not all the settings are easy to find, and while there is quite a bit of support material on the web and in Audacity's website, it's scattered and not completely easy to find. If is very worthwhile to take an online course that walks you through Audacity.
Creating mp3 files: In order to convert to mp3, you have to download a LAME encoder program. The one that is most widely available for free can be downloaded from website that contains all sorts of extraneous links designed to entice you to purchase video editors or download personal projects (here's the link I'm referring to: http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/). It's a mine field, but if you can make your way through it, you'll have the software you need.
Achieving precise volume levels: If you're trying to hit a specific volume level in decibels, you're out of luck with Audacity. The task is further complicated by the fact that the wave forms and volume levels will be different on every computer. There are a few programs / plug-ins that you can use, but they're hard to find. Here's one: mp3gain: http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/download.php
***
I hope that this has been helpful.
The short answer is, "No." Of course, over-editing and over-rehearsing can certainly diminish the user / listener experience. But, straining to hear a voice though the sound of a gale-force wind, or listening to awkward pauses, stumbles, and verbal tics will frustrate the listener to the point that they may not listen to the entire production, even if it's 30 seconds long.
 |
| Use audio recording and editing software for good results. |
1. Don't use the internal microphone on your computer or smartphone. If you're using your laptop, plug in a separate microphone -- perhaps a headset with microphone. If you're using a tablet or smartphone (for the times you're "in the wild" and want to capture an event), please use an external hand-held microphone with windscreen. Be sure to check to make sure that your software is not defaulting back to the internal microphone. Some programs such as Camtasia seem to do that often, and it seems only to happen when you've had a perfect take.
2. Invest in a headset microphone that puts money into the microphone and not just the headset. Gaming headsets are notorious for having wonderful headsets so that you can listen to all the game's music and sound effects, but they have the equivalent of a 4-dollar condenser microphone mounted into the swivel. Check into the specifications before you buy. Be prepared to pay more than $20.
3. Record (if possible) using a computer (or in some rare cases, a tablet) that allows you to adjust your settings and then to save as a project that you can then encode and export into different types of files (.wav, .mp3, etc.). Make sure you have enough space and speed: 2 GB of RAM and 2 GHz coprocessor). You will have more of an opportunity to control and edit your audio.
4. Use an audio editing program that has a number of effects, which include noise reduction, amplification, declipping, and more. Learn how to remove peaks, amplify, remove silence, and level your tracks, and to avoid clipping. Here's a great tutorial: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Audacity_Tutorials (thanks to Librivox.org).
5. Avoid editing and re-editing, and then re-saving copies of an mp3 file. If possible go back to the original recording and make all your changes from the original recording, rather than a processed copy of a processed copy of a processed copy.
 |
| View of Audacity while recording |
As technology advances and quality -- not just in the recording but also in the listening -- improves, it's becoming more important to take your skills to the next level. It's not too difficult once you've mastered the five basic tips, and you'll produce a much more agreeable sound.
I'm not where I'd like to be yet, but I'm working hard on taking my skills to the next level. I've invested in better equipment, and I'm working with
Recommended Audio Recording / Editing Software
 |
| open source audio recording and editing software |
Pros:
* Free and open source
* Very flexible
* Easy to use
* Easy to edit files
* Expanded and constantly expanding set of effects (including noise reduction and amplification)
Cons:
Fairly steep learning curve: Not all the settings are easy to find, and while there is quite a bit of support material on the web and in Audacity's website, it's scattered and not completely easy to find. If is very worthwhile to take an online course that walks you through Audacity.
Creating mp3 files: In order to convert to mp3, you have to download a LAME encoder program. The one that is most widely available for free can be downloaded from website that contains all sorts of extraneous links designed to entice you to purchase video editors or download personal projects (here's the link I'm referring to: http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/). It's a mine field, but if you can make your way through it, you'll have the software you need.
Achieving precise volume levels: If you're trying to hit a specific volume level in decibels, you're out of luck with Audacity. The task is further complicated by the fact that the wave forms and volume levels will be different on every computer. There are a few programs / plug-ins that you can use, but they're hard to find. Here's one: mp3gain: http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/download.php
***
I hope that this has been helpful.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Free Image-Editing Programs: A Review
It is always useful to have viable options to Photoshop
and other expensive image editing software. However, which web-based and
mobile friendly image / photo editors really work? This article
reviews a few popular (and largely free) image editing software.
PicMonkey
Free version (which has numerous
enhancements), which allows photo editing, creating icons, badges,
and graphics. Large array of fonts and quirky seasonal graphics (Day
of the Dead, etc.), touch-up tools included, also can make collages.
Overlays include hair, hats, stars, fireworks, “critters,”
“buggles,” “ordinary beasts.” It is very cute and easy to
use.
Attributes: cloud-based, not necessary
to download, very easy to use interface. Really cute library of
built-in graphics and effects.
Downsides: Some of the more useful
tools and attributes are not free
PortraitPro
Do you ever wonder what photo editing
software celebrity publicists use? After seeing the examples in the
PortraitProfessional.com website, I can see using the
PortraitProfessional software before Photoshop. The lowest-cost
version includes skin smoothing, eye enhancing, hair enhancing, face
sculpting, mouth enhancing tools, along other portrait-specific
tools.
There is a free 30-day trial, and three
levels of features:
Studio Max: $119.95
Studio: $ 59.95
Standard: $ 39.95
Picasa
Picasa is ideal for use with social
media, particularly since it's owned by Google and works well with
Google+ sharing and tagging. It's not available for Macs. Picasa
continues to expand its offerings and now includes 24 new effects.
Unfortunately, Picasa is not cloud-based, but is necessary to
download to an individual computer.
GIMP 2.8
GIMP is one of the longest-lived free
image editing software. It is ideal for image authoring, image
editing, photo retouching, and image composition. It's not
cloud-based – you must download it. The good news is that GIMP is
available for Mac OS X, as well as Windows and Linux.
Pixlr
Pixlr.com has three basic cloud-based /
web-based programs, and you can use Pixlr with your mobile device:
Pixlr Editor: Allows you to create a
new image, or open from file or URL, and edit with a wide array of
effects (including adding text)
Pixlr Express: web-based, with many
different built-in overlays and stickers to allow you to create
custom greeting cards. You may use images downloaded, from your
webcam, or from a URL. It works quite well with Flickr images (tried
out and enjoyed it a great deal).
Pixlr-Omatic: Pixlr-Omatic allows you
to add effects (reminds me of Picasa's effects), along with a wid
range of overlays and borders. You can save to your computer and also
to the cloud at imm.oi
Benefits: Web-based, and you can use
it with your mobile device (as a download, rather than web-based)
Downsides: There are almost too many
options (!) – a guide to creating effective graphics would be quite
helpful.
Now that you have more options, what
are you going to do with your holiday photos? This is traditionally a
time when photos are uploaded and shared, and when digital cards,
greetings, graphics are created not only for social networking, but
also for end-of-year reports, new year brochures, catalogues, and
marketing pieces. It's time to truly differentiate yourself by means
of dramatic images.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Post-Postmodernism: What's Next?
I don’t think we’ll ever
completely separate ourselves from postmodernist notions. After all, some
postmodernist ideas have been percolating around in discourses of consciousness
and meaning-making processes at least since Dante’s 13th-century Letter
to Cangrande della Scalla in which the author (presumably Dante) discusses
the fact that his work is polysemous. He expounds upon that notion and
discusses four types of meanings which result in multiple strategies for
interpreting texts.
Further, if postmodernist
expanded the notion of “text” to include signs, natural phenomena, and more,
well, we’ve had that in our consciousness ever since early Babylonian
astrologers. In terms of creating patterns and developing codes / numerical
strategies for text interpretations, we’ve certainly had that since Jewish gematria,
and then also Kabbalistic practices.
This is not the place to
develop a genealogy of postmodernist thoughts. I would love to do so, but I don’t
want to deviate from the central idea, which is to say that for the last 10 or
20 years, theorists of all sorts have been attempting to declare postmodernism
has declared officially “over” – and have proposed a wide array of alternative
theories, many of which have to do with culture, technology, gender, and
ethics.
There are aspects of
postmodernist thought that I find very useful and I would not want to give them
up. For example, I don’t want to give up some of the more interesting notions
of reality and reality construction.
Perhaps it’s not
productive to say that the world is completely an illusion, but it’s fun to
think so. I also like the social constructivist ideas, especially when
connected with power. For example, I have to say that I agree when Foucault and
Baudrillard suggests prisons exist not only to enforce behavioral norms, but
also to delude us into thinking that there is a “free” world and that “freedom”
is an absolute, when in reality, there are all kinds of constraints to our freedom,
beginning with language itself, and ending in behaviors, beliefs, and values
that may be, in essence, coercive.
I think it is interesting
that many of the new ideas of post-postmodernism have much to do with new
technologies and the impact on identity (digital communities), selfhood
(genetic engineering), privacy (Internet, surveillance, UAVs), communication
(communications technologies), understanding the world (computing, Big Data),
and more.
In fact, once one uses
technology as the primum mobile of consciousness and global
epistemological constructs, it’s easy to see how a next logical step would be a
preferential shift to technocratic social organization, from individual
communication to bodies politic. The implications could pretty scary. Technocracies
are notoriously dehumanizing, especially when combined with command economies
or oligopoly-tending capitalistic economies.
Here are a few recent
ideas:
Pseudo-modernism /
digimodernism: Digital technology can dismantle persistent
postmodern issues such as “existential uncertainty” and “artistic
anti-essentialism.” Kirby argues that the post-postmodern generation reverts to
modernism, at least in the sense that there is a renewed belief in agency and
in individual ability to influence others (by means of technology). See
Kirby (2009) Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern
and Reconfigure our Culture.
Automodernism:
Robert Samuels argues that new technology allow a new level of neutrality to
emerge. At the same time, postmodernist identity “flux” is supplanted by new,
hardened identity politics.
Complexism:
Philip Galanter has created a fusion of technology and the arts; it has been
suggested that he echoes and updates the Russian and Italian Futurists (who
were certainly pro-technology, with the idea that technology helps establish a
coherent New World Order. Some of the enthusiasm died in WWI and in the early
Soviet Union.
Hypermodernism:
Hypermodernism, coined in the 1990s, is a chaotic, high-intensity, fast-paced
world of rapid and always evolving identity and social relationships. The
hypermodern is not characterized by indeterminacy (as would the postmodernist
world), but in quick moments of stasis, followed by discrete, lenticular “pods”
of culture / socioeconomic / socio-political ontology.
Altermodernism: Nicolas
Bourriaud embraces alterity and takes it further, suggesting that the
creolization of our cultures in the global context will create a universal
aesthetic. Multiculturism is worn out. The next stage is the “creole” (which
will probably change, given the colonialist overtones implicit in the word
itself.)
***
References
Alighieri, Dante. Letter
to Can Grande della Scala. Accessed November 13, 2013 http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jod/cangrande.english.html
Awet (2013). Other
Post-Postmodernisms: A Glossary. Heterodoxia. April 2013. Accessed Nov
15, 2013. http://www.hyperboreans.com/heterodoxia/?p=896#more-896
Kirby, A. (2009) Digimodernism:
How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure our Culture.
London, NY: Continuum Publishers.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Interview with Lindsey Hill, Evanced Solutions: Innovators in E-Learning Series
Game-based learning continues to be one of the most engaging methods of learning for childing (as for adults), and fun, engaging learning apps can be very effective as well. Welcome to an interview with Lindsey Hill, Lead for Reading Engagement Innovation at Evanced Solutions and Evanced Games.
1. What is your name and your relation to elearning?
Hello, Susan. My name is Lindsey Hill. I’m the lead for Reading Engagement Innovation at Evanced Solutions, LLC and Evanced Games. My 14 years of teaching experience has provided me with a unique perspective on previous and current trends in improving reading proficiency.
We’re empowering children to be creative thinkers and problem solvers through today’s e-gaming technology. This enables me to shine a light on the real issues around children and reading and other learning deficiencies. Even though I’ve left the classroom, I visit classes regularly to help kids take ownership of their intellectual growth. I have noticed that when kids identify and embrace their particular interests, they can break through reading proficiency barriers and experience real success. I spend time with parents, teachers, librarians, and students in and out of elementary classrooms to demonstrate this.
In the modern classroom, digital games are a powerful platform for motivating student learning. That’s partly because we know that games tied directly to students’ interests drive frequency of use. Also, if a game offers achievable challenges, kids will have success. This, too, drives frequency.
If this seems a little vague, let me give you an example. I met a third-grader who told me he didn’t like to read, but he loved playing zombie-related video games. His interest in zombies led us to a discussion of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps mystery series. I followed up my classroom visit with an email to his teacher about his interest in mysteries. Not long after, she told me he had been reading the series and writing his own zombie comics that he shared with the class.
2. Tell me more about Evanced Games.
Evanced Games is a division of Evanced Solutions, LLC. We’re a technology company that empowers children to pursue learning outside of the classroom and develop closer relationships with the people around them. Our dedicated team of educators believes that gaining and sharing knowledge through children’s keenest interests is the best path for learning success. We introduce kids to the world of technology, while helping them to uncover their interests further, with special consideration to their individual learning styles.
We have partnered with Demco, our parent company, and have gotten great inspiration from our sister company, Edupress, to create digital versions of its award-winning educational content. We offer edu-gaming apps for children in grades K-6 that encourage learning beyond the classroom walls. Our three mobile apps—Froggy Phonics, Tic-Tac Bananas, and That’s Baloney—offer a fun way for children to practice a variety of Common Core skills, from phonics and algebra to cause-and-effect and simple problem-solving.
3. What is your area of expertise?
As a former elementary teacher and my school’s two-time Teacher of the Year honoree, I’m able to bring my first-hand experience and perspective to Evanced. Each new school year gave me an opportunity to foster relationships with my students. Making personal connections with my students valdidated who they were outside the classroom, as well as inside. Through a daily Community Circle, my students had the choice to share their fears about a sick pet or last night’s winning touchdown, for example. This process proved their two worlds could coexist, showing school was a safe place to use their imaginations and discover who they were.
Leaving the classroom was one of my toughest decisions, but I knew I was joining a team to impact even more kids with Evanced. I think my role as a parent of two young boys also brings another interesting perspective to the table. My real passion—my favorite thing in the world—is to help kids to experience a love of learning that goes beyond the classroom walls. They do this through self-discovery and creativity.
4. How did you go about designing an elearning game? How, in your experience, does game-based learning offer special advantages to teachers?
The Evanced Games team is made up of designers, teachers, artists, and developers. We work closely with kids as our experts. They help us create games that they will want to play without being told to. We invite them and their families into our design studio to play prototype games and give us their thoughts. We make changes to characters, sounds, story lines, and other elements based on what we hear from them.
Game-based learning helps resolve some of today’s educational issues. Classroom practices are changing all the time. With the initiation of the Common Core State Standards in 46 of our 50 states, the classroom atmosphere will, no doubt, change slightly. But, the impact of those changes will be minimal. Classroom teachers will focus more heavily on the conceptual understanding of skills as opposed to procedural proficiencies alone.
Teachers will feel confident in their approaches, when they see results from their students. The students’ interest in the activity will soar, because it is related to what they tell us they specifically want.
5. Is there such a thing as a *bad* elearning game? What are some things to avoid?
Any game that is designed for children—including e-learning games—should be fun. Plain and simple. If kids don’t think a game is naturally fun, they won’t play it.
“Bad” games tend to miss the mark on the story behind the game. The story line needs to be compelling to kids. They need to be interested. They need to care. “Bad” games provide unachievable challenges, and they offer very little autonomy, or choices, for the players.
Only after a game is considered enjoyable to play by children, should it be made to include the content that parents and teachers want. In other words, if you first start with the educational elements you want players to practice and become proficient in, and make fun an afterthought, you will have a significant failure on your hands.
6. What is the relationship between motivation and game-based learning?
Kids are motivated to play games of all types because they provide them with choices, achievable challenges, and they allow for social interactions with their friends and family. For older kids, they may even have some social interaction with other online gamers in other parts of the world, if they’re playing something like Clash of Clans or Minecraft, which are both very popular.
When playing a well-designed game, kids feel that there is a purpose to it—whether it’s meeting all of your froggy friends in Froggy Phonics or beating your little brother at tic tac toe in Tic Tac Bananas.
7. Who are your favorite authors who are writing on game-based elearning?
In order to understand a variety of perspectives on learning proficiencies, I’m currently enjoying How Children Succeed by Paul Tough and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.
I’m also reading The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens by Stephen Apkon. He discusses the concept of “screenagers” and the challenges of raising a very different generation of kids.
Each of these authors, however, explores building confidence in our children by using what kids know and how they use that knowledge. I also enjoy discovering different “mommy” and “daddy” bloggers, as well as teacher and librarian writers. They provide current, first-hand experiences with this next generation of kids that is our future.
******
Free Access for E-Learning Queen Learners!
Writing for Human Relations
E-Learner Survival Guide
1. What is your name and your relation to elearning?
Hello, Susan. My name is Lindsey Hill. I’m the lead for Reading Engagement Innovation at Evanced Solutions, LLC and Evanced Games. My 14 years of teaching experience has provided me with a unique perspective on previous and current trends in improving reading proficiency.
In the modern classroom, digital games are a powerful platform for motivating student learning. That’s partly because we know that games tied directly to students’ interests drive frequency of use. Also, if a game offers achievable challenges, kids will have success. This, too, drives frequency.
If this seems a little vague, let me give you an example. I met a third-grader who told me he didn’t like to read, but he loved playing zombie-related video games. His interest in zombies led us to a discussion of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps mystery series. I followed up my classroom visit with an email to his teacher about his interest in mysteries. Not long after, she told me he had been reading the series and writing his own zombie comics that he shared with the class.
2. Tell me more about Evanced Games.
Evanced Games is a division of Evanced Solutions, LLC. We’re a technology company that empowers children to pursue learning outside of the classroom and develop closer relationships with the people around them. Our dedicated team of educators believes that gaining and sharing knowledge through children’s keenest interests is the best path for learning success. We introduce kids to the world of technology, while helping them to uncover their interests further, with special consideration to their individual learning styles.
We have partnered with Demco, our parent company, and have gotten great inspiration from our sister company, Edupress, to create digital versions of its award-winning educational content. We offer edu-gaming apps for children in grades K-6 that encourage learning beyond the classroom walls. Our three mobile apps—Froggy Phonics, Tic-Tac Bananas, and That’s Baloney—offer a fun way for children to practice a variety of Common Core skills, from phonics and algebra to cause-and-effect and simple problem-solving.
3. What is your area of expertise?
As a former elementary teacher and my school’s two-time Teacher of the Year honoree, I’m able to bring my first-hand experience and perspective to Evanced. Each new school year gave me an opportunity to foster relationships with my students. Making personal connections with my students valdidated who they were outside the classroom, as well as inside. Through a daily Community Circle, my students had the choice to share their fears about a sick pet or last night’s winning touchdown, for example. This process proved their two worlds could coexist, showing school was a safe place to use their imaginations and discover who they were.
Leaving the classroom was one of my toughest decisions, but I knew I was joining a team to impact even more kids with Evanced. I think my role as a parent of two young boys also brings another interesting perspective to the table. My real passion—my favorite thing in the world—is to help kids to experience a love of learning that goes beyond the classroom walls. They do this through self-discovery and creativity.
4. How did you go about designing an elearning game? How, in your experience, does game-based learning offer special advantages to teachers?
The Evanced Games team is made up of designers, teachers, artists, and developers. We work closely with kids as our experts. They help us create games that they will want to play without being told to. We invite them and their families into our design studio to play prototype games and give us their thoughts. We make changes to characters, sounds, story lines, and other elements based on what we hear from them.
Game-based learning helps resolve some of today’s educational issues. Classroom practices are changing all the time. With the initiation of the Common Core State Standards in 46 of our 50 states, the classroom atmosphere will, no doubt, change slightly. But, the impact of those changes will be minimal. Classroom teachers will focus more heavily on the conceptual understanding of skills as opposed to procedural proficiencies alone.
Teachers will feel confident in their approaches, when they see results from their students. The students’ interest in the activity will soar, because it is related to what they tell us they specifically want.
5. Is there such a thing as a *bad* elearning game? What are some things to avoid?
Any game that is designed for children—including e-learning games—should be fun. Plain and simple. If kids don’t think a game is naturally fun, they won’t play it.
“Bad” games tend to miss the mark on the story behind the game. The story line needs to be compelling to kids. They need to be interested. They need to care. “Bad” games provide unachievable challenges, and they offer very little autonomy, or choices, for the players.
Only after a game is considered enjoyable to play by children, should it be made to include the content that parents and teachers want. In other words, if you first start with the educational elements you want players to practice and become proficient in, and make fun an afterthought, you will have a significant failure on your hands.
6. What is the relationship between motivation and game-based learning?
Kids are motivated to play games of all types because they provide them with choices, achievable challenges, and they allow for social interactions with their friends and family. For older kids, they may even have some social interaction with other online gamers in other parts of the world, if they’re playing something like Clash of Clans or Minecraft, which are both very popular.
When playing a well-designed game, kids feel that there is a purpose to it—whether it’s meeting all of your froggy friends in Froggy Phonics or beating your little brother at tic tac toe in Tic Tac Bananas.
7. Who are your favorite authors who are writing on game-based elearning?
In order to understand a variety of perspectives on learning proficiencies, I’m currently enjoying How Children Succeed by Paul Tough and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.
I’m also reading The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens by Stephen Apkon. He discusses the concept of “screenagers” and the challenges of raising a very different generation of kids.
Each of these authors, however, explores building confidence in our children by using what kids know and how they use that knowledge. I also enjoy discovering different “mommy” and “daddy” bloggers, as well as teacher and librarian writers. They provide current, first-hand experiences with this next generation of kids that is our future.
******
Free Access for E-Learning Queen Learners!
Writing for Human Relations
E-Learner Survival Guide
Monday, October 07, 2013
Tell Us What You REALLY Think! Rate My College Survey
What was really great about your college experience? What would you tell someone who is considering going to your dear alma mater? Tips? Tricks? Lessons Learned?
Fill out the questionnaire here and share what you experienced.
Then, take a free read of E-Learning Success: From Courses to Careers - free ebook!
You may also win a free e-symposium from AAPG - just complete the survey and send an email to texturepress@beyondutopia.com to let us know.
Fill out the questionnaire here and share what you experienced.
Then, take a free read of E-Learning Success: From Courses to Careers - free ebook!
You may also win a free e-symposium from AAPG - just complete the survey and send an email to texturepress@beyondutopia.com to let us know.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Interview with David Falzani, SMF - Corgi "Big Bark" Award
Mentoring is vital for the future of innovation as it relates to leadership, management, engineering, and new technologies. While technology is marked by ongoing change and a focus on the future, a recognition of the past vis-a-vis experience and lessons learned is invaluable. This is where mentorship become a focal point. Welcome to an interview with David Falzani, who dedicates a large portion of his time to Sainsbury Management Fellows' Society, which provides educational scholarship and career development for aspiring young engineers.
What is your
name and your relation to career development?
David Falzani, CEO of business consultancy, Polaris Associates, and President of the Sainsbury Management Fellows’ Society (SMF), a charity that provides educational scholarships and career development for aspiring young engineers. I was a beneficiary of an SMF scholarship. I am also a Visiting Professor at Nottingham Business School (NUBS). NUBS is a centre of excellence in the development of enterprise and entrepreneurial skills, innovation and understanding the commercialisation of research. I teach about the value to the economy of hi-tech wealth-creating industries and modern manufacturing, and how they can extract value from engineering and technology. I share my experience of steering entrepreneurial businesses through the development of ambitious business and marketing strategies. I aim to give students an insight into the challenges faced by a new business, from raising investment to scaling up an operation.
 |
| David Falzani, President, Sainsbury Management Fellows' Society |
What is the
importance of interdisciplinary education?
The world is an increasingly interconnected
place. Consequently business problems,
and their solutions, are becoming increasingly interconnected too. For example, today, every organisation is an
information business and data is the most valuable asset to the operation. The ability to interpret and understand data
and information in a business context is a major benefit because it creates
opportunities to add value to a business and thus its performance and success.
To achieve more elegant and effective business solutions, we need better ways
to handle higher levels of complexity.
The best way this can be delivered is through broader approaches to
problems, rather than through the traditional single ‘silo’ disciplines.
That’s where SMFs’ philosophy
and scholarship scheme comes in. The
Society promotes the benefits of a combined business and engineering education
to help improve the performance of the UK economy. We believe that by equipping engineers –
experts in understanding how to best apply technology – with business knowledge
and experience, they can use their mix of skills to build new products and
services that enhance business performance more rapidly and ultimately improve both
the UK economy and people’s lives.
What is the SMF
programme?
SMF aims to improve the economic
performance of UK engineering, manufacturing and construction businesses. This is achieved by providing highly
motivated professional engineers with MBA scholarships to undertake a
first-class business education in an international setting. This helps them to embark on leadership roles
in business with a high level of confidence.
Through its scholarship
programme, SMF enables professional engineers to add business, finance and
marketing expertise to the diverse skills gained through their engineering
training and qualifications. SMF awards
£300,000 worth of MBA scholarships each year to engineers with exceptional
education qualifications and leadership potential. SMF has already awarded £7m worth of
scholarships.
An award of £30,000 each is made
to 10 successful applicants annually so they can do a full-time MBA
course. The Award is given on condition
that the candidate obtains a place at one of the 12 business schools (in Europe
and USA) that participate in the SMF programme, which is administered by the Royal Academy of
Engineering.
Candidates must be UK citizens
normally domiciled in the United Kingdom. Candidates should ideally have a first or
upper second class honours degree in an engineering subject and have Chartered
Engineer status or be making substantial progress towards it. Given SMFs’ goal of getting more engineers
into business leadership positions, candidates must have the potential and
ambition to achieve senior management responsibility early in their
career. To learn more about applying for
an SMF scholarship click here.
There are now 300 Fellows – 10
of these are studying for their MBA degree currently. Nearly 90% are employed in industry or
services to industry and 70% of these are based in the UK or work for UK firms. Sixty Fellows are entrepreneurs and own and
manage their own enterprises. Some of
these recipients have already gone on to create new businesses worth in excess
of £500m, whilst others have helped further develop some of the UK’s largest
corporations, creating economic wealth and providing jobs for many thousands.
Lord Sainsbury is the founder of the Sainsbury
Management Fellows’ Society. You will
know him better as David Sainsbury, former businessman and politician – he was the
Minister of Science and Innovation from 1998 to
2006. Now a life peer, he sits in the House of Lords as a member of the Labour Party.
In the 1980s, David Sainsbury
(now Lord Sainsbury of Turville) felt that there should be more people in the
boardrooms of British industry who have both the knowledge of how things are
made and effective management skills. By
contrast, he found that many overseas companies, particularly those in Japan
and Germany, were succeeding because their senior executives and boards
included qualified engineers. To help
bring about a change in business culture in the UK, in 1987 Lord Sainsbury set
up the Sainsbury Management Fellowship scheme to develop UK engineers for
future leadership roles in commerce and industry.
How can
engineers improve the performance of companies?
SMFs
(and other professional engineers who also have high calibre business degrees
and real life business experience) have a unique combination of technological
and commercial knowledge and experience that makes them particularly suited to
strategic decision making processes.
Yet,
historically, professional engineers have not been seen as a natural choice to
sit on boards of blue-chip companies, however, things are changing. Business leaders are starting to recognise
that once equipped with the essential financial, marketing and leadership
skills, professional engineers have a myriad of talents that help businesses
grow faster. A professional engineer’s
ability to span both the technological and business spheres enables him or her
to help in the rapid commercialisation of new products and technologies. While there are many facets to the successful
launch of a new technology or product, the speed of commercialisation can be
the difference between success and failure – the faster a new technology or
product can be brought to market, the more benefit a company and its
shareholders will reap.
SMFs
can take a view on internal and external factors that influence business that a
director without an engineering background may not take because they start from
different perspectives.
SMF has
produced a downloadable publication Re-engineering the Board to Manage
Risk and Maximise Growth, which explains the
transferrable skills that engineers bring to business.
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