Andrea's Blog

2012 - Year of Minnie Pearl Celebrations

2012-02-07T15:36:00.000-06:00

The following press release is shared with permission from
The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation.

Click here for my favorite Minnie Pearl stories.

The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation Celebrates

25^th Anniversary and
Minnie Pearl’s 100^th Birthday in 2012

Organization Launches “Minnie Moments” Campaign for Clients, Survivors, Caregivers and Fans to Share Their Stories and Celebrate Minnie’s Legacy

Nashville, Tenn. – January 30, 2012 – The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation (MPCF), a national nonprofit organization offering FREE and compassionate support, education and one-on-one guidance to adults facing cancer, has much to celebrate in 2012. In addition to celebrating 25 years of service, the MPCF is celebrating what would have been Minnie Pearl’s 100th birthday. In honor of these milestones MPCF announced today the launch of its “Minnie Moments” campaign.

The “Minnie Moments” campaign will feature stories from the clients, survivors and caregivers who have used MPCF’s services, as well as memories from celebrities and fans of Minnie Pearl. All are invited to share their “moment” at www.minniepearl.org/minniemoments. MPCF will be collecting “Minnie Moments” throughout 2012 and sharing them in newsletters, on Facebook and Twitter and at minniepearl.org.

MPCF recently sat down with U.S. State Senator of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, to capture his “Minnie Moment.” “Minnie was always nice…She shook the last hand, she signed the last autograph, she always said something nice to the newest person on the Opry,” recalled the U.S. Senator. “She said to me one time, ‘I’ve gotten to the point in life where I don’t think people are so hot no matter how big they are if they’re not nice.’”

In addition to stories from celebrities and fans about Minnie Pearl as a performer, MPCF is capturing stories from those who know best the organization’s unique and compassionate guidance.

“Being diagnosed with cancer pushes both patients and those who care for them into a frightening place,” says Susan Earl Hosbach, Executive Director of MPCF. “MPCF is there to help them navigate their cancer journey with answers, advice and support. Minnie Pearl’s generosity and caring spirit continue to impact so many through her legacy, The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation…that is what we celebrate by sharing these stories.”

With a reach well beyond Nashville, MPCF served thousands of patients in 2011, from 29 states, 3 Canadian provinces and South Africa. Showing continued evidence for the organization's priceless role in the cancer continuum, MPCF is currently planning a year of celebration with several events throughout the year. For more information visit www.minniepearl.org and stay tuned for details about this year’s celebration.

The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation also enjoys the support of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), who will be sponsoring the year-long 2012 Celebration.

# # #

About The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation (MPCF):

Celebrating 25 years in 2012, The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation was formed in 1987. After Sarah Cannon, also known as comedienne “Minnie Pearl”, was successfully treated for breast cancer, she became a passionate supporter in the fight against cancer and in 1992 offered her stage name to the Foundation. The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit public charity, offers:

Decision support regarding clinical trials, treatment information, and options
Personalized guidance and support to complement and navigate cancer care
Nutrition and side effect management consultations
Comprehensive educational and informational materials
Inspirational and educational online videos and forum

The services, which are FREE of charge regardless of treatment facility, complement cancer treatment by assisting people in navigating their way through a cancer diagnosis and positively influencing their quality of life. The MPCF is an active organization whose guiding principles honor Minnie Pearl’s generosity and caring spirit.

In addition to celebrating 25 years in 2012, the MPCF celebrates what would have been Minnie Pearl’s 100th birthday. For more information on Minnie’s legacy, the MPCF, and the latest news on MPCF’s year of celebration, please visit www.minniepearl.org.

For More Information Contact:
Joseph Conner, Marketing & PR Coordinator
The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation
jconner@minniepearl.org
615-467-1936, ext. 114

Super Bowl Foods - Dips, Soups, and Casseroles

2012-02-04T15:55:00.001-06:00

It’s Super Bowl weekend, but these dips, soups, and casseroles are good just about any time. Time Magazine reports that Super BowlSunday is second only to Thanksgiving in the amount of food consumed.

You can go with the tried-and-true favorites – both are quick and easy!

Onion Dip – add a packet of dry onion soup mix to 16 oz of sour cream.

Rotel Dip – melt 1 large block of Velveeta cheese and add 2 cans original Rotel diced tomatoes and 1 lb of ground beef.

The 7-Layer Dip is always a winner –

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup guacamole
1 cup salsa
1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Set aside to drain and cool to room temperature.

2. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.

3. You can serve this dish immediately, or refrigerate it over night and serve cold. I think it tastes better at room temperature.

I’m making Lewis & Clark’s White Chili –

This was given to me by a colleague, Judy Simmons, and was a great choice for Super Bowl Sunday!
Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 – 4 oz. cans chopped green chilis
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
3 lbs (I use 3 cans) Great Northern beans
4 cups (I use 3 cans) chicken broth
20 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Toppings: sliced jalapeños, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Boil chicken until done, approximately 18 minutes. Remove from water and dice into cubes. Either discard water or save to use as the broth. After water and chicken have been removed from pan, using same pan heat oil then sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic, chilis, and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add beans, broth, chicken, and about half of the shredded cheese. Simmer for 15 minutes.

I also like classic Chili with a twist –

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or Morning Star meatless crumbles)
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 medium onion
1 can whole kernel corn (or Mexican corn)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can black beans
1 can Bush’s baked beans
1 can Bush’s mild chili beans
Salt, pepper, and chili powder

Directions: Sauté onion and peppers and brown ground beef. Add to all other ingredients (salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste) and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour (I like to simmer longer).

One of my favorite casseroles is Texas Tater Tot Casserole –

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (10 ¾ ozs each) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 can (11 ozs) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers , drained
½ cup picante sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 package (16 ozs) frozen potato nuggets (I like the rounds)
½ cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese (2 ozs)

Directions: Heat oven to 375. Cook beef, onion, celery and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir soup, corn, picante sauce, chili powder and pepper into beef mixture. Spoon into ungreased 1 ½ quart casserole. Top with potato nuggets or rounds. Bake uncovered 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Good luck to your team

and with your snacks!

Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton!

2012-01-19T08:00:00.004-06:00

My friend Nancy Cardwell recently wrote a book about the words and music of Dolly Parton. I asked if she would share some stories and information, and the timing was good as Dolly's birthday is today. Nancy has served as the Special Projects Director for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) since 1994. She also plays the bass, writes songs, and works as a freelance magazine writer. Thank you, Nancy, for being a guest blogger!
__________________________________________

On January 19 on of the most uniquely talented artists of our time will turn 66: Miss Dolly Rebecca Parton. After a career that so far spans more than four decades and more than an estimated 3,000 original songs, Parton has found success nearly in nearly every direction she has set her hazel eyes upon: country music, pop music, movies, television, bluegrass, and Celtic-edged folk music—which she calls "blue mountain music" in reference to her Smoky Mountain home in east Tennessee. She's a brilliant songwriter, music publisher and producer with 26 gold and platinum records and 113 charting singles (including 25 #1 songs) to her credit. She founded an international charity, Imagination Library, which helps children to read by giving them a book every month through the age of five. She owns a theme park empire in conjunction with the Herschend family in Branson, Missouri—most notably Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and also the Dixie Stampede chain, which presents live music and spectacular horsemanship with fried chicken on the side to thousands of tourists every year. In recent years she's written the music for a touring Broadway show based on the 9 to 5 movie she starred in back in 1980, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tennessee, she wrote and published the children’s books I Am A Rainbow and Coat of Many Colors; and she has a new movie with Queen Latifah launching this month: Joyful Noise.

Of all the things Dolly has done (and all she continues to do), the thing she’s most proud of is her songwriting. In fact, she’s said the best way to really get to know her is through the words in her songs.

A couple of years ago Praeger, a publishing company now owned by ABC-CLIO, contacted me about writing a book about Dolly Parton’s songs. It’s a part of a series of books about a number of artists from different genres who write most of their own material, and Dolly was the first featured writer from the country music world. For a year and a half I dashed over to the Country Music Hall ofFame and Museum here in Nashville during my lunch hours to listen to old Dolly albums, along with several recorded with her well-known duet partner in the ‘60s, Porter Wagoner. Dolly wasn’t available to talk to me herself (she was in New York City working on the music for that Broadway play, then at Dollywood, then opening a new retail shop in Nashville, then in Atlanta filming with Queen Latifah, then touring in Australia…. The woman sleeps very little and wakes up with 20 or so new ideas every morning, I think!) But I was able to schedule interviews with several folks who have worked with her. BuckTrent, who hosts a country show in Branson, Missouri now, was a member of Porter Wagoner’s Wagonmasters when Dolly was in the band; Les Leverett was the staff photographer at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 30 years and he took the photos for several of Dolly’s album covers; Fred Foster at Monument Records was the first person in Nashville to sign Dolly to a record label; John Starling (yes, that John Starling—former lead singer of The Seldom Scene), was the music director for the Trio albums Dolly recorded with Emmylou and LindaRonstadt; Steve Buckingham was a producer and close friend; and Terry Smith and Jamie Johnson, from bluegrass supergroup The Grascals, played as the opening act and in Parton’s band when they were first getting started.

There are precious few individuals on this planet who have seemingly been touched by greatness and divine purpose—whether they be political leaders, philosophers, writers or artists. In the world of country music writers and singers, there is no one who has had a more profound influence than Dolly Parton. The work she did with Porter Wagoner while she was still in her 20s defined duet singing for the genre. But there's more to Dolly Parton than country music. Her charismatic personality, determined will, and bottomless well of creative genius has influenced and charmed the world. Lyrically, there is no other writer of any genre who does a better job of portraying the human condition through deceptively simple, yet compelling lyrics and melodies.

The characters and stories in her songs--which range from romance to tragedy, from deeply spiritual to inspired exaltations of the natural world---are unparalleled. Particularly from her perspective as a woman, we see every shade of emotion experienced in every imaginable predicament a girl can find herself in. Men who want to understand women better (as well as the human heart), would do well to study the lyrics of Dolly Parton. It's all there.

The entire third chapter of the book, which was published the end of July 2011 and titled The Words and Music of Dolly Parton—Getting to Know Country’s IronButterfly, is about the characters in Dolly’s songs. Have you ever read a book or seen a movie in which the characters seemed so real that you were still wondering what they were up to a week or two later? The characters in Dolly’s songs are like that. To illustrate that point, I made up a series of super-short story vignettes, expanding on some of her characters and what they might say if they were telling the stories in their songs themselves. My editor liked the creativity behind my first chapter 3, but he thought it was just a little too different from the rest of the book. (Or rather, he thought the literary critics might think it was a little too different.) I, of course, was bummed because I had all this fun making up the stories. If you get a chance to read the book, be sure to take a look at “chapter 3a”—thefirst version, that got left on the cutting room floor. Then come to my Facebook page and tell me which version you like best.

If you’d like to order a book, they’re available from Amazon.com, Barnes &Noble, Booksamillion and me (at nancyk.cardwell@gmail.com if you’d like an autographed copy.) I’ll be honest—they’re a bit pricey, thanks to my publisher. But the classic black & white photos from Les Leverett, Don Loftin and Becky Johnson are definitely worth the price of the book. ABC-CLIO markets mainly to libraries; so you can also go to your local public or school library and demand that they purchase a copy!

I played in an all-girl bluegrass band in the early ‘90s at Dollywood, and in recent years I have met Dolly Parton twice. Both times I was struck by her beauty and just how small she is—particularly for someone with such a larger-than-life persona. (I’m almost six feet tall, and a bit of an Amazon, in comparison!) I was backstage at a concert in Virginia the first time I met Ms. Parton, on assignment for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine to write an article about The Grascals. Around 20 or 30 people were gathered backstage in a large circle at the “Meet & Greet,” and Dolly came around to visit with each of us personally. She posed for pictures, sang little bits of favorite songs, called people’s mothers on their cell phones and asked us questions—all the time appearing to be truly interested in who we were and what we had to say. She signed an autograph for my daughter, listened when I told her about how my little sister Susan and I used to sing “Coat of Many Colors” when we were kids growing up in our family bluegrass band in the Ozarks, and I had my picture made with her and The Grascals. The guys told her I was writing an article about them, and she said “it had better be a good one or she would kick my butt.” (I’m not sure she could reach it….) She did fax me a nice quote to use with the story later, and so far she hasn’t shown up at my office on Music Row to kick me in the caboose—a good thing!

The second time I met Dolly was in the studio with John McEuen (of the Nitty GrittyDirt Band), Vince Gill and Steve Martin—who was recording his first banjo album. This blog is getting a bit longer than Andrea asked for, so I’ll save that story for another time.

Don’t forget to raise a toast to Miss Dolly Parton this Thursday on her birthday, and go catch that movie if you can. Even if you’re not a fan of her music (not everyone is), it’s impossible not to be inspired by her aura of goodwill and hope and creative energy. The difference between Dolly and the average person aside from her talent, is her ability to dream big, work hard to make those dreams come true, and never stop for a minute to doubt they will come true. She has that much faith—in herself and the Lord. (But again, that’s another story and another chapter of the book!) And, of course, she’s accomplished all of these things wearing four-inch heels. (I prefer cowboy boots, thank you very much.)

Thanks for reading!

-Nancy Cardwell

IBMA Special Projects Director
2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 256-3222
nancyc@ibma.org, nancyk.cardwell@gmail.com, www.ibma.org

Google Voice vs Skype

2012-01-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

Last spring I attended a conference session on using Skype as a tool for tutoring online/distance classes. This fall I attended a conference session that discussed using Google tools, specifically GoogleVoice, as an additional contact point with students. This semester, I am going to experiment with a combination of the two.

Skype is great for video calls (or audio only if you’re camera shy), but to use other features like SMS offline and calls to landlines or mobile phones, there is a fee. Another thing I like about Skype is that you are able to share your computer screen. This works great for tutoring or troubleshooting in computer applications courses, because you can show someone how to complete steps as if you were in the same room. There is a mobile app for Skype, but it does not accommodate video and is much more limited than the Web app.

Google Voice, on the other hand, gives you the ability to set up a specific phone number and use it for calls and texts without the need to give out your own personal number. You could also set up a number (custom, if you prefer) so that no matter where you move or which phone/cell provider you use, you always have the same number. Google Voice gives you the ability to screen calls, organize contacts into groups, send texts to email (they are automatically transcribed), and return texts from your email. There are other features that are perks, but I’m not sure I would use them. Features like being able to transfer a call from one phone to another (i.e. from land line to cell phone on your way out), add up to four people to a conference call, set up custom rings and greetings for groups, do not disturb, and merge phone with browser. Somethings that I WILL use, though, are the ability to send and receive texts with students and send texts to multiple recipients at the same time. Another advantage of using Google Voice for texts is that they are free – they do not count against any limits with your particular cell phone plan. Believe it or not, not everyone has an unlimited text plan. I don’t have a teenager on my plan, so 200 texts per month is more than enough. Free fits my budget really well.

I searched for comparisons and for Google Voice vs Skype. Though Skype scored high, Google Voice came out on top because of the additional features, flexibility, and free – the most important “f” word. To meet my objectives, at least as I see them now, I see Google Voice as a primary contact point with Skype as a supplement as needed. This is my first experiment with either, so I’m sure that I’ll find that the use of either or both will be tweaked as I go.

The point of this is to try to improve communication with students, online students in particular. This continues to be a challenge. A couple of years ago, I set up closed Facebook groups for my Microcomputer Applications classes for an additional contact point with both me and the class as a whole. That experiment has been a success. The students are on Facebook more often than they are in the college’s LMS. They also tend to answer each other’s questions more quickly than I can because of this. I’ve had many students voice their appreciation for incorporating Facebook discussions in the course, and I have even had students who have taken additional classes with me request a Facebook group for the class. It might seem like, if that’s working, just stick with it. The problem is that I know I am still missing some students, and one thing they do more often than check Facebook is text.

Here are a couple of other links to articles for Google Voice for education and clever tricks.

Cold? Flu? Tips to Avoid Getting Sick

2012-01-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

The height of flu season is quickly approaching, though I think it hit a few of us a little early. My holidays were pretty well hijacked by a respiratory virus and/or flu. Unfortunately, there were several students on campus during final exams week who had various viruses, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. If you look at some of the reasons we get sick, it is no wonder that the stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep during final exams is an open door for colds, flu, and most any virus.

There are tips for how best to cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze. I received this video about a year ago and thought it was a good laugh and drives the point home.

Did you know that there may be up to 200 cold viruses? No wonder we’re so susceptible. We normally get three to four colds each year, but kids get six. For those of us who work around or with kids, this is probably no surprise and answers why we catch them more. Even though my students are adults, many of them work with kids, have younger siblings, or have kids of their own. The potential for passing around viruses in a school environment is pretty high.

The number one way to prevent the flu or a cold is by washing your hands frequently. The virus is most often transmitted by touching an object that has been touched by someone who is infected. Using just water will even wash most rhinoviruses away. However, using soap forces you to rub your hands together and rinse longer, so soap is always a good idea.

If you haven’t gotten a flu shot yet, there is still time. The height of flu season is historically mid-January to mid-February, so get vaccinated now if you haven’t done so yet.

Another good practice is getting enough sleep, and getting productive sleep. When you get enough quality sleep, you are better equipped to fight off viruses. A 2009 Carnegie Mellon University study showed that people who got less than seven hours of sleep were three times more likely to catch the cold and flu virus. Outlook and attitude are also important. A positive outlook and reduced stress will also help boost the immune system.

Ever wondered if you have a cold or the flu? Wondered if you should go to school or work feeling the way you do? Here is a great quiz from WebMD to determine whether or not you should stay home. Most colleagues, classmates, and teachers will appreciate your not sharing your virus with everyone. Just make sure you don't wait until you've missed classes, assignments, and exams before letting someone know you're sick. Notice after the fact is always difficult to work with, so get in touch and stay in touch as soon as possible. An assignment submitted electronically is a good way to keep from spreading colds and flu!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

It may seem lazy, but I promise I put more time and effort into creating my environmentally friendly e-card than I would have signing cards and addressing envelopes.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season!

All I need to know I learned in...well, several grades

2011-12-12T16:56:00.000-06:00

I've heard about the book "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum, but I've never read it. I've seen quotes, which all make great sense. Things like -

Share everything
Play fair
Don't hit people
Put things back where you found them
Clean up your own mess
Don't take things that aren't yours
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody
Wash your hands before you eat
Flush
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Those make more sense than it might seem at first glance. But then I started thinking about valuable things I learned in other grades. Maybe it is because of the time of the semester - when procrastination and missed classes and assignments begin to hit home with some of my students.

Between home and kindergarten, I did learn those things listed above. I also learned some really important lessons in Mrs. Yount's third grade classroom. That is when I got my first black eye, first broken bone, first "D," first "F," and first got nailed for trying to give a book report on a book I hadn't read. Those were all really important lessons, and I thank Mrs. Yount often for caring enough to teach me so early and for not backing down.

The black eye came from playing tackle-the-man-with-the-ball at recess. She never told me to quit playing with the boys, but she did have some good advice for staying out of the way. The broken arm was from doing the crab walk during recess. Not much advice needed there except that an object in motion remains in motion even when your wrist gets twisted and stops moving but the rest of you doesn't. Lesson learned? It's school; quite acting like a bull in a china shop.

The other lessons were some of the most valuable. I remember trying to skim through a book just enough to give a book report in front of the class, but I didn't skim nearly well enough. I even remember what the cover looked like; it was a book on magic tricks. Mrs. Yount was not fooled in the least and didn't hesitate to let me know it was apparent that I hadn't read the book. No credit for that one - lack of preparation.

One day, I also forgot to take my math worksheets home and finish them. When she collected the papers the next morning, it hit me square in the face. I had completed about half of one and hadn't even started on the other. She didn't offer to let me stay in and finish them during recess or hand them in at the end of the day. They were due that morning and I screwed up. When she handed those back, I got my first "D" and "F" grades. I was thoroughly embarrassed and had to explain the grades to my parents. I was also embarrassed to even look at Mrs. Yount, but she was very compassionate and matter-of-fact when she explained that homework is due first thing in the morning; that's just the way it is. I'm glad she taught me that lesson early, and I've never forgotten it (or another homework assignment) - responsibility.

A few years down the line, I learned another good lesson from the band director, Mr. Schunks. Our school had a carnival each spring, and the 7th through 12th grade classes each built floats for the parade and booths to collect votes for carnival king and queen. When I was in the 7th grade, a few of us heard through the grapevine that the high school kids were allowed to work on their booths (they were located in the school gym where the carnival was to be held) during the school day. Word on the street was that some teachers would let them out of class to do this. A group of us thought, well, if that's the case, we'll skip band and work on our booth. Bad idea. We had not heard correctly, and we each lost our seats in our section (most of us were first or second chair) for the upcoming concert. Just as Mrs. Yount had done, Mr. Schunks didn't waiver. We messed up (bigger than we realized) and there was a price to pay for that. Not only were we busted to last chair, we also had to challenge our way back up to first chair to regain our seats. This lesson? There are always consequences for your actions...even if you make A's and sit first chair.

I'm glad that Mrs. Yount, Mr. Schunks, and all of my other teachers taught me and my friends these lessons. I'm also glad that my Mom and Dad didn't try to bail me out. I'm not sure why this was on my mind today, but I think it is a good topic anytime...kind of like those things you learned in kindergarten.

The Giving Season

2011-12-07T22:10:00.000-06:00

We're nearing the end of the year and entering typically the biggest time for giving. In 2011, charitable giving rose for the first time since 2007. It is a great time to lend a helping hand - volunteer or donate to an organization that is near and dear to your heart.

I love the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition, so it's likely you'll see Facebook and Twitter posts from me about the Little Wishes program and volunteer opportunities this time of year. I volunteer as a Foster Friend and have a ball with the kids on the parents' night out events. Last year was the first year that I helped at the Little Wishes Shopping Day at the Kirkwood Walmart. It was hectic and fun. It also got exciting as more and more ornaments were disappearing from the trees - then it was a sell out. This year I helped again and was supposed to work the 12:30-3:30 p.m. shift. Again, it was hectic and fun, but even more so when all 450 gifts were bought before 1:30 p.m. I felt like I wasn't much help; it was a short shift, but it was also impressive to see up close the outpouring of generosity and support from the community. I had never put together a bicycle before, but a couple of the St Charles Community College Phi Beta Lambda members and I helped a big group of volunteers put together about 135 last year. I'm hoping we get a chance to play Santa's elves again.

I first knew of this organization (though I think it was a predecessor to the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition) through "Karen's Kids." Karen Foss, a St Louis favorite in local news and the community, highlighted stories of kids who needed forever homes. That tradition continues with KSDK's "A Place to Call Home." They are a huge supporter of the Coalition, and many of the on-air reporters show up to the Little Wishes Shopping Day each year.

There are other organizations that I care about and support, but for some reason, this one grabbed me a long time ago. I think when I am at family get-togethers and holidays, it is hard for me to imagine not having all of those folks around me. I wish everyone could have that. When I moved back to St Louis in 2006, I decided it was time to get involved.

If you are interesting in getting involved, check out the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition site or go to Little Wishes and help them reach their goal of granting 3,300 wishes this year.

17th Annual Sloan Consortium Online Learning Conference

2011-11-28T16:32:00.000-06:00

I was recently at the 17th Annual Sloan Consortium Online Learning, Teaching, and Research in the New Media Ecology conference. In short, it was a tech geek's dream. This was my typical setup at the sessions during this conference.

It was great! One thing I loved about this conference was that it was paperless. There was no conference tote bag filled with paper ads that I would throw away. There wasn't a thick conference program to carry around each day. And, there weren't a lot of flyers and handouts in sessions or the exhibit hall. The conference program was made available in advance on the Sloan-C Web site and could be downloaded as a PDF document. I downloaded it and saved it in my Dropbox and also added it to my iBooks shelf. This way, I could easily carry it and flip through it from my iPhone or iPad. The attendees list was also made available this way. Many presenters and exhibitors used QR codes to link to their presentations, handouts, and materials so no one left the sessions or exhibit hall looking (or feeling) like a pack rat.

When going from session to session, all I needed was my schedule-at-a-glance, iPad, and iPhone. I decided that instead of taking handwritten notes, I would tweet my notes instead. There were a couple of advantages to this - one was that I didn't have to carry a notebook and pen and juggle more things (or go back to that tote bag or messenger bag that I really don't like wag around), and the other was that I also got to see other attendees notes and comments. If I missed something, I could pick it up from someone else. An unexpected advantage was that I could have conversations with other attendees - sometimes those in the same session, but sometimes someone in another session. This was nice since there were usually multiple sessions that I wanted to attend during a given time slot. The conference used #ALN2011 to identify all tweets, so it was easy to follow everyone there, build my PLN (personal learning network), and conference announcements.

There was a very active back-channel at this conference, which was a big plus. It was easy to find out about changes quickly and easy to join to conversations about topics at the conference. When the community is that active, it is easy to brainstorm, share ideas, and make connections. It was also happening real-time, and we're becoming more and more accustomed to getting our information quickly.

This conference had a record number of attendees: 1,488 onsite; 600 virtual attendees; 25 countries; 47 states. At one point, I realized I was having conversations with a couple of virtual attendees - one in Boston and one in Minnesota. Though the wireless connection was strained at times (like any typical conference hotel), the technology made it possible for virtual attendees to log in and participate in sessions and back-channel conversations as if they were in the same room.

The sessions were 35 minutes rather than the normal 50 minute format. I really like this because it kept the session focused and moving. There were some sessions that were allotted back-to-back 35 minute slots for more time, but I leaned more toward the shorter sessions. It gave me a chance to hit more sessions than normal, and I didn't feel like I was wasting my time if I found myself in a session that wasn't what I expected. That format also keeps the presenter on their toes to control the audience, stay on topic, and work in a "just the facts" manner. The one format I did not like was the poster sessions. The tables were much too close together and it made moving through or talking with presenters incredibly difficult.

Overall, I thought this was one of the best educational technology conferences I've ever attended. I attended a Sloan-C Blended Learning Conference in spring 2010 which was really well run and had great sessions, so my expectations were high. It didn't hurt anything that this most recent conference was in Orland, FL in mid-November. The weather couldn't have been better, so the evenings were perfect for walking around Downtown Disney and eating dinner outside.

I picked up some ideas that I'm planning to try as early as next semester. First up is using texting through Google Voice as an additional contact point with my students. I have already set up my number and am giving it a test run now. More about that next time.

Holidays, Cold Weather, and Comfort Food

2011-11-22T23:25:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again - the holiday season, cold weather, and comfort food. Here are a few recipes that are favorites for me and my family this time of year.

Last year I posted my Mom's recipe for Paradise Pumpkin Pie. It is also one of my very favorites; much better than plain pumpkin pie. I also posted more comfort food recipes under Winter Comfort Food (I think I'm seeing a pattern here) that included sweet potato pie and shepherd's pie.
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Corn Chowder

When you have eaten all of the turkey and dressing and leftovers you can stand. Try some corn chowder. This recipe is in a cookbook that came with my crock pot, but it can be made on the stove top, too.

3/4 cup copped onion

2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 cup frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup diced, cooked ham
1 package (10 oz) frozen corn
1 can cream corn (The recipe only calls for a cup, but what do you do with the rest? I use the whole can)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper (The recipe also calls for parsley flakes, but I never have any.)

Combine onion, margarine, potatoes, ham, corn, cream of mushroom soup, and milk in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the dish I'll be making for Thanksgiving. It doubles as both a side and a dessert.

3 (17 oz) cans of yams - or - I boil sweet potatoes and use them instead
3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup chopped pecans

Drain sweet potatoes and mash. Add sugar, eggs, and butter; mix well. Put into a 9x9 inch pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

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Milnot Cheese Cake

I have to admit, I was in college before I realized that most people bake cheese cake. This has been one of my favorite desserts as long as I can remember. It was very often the birthday cake of choice. We even experimented a little with other flavors of jello, though the original lemon is my favorite.

1 package Lemon Jell-O

1 cup boiling water
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chilled Milnot, whipped
1 lb graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool. Cream together cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add gelatin. Mix well. Fold whipped Milnot into gelatin mixture. Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs (we actually did this growing up, but now I just buy the crushed graham crackers in a box...much quicker and easier) and add melted butter. Firmly pack 2/3 of the mixture in bottom and sides of 9x13 pan. Add filling and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill for 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.

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Aunt Rhonda's Pink Salad

This has been a holiday (mostly Christmas) staple for years. I always ate way too much.

1 large can of crushed pineapple

1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 can cherry pie filling
pecans
frozen whipped topping (12 oz)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Can't get much more simple than that.

Why I am at a Community College – SCC in particular

2011-11-05T13:09:00.001-05:00

I came across this article last week about the increase in students from affluent families who are choosing community college. It was pointing out an interesting shift in considering community colleges, though it just seems like common sense to me.

When I graduated from high school, I really didn’t consider anything other than the local community college. I wasn’t eager to leave home and I was raised to be very fiscally responsible. The combination of those things made the local community college, Mineral Area College, a no-brainer. I also had a four-year plan and starting working on it as soon as I started at MAC. My interests were a combination of music and business. I knew I wanted to transfer to music business program at Belmont University, so I met with a counselor there and planned my schedule at MAC according to the freshman and sophomore requirements for Belmont. I was able to get a music scholarship which paid for my first two years' tuition, fees, and books at MAC. That allowed me to save more money for the next two years at Belmont. In the end, I am probably one of the few people with a business degree and 20 hours of music theory.

When I decided to make a career change and began teaching, the first place I looked to for a job was a community college. I taught at two community colleges in Tennessee – Nashville State Community College and Volunteer State Community College. The things I liked about the makeup of the classes when I was attending community college were the same things I liked about teaching at community college. I also taught for a year at MiddleTennessee State University. I liked teaching there, but I liked the smaller classes and getting a chance to know who my students were in teaching at community college.

The makeup of the community college class is an advantage to everyone. My music theory class was made up of me, another student my age, and two “returning learners” who were also parents. That was a microcosm of the typical class. I learned a lot from my classmates, and I see the same thing happening in my classes now. Teaching mostly software-based classes, I see student right out of high school helping students who have not been in college in some time, and I see older students sharing real-world experience. This makes for great discussions in class and a valuable experience that you would not get in a lecture hall of 300+ students. I also believe in the connection with the community. Community colleges and local business build productive relationships, and I love to see community members attend and participate in special events on campus. I can easily stand for hours on my soap box about community college.

Why St Charles Community College?

When I decided to move back to Missouri and began looking for positions, my brother-in-law (who was practically acting as my personal headhunter) passed along the opening posted at SCC. When I started researching the college, I was really impressed by the rapid growth of such a relatively young institution. The community college I was coming from had roughly the same enrollment and was established 13 years prior to SCC. There seemed to be a bigger commitment to growth and to appealing to much broader group of potential students than I had experienced before. The average age of students at SCC was also four years younger than where I was coming from, but there was still a significant number of returning learners. The campus and classroom space was impressive, and I felt really welcome and comfortable by everyone I met during my interview. I was very happy to get the job offer and could not ask for a better group of colleagues to work with each day. I was immediately struck by their collegiality; no one was territorial about courses, material, or jobs. If something needed to be done, it seemed that everyone just did what was needed. I honestly feel very lucky to have landed where I have. There are always things we can find that need improvement, but I can honestly say that the folks I work with have the same passion and commitment to community college and SCC as I do. I drive about an hour each way to teach at SCC because I want to live closer to my family, but the environment makes it worth continuing to do that (though sometimes it makes for a very short turnaround time from one day to the next).

This post is a little long, but this is why I am teaching at a community college and why am I happy to be at SCC. Why are you here?

Do You Roku?

2011-10-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

Do you know about Roku? If not and you watch much streaming video, you should check it out. I bought one about a year ago and am hooked. I wanted to stream Netflix to my TV and had been running it from my laptop to the TV. I would actually extend the display on my laptop and “move” Netflix to the TV while still working on my computer. This worked fine, but I didn’t always want to have to run my laptop or netbook every time I wanted to watch a movie. Enter Roku.

I know there are other options for watching Netflix – through the Wii console or a Blu-ray player – but at the time I didn’t have a Wii console and didn’t want to buy a Blu-ray player (I would be too tempted to replace some DVDs with Blu-ray, and I keep reading that Blu-ray is going away anyway). When I started looking at other options, the Roku player looked like a great choice. To get to the Roku player, you just choose a different input on your TV, just like switching to the DVD player. It is also HD, so you can connect with an HDMI cable. This is my preference, and it gives a better quality picture than viewing from the Wii console or laptop.

With the Roku, you can stream Netflix, but you can also subscribe to tons of other channels. Some of these channels are actually free, and some are as little as $2 per month. If you have a huluplus account, you can stream television shows (this doesn’t work with the free hulu account). You can also rent movies or access your video purchases from Amazon. A little tip…the movie rentals on Amazon are $1-2 cheaper than cable providers and they run daily 99₵ specials.

Here’s a new plus, HBO GO is coming to Roku. You have to subscribe to HBO in order to get this channel, but I’m curious to see if it drives subscriptions at all. Angry Birds is also available now if you’re looking for games.

With Netflix’s new pricing options, I’ve changed my subscription to streaming-only. DVDs could sit on the table for weeks at a time (or more) before I watched them (especially during the school year), so I couldn’t justify paying twice as much for that option. For the streaming account, the Roku box is my first choice for viewing. If you are looking for a specific movie or are browsing for something to find, I still find it easier to do that through the Netflix.com site, but that is the only drawback I see to Roku at this point.

Quick Followup to TweetDeck vs Hootsuite

2011-10-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

I found a video that shows how to make Hootsuite a pseudo desktop application. I do like that option for TweetDeck, so I was happy to find this clip. You have to use Google Chrome, but I still like it and it is working great so far.

TweetDeck vs Hootsuite

2011-10-14T08:00:00.006-05:00

During TweetUp SCC, Kanna Taylor (from the SCC Marketing and Communication Department), mentioned that she uses HootSuite to aggregate her social media accounts. I think she may have swayed me from the app that I currently use to aggregate accounts, TweetDeck.

TweetDeck, or any aggregator, is an application that allows you to view and post to all of your social media accounts in one place. You can add Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Google Buzz accounts, as well as customized searches, that will appear in individual columns. TweetDeck also allows you to add links, shorten links and tweets, attach media files, and includes all of the basic Facebook and Twitter features. This is really convenient when you want to check all accounts without having to open and close each app or Web site. It is also really convenient when you want to post the same information to multiple accounts simultaneously. You can also schedule posts to go out at specific dates and times in the future.

You can individually connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and so on, but I find that I use each application for different purposes. I don’t want to always post the same thing to multiple accounts, but when I do, I find TweetDeck to be a good choice. For instance, I use Twitter more for gathering/sharing resources and networking; I use Facebook mostly for family, friends, and reconnecting. I tweet and retweet much more often than I post to Facebook, so I don’t want to bog down family and friends with things they don’t want to see (or that would make them hide or unfriend me).

TweetDeck has several options for use – there is a desktop application that you can download and install locally, there is an iPhone and Android app, and they’ve just started beta testing a Web-based app that will run from your browser. I am looking forward to being able to access my TweetDeck account from a browser. I have the iPhone app, but it seems a little buggy and closes each time I try to mark posts as read. With the iPhone app, I have also not been able to add any social media accounts beyond Twitter and Facebook. The desktop application works fine, I can add all of my accounts, and it is easier to view multiple columns; but since TweetDeck is in beta, I cannot have it installed in my office. Since I administer the PBL Facebook and Twitter accounts, having the desktop version would be handy…which brings me back to why I’m eager to see the release of the Web app.

For more information about HootSuite, see Kanna’s blog.

For a quick TweetDeck video demo, here you go -

Quick followup - if you want a pseudo desktop app for Hootsuite -

Dropbox vs Windows Live SkyDrive

2011-10-09T14:18:00.003-05:00

I really like having access to my files from any computer without having to carry a flash drive or external hard drive. Not to mention, my external hard drive bit the dust last spring and caused pain to my checkbook when it was recovered. Enter cloud storage to the rescue.

There are a couple of options that I have tried – Dropbox and Windows Live SkyDrive. Because St Charles Community College students automatically get a free 25 GB SkyDrive account when they activate their CougarMail, I usually suggest SkyDrive to them on the first day of class. By using SkyDrive, they don’t have to worry about forgetting their flash drive at home, leaving it in another lab, or having it drop off of that handy (but unreliable) key chain hanger.

I tend to use Dropbox for my purposes. I like having the desktop app that allows me to work in the Dropbox folder just like any other folder on my computer, and then having it automatically sync to my account online and other computers and mobile devices. The only drawback for me is that I cannot have the desktop application installed on my office computer, so when at word I must always log in to the Dropbox Web site. File and/or folder sharing is easy. At a recent conference I attended, one of the speakers said that he even shares grades with individual students using the share feature.

The 411 on each –

Windows Live SkyDrive:

25 GB of free space
Easy drag-and-drop feature to add files to folders
Easy use with Windows Live Office apps
Good option for large storage (max individual file size 50 MB)
Can share files/folders with other users
Wish it had a desktop app

Dropbox:

Biggest plus – ability to sync across all devices/computers
Desktop app doesn’t require log in to use service
Mobile app gives on-the-go access to view files from phone or tablet
Easy to share files/folders (I use this with colleagues a lot)
Ability to revert to previous version of file or deleted file
2 GB of storage with new account – added space through referrals (or there is a pay option)

For me, I prefer Dropbox for the sync feature, desktop and mobile apps, and overall ease of use. With referrals, my space is 4.25 GB at this point which is enough to keep two semester’s worth of class files plus a little more. If SkyDrive was more easily accessible and had a sync option, I would make the jump for the additional free storage. If you want to give Dropbox a try, follow this link.
Here are a couple of videos to see each option in action.

UPDATE: My new perk for using Dropbox. I recently attended a conference where the conference program and attendees list were available only online and as PDF. I copied the program, attendees list, and session handouts to Dropbox, then was able to open them from Dropbox directly into my iBooks app. Made everything feel plug-and-play. It was easy to view from the Dropbox app on my phone or tablet or as a book in iBooks, and it also made me really happy not having to carry all of that paper and the program book around. My back also loves paperless options. If I could just get the desktop option installed at work, I'd be set.

TweetUpSCC Wrap-up

2011-10-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well, our first TweetUpSCC has concluded. If you were not able to make it to all of the events, you can search #TweetUpSCC to see the conversation on Twitter throughout the week. I’m guessing that, after seeing The Social Network, everyone has picked a side in Zuckerberg vs The WinklevossTwins. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how the youngest billionaire built his Facebook empire. For those who saw Catfish (the other Facebook movie), I’m also guessing they are wondering if those who they only know through online connections really are who they say they are.

Here is a list of our speakers and their Twitter handles –

Brian Schwarts (@creativereason), Interactive Director, Partner/Founder at Spoke Marketing (@Spoke_Marketing)
Craig Moore (@CraigMoore), Co-Chair Armstrong Teasdale Social Media Practice Group, This Week in Social Media Law
Ken Tucker (@Changescape), ChangescapeWeb and SCC Adjunct Faculty
Mitch Harden (@HardenPSY101), SCC Psychology Faculty
Kanna Tayor (@kannataylor), Marketing Specialist in the SCCMarketing/Communications Department
Brryan Jackson (@BrryanJackson), SCC Student, Blogger, and Founder of Hope Is Vital
Shelby Duff (@ShelbyJDuff), SCC Student and avid social media user

You can also follow TweetUpSCC Sponsors –

SCC – @SCC_StCharlesCC
SCC Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda – @SCCPBL
SCC Student Activities – @SCC_Activities
You can follow me @comptonaa

Here is some information from the panels, feel free to comment with other info you picked up –

The SCC Facebook page is a great place to find out what’s happening around campus, campus closings, and class cancellations
SCC uses 6 different social media avenues to communicate with faculty, staff, students, and community; do you know what they are?
There are 26 million users to Google+ since its launch in July 2011
1 out of 3 employers rejected a candidate because of something they found online
Social media myths – social networking is a replacement for social skills, no one wants to know what you’re having for lunch, you have to follow everyone back who follows you
Whether friending or following, students don’t necessarily want to know what teachers do on the weekend any more than teachers want to know what students are doing
Students like the extra point of contact through social media and like sharing reminders and resources
Social media allows you to continue discussions beyond the classroom
Facebook vs Twitter in the classroom – most use Facebook for friends and family and Twitter for resources and professional networking
You can close your Facebook account, but all of the info remains forever
Facebook’s facial recognition software makes it very hard to stay anonymous online
Talking through social media isn’t like talking around the water cooler; it is permanent and can be viewed by anyone
Smartphones use geo-tracking in many ways – even a photo can tell someone where you live

The panels were great and spurred some great conversations last week. Hopefully we can continue those and have another TweetUpSCC next fall!

Social Media – How Quickly We Can Take It For Granted

2011-09-13T20:29:00.001-05:00

I have gotten so engrossed in social media the last few years (learning how to navigate it, use it, and not use it) that I found myself kind of taking it for granted. Whether watching a ballgame or television series, we are reminded that we can follow and participate in conversations during the game or show with a particular hashtag. Commercials display the Facebook address of the sponsor rather than their company/organization Web address. The Syfy channel is incorporating Twitter, Shazam, and other social media into their shows and marketing faster than any other network.

If something is happening, it looks stormy outside, or I’m in a traffic jam, I can usually turn to Facebook or Twitter and find out what is happening (though I don’t it while I drive…a traffic jam for me means I’m sitting still). When I was in San Diego in February, I saw tweets from people in my neighborhood talking about high winds and a possible tornado. I texted my sister who lives just a half mile from me to see what was happening. Not that this was an emergency per se, but it was kind of amazing how quickly I could hear of what was happening in my neighborhood.

With the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this past weekend (and recognizing my addiction to receiving information anytime, anywhere, and very quickly), I started wondering what folks might have tweeted or posted as statuses that day. It would have been interesting if that technology had been available then. It was only 10 years ago, but we didn’t have Facebook or Twitter either one yet. The attacks happened in 2001 – Facebook launched in 2004 and Twitter in 2006. As quickly as they’ve become second nature, it doesn’t seem that they are really that young.

Of course while I was in this deep think, I also wondered what others might have tweeted if they had the technology. Facebook had just launched a few months before the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, breaking an 86-year drought. Some food for thought —

What all may we have heard about that bloody sock of Curt Schilling’s during that post-season?
Or the curse of the Bambino as the Red Sox got closer and closer to winning the World Series?
What would the Wright Brothers have tweeted from their first flight, or Amelia Earhart have tweeted from her last flight?
What would Paul Revere have tweeted on his midnight ride?
What would the passengers of the Titanic have tweeted?
What would tweets from Woodstock have sounded like?
What would Jane Austen tweet?

Are there any historical events that you think would be interesting to speculate about what tweets or Facebook statuses may have been posted?

Catfish - The "Other" Facebook Movie

2011-08-29T21:01:00.001-05:00

Do you really know all of your "friends" on Facebook? It all depends on your particular purpose for using Facebook, or social media in general, but I've noticed some who have several hundred or a few thousand friends. The limit for a personal page is 5000 friends, but fan pages can have millions. Though Lady Gaga has passed many, Eminem has over 46 million fans on facebook.

How do you police (for lack of a better word) your friend requests and communication on Facebook? I tend to only friend or accept friend requests from people I actually know or have worked with. I use the mutual friends list to jog my memory when needed, and I don't accept friend requests from people I don't know and don't share mutual friends. Again, this is all determined by your purpose in using Facebook.

The reason I ask these questions is because Phi Beta Lambda and SCC's Student Activities and Marketing & Communications Departments are sponsoring TweetUp SCC. This is a week of information about professional and networking uses of social media in addition to the personal uses everyone is familiar with. One of the movies that we will be showing that week was featured on ABC's 20/20 on August 28, 2011 - Catfish.

This movie is a documentary about a photographer in NYC who was contacted by an 8-year-old artist in Michigan who paints reproductions of his photos. He builds a relationship with the family, speaking to the 8-year-old, her sister, and her mother. He also accepts friend requests from many of her friends and family. As the relationship continues, he speaks with the sister more and more, begins to fall for her, and essentially begins a romantic relationship. When he and his friends are hired to work on a project in Colorado, they decide it is time to meet the family and make the detour to Michigan on their way back home. What they find when they get there is crux of the film. After investing all of the time and emotion into the relationship with the family, their circle of Facebook friends, and particularly with the sister, it becomes all too real that you may not know all of those who you call "friend."

Here is the link to the episode - 20/20. I hope everyone will come out on September 29 to see the documentary and participate in the privacy and security discussion that will follow. This will be held in the St Charles Community College's Social Science Building Auditorium and will begin at 6:00 p.m.

What’s Happening At SCC…Beyond the Classroom!

2011-08-17T15:50:00.001-05:00

The fall semester kicks off in less than a week! Are you ready? Did you know that St Charles Community College has a ton of opportunities beyond the classroom? Don’t be a passive student; get involved, meet new friends, and network. This is your time to stretch your legs, spread your wings, and open your mind to new things.
Here are some ways that you can do that:

Get involved in a club or student organization. Go to Student Activities to see a list of more than 30 clubs where you can feed an interest and increase your “friends” list. Several clubs have Facebook pages where you can also keep updated about meetings and events. These clubs give you an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, character, teamwork, and talent…all things that come in very handy when updating your resume and interviewing for jobs.

Through Student Activities and many college committees, you have a chance to hear live music, see films, experience plays, and hear speakers that might not otherwise come your way. Here are a few things to mark on your calendar for this fall –

8/27/11 – SCC Comedy Night with Chelsea Lately’s Sarah Colona and Guy Branum. Start time is 7:00 p.m. in the FAB Theater. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office and are just $5 for students ($10 for general public).

9/7-8/11 – Fall Fun Blitz in the Campus Plaza from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. each day. Free lunch served, club booths, community vendors, games, giveaways, and Rachel Brown and her band.

9/21/11 – Diego Val in the Café/Bookstore at 12:00 p.m.

9/23/11 – Community “Sit-in” Movie on campus at 7:00 p.m. This movie is Cars 2.

9/26-29/11 – TweetUp SCC! Movies, speakers, and panels about optimizing social media. All sessions will be in the SSB Auditorium. Movies will be The Social Network and Catfish. Speakers will be Kanna Taylor from SCC Marketing and Brad Hogenmiller from the St Louis Social Media Club. Panels will be a faculty/student panel about using social media in the classroom and a privacy and security panel after Catfish.

9/30/11 – SCC Idol in the SSB Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Audition to compete or come and support a friend. Event is free to SCC students with college ID and $5 for general public.

10/11/11 – Nate Phelps, the son of Fred Phelps (founder of Westboro Baptist Church) and LGBT advocate. This takes place in the SSB Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.

10/20/11 – Charlene Strong, LGBT activist and subject of the award-winning documentary “For My Wife.” This takes place in the SSB Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.

10/24-28/11 – Scary Movie Marathon. Movies this year are “28 Days Later,” “The Exorcist,” “Zombieland,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003),” and “Paranormal Activity 2.” Free popcorn and other refreshments available for purchase. SSB Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. each evening.

And this is just the first two months of the semester!! There are more events in November and December with a spring schedule coming soon. In November there will be a weeklong Veteran’s Week celebration, The True Story of the First Thanksgiving, Holidays Around the World, International Education Week, and ice skating on campus to finish out the semester.

With this much on tap, you have too many opportunities to miss out. Mark dates on your calendar and take advantage of these events. Most are free to SCC students with your college ID. Grab a friend (or friends) and find out what’s available between and after your classes.

If you aren't an SCC student, St Charles Community College is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Cottleville, MO 63376. Click here for a campus map.

Shazam, Gomer, It’s For Marketing Too

2011-07-19T23:48:00.007-05:00

Sorry…every time I use the Shazam app I hear Gomer Pyle in my head. Shazam! Of course, if you’re a TV addict like me, you might also get nostalgic about Saturday morning TV from the mid-70s.

Anyway…I am a fan of the app. I tend to have my iPhone out when I’m watching TV so I can look up information about a show or an actor or identify a song used in the soundtrack. If I’m watching a documentary or a news story, I’ll probably look up information and facts. This kind of multitasking is probably going to make me have ADD. I know I’m not the only one who does this, and now marketing gurus have started really taking advantage of all of us and our smartphone habits.

When you use Shazam to identify a song, you can get extra information like a link to iTunes to buy it, tour dates for the artist, a link to the artist’s Web site, and ways to share the tag with your friends. Shazam has also partnered with eBay and Android phones to add the option of inspired purchasing (I think this was called impulse buying when I took Economics). With a free account, you get 5 tags each month. If you want the ability to tag more often, you can purchase unlimited tags for $3.99 for a year or $5.99 for a lifetime (clearly, your best price here is the lifetime option). Until January 2012, you can get unlimited tags through eBay when using the Android app.

A few months ago, I noticed a Shazam message at the bottom of the screen during Royal Pains to get more information about the show. After tagging it, I had links to the show’s mobile site, some outtakes, bonus video, and an extended clip of the next week’s episode. The next time I saw it was during an Old Navy commercial. Out of curiosity, I tagged the commercial and again had access to the Web site, but it also gave access to the clothing advertised and an opportunity to shop right away.

Syfy channel’s Alphas is using the app to connect with viewers, giving them bonus video, wallpaper, and contests. The channel has been rebranding, but their audience leans heavy towards techies, so this was a good choice to partner with Shazam. It also seems like a great way to develop a grassroots following and foster a more interactive and social viewingexperience.

I’ll have my iPhone handy in order to fact check during the presidential debates next year. Who knows, maybe one of the candidates will use Shazam during their commercials to take us directly to their Web site, platform, and donation link.

Facebook Party Invitations Go Viral

2011-06-07T14:18:00.004-05:00

We have all heard warnings about what and what not to post through social media, the importance of correct privacy settings, and a reminder that nothing is truly private on the Internet. Here are some hard learned lessons about sending out invitations via social media, specifically Facebook.

The first instance I heard of was in October 2010 in Hertfordshire, England. A 14-year old girl intended to invite 15 friends to her15th birthday party. One important checkbox wasn’t checked and the invitation was available to everyone. Her RSVP list was 21,000…a far cry from the 15 she intended to invite. When she realized what she had done, she cancelled and removed the event. Someone else decided to repost it and police officers were on hand October 7 to turn away those who came to attend.

The next instance was in March this year when a teenager in Chatswood, Australia intended to invite friends to a “small open house party” to celebrate her 16th birthday. This time, the event was not just created without proper privacy settings, but it was also hacked by a 17-year old boy who was later charged by police for the offense. There were 214,000 RSVPs for this party. This went so far that someone printed t-shirts with the girl’s name and her birthday and sold them for $15.50 each.

The most recent instance was one I heard about today. Another teenager, this time near Hamburg, Germany, sent out an invitation to her 16th birthday party without proper privacy settings. Since it was posted as a public event, she also received a ton of RSVPs…15,000. Of those, 1500 people actually showed up to the girl’s house. She tried to cancel the event, and her family even hired a security firm in addition to the 100 police officers to control the crowd. There were 11 arrests for vandalizing property.

Social media is definitely a powerful tool in spreading the word…

Nerdherd and Nerds Unite!

2011-05-09T21:05:00.002-05:00

Technology and social media are making most every industry rethink their marketing, their market, and their fans/consumers. How do they reach them? How do they gauge them? And how do they ENgage them? …Not sure? Napster is a great example. Connecting millions of music lovers so they could share music has changed the way the recording industry has to approach the business of music sales now.

Here is another really great example…the NBC show Chuck. Personally, I love this show. It is the perfect combination of Maxwell Smart and James Bond with a little inspector gadget, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs sprinkled in. Two years ago, fans were able to make a huge statement during the finale with their Finale and Footlong campaign. They spread the word through social media apps, bought $5 footlongs from Subway, and left notes in the suggestion box telling the stores why they were there that particular night. That played a big part in getting Chuck a season 3.

Now fans are at it again…and I’m rooting for them (us). During the last few weeks of this season, they are trying to melt down Twitter during live airings of Chuck. Noting that they are not Nielsen Families but are watching and can vote with their wallets; they are mentioning sponsors during the show. The live tweeting events take place when the show airs both at the Eastern/Central times and the West Coast time. Go to Twitter and search for #NotANielsenFamily; you’ll see tons of tweets about Chuck and the show’s sponsors. Messages range from simple thank yous for sponsoring to mentioning their personal consumption of the sponsor’s products and services.

Actors from the show get involved in the conversations – Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi), Joshua Gomez (@JoshuaEGomez), Adam Baldwin (@adamsbaldwin), and Yvonne Strahovski (@Y_Strahovski). One of their biggest fans is a 10-year old who goes by @LittleChuckFan. She has over 3,600 followers and is both adored and heard by her favorite actors from the show as well as other fans who follow the Chuck conversation. There is also a great blog called We Give A Chuck that keeps viewers updated on what’s happening on the show and with the Save Chuck campgain. Here is a video being used to spread the word, too -

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. Watch Chuck on Mondays on NBC to find out, and watch and tweet during the finale on Monday, May 16 at 7 p.m. Central time. #Shamelessplugforoneofmyfavoriteshows.

The Backchannel

2011-05-02T23:41:00.000-05:00

I read a really interesting book recently that addresses how social media (mostly Twitter) is changing presentations. I told someone recently that PowerPoint is my Zen garden. I really enjoy designing PowerPoint presentations and playing with ways to make them seem unPowerPoint-like. I am also very interested in social media and how it can be used to build personal learning networks and networking in general – in addition to the social and recreational uses. If you’ve sat through many presentations that are stark white PowerPoint slides, full of text, and full of canned clipart and cheesy transition sounds, I’m guessing you think that is a good thing…me, too.

The book is called TheBackchannel: How Audiences Are Using Twitter and Social Media and ChangingPresentations Forever by Cliff Atkinson. The backchannel is simply a conversation taking place in the background of a presentation, conference, event, award show – most anything taking place that people are talking about. For instance, I just heard that there were 4,000 tweets per second being sent during President Obama’s speech last night (5/1/11) about Osama Bin Laden. And, almost 950,000 of those mentioned Bin Laden by name. That’s a pretty significant backchannel. If you want to be a fly on the wall, search the name of a TV show you like to watch or an award show while it is airing live. It is a more light-hearted way to see a backchannel in action.

The book is a pretty quick read (or I’m such a tech geek that I just read it really fast). It uses relatively current examples of uses of the backchannel, both organized and impromptu. After finishing, I realized that trying to control the backchannel is similar to chasing an air bubble under wallpaper. You can prepare and guide, but that avenue is really pretty free-wheeling. If you think about it, it makes sense. Social media is immediate, spontaneous, and about conversations. Traditional presentations have been one-way communication – presenter to audience with a possible, short question and answer period at the end. Injecting social media into that process makes it more of a conversation and your presentation may make take a sharp turn that you didn’t anticipate.

Atkinson addresses that kind of turn in particular when referencing a presentation at SXSW in 2009 where an attendee tweeted that she considered one of the panelists to be very derogatory (that’s putting it politely). He happened to be monitoring the backchannel on his phone and chose to call the attendee out and have a discussion on the spot about her perception. It took a skilled moderator to reclaim the session and get it back on track, but it is easy to see how the audience can become an active part of a presentation or conference panel. He also referenced a presentation at the New Media Atlanta conference in 2009 where attendees were using an app that allowed them to use the backchannel anonymously to make snarky remarks about individual sessions, presenters, and the conference focus. The presenter chose not to use PowerPoint for his presentation. Instead, he displayed the backchannel conversation behind him while he spoke from a few written notes. He faced the negative tone head-on with humor, humility, and an open forum.

Conferences and presenters tend to use hashtags (keywords preceded by the pound sign - i.e. #edtech) that allows you to follow a conversation. At the last conference I attended, I noticed the bulletin board where the announcements and messages are normally posted was virtually empty. The conference hashtag was promoted to attendees prior to the start of the conference and then reinforced throughout the week. Announcements about changes, cancellations, and other conference information were distributed through Twitter using that hashtag. It also allowed attendees to network and build their personal learning networks with others in their same industry and with the same interests and focus.

The book discusses the advantages, challenges, and risks of engaging the backchannel. It discusses how to prepare and make your presentation Twitter-friendly. And, it ends by addressing how to handle feedback from the backchannel and how to (hopefully) hold it together. It is definitely worth picking up. If you ever present or attend conferences and presentations, this will help you navigate the conversation happening in the background.

Embed Video Files and YouTube in PowerPoint 2010

2011-04-17T19:16:00.003-05:00

First, time flies here at the end of the semester. I didn’t realize it had been so long since my last blog entry. See…end of semester can be stressful on faculty, too J

Second, I was looking at the blog stats recently and saw that, by a very large margin, the post that has had the most views over the last year and a half has been how to embed video in PowerPoint 2007. It is so much easier in PowerPoint 2010, that I thought it was time to update.

In PowerPoint 2010, it is really easy to add video to your presentation and there are some nice upgrades as well. In previous versions, it was easiest to just download the file with something like www.zamzar.com and insert it. The problem was that not all videos downloaded successfully, and free services like Zamzar can sometimes be inconvenient.

When you click on the Insert ribbon in PowerPoint 2010, you’ll find the button for most anything you want to insert into a slide. When you click on Insert ® Video, you have two options – to insert a file or to embed. There is also a third option for inserting video from clipart, though I don’t find it as useful as the other two. One thing to keep in mind when embedding video is that you need to have an Internet connection when running the presentation in order for it to work. It is still smart to have a copy of the file, if possible, as a backup.

Since YouTube is the most common site to link videos from, it makes the most sense to use it as an example. After finding your video, you’ll click on the Share button and then on Embed in order to copy the embed code. You can choose different sizes for the space you are using, or set a custom size.

Here is a quick video to demonstrate embedding video in PowerPoint 2010. It states at one point to go to the slide and check the video. To see a video once you have inserted it, you can click the Playback tab and Preview the video.

You can now add styles to your inserted video, much like the picture and shape styles. This gives the video a little more finished look. You can also trim a video to only show the section you need for your presentation. A couple of things to know about trimming video – 1) you cannot trim an embedded video, so you must have a video file you are using rather than embedding from a Web site, and 2) trimming the video does not make the size of the file smaller; so if you have an 8 minute video trimmed to show only 30 seconds, you will still have a very large file.

There is an option to compress media when you complete your presentation. This makes the size of the PowerPoint file smaller, but it also compromises the quality of the video in particular. You cannot uncompress a video, so it is best to make a copy of the PowerPoint file to experiment with and determine whether the quality is too compromised. To get to this setting, click on the File tab, Info, and the first option in column will be Compress Media. You can compress images, audio, and video. You can also click on File, Options, and Advanced and set PowerPoint to not to allow media to be compressed.

Don’t design stale PowerPoint presentations. Now that it’s so easy, add some video to perk it up!

Your SCC Phi Beta Lambda Winners!

2011-03-28T16:23:00.000-05:00

The 52nd Annual Missouri PBL State Leadership Conference was held this past weekend in Jefferson City, MO at the Truman Hotel. Two members of the SCC chapter of PBL participated in the competitive events and conference. For the first time, members placed in every event in which they participated!

Peggy Glenn (pictured on the left) placed 5th in Computer Applications

Tammy Slayden (pictured on the right) placed 3rd in Word Processing

Peggy and Tammy as a team placed 3rd in Desktop Publishing

These competitions were so tight that there were only 3 points separating 1st through 3rd places in Desktop Publishing and only 5 points separating 1st through 3rd places in Word Processing. Peggy and Tammy have represented SCC and your PBL chapter well! Please congratulate them when you see them around campus.

There are 500 members of PBL across the state representing both community colleges and universities. With 11,000 members nationwide, PBL is the largest post-secondary organization for students preparing for careers in various areas of business and business education.

Penultimate for iPad

2011-03-01T11:22:00.000-06:00

I am at the League for Innovation in the Community College conference this week - Innovations 2011 in San Diego. I've attended some good sessions already and am looking forward to a couple of more today on either side of my own session, "Social Media in the Classroom: Friend or Foe?" For a geek like me, this is a great conference to pick up tools and ideas that I'll experiment with in my own classes. Yesterday, one of the tools that I learned about is Penultimate for iPad. We just purchased a few iPads to incorporate into our Business Administrative Systems classes, so I'm still a newbie and figuring out practical applications. There are plenty of recreational apps, which makes it very addicting, but I’d really like to find more business and practical applications. One thing I’ve wanted to be able to do is to write on the iPad like a true tablet. I’ve found that I can actually take notes quicker on my iPhone because the size is more manageable. Since spring last year, I’ve converted to taking notes on the iPhone at conferences whenever possible and enjoy being more and more paperless. Back to the iPad, the app I learned about yesterday is call Penultimate. It is a note taking app that does allow the user to “write” directly on the surface. It looks like it is easier to do with a stylus, but this makes it seem more practical for students to use in classes to take notes instead of the stacks of paper notebooks – and it is less cumbersome than a full-size laptop.

Here are a couple of tutorials demonstrating Penultimate. The reviews state that the price is $2.99, but when I checked the apps store last night, it looks like it is now $1.99. That's inexpensive enough to give it a whirl.

Favorite Minnie Pearl Stories

2011-02-10T11:35:00.003-06:00

2012 is a year of celebration for the 25th Anniversary of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and what would have been Minnie's 100th birthday. Click here for information regarding those celebrations.

Today seemed like a good day for reminiscing about Minnie Pearl and reliving some of my favorite stories. I called them jokes earlier, but she was really more of a story teller and could spin a yarn with the best.

When I went to Belmont, we had mandatory chapel every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. There were assigned seats and roll was taken. If you were lucky, you might find someone willing to sit in your seat so you could catch up on homework or take a nap (chapel was only mandatory for full-time students, so anyone part-time was available for bribes). They only checked to see that the seat was full, not particularly by whom, so this bribery wasn’t all that uncommon. I didn’t look for ways to skip chapel because I was a heathen, mind you; it was just that the speaker or program wasn’t always all that stirring.

Occasionally, though, we had really interesting speakers. One that I looked forward to each year was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (Minnie Pearl). Miss Minnie was a graduate of Belmont when it was Ward-Belmont College – a prestigious school for young ladies. Being an all-girl college, there were many rules about conduct and curfew in particular. One of the funniest stories I heard her tell, was in chapel one Wednesday morning. As she was telling us about her experience at Belmont, she said that she and a few of the other girls came up with a code that they used in order to let each other know on Saturday morning if they had been kissed the night before. This code was the word mornin’. Each time a girl said the word mornin’, it meant she was kissed that same number of times. The first girl came to breakfast and simply said “Mornin’” which caused a few giggles. The next girl came down and said “Mornin’ Miss Mornin’” which caused a few more looks and giggles. Then the girl who apparently had a bit of a reputation came down and said “Mornin’ Miss mornin’; awfully pretty mornin’ this mornin' Miss Mornin'’.” She had obviously had a busy evening. Then Miss Minnie came down and greeted everyone with her signature “Howwwddeee!” I’m sure I didn’t get that one just exactly right, but it’s very close and cracks me up every time I think about it.

Another story (story, of course, not truth) that I heard her tell on the Opry, was about being mugged. Walking down an alley on her way to her car one night, she was approached by a man who demanded that she give him all of her money. She politely told him that she didn’t have any money. He didn’t believe her and proceeded to thoroughly frisk her up and down. He then said, “You’re right…you don’t have any money.” She replied, “No I don’t, but if you’ll do that again I’ll write you a check.” Again, maybe not spot on, but just thinking of it cracks me up.

Sarah Cannon was also a breast cancer survivor. She spoke of that when she came to chapel, too. She became a spokesperson and championed the need for research and education. The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center is a network of 9 affiliated medical facilities in Tennessee and southern Kentucky. There is also a Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation.

I was lucky enough to meet her a couple of times, but would have loved to have actually known her. One of the first times I was backstage at the Opry, she was standing at the desk where everyone passed as they came in. I saw her speak to everyone who came through the door like family, whether she had just met them or not. I say that because she spoke to me like we had known each other, asked me about my day and how I was doing as she walked down the hall with me and gave me a quick hug as she continued on her way. She was a very classy, humble, genuine, witty, sharp, and precious lady.

Anyone else have a favorite Minnie Pearl joke/story?

Here's one to see you out -

Birthday Perks!

2011-02-02T21:16:00.000-06:00

Several posts back, I listed perks that students receive when using their college ID. I recently had a birthday and didn’t realize how many perks there are on your birthday as well. I’m not a big fan of the ritual of servers singing, clapping, and making a spectacle while bringing a free dessert to your table (and, honestly, I don’t think they really are either). What I can be a fan of, however, is getting a coupon in the mail or by email that I can just carry in and redeem. A few emails that I received last week made me wonder just how many of these offers there are, and I even found a Web site that has many of the entertainment and restaurant birthday offers in one place. Go to FreeBirthdayTreats.com to sign up for perks that range from free desserts, drinks, and entrées to discounts and gift cards.

This isn’t necessarily something that I seek out, but if I had known about it when I was a college student, I wouldn’t have eaten so many awful meals in the campus cafeteria. Living on campus, I was required to buy a meal ticket, which meant I would eat the salad with wilted, brown lettuce and scrambled eggs that crunched when you found a stray eggshell. The purpose of requiring a meal ticket as part of campus housing was good, but the execution lacked severely. These birthday perks are something I would have jumped on back then and, if you’re in college and on a tight budget, you should too.

A popular birthday freebie is a coffee from Starbuck’s. I should be getting mine in the mail anytime. Another of my personal favorites is a free bowl of noodles from Noodles & Company (I love the Pad Thai noodles). Apparently, because I signed up and played fantasy football this fall, ESPN has me on their list and I received a free Sports Center theme ringtone. My massage therapist (when you get old, you have massage therapists and chiropractors on speed dial) sent me a happy birthday email and $10 off my next package.

Go to the FreeBirthdayTreats.com site and you can also get a free dinner from Captain D’s, a burger from Red Robin, chips and salsa from Qdoba and Chili’s, a bogo meal from Sweet Tomatoes, and free desserts from a variety of different places.

So, if you are a college student on a budget or just like a freebie now and then, be a kid again and take advantage of your birthday. Before you know it, you’ll move right into those senior discounts…something for everyone!

Internet Connected Devices Big at CES 2011

2011-01-06T15:42:00.003-06:00

For a techie, the Consumer Electronics Show is maybe the biggest amusement park I can imagine. It is going on January 6-9 in Las Vegas and is reportedly much bigger than last year – supposedly a good sign for the economy.

There are two things being showcased at the show this year and I am really interested in – Internet connected devices and tablets. Here is a link to the 5 Technologies to Watch for at CES 2011 from Mashable.

I’ve blogged before about how much I like Netflix. Among other things, some of the Internet connected devices at this year’s CES are HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and video games. I found out about the Blu-ray player connectivity a few months back, but haven’t pulled the trigger on that change yet. I haven’t replaced my VHS movies with DVDs, so I’m not sure I want to be tempted by the Blue-ray quality yet. I’m not too interested in 3D TVs, but Internet connectivity is another thing altogether. Since my last Netflix post, you can now get it streamed on your Wii, iPhone, and iPad. Here’s the current dilemma, spend about $150 for the Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming or about $180 for the Wii. My post-holiday budget will give me a little time to think on that.

The other item I’m curious about this year is the tablet. I’ve played with an iPad enough to know I like it for the flexibility and portability, but the iPad2 is coming out and some really cool Android tablets and devices. I’m curious to see how that all shakes out, though it seems as I get older and my eyesight gets “more challenging,” that devices are getting smaller and smaller.

Of course the other connected devices will be very cool too - appliances, autos, monitoring systems, etc. All of this seemed very Jetsons not too long ago, but I've always wanted to see one of the smart homes. That seems like the ultimate electronics and integration bundle.

Are there new electronics coming in 2011 that you’re excited to see, play with, and hear more about?

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-20T18:37:00.000-06:00

Winter Comfort Food

2010-12-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of recipes for your holiday break. Both easy and like a big warm blanket on a cold day :)

Sweet Potato Pie - This is Paula Deen's recipe and is one of my favorites.The photo is not her pie, but I'm not a big meringue fan, so this is what it looks like when I make it. I also don't add the bourbon, but it probably adds to that warm feeling.

Ingredients

2 cups peeled, cooked sweet potatoes
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup milk
9-inch unbaked pie crust
3 egg whites

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling, using an electric hand mixer, combine the potatoes, 1 cup of the sugar, the butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and continue to mix. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pie on a rack and cool to room temperature before covering with meringue.

For the meringue, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is glossy and stiff, but not dry. With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue onto the pie, forming peaks. Make sure the meringue touches the crust all around. Sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until delicately browned. Cool and serve.
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My other winter (or anytime really) favorite is Shepherd's Pie. This recipe is from SimplyRecipes.com, which emphasizes what I'm usually concerned with - simple!

Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Directions

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Serves four.

Claymation Christmas

2010-12-07T12:33:00.001-06:00

This is one of my favorite Christmas specials - Claymation Christmas. I love their version of We Three Kings and Joy to the World.

Paradise Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

Here is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. My mom makes this, and it just doesn't seem right now if there isn't any cream cheese.

1 8oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 9 inch unbaked pastry shell
1 1/4 cups canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of salt
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Maple syrup
Pecan halves

Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Add egg, mix well. Pour onto bottom of pastry shell. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Carefully pour over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees 65 to 70 minutes or until done. Cool. Brush with maple syrup, decorate with nuts.

Civility - Part 2

2010-11-22T20:15:00.000-06:00

You know how you never see a particular color and make/model of a car until you buy one – then you see them everywhere? Well, that is how the Today Show series on civility hit me earlier this month. It had already been a topic in a couple of meetings I’d been in recently; and then when the series aired, it seemed like there were stories and articles everywhere I looked.

One interesting part of the discussion is how technology, social media, and gadgets have begun to affect our relationships. I’ve heard stories of people sitting next to each other and texting rather than talking face-to-face. Unless you are plotting a clandestine operation and need covert communication, it seems like a big missed opportunity to connect with a friend or family member. Instead of typing a smiley face, you can actually look them in the face and smile or make a silly face. Instead of typing something that means hug, give them a hug – they’re right beside you. One of the biggest drawbacks to written correspondence is not having the advantage of communicating with facial expressions and gestures, so don’t give up that advantage by texting the person sitting next you instead of speaking to them face-to-face.

It actually seems like the more connected technology allows us to be, the more disconnected we become. There are a couple of interesting things I’ve found on this topic. One is a blog titled The Collapse of Civility. The title of one of the posts is Anonymity – Familiarity’s Ugly Cousin and the Bane of Civility. Here is a quote that caught my attention, “The darkest aspect of technology… is the lack of responsibility and accountability that the anonymity of a virtual personality provides. The disconnectedness of being constantly connected manifests in the tendency for human beings to say things…that they would never, ever say in the presence of a real live human being.” It makes you stop and think. Sitting in front of a computer, as opposed to sitting in front of a person, shouldn’t give anyone license to disconnect the filter that is supposed to stop things you are thinking from just jumping right out of your mouth…or fingers, as the case may be.

There is also an article that appeared in The New York Times in June titled “The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In” by Julie Scelfo. Here is the study that prompted it, “Sherry Turkle, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Initiative on Technology and Self, has been studying how parental use of technology affects children and young adults. After five years and 300 interviews, she has found that feelings of hurt, jealousy and competition are widespread. Her findings will be published in “Alone Together” early next year by Basic Books.”

Personally, I am a self-professed techno geek; so I love technology, new technology, new software, and figuring out how I might be able to integrate them into my classes. I also realize that I sometimes have an issue with not taking a break from technology. Earlier this year, my cellphone upgrade kicked in and I upgraded to an iPhone. At the same time, I knew it wouldn’t take long for me to become addicted…and I was right. Don’t get me wrong, I am not giving up any of my tech tools or boycotting social media. But, at the risk of sounding a little Kumbaya, I think I’ll be a little more aware of where and when I use it—especially heading into the holidays where I really want to be with family and friends and give and receive real, live smiles and hugs.

Is Civility Dead?

2010-11-03T23:22:00.001-05:00

There is a lot of attention being given lately to bullying and a general lack of civility. The Today Show this week is running a series that asks the question – “Is Civility Dead”? It is interesting to watch this conversation evolve. So far, they have asked if social media and reality tv are contributing to a lack of civility, if gadgets are making us more rude, and what has happened to please and thank you.

This topic is way beyond one blog post, but it seems like now is a good time to dig into this conversation. It’s kind of hard to think that there were six teen suicides in the month of September alone and five of those happened over just two or three weeks. These most recent suicides in the news have been attributed to bullying of teens who were gay or perceived as gay. Bullying happens for a truck-load of reasons – anything that makes someone seem outside of the norm; and that norm is always relative to the majority or loudest group at the time. It can even get somewhat cloaked in being a rite of passage. My elementary and high schools were so small, we didn’t have a middle school or junior high. We went K through 7 at the elementary school and 8 through 12 at the high school. There is a lot of difference physically and emotionally between a 12- or 13-year old and a 17- or 18-year old. Part of going to 8th grade at my high school meant that most of the guys ended up dropped in trash cans by juniors and seniors as one of those rites of passage; it was just a given. At that age, when you are insecure about physique, clothes, and being involved in the right clique, all of those insecurities are magnified and used to poke fun and have a laugh at someone’s expense. Most of us can probably think of a time, especially during those awkward teen years, when we were both the butt of the joke and at least snickered at whoever was the butt of the joke.

You could argue that this stuff has been going on forever, but here’s what has changed since I was in school—teasing and bullying now happens on an incredibly larger stage. When I was in school, you could sort of escape and start over at another school if that was an option. Or sometimes things would just be different after summer vacation…especially for those guys who may have been dumped in a trash can one year and grew six inches, acquired a deeper voice, and gained a wide enough foundation to avoid those kinds of things the next year. Now, however, the teasing and bullying is broadcast way beyond a classroom or a school through multiple outlets on the Web, through texts, and viral video or Webcasting. I remember hearing “it will pass,” “they’ll get tired and stop,” or “just ignore them.” The problem is, now those activities have an extraordinarily wider audience and an infinite shelf-life. The fire is fueled indefinitely, so it is hard to see that it might ever get better or even stop – especially for that age group where their entire universe is school, classmates, and school-related activities.

Since there are so many more vehicles for teasing and bullying, and through those vehicles they reach that wider audience and infinite shelf-life, it seems like it is time dial it back and make that turn back toward a higher level of civility. It would make Emily Post proud.

When I started this post I found an article on aolhealth.com that states that suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year olds. The CDC identifies suicide as the second leading cause of death on college campuses. The Trevor Project reports that those teens who are gay or questioning their sexuality are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual classmates. A survey of 43,000 high school students showed that, within the last year alone, 43 percent reported that they were physically teased, taunted, or abused; and 50 percent admitted to being the bully. It shouldn’t be a surprise that elementary schools to universities across the country are becoming more proactive about ushering a return to civility for that most at-risk age group. Seems like a no-brainer. When we were little we were taught the golden rule, play nice, and share. Maybe we just need a good update and review?

Pimp Your PowerPoint

2010-10-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

OK…so I stole that title. There is a great video by that name on YouTube. It is worth watching, give it a look – it was posted by yourbusinesschannel.com. PowerPoint seems to always be the most fun application in the Office suite. It is the application that every student looks forward to in Microcomputer Applications and the advanced 8-week class rarely has openings. Here’s the deal…it isn’t just fun, it is very slick and can make you look like a genius presenter if you take advantage of the new features in 2010 and don’t approach presentations in the traditional manner.

I was asked to be an SCC blogger almost a year ago and the one post that I still get the most comments on is one of the first ones I wrote – “Embed YouTube in PowerPoint 2007.” There are some really great upgrades and new features in PowerPoint 2010, so I thought it was time to update this topic.

On the topic of video, there are a couple of really cool improvements. The first is that you can easily insert embed code for a video clip from the Web. Click on Insert, Video, and Video from Web Site and paste the embed code. Two things to remember here – one, you need to make sure you have Internet access when you run your presentation; and two, you need to run the presentation on PowerPoint 2010. This is a new feature, and as with the new features in 2007, it is not backwards compatible. The other really nice video option is the ability to trim. You might have a great video for your presentation, but you only need 30 seconds of an 8-minute video. Now you can trim the video down to just the part you want to use without having to take it into another program to edit. You can also use the new fade in/fade out options when running your video.

Smart Guides are another new feature. They have also been added to Publisher and will look familiar to InDesign users. As you move objects around on a slide, you automatically get guides that appear in order to help you align with other objects or content placeholders. You can still use the Align feature on the contextual tab, but the Smart Guides are a really quick and easy way to align objects on the fly.

Accessibility Checker is another new feature that is helpful in making presentations more accessible for people with disabilities. Go to File, Info, and Check for Issues. This will alert you to features you have used or objects you have inserted that might need attention.

Now that you have access to that big 25 Gig SkyDrive with your Windows Live ID (or with your CougarMail login and password if you are an SCC student), you can save directly to the clouds from within the application. This has been added to other office applications, too. Click on File, Save & Send, and Save to Web. This will bring up an option to log in with your Windows Live ID and send your file directly to the SkyDrive. The SkyDrive is really easy to find, just go to skydrive.com.

New and improved Transitions are also here. The existing transitions have been updated and work a lot more smoothly. You can also now adjust the duration of the transitions beyond just slow, medium, and fast; you can now set the exact amount of time. The new transitions are more like video transitions and give your presentation a much more polished look.

New and improved image options are here. You can now crop an image to a shape instead of formatting AutoShape and inserting. This is much quicker and easier than the previous method. In 2007 they introduced picture styles which are great to give your images a little personality instead of just lying flat on the slide. Photoshop users will recognize some filters, but in PowerPoint they are called Artistic Effects. You can now remove the background from images. This works better with some pictures than others and can require some tedious editing, but is a very cool new feature. In addition to inserting pictures, clip art, and other objects, now you can insert a screen shot.

If you create presentations that run in a loop at a kiosk or display, there are a couple of options in 2010 in addition to saving the presentation as a show. The first is that you can save your PowerPoint slides as images, which will create a jpeg file of each slide, and then load them onto a digital picture frame and run without the need for a computer, laptop, or notebook. The other option is new to 2010 and you can now save your presentation as a video. One of my favorite assignments in PowerPoint is to recreate a TV commercial. You can make this even more commercial-like by saving the presentation as a video.

Having a remote to advance your PowerPoint slides and keep you from being chained to a computer or wireless mouse is a great thing. Did you know there is an app for that? If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download the i-Clickr app, install a small application on your laptop or netbook, and run your presentation with your iPhone/iPod Touch. The app is free to run up to 15 slides, but is only $9.99 for full version. It will run your presentation, including animations. It will show your presentation notes, so you don’t need those 3x5 notecards. It will also keep time for you and buzz when you are running close on total time.

There are many new and improved features in PowerPoint 2010. I’ll continue to post these as I find great applications and tips. In the meantime, check out the videos below. The first shows some of the new features in action. The second is an entertaining look at what you should NOT do when preparing a PowerPoint presentation.

Occupation, Vocation, Career, Profession…Pick a Name, but They’re all the Same

2010-10-04T22:43:00.000-05:00

Regardless of what you call it, these are all basically the same. Occupation – the job by which somebody earns a living. Vocation – somebody's work, job, or profession, especially a type of work demanding special commitment. Career – a job or occupation regarded as a long-term or lifelong activity. Profession – an occupation that requires extensive education or specialized training. These definitions are straight from the Encarta Dictionary. Notice that they all use the same nouns in their definitions – job, profession, occupation…a cross-pollination of definitions.

When I was in high school I remember a stigma attached to “vo-tech” courses and students. I didn’t understand it then and understand the differentiation even less now. Forcing a student into an academic or career path based on anything other than their strengths, talents, and interests is a disservice to students. Placing any kind of stigma or propagating a stereotype of either of these paths is shameful. Career technical programs require very high level math skills and critical thinking skills and you might find yourself getting your hands dirty in a traditionally academic area. I remember having to have a “practical arts” class in order to satisfy the requirements for high school graduation. I’m not sure what that is called now, but then it meant that you needed to take a home economics course or a shop course. I chose to take a shop course – drafting – because it was something that I was really interested in and thought would be fun. After that course, I really wanted to go to the drafting program at the vocational technical school but was discouraged. I was told I should take what are now referred to as AP courses. I quickly understood the underlying message.

But These Are The Facts*

Career and technical education is a combination of academic and technical education resulting in a very rigorous program that prepares students to either continue their education or enter the workforce.
CTE students are more motivated and interested in their coursework because of its connection to the real world and, as a result, less likely to dropout. (Michael E. Wonacott, “Dropouts and Career and Technical Education, Myths and Realities No. 23,” (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 2002).
CTE students participate in programs that lead to employment in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations or professions.
CTE programs provide the skills training that addresses the needs of high-growth industries, such as healthcare, renewable energy and STEM fields.
Healthcare occupations are expected to make up 7 of the 20 fastest growing occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
CTE gives individuals in transition (i.e. back in the job hunt due to layoffs, economic downturn, etc.) a way to begin a new career with a chance to reinvent themselves.
CTE has always evolved in response to economic needs in our communities.

*These facts are from the ACTE Web site http://www.acteonline.org/.

I saw this interview on The Today Show and it made me want to drag out my soapbox and stump for career tech programs, the misconceptions, and their invaluableness.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Not Your Parents' Money Book

2010-09-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a clip from one of my favorite money experts, Jean Chatzky. Her new book is geared toward middle school students, but it sounds like it would be great for teenagers as well.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I’m Going to Disneyworld…with PBL!

2010-09-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about college life is getting involved in clubs and organizations on campus. They allow you to meet new people with similar interests, network, and even gain experience you can add to your resume. If you are new to SCC or have never considered a student organization before, you should go to the Student Activities page on the college Web site and check out what you have to choose from.

So, who is PBL and why should you care? Phi Beta Lambda is part of Future Business Leaders of America, which has four levels – middle school through professional level. PBL is the largest college/university organization in the nation for students interested in areas of business. If you are majoring in (or even interested in) business, management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, business administrative systems, computer science, programming, or any of the multimedia areas, then PBL is the club for you. We have also had members with majors in communication and journalism – everyone is welcome to join. If you haven’t declared a major yet, maybe you’ll find your calling through PBL!

Here are ways you can find us –
Facebook – facebook.com/sccpbl
Twitter – twitter.com/sccpbl (or @sccpbl)
Web – http://www.sccpbl.com/
Email – info@sccpbl.com
National PBL Web site - http://www.fbla-pbl.org/

The current SCC chapter of PBL began in November 2008 and wasted no time getting involved with community service, campus activities, and leadership conferences. That first winter and spring, we raised money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of St Charles and March for Babies, provided gifts for the Annual Holiday Adopt-A-Family program at Central Elementary School, sponsored a Resume Workshop on campus, attended an American Marketing Association Student Conference at Maryville University and Cardinals Career Day at Busch Stadium, and competed at both the Missouri PBL State Leadership Conference in Jefferson City, MO and at the PBL National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, CA.

Last year, we co-sponsored (with Student Activities and the Social Science Club) a Debt Awareness Week with presentations each day at lunch time, an evening presentation, and the Big Money Game Show. We also co-sponsored (with Student Activities) Trouble Online: Campus Computing and The Law, a presentation by C.L. Lindsay which coincided with national FBLA-PBL Week. Area FBLA chapters were invited to campus, and we hosted about 100 members for sessions on Google Docs, Facebook in the Classroom, a campus tour, and lunch prior to the C.L. Lindsay event. We again worked with Central Elementary on their Holiday Adopt-A-Family project and raised money for March for Babies and participated and competed at the Missouri PBL State Leadership Conference and PBL National Leadership Conference, this time in Nashville, TN. At the national conference, Justin Hanna (our PBL Treasurer) placed in the top 10 in the nation in the Accounting for Professionals event. (check out the blog from July 14 for photos and info)

This year we plan to continue our community service involvement and sponsorship of campus events, as well as attending and competing at the state and national conferences. The state conference is always the last weekend in March in Jefferson City, MO; but the national conference rotates among four cities – Anaheim, CA; Nashville, TN; Orlando, FL; and San Antonio, TX. This summer it will be in Orlando, FL. While we welcome anyone to join us in organizing, planning, and participating in service projects and campus activities, you must be a paid member of the organization in order to participate in and compete at the PBL conferences. The membership dues are $25 per academic year and cover the national, state, and local dues all three.

PBL is a great way to gain leadership skills, network with professionals and like-minded students on campus and around the country, and add experience that will boost your resume. The club meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month in Tech 110 at 3:00 p.m. Our next meeting is September 20. I hope to see you there!

Countdown to First Day of Classes...

2010-08-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

The countdown to the first day of classes has begun. Everyone is trying to squeeze everything possible into the last bit of free time of the summer. There is the smell of fresh sharpened pencils in the air and all of those new school clothes are about to be laid out for that first day.

Oh wait…that was when I was in school. Does anyone get excited about back-to-school shopping anymore? The hunt for the best pencils, pens, bags, folders, organizers, etc.? I remember being really particular about hard lead (#3) pencils, college ruled notebook paper, and that new Mead Trapper Keeper because it was more than just a binder as the ad went. The excitement now seems to be over finding the newest laptop or netbook and then the coolest/craziest skin or cover you can find. Have you seen http://www.pimpmynetbook.com/?

All of this back-to-school reflecting made me look for some appropriate songs. I also found one of my favorite Father Guido Sarducci skits. Here’s what I found.

Here is Father Guido's 5-Minute University

Here is Pink Floyd's - We Don't Need No Education

Here is AC/DC's cover of School Days

IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER SKILLS

2010-08-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

It is important to understand fundamental information about your desktop or laptop computer as you begin the semester. Once you locate this information, it would be a good idea to write it all in one place in case you need to call the SCC Help Desk or a retail computer store for help. Completing these steps now will help your semester start a little more smoothly.

This information is also part of a presentation that I give to the SCC Returning Learners Club.

THE BASICS

OPERATING SYSTEM VS OFFICE SOFTWARE
Your operating is the engine that runs your programs/applications. When you call the Help Desk, you will likely be asked what operating system you are running. This will be Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 – if you are on a PC.

Your version of Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook) is a software application. You may have Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007, Office 2010. This is something else you may be asked if you call the Help Desk.

If you right-click on Computer or My Computer, you will see basic information about your computer, including the operating system.

RAM VS HARD DRIVE STORAGE

RAM is the memory that is installed on your computer that allows applications to run and that allows multitasking (multiple applications running at the same time). See the illustration above for where you can find that information. This example has 2 GB of RAM.

The Hard Drive size is how much space you have to save documents, spreadsheets, and other files. Your hard drive is measured in GB also, but the number should be significantly larger.

To find the size of your hard drive, click (not right-click) on Computer or My Computer and then right-click on Local Drive C:. From the right-click menu, choose Properties and you will see information similar to that below.

The amount of RAM you have and the size of your hard drive may be other questions you will be asked when calling the Help Desk.

FILE MANAGEMENT

Choose where you are going to store your files – your hard drive, flash drive, SkyDrive (after activating your CougarMail email account).

If you are using a flash drive to carry your work back and forth to campus, then plug your flash drive into your computer at home (this will not work on campus computers because of security settings), right-click on the flash drive, and choose Rename. Then name your flash drive with your own name so that you can easily find it when you use it at SCC. It is much easier to find the drive with the name COMPTON than it is to figure out if your flash drive is F:, G:, H:, or another drive letter.

Organize your files into folders to keep things such as assignments and class notes associated with a particular class. This makes your information easier to access and find. There is no need to add stress by frantically searching for an assignment you know you completed but have no idea where to find it. Go one step further and create a folder for each semester, then a folder for each class in that semester. Here is what that might look like –

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Choose an anti-virus program to keep your computer safe. Viruses can travel through emails, Web sites you visit, and from flash drives (among other things). There are many options for anti-virus programs – from pay options to free options. I have AT&T U-verse, home, and cell phone service. Being an AT&T customer, I am able to get McAfee at no charge from their Web site. If you are an AT&T customer, you should call their customer service number and check to see if this is an option. Another free option that many people use is AVG Free Anti-Virus (http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage). The important thing is to make sure you are covered.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP

The SCC Help Desk is a great resource. Though they can’t act as the Geek Squad and solve complex problems, they may be able to walk you through a solution. Their contact information and hours are –

Contact Information
Phone: 636-922-8555
E-mail: scchelpdesk@stchas.edu
Location: LRC 146

Hours
Fall and Spring
Monday-Thursday   7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday                     7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturday                 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Summer
Monday-Thursday   7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday                     7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off Semester
Monday-Friday       7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

You can also ask one of your instructors. They may be able to answer quick questions or help with organizing your folders.

Start the Semester Prepared…and Activate Your CougarMail

2010-08-02T22:32:00.001-05:00

Whether you are a new or returning student to SCC this semester, make sure you are prepared for the first day of class. Over the summer, the college updated operating system software and Microsoft Office software in all classrooms and labs on campus. We are now running Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 campus wide. If you are taking courses that involve this software, you will want to be prepared. For instance, all of the Microcomputer Applications courses and individual Office application courses will be using Office 2010. If you want to be able to do homework at home, you will need to purchase the 2010 software. If you are not able to do that, there are open labs in the Tech Building, Social Science Building, and Library.

The best deal for the Windows 7 and Office 2010 software is at http://www.ultimatesteal.com/. This site is for students only, so you will need to use your CougarMail address (yourID@my.stchas.edu or any .edu address). If you haven’t set that up yet, it is well worth your time to do so. At this site, you can purchase the Windows 7 upgrade for just $29.99 and the Office 2010 Professional software for $79.95. These purchases are digital downloads; if you want a DVD backup of the software, you will pay just a little extra. Either way, you will want to back up the software in case you need to reinstall. As a reference, the Windows 7 upgrade is $199.99 and Office 2010 Professional is $499.99 at Office Depot. The version is very important, especially if you are taking Microcomputer Applications or any of the individual Office software courses. If you buy the Home and Student or Home and Business versions of Office 2010, you will not get Access. This is a common issue in the Microcomputer Applications course – students do not buy the correct version of Office and are caught off-guard when it comes time to cover the Access chapters. Without the software, you will need to complete homework for those four weeks on campus or somewhere you can use Access 2010.

Another perk of your CougarMail address is access to a 25 gig SkyDrive and Office Live. This is convenient because the SkyDrive is the equivalent of carrying 8 to 10 flash drives; but you do not have to keep up with all of those, worry about leaving them in another computer, or dropping them on the parking lot on the way to class. With Office Live you also have access to the basic features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint online (along with OneNote). These limited features are not enough to get by without buying the Office 2010 software if, again, you are taking Microcomputer Applications or any of the individual Office application courses; but it is still a handy tool for starting documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can put the finishing touches on them when you get to your own computer or one of the open labs. There is even a SkyDrive option under Save As in Office 2010, so it makes using this resource even easier. And the best part…there is no charge for any of this. You just need to activate your CougarMail.

Here are a few tutorials for using Office Live, the SkyDrive, and a link to help for setting up your SCC CougarMail.

Photoshop CS5 - Puppet Warp

2010-07-21T09:22:00.002-05:00

At the Shelly Cashman Summer Institute...here are a couple of videos that demo a really cool new tool in Photoshop CS5 that I learned about this week.

SCC Among the Top 10 at PBL National Leadership Conference 2010

2010-07-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

The PBL National Leadership Conference was this past weekend in Nashville, TN (July 9-12, 2010). Two St Charles Community College students qualified to compete – Charlie Albers in Economic Analysis & Decision Making and Justin Hanna in Accounting for Professionals. PBL chapters from all over the United States were represented by about 2000 total members. Those who place in the top 10 in each of about 50 events are recognized on stage and presented trophies, some with cash prizes ranging from $100 to $1000.

SCC’s Justin Hanna placed 9th in the nation in Accounting for Professionals. The awards program was streamed live and will soon be available on-demand at http://www.flba-pbl.org/. Justin has been a member of SCC’s PBL chapter for two years, has competed in events at the Missouri PBL State Leadership Conference both years, served as the chapter’s treasurer for the 2009-2010 academic year, and also received the award for Outstanding Service to PBL at this year’s SCC Student Awards Banquet.

The conference was originally scheduled to be at the Opryland Hotel, but due to the devastating floods in May, the conference was moved downtown to the Nashville Convention Center. While in Nashville, we were also able to see a few of the sites. Since I lived in the Nashville area for about 20 years, I was happy to get a chance to show Charlie and Justin around a little. We hit the Music Row area, Vanderbilt and Belmont University areas, the Opryland area, and lower Broadway landmarks Hatch Show Print, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Gruhn Guitars, and Jack’s BBQ. They also toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, and experienced some ever popular meat ‘n threes.

The 2011 National Leadership Conference will be held in Orlando, FL in June next year. If you would like to get more information about Phi Beta Lambda, please visit http://www.fbla-pbl.org/, the SCC chapter at http://www.sccpbl.com/, or email me at acompton@stchas.edu.

S.S. Admiral…You’ll Be Missed

2010-06-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

It was announced this week that the S.S. Admiral (a.k.a. President Casino) will close early. This was a sad announcement as far as I’m concerned. I have very fond memories of the Admiral from the mid to late 70s when she still made excursions.

The reason I have those fond memories is because my grandpa Paul wanted all of his granddaughters to take dance lessons. He passed away when I was just about two years old, but when I was old enough, I started lessons just like my cousins before me. I wasn’t much on dancing – I wasn’t very good at it and wasn’t crazy about practicing. The few home movies that I have of recitals show me mostly looking at my friend Jamie (Edgar) Butcher’s feet next to me and trying to keep up. We had recitals at the elementary school in Desloge each year. It was always hideously hot and a chore to get everyone’s tights with that darn seam plumb straight down the back of our legs. The studio owner and teacher was Jerri O’Dell, and I still remember most of the words to It’s A Small World and Oh You Beautiful Doll…two of my class’ big numbers.

Now, my cousins all had a knack for dancing, especially Deb. For me, the highlight of taking lessons, though, was that we danced on the Admiral. It was worth all of the lessons, practice, and hot recital to be able to make that trip to St Louis and dance on the Admiral. It is a boat like no other and has been a part of the St Louis skyline for decades. For me, it will not be the same without it. I remember getting excited when we got to the cobblestone, because we were nearly there (St Louis was always a special trip when I was a kid…it was sooooo far away, at least in my mind). I remember the narrow stairs along the side of the wall that took you up to the top deck or down to the bottom where the games were. One of my favorite things to do was always to go to the top deck and sit and listen to the calliope play. There was usually a nice breeze, the view was great, and the calliope was mesmerizing. It also made me just a little nervous every time we went under the bridge as if it was always touch-and-go whether we’d make it. Another favorite thing was to go down to the bottom deck and hang out. My knees would tremble and I would get butterflies in my stomach when I stood close to the big open windows. I wanted to see the Mississippi roll by, but the closer I got to those windows it also gave me a little adrenaline rush and panic at the same time. On that deck, they had a fortune teller machine – kind of like the one in the movie “Big.” It was a must during each trip to drop my money in, watch her move her arms and head like she was conjuring up something really cool, and then spit out my fortune.

The S.S. Admiral was a one of a kind when she was built. The original hull was from the Albatross, built in 1907. The boat was stripped down and redesigned in 1940 with that cool spaceship exterior and art deco interior. It was impossible to confuse with any other steam boat. Then in 1974, the steam engines were replaced with diesel engines. She was decertified for excursions and converted to a night club in 1979; then converted to the President Casino in the 1990s. Now that she is closed permanently, she’ll probably be soon be scrap.

It is going to be hard not seeing the Admiral (in whatever configuration) sitting next to the Arch in future pictures of the St Louis skyline. But, I am really happy to have these memories and to have been able to take a couple of those excursions. If anyone has photos from the Admiral or any excursions, please post them; or email them to me at acompton@stchas.edu and I’ll post them here.

Body Language and Non-Verbal Cues

2010-06-15T13:20:00.001-05:00

It’s summertime in St Lou. That means it’s too hot to (at least for me) go outside and do anything for long, so I find myself working in the house where it is cool. Part of that includes finding ways to avoid work that really needs to be done. This is my explanation for the topic of this particular blog entry. One of the ways that I avoid doing what I need to do, is sitting in front of the television and getting sucked in to things I wouldn’t normally watch.

Today I caught part of the Dr. Oz Show. The topic was “How to Spot a Cheater.” It was pretty interesting and made me think of the many times that we talk about body language and non-verbal communication in various classes. You can definitely recognize non-verbal cues that can help clarify (or sometimes even horrify) a message that is being conveyed in person. Dr. Oz’s guest was former federal law enforcement officer, Janine Driver. Here are some flags that she suggested keeping an eye out for:

Liars watch their buts – “I know you think I’m lying, but…”
Character testimony – “ask my friends…they’ll tell you I didn’t/wouldn’t”
Deception statements – “what kind of person do you think I am?”
No vs Never – the use of “never” is an extreme attempt to convince
Pronoun No No’s – using “we” and “us” might indicate more of a relationship than meets the eye
Naval Intelligence – sitting in a position with your belly button not facing the person you are speaking to might indicate an comfortableness and wanting to leave
Fidgeting – could indicate anxiety that the speaker is trying to hide

I think there is merit in some of these, but communication is not like a mathematical formula. I don’t think you can apply a formula and conclude that this, this, and this means a person is lying, hiding something, or intentionally being deceptive. Just like grammar, there isn’t an English version of 2+2=4 for every situation. For instance, in the video below from this episode of Dr. Oz, they talk about the meaning of hooking your foot behind the rung of a chair while speaking to someone. For me, this feels like a bit of a stretch. What do you think?

There is, however, a science to understanding cues that someone might not be completely honest. There is a show on FOX called “Lie to Me” that is based on the work of Dr. Paul Ekman, a psychologist who has been a pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions. The character of Dr. Cal Lightman is based on Dr. Ekman. It is pretty fascinating to think that you can map out the human face and analyze microexpressions that might indicate deception.

Interestingly, the next show that nearly sucked me in was The Real Housewives of NYC Reunion. Luckily, I dodged that bullet. The non-verbal, facial, and microexpression cues were just too much…overload!

Best iPhone Apps

2010-05-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

My cell phone upgrade finally kicked in a couple of months ago, and I broke down and bought an iPhone. My motivation for a smartphone was that I needed to be able to access my calendar in real time - both work and personal - and I bascially wanted a computer in my pocket. Now the irony here is that I'm getting older (at an age where my vision is beginning to change) and my computer screen keeps getting smaller. I need an app that will allow me to send my phone screen to my tv :)

When I first asked friends about whether to get an iPhone or something else, the response was overwhelming - "You'll LOVE it," "You won't know what you did without it," "You need one for each hand." My first thought was they were over selling it...it surely wasn't THAT cool or addictive. Boy was I wrong. Of course, I'm still in the honeymoon phase with it, but I quickly became very attached. I keep looking for cool apps. Some that I can use in my classes, some I can use for my own organization/productivity, and some just for fun. For starters, I have loaded about 10 Gb of music and find myself being one of those annoying people who walks around with earbuds in more often than not. It has kind of made me fall in love with music all over again.

The apps I use most (at this point) are the calendar, email, facebook, tweetdeck, youtube, and the browser. I also found Pandora, Shop Savvy, Yelp, Shazaam, TV.com, and a few other popular choices. Today, I found an article on the Digital Trends web site with the top apps. I saw some there that I'll probably give a whirl. Anyone out there have a favorite app (or more) that you just can't live without?

Summer Reading Suggestions?

2010-05-19T14:15:00.001-05:00

Other than learning new software, rebuilding courses, and a July of conferences…I can now take a breath. Teachers look forward to a little summer break, too. I’m trying to figure out what to read this summer for recreation as opposed to reading to prep for classes.

One of my favorite parts of the semester is when we cover PowerPoint in the Microcomputer Applications course. Instead of a written test, the students create a presentation about their favorite… I like it when I get great ideas for summer reading or movies. They have no idea that part of my motivation for this assignment is so selfish. Through these presentations, I have picked up books by Chuck Palahniuk, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, and became completely addicted to Lost.

I’m a big fan of Dexter, so I always like to make sure I have the newest book in that series for the summer. I prefer paperbacks, so I’m usually a little behind. This summer’s book should be Dexter by Design, but it looks like the paperback isn't due out until August. I’m looking forward to it regardless. The great thing about these books is that, after the first one (Darkly Dreaming Dexter), the books do not follow the Showtime series. This gives readers like me a paperback season between tv seasons.

I never thought I would fall for the vampire craze, but I love True Blood on HBO. One of my students gave a presentation on the Sookie Stackhouse books, so I think I’ll get the first one and give it a whirl this summer. I also love 24. Whoever came up with the idea for that format – one day, an hour at a time, for a season – was a genius. Another student this semester gave a presentation on Vince Flynn. His books sound a little Jack Bauer-like, so I’m thinking of picking up one of those, too.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I picked up my first Stuart Woods book because I liked the cover and was then hooked. It doesn’t always work, but it’s an interesting experiment. Anyone have suggestions? I need to do some recreational reading before jumping head-first into Microsoft Office 2010, Adobe CS5, and Moodle.

Some of the Flood Damage in Middle Tennessee

2010-05-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

Fiddling While Nashville is Flooding

2010-05-04T20:28:00.004-05:00

I lived in the Nashville area for 20 years and feel like it is my second home, so the following may be perceived as a little biased. I am immensely proud of my Missouri roots and am definitely a “Show-Me” girl; but after living nearly half of my life in a city I couldn’t wait to get to, I feel like a true hybrid and will always love Nashville.

That said…outside of the middle Tennessee area, it’s hard to know just how many people are aware of the devastating damage that flooding has caused over the last few days. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it feels a little like the national media outlets have been fiddling while Nashville is flooding. I don’t know if there are just too many catastrophes to cover right now, or if there have been so many in the last few months that people are developing a high tolerance for this level of tragedy, but the lack of coverage is disappointing at the very least.

The Army Corps of Engineers has declared that the amount of rainfall that fell Saturday and Sunday in the Nashville area makes this a 1,000 year event. The flood itself is being referred to as a 500 year flood. Yet this isn’t high profile enough to warrant national coverage for more than five minutes at a time (that is the longest coverage I’ve seen from CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News over the last three days). This isn’t about slamming any particular media outlet, but complete befuddlement as to why people aren’t being made aware of the situation so that we can do what we always do in times like this… and that is help.

Thousands of homes have been lost, thousands of people displaced, damages estimated in the multi-billion dollar range – the personal, commercial, economic, and historical losses are mammoth. And here is why I love Nashville. It is a community in most every sense of the word. There have been no instances of looting (yes, that’s right – NO LOOTING – Google it). People are pulling themselves up by the boot straps and dealing with the task at hand and lending a hand where needed. This is honestly one of the most generous and giving communities I have known. As much as one person may have lost, they will quickly tell you how lucky they are that they didn’t lose as much as someone else. I have watched and read a ton of coverage online and have heard these testaments over and over.

As someone who went to Nashville because of a love of music, the photos of the Opry House standing in water and news of loss in the music community hits very hard. Obviously, people’s lives and safety are most important; but from the standpoint of morale, these music and music history losses too are big. It is similar to hearing people talk about the losses in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street areas after Katrina. Those eerily shadowed photos of several feet of standing water in the Opry House are just heartbreaking. But again, I have little doubt that the music community will pull together and restore all of those landmarks and facilities because it is less about the things and more about the history, the music, and the people.

I’m stepping down from my soapbox now, but here are some links where you can help and where you can see some of the effects of the flooding.

See –
http://www.wsmv.com/
http://www.tennessean.com/
www.youtube.com/tndotcom
Flood Benefit Concerts

Help –
http://www.handsonnashville.com/
http://www.nashvilleredcross.org/

Netflix is my new best friend

2010-04-26T12:16:00.000-05:00

I started a trial version of Netflix several months ago (maybe a year?). But in the last few months, and in particular the last couple of weeks, it has really become my new favorite thing. Here’s why…I can almost always find something to watch; I can watch on my PC or laptop; and I can hook the laptop up to the TV, split my screen, and drag a movie to the TV and work on my PC at the same time. I’ve said it before – I’m a self-professed geek.

Netflix also suggests movies and TV shows you might like based on your rating of movies you’ve seen. This isn’t always accurate, but this past weekend I got a great suggestion – Firefly (the series). I’m not really into sci-fi, but this was a great series. Apparently, it only lasted one season, but there is also a full feature film that followed the series. Since I was laid up for the weekend and couldn’t really do anything else, I watched the whole series. That’s the other thing; you can watch a season of a show without having to wait for each DVD to come in the mail—if it is available to watch instantly. Now they’ve partnered with Wii and you can watch Netflix movies instantly on your TV through your Wii. That might be just enough to make me break down and get a video game.

Here’s clip of Firefly. It’s worth checking out.

Home Stretch...The Busiest Time of the Semester

2010-04-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

With less than a month left in the spring semester, we are rolling down hill fast. I was just talking to someone this morning about how we both thought this time of the spring is the busiest and most hectic of the entire academic year. There are spring student exhibits in various areas around campus, spring concerts, spring conferences for most every student organization, semester projects are coming due, research papers are coming due, finals are looming -- and weigh that against -- great weather calling you away from the books and computer, anticipating summer plans, and of course Cardinal fever! If you ever felt like the middle of a tug-of-war rope, it is probably now.

This next few weeks can be really stressful. What do you do to relieve stress? Campus is beautiful this time of year, so a walk is always a pretty good choice. Or sit under a tree or down by the lake while you work. Massage is always nice, and if you're on a budget, many massage therapists offer a chair massage for under $30. Don't skimp on sleep. It's tempting to pull all-nighters to finish a project or prepare for a test, but a good night's sleep does wonders. Don't forget to eat. Going long periods without eating or living on chips and Coke or coffee will catch up to you. Music can be calming and help focus, but I find trying to watch Lost while I am working on something that absolutely has to be done is a little counter productive :)

I decided to do a search of calming videos and found a couple of interesting ones. I love kaleidoscopes, and several kaleidescope videos came up in this search. Here they are -

This one is to the Austin Powers theme.

Here's another.

2010 PBL Missouri State Leadership Conference

2010-04-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

The 51st Annual Missouri Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference was held in Jefferson City on March 26-27, 2010. Members of the St Charles Community College chapter of PBL participated. The conference theme was Missouri PBL – Simply the Best!

The conference featured competitive events for individuals and teams, leadership training, and election of officers for the next year.

Workshop sessions included “March of Dimes and PBL” conducted by Stephanie Johnson, Division Director for March of Dimes; “Fundraising for PBL” by Michael Gertz, MO PBL Treasurer; “Life After PBL” by Buddy Alberson, MO PBL President; and “Officership” by Danield Schuenemeyer, MO PBL Vice-President.

The keynote speaker for the event was LTC (Ret) Don Koonce. He shared “America’s Story.” Prior to the speaker, a few chapter awards were given. The St Charles Community College chapter of Phi Beta Lambda was recognized for their fundraising efforts for March of Dimes March for Babies.

The following students from St Charles Community College were recognized at the Awards Program on March 27:

• Justin Hanna – 3rd Place in Accounting for Professionals
• Charles Albers – 3rd Place in Economic Analysis & Decision Making
• Elizabeth Walter – 5th Place in Word Processing

Kristie Jennings also competed at the conference. Both Justin Hanna and Charles Albers qualified to compete in their events at the PBL National Leadership Conference. They will be representing St Charles Community College at that conference July 9-12, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Phi Beta Lambda is an educational association of postsecondary student members preparing for careers in business. There are over 11,000 active members in the United States. Missouri has over 400 members in 22 chapters.

Two Fat Ladies

2010-03-28T21:27:00.001-05:00

I am watching Julie & Julia this evening and it made me think of Two Fat Ladies.

These two British ladies were great, and it was their show that originally got me hooked on the Food Network. Their series aired on BBC, but Food Network reran it in the late 90s. They were genuine, unabashed, and endearing all at the same time. They travelled in a motorcycle and side car (with tag N88 TFL – reference to the bingo call for 88 and obviously the initials for Two Fat Ladies) and ended several episodes telling tales while Jennifer Paterson had a drink and a cigarette. I loved to hear their conversations as they cooked because they were very opinionated and never politically correct. They definitely were not high-brow, which made me like them all the more.

If you have never heard of these ladies, you should check out the video clips on YouTube. They are definitely worth looking up. I wish Food Network would run the series again.

What's Your Guilty Pleasure?

2010-03-06T23:36:00.000-06:00

I have lots of guilty pleasures – crunchy cheetos, going to the theater and watching two movies back-to-back, and watching a week’s worth of Days of Our Lives over the weekend to name a few.

In fact, Days of Our Lives is a little like comfort food to me. It hits the spot at the end of a long hard week. I’ve been watching it for more years than I care to admit…hence the guilty pleasure. I’ve never scheduled my day around it (thank heaven today for DVRs!), but I would get to watch it every summer vacation when I was in school. And it just happened to be on late enough in the afternoon that my college schedule didn’t interfere.

I think I was definitely hooked when Bo Brady entered the picture, but that show has just the right mix of drama and campiness to keep you coming back. They practically invented the supercouple – Bo and Hope, Patch and Kayla, John and Marlena, Jack and Jennifer, and so on. You also can’t deny the allure of Marlena’s demonic possession, all of the DiMera shenanigans, the Salem Strangler, and the Salem Stalker to name a few.

One of the great things about Days is that they tend to keep the same actors for longtime characters. They don’t have much of a revolving door, and it makes all of those flashback scenes work much better when they’re real. It’s always disappointing to see a flashback scene that has been manufactured with bad makeup, wigs, and a cloudy lens that is supposed to make you think it wasn’t recorded last week. Since Bo Brady hooked me, I love to see those mid-80s flashbacks of Bo and Hope.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Windows 7

2010-02-21T17:12:00.003-06:00

The new Windows 7 operating system was installed in the SCC Tech Building classrooms over the holiday break. Unlike Vista, Windows 7 seems to be a great improvement and it has some handy and fun features. Here are a few things to check out –

Speed up with USB – You can use a spare USB memory stick to help increase the speed of your PC in Windows 7. Plug it in, click on Start→Computer→right-click on USB memory stick→Properties→Ready Boost→This device. Super easy and the higher capacity the memory stick the better.

New, Cleaner Taskbar – The new taskbar is more organized and less cluttered. Instead of multiple Word icons when you have multiple documents open, now there is just one icon for each open application. If you have multiple Word documents open, just roll your mouse over the icon and you get a window showing a thumbnail of each document. Move between open files easily.

Aero Shake – When you have several windows open and visible on the desktop at the same time, you can easily minimize all but the one you want to work on with this new feature. Just click and hold on the title bar and “shake” your mouse. This cleans up the desktop without closing any of the other documents.

Snap – If you are working in two documents at the same time and need to see both, you can now snap them to each edge of the screen. Click in the title bar and drag to the left or right side of the screen and the window will snap to half of your screen. You can also click and drag it to the top of the screen in order to maximize the window.

Play To – You can play media across a network in two clicks. If you have music or movies on one computer and want to watch on another (or an LCD or plasma TV with connectivity), you just right click on that media file and select Play To.

New Media Center – If you are a TV addict like me, the new Media Center is great, especially if you have a TV tuner card. You have access to Internet TV, you can activate your Netflix account and see the “Watch Now” movies with one click, and you can also watch live TV. If you have a TV tuner card or USB, you can watch live TV through your satellite or cable service or local digital channels. You may need an additional converter box depending on your setup.

There are too many cool features to list here, but these are a few that I really like just in the short time I’ve had Windows 7. Check out the video below...and now bring on Office 2010!

Don’t We Already Have a Law?

2010-02-15T14:09:00.002-06:00

At this point, I think it would be almost impossible to find someone who hasn’t seen the videos of people texting and driving and simulated texting–related accidents. Our legislators have been speaking out and setting their pens a blaze writing new cell phone and texting-while-driving legislation. Oprah has even jumped in to help spread the word. You can go to her Web site and sign a No-Phone Zone Pledge.

It probably sounds like I don’t think texting while driving is a big deal, but that’s not the case at all. I think it is a little like playing Russian Roulette if you text and drive. I find myself watching other drivers and driving defensively much more that is probably safe, which is a pretty oxymoronic statement. It just seems like there are already laws there for things like this – reckless or careless driving. According to FindLaw.com, the definition of reckless/careless driving is a "reckless" or "willful" disregard for the safety of other people, including other drivers and pedestrians. Some specific examples accompany that definition, including: Driving 25 miles per hour (or more) over the posted speed limit, Racing another vehicle, Trying to elude a police officer, Passing another vehicle when visibility of oncoming traffic is limited on a two-lane highway. It seems like the list of activities that could be deemed a “reckless” or “willful” disregard for the safety of other people could nearly be endless, which makes that particular moving violation a nice catch-all.

Think about it next time you’re driving and notice if you are doing things that distract you from driving. If we are going to pass new laws that make it illegal to talk on the phone and text while driving, how about some of these?

Sleeping – I actually watched someone sleeping while driving when I was on Hwy 40 one morning on my way to work. His head was tilted back, his mouth was open, he obviously wasn’t keeping it between the lines, and he was driving about 15-20 mph under the speed limit. When his head dropped back far enough, it caused him to wake up for a minute. He would then get back in his lane and get back up to the speed limit – then his head would begin to tilt back, mouth would open, and it started all over again.

Eating – I do this fairly often myself. I try to make driving-friendly choices like sandwiches or wraps, but spills are inevitable and then I have to add clean-up and stain removal to the list.

Grooming – I think I would poke my eye out if I tried to apply makeup while driving. Guys aren’t immune here either; there are plenty of pictures and videos online of men shaving while driving.

Reading – Since I have about an hour’s drive to and from work, I get to see some interesting things pretty regularly. The guy with the newspaper spread over the steering wheel and reading , or the person with the textbook or novel open on the steering wheel are pretty scary as well.

Multitasking – These days there is a lot of emphasis placed on being able to multitask to get through the day, but multitasking behind the wheel isn’t a great idea. Who came up with the notepad that suctions to the dash so you can write while driving? Then you get a call and need to write down information – this requires driving with the knees or some other creative manor. A guy pulled up beside me the other day and he had a phone to his ear with one hand, a Starbucks in the other, and I was really curious what was controlling the wheel.

Media Management – I’ve also found myself guilty of working with my GPS while driving. The GPS, iPod, radio, and now those handy TV/DVD players that are popular in vehicles each take your attention away from driving. I saw a commercial recently about a car that now has Internet access on the dash. THAT seems like a great idea – surfing the net, uploading videos, and updating your Facebook status while driving. Can you get a full QWERTY keyboard on a steering wheel? Are the mouse buttons on the underside of the steering wheel?

Anyway…all of this to say – do we really need a new law for each individual activity that you should not engage in while driving? It seems like we already have that. If the infraction causes injury or death, I think we have that covered, too. Now I’ll step down from my soap box.

Embed YouTube in PowerPoint 2007

2010-01-19T19:29:00.004-06:00

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If you are using PowerPoint 2010, go to this post - Embed Video in PowerPoint 2010. It is much easier in 2010, and you also have more options for formatting and editing.
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Have you ever found a really great video clip on YouTube and wished you could embed it in a PowerPoint presentation? It is a great way to give a presentation a little life. PowerPoint can be a great tool and, at the same time, can potentially be the biggest bore imaginable for a presentation. The key is to incorporate different elements…too many bullet points can kill a presentation.

One of those elements is video. You can pull out your handy-dandy Flip camera or your cell phone and record your own videos and photos. By the way, using the canned Microsoft clipart over and over is a huge complaint about PowerPoint. It makes your presentation look like everyone else’s and gives the impression that you didn’t have time to put together a “real” presentation. Using your own photos and videos gives the presentation a more custom look and feel. With your own video you don’t have to rely on an Internet connection either.

But, what if you’ve found the perfect clip on YouTube and would like to use it? You can always just type the URL onto your slide, but again that’s kind of boring and looks a lot like all of the other text on the slide. You also have a couple of other options.

The first is to use a free converter to download the clip in a .wmv or .avi file. There are a couple of converters that work pretty well. One is ZamZar.com. It is completely online and does not require setting up a username and password. The site will convert your file and send you an email when it is ready to download. Just be careful that you do not open any attachments that come with the email. The download will come as a hyperlink within the message. Another option is ZillaTube.com. This is a program that you download and install on your computer. It will download YouTube videos and convert them to other video formats. They have a free trial version of the software, but it is reasonably priced at $29.95 if you want the fully licensed version.

The second option is to embed the video. With this option you will need an Internet connection when you present your PowerPoint. Speaking of YouTube, I found a great video that walks you through the process of embedding a clip in a slide. Here it is –

I'm a Pack Rat...thank goodness

2009-12-31T14:34:00.001-06:00

I have a tendency to keep things…pictures, cards, and letters among other seemingly trivial things. Last night I was going through a box of those looking for a picture of my cousin Mark. He passed away on December 21 from a sudden heart attack; he was 34 years old. In my mind, Mark is still that little goofball who was a lot like his dad and almost always had that same goofy grin and that big open-mouthed smile that my uncle Sonny sported. He had three older sisters, so his sense of humor was probably tested a lot. There was a great article in the paper a couple of days ago about Mark. It made me giggle (because I can clearly hear Mark addressing most anyone as “hey, bud”), cry, proud, and comforted all at the same time.

Growing up, I lived within hollering distance of great grandparents, great aunts/uncles, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family. The Compton and Banks families intersected at the end of the beach road and I can’t imagine growing up any other way. My Grandpa Banks and Uncle Sonny had already been on my mind for the last few weeks, and Mark’s passing seemed to make remembering and reflection a little more intense. When I started going through that box of keepsakes, I found some treasures that made me really happy that I’m a bit of a pack rat. I re-read some letters from my Great-Aunt Ethel. We kind of became pen pals after she moved to California and exchanged letters from 1977 until 1983 or so. I also found a birthday card and letter from my Grandma Re that she sent to me in 1991. Then I pulled out the home movies that I had transferred to DVD a few years ago. There were more memories stirred than there is room to here to recount.

Here is my suggested New Year’s resolution — embrace your inner pack rat. Being able to relive memories through those cards, letters, and other seemingly trivial keepsakes is priceless.

What is your CougarMail account and SCC ID worth?

2009-12-05T20:55:00.001-06:00

Have you activated your CougarMail account yet? There are more advantages to having an SCC email account and student ID than you might think. That .edu email address and your student ID can actually save you some money.

Windows 7 just came out and Microsoft Office 2010 is coming soon. Did you know that you can get a significant discount on software by having an active CougarMail account? If you go to http://www.ultimatesteal.com/, you can buy Windows 7 Professional for $29.95 (it is $299 at Walmart and Office Depot) and you can buy Office 2007 Ultimate for $59.95 (the upgrade alone is $479 at Walmart and $539 at Office Depot). The only thing you need is your (active) CougarMail email account that can be verified by Microsoft.

You can also get deals or discounts by using either your CougarMail address or student ID at –

• The Apple Store
• Dell
• HP
• AT&T Wireless
• Sprint
• Verizon
• Student Universe (airfare, hotels, rental cars)
• Sam’s Club (two membership cards for $40 – split it with a friend or roommate and share expenses)
• GM
• McDonald’s (Mid Rivers Mall Drive near the college)
• Picasso’s Coffee House (Main Street, St Charles)
• The Grove Deli (Big Bend, Webster Groves)
• JJ’s Restaurant (St Charles)
• Cyrano’s (Webster Groves)
• Comedy Forum (St Peters)
• Uncle Joe’s (St Peters)
• St Charles Lanes
…and most of this is just from a quick Google search.

Ask about a student discount the next time you are at your favorite hangout or retailer. The worst thing that can happen is they say no. But wouldn’t it be nice to get a 10% discount on your next drive-thru order at McDonald’s or 15% off of your cell phone bill every month? And saving $300 on software that you need (or want) feels pretty good, too.

Oh…and that CougarMail account you now have is going to be the main mode of communication from the college soon. You also have access to a 25 gig Sky Drive with your email. Have you ever gotten to class and realized you forgot your flash drive at home, noticed it had fallen from your keychain, or left it in a classroom or lab? Why worry about a flash drive when you have access to the Sky Drive from any place you have Internet access.

Here is the link to set up and activate your CougarMail account - http://www.stchas.edu/help/StudentEmail.shtml. Take advantage of it!

Turkey vs Sides

2009-11-22T20:25:00.001-06:00

The Today Show debated which part of Thanksgiving is best - the turkey or the sides. I have to say, my choice is turkey. There is nothing like the smell of the house on Thanksgiving when the turkey and dressing is in the oven. Where do you stand?

Here's the clip from The Today Show.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Poor Parking Job!

2009-11-16T22:13:00.000-06:00

I'm still not sure if this is real, but it's one of those things you can't look away from. Maybe the driver was texting :)

Surviving Finals...

2009-11-14T20:21:00.009-06:00

It might be hard to believe, but the semester is almost over. That means final exams are right around the corner and it’s time to start preparing. There are a few things you can do to help lessen some of the stress and anxiety that comes with finals.

Set a schedule and start now: Cramming and all-nighters don’t work very well. You might remember a few things, but it will likely only be short term. And it definitely isn’t effective for more than one class at a time. Set a schedule for starting to review material now.

Get organized and prioritize: Organize your notes for each class and get them in order. Prioritize your study schedule according to what you need to review the most. Give yourself enough time that you can still meet with a tutor or with your professor if you have trouble areas.

See where you stand: Your syllabus should have the grading scale for the course and how your grade is calculated (for example, 40% homework and 60% tests). Take that information and see where you stand going into the final. Know your current semester grade and what you need to make on the final in order to make the grade you want. This will also help you prioritize.

Know what to expect: Which of your final exams will be comprehensive? Were you given a study guide or list of topics/concepts that will be covered? In what format will the test be (essay, multiple choice, production/application)?

Rework your notes: If your notes are handwritten, type them up. It will help you remember material better than just rereading your notes. Make an outline that can also serve as a study guide. Make an audio recording of your notes and listen to them on your way back and forth to school, when you work out, go for a walk, or between classes.

Manage tech tools: During your designated study time, turn off you cell phone (off…not just on vibrate). Calls, emails, and texts will eat up much more of your study time than you might think. If you are using the computer to complete a semester project or paper, don’t get sucked into email, facebook, myspace, or other social networks or gaming Web sites.

Take care of yourself: Eat healthy, get enough sleep, take breaks, and go for a walk or workout. Don’t rely on sugar, caffeine, and energy drinks to keep you going. Breathe…anxiety can cause you to hold your breath and you might not even realize it.

Do you best and then let it go: Once you have prepared and taken the test, let it go. It’s over and you can’t do anything else at that point. Don’t beat yourself up over a missed question or a forgotten fact.

Finals can definitely be a big source of stress and anxiety, so make a plan and take the steps to help you be more successful.

When The Game Was Theirs...

2009-11-06T22:13:00.007-06:00

’ve been a basketball fan for a long time. I looked forward to The NBA on CBS all week long and remember struggling to stay awake long enough to watch Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, and the Trailblazers win the 1977 NBA Championship (the games were tape delayed and aired after the 10 p.m. news then). Just two years later, a couple of guys would give the league a shot in the arm it desperately needed and leave historical marks on the game itself.

Now, in the interest of full discloser, I bled green for the next two decades. When the Sunday afternoon game was on, it was good that we lived in the middle of nowhere, because we got loud. It was blue collar versus showtime when the Celtics played the Lakers, and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson never disappointed. Their rivalry is one of the biggest in the history of the game.

Converse brought the two of them together for a commercial in 1985; it was filmed at Bird’s home in French Lick, Indiana. That was the ice-breaker that started an unlikely friendship. When it came time to break for lunch while filming that commercial, Magic said he thought he was going to his trailer to eat, but Bird had other plans. He told Magic that his mom had fixed lunch, and he was going up to the house to eat with them. Their lunch conversation continued the rest of the afternoon, much to the chagrin of the film crew who continually had to interrupt them in order to get the commercial finished.

I watched a great interview with the two of them on CBS News Sunday Morning recently where they talked about their new book, “When the Game Was Ours.” The interview got very emotional when Magic talked about the day that he announced his retirement due to contracting the HIV virus and Bird being the very first call he received. He also got choked up when Bird talked about him being the one person he knew he call anytime, day or night, if he ever needed anything.

The two were also on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian last week, and the interview was very funny. I posted a link to it from YouTube. [These links were disabled, but you can search for them on youtube.] It is in two parts and is a little over 10 minutes all together, but well worth watching. “When the Game Was Ours” is now on my reading list for Christmas break…if I can wait that long.