On October 11, I did a hangout with +Pam Evans and +Diane McDonald discussing the basics of Google+ for your organization.
You can learn a bit more about Google+ from my handout for the session. Or, watch the following video.
We resumed the session after an unexpected network drop at the hour mark. The following video mostly addresses questions from viewers.
How are you using Google+?
I’ve updated my “10 Buying Basics” tips to account for a few changes in the tech world over the past year.
For fun, I also created a board over at Pinterest.com with visual links to many of these resources. What do you think? What rules or guidelines do you use?
1. Get fast Internet: cable (Docsis 3.0 modem), business class Ethernet, or DSL. Use gigabit switches & Cat 5e or 6 cables.
2. Secure your 802.11n WiFi router w/WPA2 & OpenDNS. Change default password; use “guest” network.
3. Standardize & replace equipment regularly. Replace desktops every 5 years, laptops every 3, tablets & smartphones every 2.
4. Buy current tech. e.g., i5/7 processors; monitors w/HD resolution w/Displayport, webcam & speakers; SSD drives. Don’t pay retail!
5. Update software. Windows: 7 or 8 Pro (touch!); Macs OS 10.8. Update your OS, applications, drivers & firmware.
6. Stay secure. Require logins; use anti-virus & firewalls. Use 2-step authentication & LastPass. Browse w/Chrome. Backup your data off-site.
7. Collaborate online. Email & calendar sharing w/Google Apps Education Edition. File sharing w/Google Drive.Web mtgs w/Google+ Hangouts.
8. Consider WordPress.org to manage your website w/free hosting @ Dreamhost.com & register your own domain name there ($10/year).
9. Print efficiently. Use networked, low-cost-per-page printers or multi-purpose copiers.
10. Consider Salesforce.com & VerticalResponse to track & engage constituents. Share your work w/Twitter, Google+ & a Facebook Page.
As some of you know, I’ve been an enthusiastic adopter of Google Apps. I’ve helped many organizations setup and learn to use Google’s powerful set of collaborative tools.
Early this summer I saw a request for writers for TechRepublic’s Google in the Enterprise blog. I submitted my name. I’d always wondered if I had the discipline to write consistently and clearly about technology. There’s nothing like a deadline to prod me to at least try to do so.
To my surprise and delight, I got the gig. I’m enjoying it. My posts all relate to the topic of Google in the Enterprise, as you’d expect.
If you’re a Google Apps user, you may find some of the columns helpful. You can learn how to improve your use of Google mail search, replace flip charts with a Google spreadsheet for better group brainstorming, and make it easier to get to your Google Apps by placing links in several key places on your Windows system.
Some of the topics are more useful if you’re a Google Apps administrator. These include posts on how to use Google Drive for organization-wide file sharing, how to secure a user account with two-step authentication, and a checklist to help administrators manage staff transition in Google Apps.
If you’re interested in reading my posts, go to my author page at TechRepublic. You can then “subscribe to this page” using either RSS or email. (The links are in the upper right of the content area.)
Thanks for reading. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered — let me know!
I’ve been experimenting with lightweight mobile presentation equipment for years. A conventional solution of a laptop, projector and speakerphone is pretty standard. But to get usable video conferencing you have to use a webcam or position the laptop facing the audience.
The setup below gives the audience a relatively large projected image, a lightweight video conference camera on the iPad that can be moved around the room, and a portable speakerphone for voice conferencing. Thanks to FuzeMeeting on the iPad, you can even record the entire session for later viewing.
(My iPhone isn’t shown in the image above, since I used it to take the picture.)
Here are the key components:
1. Any iPad 2 or newer ($400 and up, depending on features, from apple.com)
2. Dell m110 projector ($500 from dell.com)
3. Apple TV ($100 from apple.com)
4. HDMI cable ($10 or less from monoprice.com)
5. Monster Clarity portable Bluetooth speaker ($80 from amazon.com)
6. Verizon 4510L MiFi (around $50 for the device with contract, $50 per month for data, from verizonwireless.com)
7. FuzeMeeting.com Pro account ($70/month from fuzemeeting.com) and iPad app (free)
8. Cell phone that supports Hands-Free Audio and Headset Profiles (I use an iPhone, but any phone that supports these Bluetooth profiles should work)
9. Stump iPad Stand ($25 from stumpstand.com)
10. Optional: Apple Wireless Bluetooth keyboard ($70 from apple.com)
11. Optional: Tripod for projector ($10-25 from dell.com or elsewhere)
12. Optional: Extension cord / surge protector (less than $20)
Here’s how it works.
Connect the Apple TV to the Dell m110 projector with the HDMI cable.
Then, connect the iPad WiFi and Apple TV WiFi to the Verizon MiFi. This ensures that the iPad and Apple TV are on the same WiFi network.
Turn on Airplay mirroring on the iPad, choosing the Apple TV as the destination device. Everything on the iPad screen will now be projected.
Connect your phone and Monster Clarity speakerphone and then start your FuzeMeeting.
Choose to have FuzeMeeting call your phone, instead of trying to use VoIP. This means the voice portion of the call is going over the cell network, lightening the load on the iPad and MiFi just a bit. This setup works best in areas with 4G coverage. (It may be possible to use Verizon’s Wireless Hotspot feature on the new iPad to share the Internet connection to the Apple TV. However, I’d want to test the performance before recommending this.)
There you have it — a fully portable video meeting kit you can easily carry in a backpack!
I’d be very curious to know if other people have created similar lightweight, portable systems. Let me know in the comments below!
(One thing on my wish list… It would be nice if there were projectors with integrated AirPlay mirroring support.)
Try this:
1. Go to blekko.com.
2. Type a nonprofit search terms in the box, e.g., “CRM” or “governance”or “grant writing”.
3. Type a space after your search, then enter the slashtag: /awolber/nonprofits101
4. Press the search button.
Why Do This?
Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals, edited by Darian R. Heyman, is the best comprehensive guide to the field of nonprofit management practice today. Go buy it. Now.
The book’s website, www.nonprofits101.org provides links to all the sites and resources mentioned in the book. But it is an old-fashioned printable list.
Blekko.com lets users restrict a search to a specific list of websites using what they call “slashtags.” This type of search can be useful when looking for information in a specific domain of knowledge, such as nonprofit management.
After reading the book, I thought it would be handy to be able to dynamically search all of the author-recommended sites. You’re more likely to find useful, reliable nonprofit-related information this way, since the authors presumably trust and like the sites they mention.
Using the slashtag “/awolber/nonprofits101” restricts your search to websites listed in the book. (I only wish I could easily extend this search to the contents of the books mentioned!) You can also add another slashtag, “/date” to show the most recent items first. The default list is sorted by the search engine’s ranking of relevance.
Try it! Let me know if the search results get you to the nonprofit related information you need more quickly than other search tools.
Use Blekko slashtags for your cause or topic area
If your agency has a “resources” page with links to other websites, think about setting up your own Blekko slashtag to let your visitors search the content of those sites.
For example, if your agency focuses on helping people with autism, you might create a Blekko slashtag to search sites with reliable information about autism. Visitors could be assured the results from the slashtag search are from sites your organization trusts.
This was my second year teaching a “paperless” 300-level course on Nonprofit and Government Technology at Grand Valley State University. I used online tools for the process both years, although I modified both the tools set and approach the second year. Here’s a bit of what I’ve learned about the tools and process.
Syllabus
I used PBWorks (an online wiki tool) for the syllabus the first year. I also created specific pages for each class session: a page for January 18, another for January 25, etc. The second year, I put everything the students needed on a single Google Sites page with a custom course URL: www.pa311.com. Keeping all of the course reading assignments on a single public page seemed to work well. Most of my lectures were delivered with the aid of presentations I created and linked to with Sliderocket.com.
I made two significant changes to the structure and content of the class the second year:
I narrowed the focused of each class session and significantly reduced the number of guest speakers. The narrowed focus, I hope, gave the students a better understanding of several of the core content areas. I plan to keep this approach in future years.
I’m still unsure how to best incorporate guest speakers.. There’s certainly value in exposing the students to multiple voices, but without a solid context for comprehension, I worry that guest speakers’ knowledge and expertise many not be well appreciated by the class. I’ll probably experiment with a few more guest speakers in the next iteration of the syllabus.
Eliminating virtual guest speakers also eliminated the use of Skype and DimDim.com. Since the classroom I used didn’t have webcam capabilities that supported Skype, this did save me the hassle of setting up my laptop, MiFi and Logitech webcam for class sessions.
Student postings and bookmarking
Because I want students to experience reading and posting online, I required them to sign up with a Posterous account both years. I added all of the students as contributors to the Posterous group I’d established.
The second year I also required a Diigo (social bookmarking and web-based research tool) account, so students could see how an online research tool works. As with Posterous, I had the students join a Diigo group I’d setup. Requiring the students to bookmark three sites (with a comment on at least one of the booksmarks) each week using Diigo seemed useful.
The experience of setting up and configuring the accounts varies widely from student to student. Some students have their accounts setup and configured before I finish explaining how we’ll be using the tools in class. Other students don’t get their accounts setup properly until I walk through the setup with them individually after the second or third class session. Providing the students with specific setup instructions via a page on the class’ Google Site seemed to help.
While the quality of posts generally improved this year, it seems to me that the students are not formally taught standard practices regarding linking, quoting or referencing online content in blog posts. I’ll definitely be adding a course session focused on this next year.
I wish Posterous had a way to view only items posted by a individual group member: this would make grading much easier!
Exams
I used Google Forms to create exams both years. The exams were a combination of multiple choice and essays. Google Forms works great for multiple choice questions, but is less than ideal for reading and grading essay responses. Reading a multi-paragraph response in a single spreadsheet cell is not an ideal reading experience!
Student Projects
Both years, I have required students to complete projects that included content to be posted online and presented in class. I’ve asked them to link to this content within the Posterous feed, both years, as well.
The students are generally familiar with creating presentations, but could benefit from a bit more guidance regarding effective slide creation and general public speaking practices. I put together a very brief set of slides on this topic for the class this year, but I need to add this topic to the syllabus next year.
I also need to be more rigorous in my requirements for the presentation format and content. Requiring a title page, prohibiting the use of video during the presentation unless created by the student, and dictating the tool to be used for creating the slides may help. I may also require a written, online document in addition to presentation slides.
I tested using PollEverywhere to gather feedback from the students regarding their classmate’s presentations: asking them to rank the presentations occurring each session. This exposed the students to another useful tool. Next year, I may simply ask students to grade each presentation, rather than rank the presentation in comparison to peers.
Virtual Office Hours
Since I live about 2-1/2 hours away from campus, I also offered virtual office hours this year. I set up a standing meeting using FuzeMeeting.com that students could join twice a week. Only two students took advantage of this time. Next year, I’ll offer office hours at just a few strategic points in the semester, not weekly. I may also move one of the class sessions to a web meeting format, simply because I want the students to be familiar with web meeting tools.
Feedback?
I’d welcome comments and suggestions on the syllabus, approach or tools. If you were a student in either year’s classes, I’d be especially interested in your thoughts!
