Thanks to all those that attended this morning’s AU Human Resource Institute session about Mind Mapping Strategies.
As promised, I have posted the slides and the article I mentioned in the Box.net drop box. You can access it on the right side of this blog or follow this link:
http://www.box.net/shared/q6d8xeq0e5
One file is called “Mind Map Strategies” and the other is called “Woodstock Independent Mind Map Article.”
Posted in Uncategorized
As many of my students know, I promote the creation and use of mind maps for everything from studying to presentations. Many students have written me over the years and told me that they continue to use mind maps into their careers and use them for planning and documenting processes on a regular basis.
Even given all of that, I am still pleasantly surprised when I see the general use of mind maps growing. Here are some quick examples:
Minds Maps on the Ipad: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/16/notable-ipad-apps/
Mind Maps on Androids: http://androinica.com/2010/05/11/thinking-space-is-the-mind-mapping-app-for-android-app-reviews/
Mind Maps become Post-It Note Killers: http://www.fastcompany.com/1650243/why-designers-should-declare-death-to-the-post-it
Mind Maps for young children:
Mind Maps “Let My Data Free”
http://www.cmio.net/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=21886&division=cmio
If you are interested in more information about Mind Maps check out the menu option at the top of this blog.
—————————————————————–
Posted in Uncategorized
I have recently been receiving a lot of email about the book I published last Spring about web-based exams. To make it easier to get more info, I have included a dedicated page in this blog to that book. Just click on the “Web-Based Exams Book Info” tab at the top of this blog.
It includes a link to Amazon.com where anyone can buy it.
Thanks to all of my friends and colleagues that have spread the word about the book.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged digital assessment, web, web exams, web tests, web vs paper, web-based, web-based assessments
I was fortunate enough to spend some time earlier this month with my daughter’s junior high class. Check out the story at:
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/lemont/newsnow/x1176009951/Old-Quarry-students-go-fly-a-kite 
The May term at AU is in full swing now and the summer terms are coming up fast. Check http://www.aurora.edu/classes/09su/ to see if there is anything that interests you.
For now, I’m completing my Mind Map research, working with my May term MBA students, helping some remaining grads find some job opportunities, and generally trying to enjoy the warmer weather.
I’ve already torn up one kite this Spring flying in winds that were too strong. I am running a mini-kite fest (about 60 students and their kites) at Lemont JHS at the end of May. I will post some photos after the event, but a picture of some of these future pilots is shown below — that’s when they talked me into the the kite fest.
It’s important to take a break from your computer every one-in-a-while, but it is hard to remember to do that. Here is a link to some clever software that will remind you automatically. It’s free and easy to use. Check it out…
Posted in Uncategorized
Web Bookmarking
by Dr. Dave Dulany, Asst. Professor, Dunham School of Business, Aurora University
Have you ever wanted to access your web favorites from a PC while at work? Or possibly when on vacation or at a friend’s house?
In my case, it is not unusual to use four or five different PCs in a typical day across our beautiful Aurora University campus. I also use a PC at home and my even my cell phone has web access. On each of these machines, it is typical for me to use different web browsers, like IE Explorer, FireFox, and Opera.
There is another reason to consider using web-based bookmark services. Some readers have no doubt lost their favorite browser bookmarks because of software or even hardware failures. I know I have. Using a web-based service prevents that from happening.
So, even if you just use a PC at home and at work, you might benefit it from using a web-based bookmarking service. They are free, easy to use, private, and can make you more productive.
A web-based bookmark service works just like your favorite browser’s “bookmark” or “favorites” feature, but instead of saving the information on your PC’s hard drive, it saves it on the web. As a result you can access it from any device with web access. You can even create and manage folders, just like you would via your web browser software.
There are two types of web-based bookmarking services. The first and original type is typically referred to as a “private bookmarking” service. There are many private web-based services to choose from including, Google, Yahoo, Windows Live Favorites, MyHQ, and Spurl are just a few. Use your favorite search engine to find and explore others. If you already have a Yahoo or Gmail email account (both are free for the asking), you are already are on your way. This article will focus primarily private bookmarking services.
The second type, which are becoming very popular, are commonly called “social bookmarking” services. These web sites make it easy for you to share your bookmarks with others. Examples of these include Del.icio.us, Diig, Diigo, Backflip, and many others. In fact, many of the private bookmarking services seem to be morphing into social bookmarking services, as well. However, you can usually control who gets to see your bookmarks. If there is enough interest from readers, I will certainly consider writing an article on these services as well. If you would be interested in learning more about social bookmarking web-based services, let me know at ddulany@aurora.edu.
I will concentrate on the Google bookmarks service for this article, but the Yahoo and Windows Live services have many of the same features and works in a similar manner. Check the website for each for details or run through their tutorials.
There is virtually nothing special to install on your PC in order to use bookmark services. If you want to view what is in your Google bookmarks, go to http://www.google.com/bookmarks . If you have anything bookmarked already, it will show itself here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look in the far left column. You will see commands here like “Add Bookmarks”, “Change Labels”, “Export Bookmarks”, and so on.
Adding bookmarks manually is easy. Just click on the click and fill in the dialog boxes that are shown. For example, for “Name” you can enter the “Aurora University” For “Location” you can enter http://www.aurora.edu . For “Labels”, you can enter “Aurora, University, Higher Education” and whatever words or phrases you like to use. For “Notes”, you can enter your own personal thoughts or ideas.
An even easier way to add bookmarks is to use the Google Toolbar (or Yahoo or Windows Live Toolbars, respectively). These toolbars allow you to click on an icon and add the website you are currently viewing automatically. Visit http://toolbar.google.com or http://get.live.com/toolbar/overview or http://toolbar.yahoo.com/ for more information about these useful tools. They are available for all of the most used web-browsers.
Labels are handy because they allow you to file one bookmark in multiple places. For example, I might want to reference the web-based mindmapping website http://www.mind42.com/ in three places in my Google bookmarks. One would be “Bus 3220″ for the course I teach it to my students in, another might be “Mindmaps”, and another might be “Teaching Tools.” When I search for any of these terms via Google bookmarks, this website will show up, no matter what folder I put it in.
Exporting bookmarks can be a handy feature, even though the primary use of these websites is to privately keep your web bookmarks. Exporting your bookmarks to a stand-alone document allows you to email a list of your bookmarks to an associate, include it in the references section of your presentation, or even just store it on your flash drive or other storage device. Since the exported document can be edited using your favorite word processor, you can share only the bookmarks that you wish to save without disturbing your original list of bookmarks.
As always, none of these web sites are endorsed by or affiliated with Aurora University. We make no guarantees as to their suitability or reliability for your needs. If you would like additional help beyond the scope of this article, please contact me at ddulany@aurora.edu.
GARY JONES
FUTABA INDUSTRIES
Thursday, March 26, 2009
5 pm to 6 pm Dunham Hall Room 001
Highlights of his talk:
• He will discuss the current economy and how his company is dealing with it,
• His perspective on international business (particularly working for a Japanese company),
• The general state of the auto industry,
• And he will explain how his own college studies helped to prepare him for his challenging role at FIC.
Mr. Jones is on the Board of Directors for Futaba North America Corporation and also, serves as the Executive Vice President of Quality for Futaba’s four North American plants. He joined FIC America which was the first plant launched in North America in March of 1997. His responsibilities include lean system manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering and the development, implementation and improvement of international business and environmental systems.
Gary travels extensively to Japan to audit Futaba Japan and work collaboratively with Futaba concerning global standardization. He meets frequently with Toyota executives to ascertain and understand their business environment, challenges, and future direction
Gary participates in the Blue Grass Automotive Association and is a member of Toyota’s Supplier Quality Representative Committee and the American Society for Quality. He has also consulted for various businesses and is an auditor for International Business Systems in the area of quality and the environment.
Need more info? illamas@aurora.edu or ddulany@aurora.edu
Or 630-844-3861
Sponsored by the Aurora University MIT Club Dunham School of Business
My first book about web-based exams has just been published.
Is there a difference in student performance between the web-based and paper-based examination formats? Is it significant? Do students prefer one format over another? Why? The research presented in this book offers some answers to these questions based on a typical class of students in a given semester. Factors affecting student performance and satisfaction are covered to help the reader design their own web-based assessments.
Please pass along this link to anyone you think might be interested.
And now for something completely different and a little more light hearted…
Once of my favorite places on the web is a fantastic web site called HumanClock.com. You can check the time 24 hours a day. Instead of being greeted with some type of machine or computer generated time display, you will find some type of human representation of the time that changes every minute.
You can even submit your own idea of the time, but be sure to carefully read the instructions shown on the web site. Don’t be surprised if you find some human clock submissions labeled Aurora University or Aurora, IL. Over the years many students have submitted their creative work on this web site.
Go ahead an check it out ….
.http://www.humanclock.com/clock.php
Tip: Try scrolling down the list of locations shown for each minute of the day.
