What's a widget?

I just got this question in my email. I thought - why don't I just post it here on the blog! Instead of Ask Jeeves, we'll call this Ask Dr. C.

I've been seeing a variety of things talking about
"Widgets" but am not clear on what exactly a Widget is and what its
purpose is. Can you help?

The definition from Taco Widgets: Simply put, a widget is a little mini-application that can provide information, functionality, or even a little bit of fun right on your desktop. http://www.tacowidgets.com/home/widget.html

Widgets run through Dashboard on Macs (hit F12 on a Mac running OS X 10.4), A great collection can be found here - http://www.widgetgallery.com/
I just LOVE this site; lots of FUN and useful widgets!

(o.k., they can work in Windows XP, too - but, they don't look as cool)
They can also be plug-ins for web browsers - The Google Gadget page http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open

Welcome to the IDT blog!

Here it is, folks! The IDT blog! Check back often or subscribe to the Atom feed (similar to RSS) to be notified of new posts by IDT faculty.

Although I created it a week or so ago, we have been in testing mode. But now we are open for business. Be sure to check out the previous posts, below. And by all means, feel free to make comments on the posts! Enjoy!

Podcast Mania??

Result of Podcast survey
Gleaned from the Kansas City Star, Nov. 24

A growing number of Americans are listening to podcasts but very few do so every day.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project said this week that 12% of Internet users havd downloaded a podcast, up from 7% earlier this year.

However, only about 1% said they do so on a typical day...unchanged from earlier. The rest do so less frequently, perhaps only once.

Link to the PDF (4 pages) http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Podcasting.pdf

Everyone clear on Web 2.0 talk?

Just what is Web 2.0?

I found a good definition at Wikipedia, and although not mentioned here, it is frequently called the Read/Write Web, considering the "original" web, now labeled Web 1.0, being pretty much one way. The quick definition is here, but the link to the full article contains much more info:

Web 2.0

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004^[1], refers to a supposed second-generation of Internet-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. O'Reilly Media, in collaboration with MediaLive International, used the phrase as a title for a series of conferences and since 2004 it has become a popular (though ill-defined and often criticized) buzzword amongst certain technical and marketing communities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

10-20-30 rule

The 20 and 30 part of the rule is excellent. I'm not sure I agree with the 10 slide only part. In 20 minutes, 10 slides might get tiresome to the viewer. It would seem that when the presentation is moving along, and the speaker is talking and not reading the slides, more slides could be effective.

New Sloan report on increases in Online Learning

New Sloan report on increases in Online Learning
From the Chronicle of Higher Education Wired Campus Blog

Ever Upward

The Sloan Consortium released a new report (27 pages) today highlighting continued growth in online education. There are no signs that enrollment in online programs will plateau, according to the report, titled Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006. Students, especially older ones, are still attracted to the convenience of completing their degrees over the Internet.

The report, based on a survey of 2,200 colleges, found that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2005, up from 2.3 million the previous year. Even the rate of increase is going up, the report says. And a good majority of chief academic officers believe the quality of online education is equal or superior to the quality of traditional instruction.

Top 10 Best Presentations Ever

O.K., I will be the first to make a real post.

How about the Top 10 Best Presentations Ever that were listed at the KnowHR blog? Of course, they mention Steve Job's landmark presentation where he introduced the Macintosh, in 1984. How could we ever forget that? Be sure to check out the others, too. I was especially blown away by Dick Hardt’s Identity 2.0 presentation at OSCON 2005 - a perfect of example of what a PowerPoint presentation should be; not lines and lines of text, but photos and illustrations!

I also found a neat video of Guy Kawasaki talking about his 10-20-30 presentation rule.

Join me in the PowerPoint reform revolution!