Digital Professional Portfolio

I spent the evening creating my professional portfolio on Google Sites. I am pleased with my effort and have made the content available for public view (for the time being). Although very time consuming, I have enjoyed this course and learning about numerous technologies.

Here's the link to my portfolio: http://sites.google.com/site/ryanwalkersite/

This may be the last of my blogs so enjoy...

Plaxo/Linkedin vs. Facebook/MySpace

As required in the course, I just created both a Plaxo and Linkedin account. Plaxo seems to be very similar to Facebook without all the apps (from what I see) and with more emphasis on professional experience and education simply because both areas are boldly featured in your profile as opposed to being options in Facebook. According to the website, [http://help.plaxo.com/al/12/1/article.asp?aid=1076&tab=search&bt=4] “Plaxo is about synchronizing all that’s important to you in one single place. It’s about staying in touch with all those who you care about… your family, your friends and your business contacts. With Plaxo’s Pulse, we keep you up to date with what your friends, family and Business contacts are up to”. The interesting thing available to both Facebook and Plaxo users is that you can link your Facebook account to your Plaxo account “Connect your Facebook account to Plaxo and you'll be able to: Automatically connect with your Facebook friends who already use Plaxo, Share your Facebook Wall Stories (like photos, links, and videos) with your Plaxo friends, [and] Keep your Plaxo and Facebook status in sync.” To sum up—Plaxo and Facebook [even MySpace] are very similar…

Linkedin is also somewhat similar to Plaxo and Facebook [even MySpace], however, the website is mainly attempting to help the user make business/professional social contacts. According to the website, [http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/] “LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 40 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.”

Linkedin allows you to:

1. Establish your professional profile--“LinkedIn gives you the keys to controlling your online identity. Have you Googled yourself lately? You never know what may come up. LinkedIn profiles rise to the top of search results, letting you control the first impression people get when searching for you online.”
2. Stay in touch with colleagues and friends—“In today’s professional world, people change jobs and locations constantly. By connecting on LinkedIn, your address book will never go out of date. Your contacts update their profiles, keeping you current with their latest jobs, projects and contact info. You’ll stay in closer contact with great tools to communicate and collaborate.”
3. Find experts and ideas—“Sometimes your immediate circle can’t resolve a unique business challenge. Tools like Answers and Groups let you locate and interact with experts through trusted introductions. LinkedIn Search lets you explore the broader network by name, title, company, location, and other keywords that will help you find the knowledge you’re looking for.”
4. Explore opportunities—“ Whether you’re looking for a career opportunity, winning new clients or building your professional reputation, LinkedIn connects you to jobs, sales leads and ideal business partners. With our powerful search engine, company research tools and a jobs board that shows who you know at listed companies, LinkedIn is the place to turn for new opportunities.”
   

I don’t know where exactly I’ll go next with all of these technologies and websites we've explored. I do know now, that I have quite a few more tools ready to be used in my knowledge toolbox :)

LibraryThing

I'm very impressed with LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/) and foresee myself using it in the future to find books and read others reviews (just like Amazon). I created an account and began listing books that I've enjoyed in recent years. According to the site, there are now over 700,000 members who all can take advantage of the site's features like finding people with similar reading interests and new books to read.

Here's my library catalog:

Online Image Generator

Here's a map that includes all the states (California, Nevada, Hawaii, Texas, Montana, Oregon and Missouri) I've coached hoops in over the last few seasons...

States where I've coached basketball games

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php

Create your own map today of the places you've visited and get the HTML code to embed here:
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php

Technology changing the face of recruiting

Just as we've discussed how the technology we've gone over in this course can be applied and used in our profession (I mentioned recruiting and PR for coaches), I am happy to have found an article discussing the exact topic...

This article touches on Web 2.0 and how it's changing aspects of recruiting at the collegiate level:
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=952774

YouTube

I like pretty much everything about YouTube and even created a channel there a couple years ago with a highlight video for our players at West Hills (linked on this blog). I have used YouTube alot both inside and outside of the classroom. Videos can be used in presentations, during lectures, and as reference tools amongst other things. I enjoy YouTube's ease of use and the wide variety of content available. As far as using it in coaching it has alot of use with recruiting and sometimes even scouting (as I mentioned in some prior comments). It's easy to spend alot of time searching around the website and I would advise using it during long layovers at the airport :)

I chose to post this video because I found it very interesting and worth a look. The 11 year-old kid featured, Jashaun Agosto, has a video that has been viewed some 2,000,000+ times... He's also been compared to Lance Armstrong here: http://blog.oregonlive.com/nwheadlines/2008/02/jashaun_agosto_is_11_as_an_adu.html.

Enjoy!

Del.icio.us

After visiting and exploring the Delicious website I can see an advantage to using the site. Similar to Google Docs you can access your Internet "favorites" or "bookmarks" away from your home or personal computer. You can also search through the networks bookmarks under any category and help find the topic of your choice. You can share your bookmarks and see what others are popular and even view the number of people subscribed, which is very beneficial and time saving. As an instructor, you can have students join Delicious and easily find the information they need for a course or research topic, by listing bookmarks and tagging them. Lots of possibilities on this site.

Technorati

When searching troughout the Technorati website I found some interesting information. After searching through the blog directory an article on chocolate milk being the perfect sports drink caught my eye. According to the article found on the "Cycling Tips" blog, during an endurance test cyclists who refueled with chocolate milk during a 4 hour break between exhausting rides were able to ride 50% longer than those who refeuled with common sports drinks such as gatorade. I remember seeing a special on Fresno State athletics and the chocolate milk given to certain athletes and this article further explained the reasoning behind it. Here's the link: http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/05/chocolate-milk-the-perfect-sports-drink/

I typed "kinesiology" in the tags directory under advanced search and found some different blog listings that were not listed in the standard search (and some of the same that were). I found the blog "Awaken Kinesiology" written by a Holistic Kinesiologist named Kerry who focuses on "helping people reduce stress, gain awareness and create more balance ... " Here's the link: http://awakenkinesiology.blogspot.com/

As far as exploring through the different search methods on the site, let's just say I was a little confused with the setup. I did find similar blog listings as far as titles to articles, videos and blog titles under the searches as well as different listings not found on the other search types. I can see how searching through this site can narrow down options as far as the topic you're looking for and it's helpful. I enjoyed reading some of the articles and sifting through various blogs. I really enjoyed the "what's popular" area and the top blogs by fans, top searches, top blogs by authority, top videos and top news.

Podcast Search Engines

I recently searched through http://www.podcastalley.com/and http://podcast.com/and found the sites not only interesting but user friendly. I found quite a few podcast links that were beneficial to me and even linked one to my Bloglines account so I could check up on additions frequently. The great thing about both sites is the categories of podcasts available to you by genre, popularity, awards, recommendation and by language (amongst others). I highly suggest using both of these sites to search for the numerous podcasts that are available.

Google Docs

There was a time when documents had to be done strictly via software purchased (or borrowed/copied/smuggled/rented...), now through Google Docs you can complete projects without spending a dollar. You can create projects using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel or a nearly identical version. You can also share Docs and have people "collaborate" or only "view" your creation (which is pretty sweet--two thumbs up). I have had a few people send me Docs using this program in the past, and didn't realize until now that they are saved under my account. The "templates" provided are excellent and the ease of use is outstanding. I highly recommend using them (and am even typing this blog w/ it) and think it's a great added feature for Google account holders. I may slowly transition to using it more, although I'll have to make sure I can get online to take advantage of it. In my career I could see Google Docs being used to share team information and in-depth stats, scouting reports and player info., game and travel schedules and more.

Nuggets hold locker-room aide close to their hearts

Nuggets hold locker-room aide close to their hearts

Posted using ShareThis


This story is a must read! I just saw the television version during the halftime of the Lakers/Nuggets game. Very inspirational stuff...

I also took advantage of the Web 2.0 features to link it here... I googled "Nicholas Owens Denver Nuggets" then found the ESPN link to the article. Once I opened the article I chose the "share" option and then sent it to my Facebook and Blogger account. Very cool...

Lightning in the Sky

The night was capped off by lightning and thunder oh my...

Ouch

...it's going to be hard to find a job with just a Sports Management certificate...

I've really enjoyed exploring Google Reader (RSS feeds) and recently updated my subscriptions as part of an assignment in this course which is titled Technology in Kinesiology. If you haven't already, I'd highly suggest taking advantage Google Reader and adding sports page feeds such as the New York Times and the L.A. Times as it truly is more time saving compared to visiting the sites regularly.

I also have a good read for you here from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/sports/27class.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Magic Strike--Lead 2-1

LJ's 41 were not enough to stop DH and the Magic from beating down the Cavs earlier tonight in a 99-89 win.

Social Media in Education

In this week’s assigned reading I started with “Web, Library, and Teen Services 2.0” by Kimberly Bolan, Meg Canada, and Rob Cullin. I found this article interesting and learned about RSS (Really Simple Syndication), Commentary and user-driven rating functionality, Blogs, Wikis, Social networking sites (like Facebook & MySpace), Photo sharing sites (think Flickr and Photobucket), Audio and video sites (like YouTube), Personalized alerts, Interactive Web services (think IM), Personalization and “My Profile” features, and Folksonomies, tagging and tag clouds (like keywords). I enjoyed reading how 2.0 can engage teens through social networking sites in a positive way. “Libraries can create accounts on social networking sites to promote events, garner teen input, and link back to the library home page…Public Library, use MySpace accounts to advertise new books. A social networking site can also be an excellent way to connect with teens by linking to popular authors and teen advisory group members with their own accounts or profiles.”

The second article I will comment on was “Neomillennial User Experience Design Strategies: Utilizing Social Networking Media to Support “Always On” Learning Styles” by Derek E. Baird and Mercedes Fisher. The article touches on the vast amount of technology available for use in today’s modern learning environment. In the article abstract the authors explain “Raised in the “always on” world of interactive media, the Internet, and digital messaging technologies, today’s student has different expectations and learning styles than previous generations. This net-centric generation values their ability to use the Web to create a self-paced, customized, on-demand learning path that includes multiple forms of interactive, social, and self-publishing media tools.” I enjoyed reading about the Duke University program and how it incorporated iPods in 2004 to incoming freshmen to “help encourage the use of technology in learning across all spectrums of campus life.” I can see how this program helped to launch the current way in which many professors incorporate classroom activities onto iPods through podcasts etc. The Duke students “found innovative ways to use the iPod, including recording lectures, taking notes, and downloading audio files from their professor’s course Website.” I have a newfound appreciation for the use of this technology, and recently enjoyed submitting a podcast to the instructor of this course on some current events in sport as well as an upcoming outdoor life program. Now I know what is behind these various applications and can appreciate more the effectiveness as well as personal enjoyment that may be attained along the way (i.e. the current list of podcasts that I regularly subscribe to).

The third and final article I will touch on from this week’s assigned reading comes from Alfred C. Weaver and Benjamin B. Morrison titled “Social Networking.” I again gained some insight on the technology that has changed the platform for learning. I have some previous knowledge of the various forms of social networking sites mentioned but learned a lot in particular about Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that I have referenced a few times in papers I wrote in a previous program. One of the things I did not know about Wikipedia is that it stems from a nonprofit organization seeking only “to develop and maintain open content that allows anyone to contribute…” without advertising. Editors are continually monitoring information added to listings and may edit and change what is added or altered around the clock. The reliability of Wikipedia has been questioned and is still a debatable topic. According to the article “Encyclopedia Britannica has released reports claiming that Wikipedia contains more errors than a traditional encyclopedia that experts compile. However, other reports have claimed that Wikipedia is just as reliable as a conventional encyclopedia.”

Incorporating Technology into Coaching/Education

As a basketball coach I can see microblogging as a form of PR... For example, I just blogged about Notre Dame's Charlie Weis and how he is currently using Twitter. The process brings the fans closer to the program's current happenings in a more immediate fashion compared to the typical media coverage. I could also probably see it as a recruiting tool (as well as social network sites such as Facebook and even blogs), a communication device between players and staff, and even family during a busy road trip. As far as a teacher, I think microblogging can be used to inform students of assignments and as a reminder and feedback forum. The possibilities are pretty substantial... One of the points that have been addressed is the privacy of it all and the separation between work and personal time. I believe that microblogging can help and hurt in certain areas—it all just depends on what is made public and who gets their hands on the information.

Podcasts have a ton of potential in the education arena (as discussed in the various assigned articles)—lectures, research info and on and on. Wiki, Flickr, Google Reader, Blogger, and LibraryThing are also great avenues to research and connect with people sharing similar interests—all can be applied to education and coaching. The bottom line is that we now have numerous opportunities to utilize the various technologies explored in this course and apply them to our profession as we deem necessary. The whole idea of attaining a professional degree online is only happening because of sites and feedback forums the 2.0 generation provides.

Chuck Weis is Tweeting

As soon as I opened up my required Twitter account, I decided to follow Notre Dame's head football coach Charlie Weis (who has been on Twitter since March 31st--http://twitter.com/NDHFC). I've really enjoyed Weis's press conferences via the official Notre Dame website (http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/nd-m-footbl-body.html) for some time. The guy is insightful, straight forward, and blunt. He gives great detail into the program and the weekly opponents personnel and schemes. So now CW has been updating fans on the daily off-season schedule of the football team and coaching staff in one of the more popular technology crazes out there in Twitter--which is great PR.

...and we're all praying the team is actually pretty dang good this season too...

If you're interested, here's a recent article from the Detroit Free Press that touches on Weis and his mentioning of the upcoming scUM (I mean Michigan) game on Twitter: http://www.freep.com/article/20090513/SPORTS06/90513071/1054/Irish+coach+Weis+tweets+about+Wolverines

Lookout

Check out this Red Wolf in my yard...

Just playing, it was at the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno. It was a hot day, but a good two hours spent at the zoo...

...and here's a hungry eagle

Technology Hangover

couldn't help but post a song I once heard...

Nice Shot!

Check out this sweet shot from our game at Fresno State back in November. My wife captured this from our digital camera. We ended up losing the game but turned around and won @ San Francisco two nights later.

Ultimate Fighting Teacher

In case you don't have the privilege of reading the amazing Fresno Bee Sports page (chuckle chuckle)... here's a link to a pretty cool story: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/1406172.html

...and he won the fight: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/1408606.html

sacked

It should be interesting watching former Dukie Greg Paulus flop as he plays quarterback at one of the nation's worst football programs in sacks allowed... Go Cuse!

Nice bike man! Where you put the battery?

Check out our new Electra bikes... Now we just need a beach!

ouch!

and the finalists are?

As soon as the basketball season ended in March, I chose to watch every American Idol episode with my wife. It's the first time I've done this. So to put a little sporting twist on it we wrote down our "Final 9" in the order we thought they'd finish....and let's just say I'm redeeming myself after she smashed my NCAA bracket! I've gone 4/6 and have all three of my finalists--1) Danny, 2) Adam & 3) Kris. My wife is 1/6 and has two of her three finalists--1) Danny, 2) Kris & 3) Allison. If Adam or Kris win we're both wrong... Anyway, fun times dog!

Yo Nate!

Today is officially Week #21 in baby Nathaniel's odyssey! Our Dr. is sticking with the due date of Sept. 26th despite the Tech's date of Sept. 13th. Here's a look at the 20 week ultrasound images...

Welcome

...to the Random Walker Ramblings blog! This blog was created to fulfill a requirement in a graduate Kinesiology program. Topics will be of significance and non-significance to the appropriate subject matter. Enjoy