That’s about as far as I am at the moment, but I must admit, just these basic skills have gotten me further than I would have imagined. Until now, I was unfamiliar with CSS and how it functioned.

The relevance of Web standards is most obvious when we consider emerging technologies. In these times of tremendous growth, the Web needs guidance in order to reach its full potential – and standards can serve as the perfect guides to help realize that potential. Thanks to HTML structuring elements, text documents interpreted by browsers can display their contents according to specified formats. HTML is one of the main reasons why the Web has become so popular over the years. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a mechanism through which changes in appearance and position can be assigned to HTML or XML elements, simply by declaring specific styles to them. The overall appearance of entire sites can be so defined with the use of CSS, allowing it to be remodeled in a matter of seconds. This Standard was brought forward to create a simpler and more structured World Wide Web.

But how is HTML and CSS significant to the present and future??

The use of standards automatically makes every page you build genuinely cross-browser and cross-platform. Anyone who’s been active in Web development for more than 15 minutes knows how time-consuming and complicated it is to double-code for different browser versions. Standards help you avoid such headaches.

With the arrival of new hardware like mobile phones and hand-held devices, coding 100% compatible Web applications will only get harder, if not simply impossible. Using this standards is the most efficient way to achieve a better, more stable Web, where applications we can only dream of today can be turned into the reality of tomorrow.

Web standards offer a set of rules that every developer can follow, understand, and become familiar with. When one developer builds a site according to standards, another will be able to pick up where the former left off as easily as if he had been the one designing it in the first place.

I know that I have only begun to understand the beginning of a more complex form of coding. I realize that HTML and CSS are important aspects of web design now and in the future. It is remarkable the amazing results one can get from using web standards such as HTML, CSS, AJAX and Java. But having a strong understanding for the standards must come first before great works can be created. I hope to gain enough knowledge about these markups to turn it into a business for myself.

My To-Do’s - Features – sharing, RSS feeds from friends, chat. Nice looking notebook style. Includes calendar planner, projects, and priority levels for to-dos.

TODOIST - Features: calendar, projects, keyboard shortcuts, gmail integrations, mobile access, quicksilver, iGoogle plugins, more. Wasn’t the one for me, but it is nicely done.

Joe’s Goals - for simple tracking of your goals and daily notes. Good for your daily and recurring to-do’s.

Ta-Da List -  I like this one because it is very simple, nice format, easy to use.

Complete GTD Systems

Simple GTD - I like this one a lot because it is simple and at the same time it is flexible.

Thinking Rock - I’ve heard great reviews of this one. I’ve watched the demo’s and it looks very comprehensive. If that is what you are looking for, you should take a look.

GMail GTD – this is a Firefox extension that turns your Gmail into a GTD application. I haven’t used it but I’ve read that people like it. If you love Gmail, this might be the thing for you.

Free Mind - this is a mind mapping software that is free and opensource. It can be used for many things including as a task management system. I haven’t used it this way, but I’ve seen it done. It is worth having for any creative projects you need to think through.

TaskToy – I like this one too. Can view by Today, Week, or All. It has preset “locations” which are like contexts (home, office, shopping) which doesn’t seem like you can modify. And it has up to 40 projects to which you can color code and assign priority of Low, Med, or High.

ToodleDo – This one is very cool. Here are some features: To-Do List, Sharing,Calendar, Scheduler,Goals,Statistics,Learning,Search, Contexts, Import / Export,Connections,Booklet Printer. Some are free (i.e. to-do list & more), some are partially free (you can track life goals, but stats with tasks linked to goals is a paid upgrade) and some are only with the upgrade (such as scheduler). You can sync with Google calendar. You should check out this one for sure!

Well I guess I can answer my own question! Because people are LAZY.

When I sit back and evaluate why I haven’t come up with a system to help me organize my life and quickly realized that I wouldn’t know where to start! I would consider myself to be a well organized person when it comes to my home life, but since I’ve started school it has been a struggle trying to integrate the two.  Yes, I am sure if I put my mind to it I could create an effective plan to help me cope. But that would require time and an clear mind, which at the moment I don’t have either.  *Sigh*

With that being said I would consider myself to be one of the thousands of people who, just like me, need a person like David Allen and his handy work-life management system to get me organized, reduce my stress and improve my productivity in a world full of To-Do lists that are too long.

The article above is a very informative article regarding the uses and differences of Podcasting and Vodcasting. For those who are new to the terms (like me) podcasting is the process of capturing an audio event, song or speech and then posting that digital sound to a web site or blog. VODcasting or vlogging stands for video on demand and is the same as podcasting but it uses video instead of audio. Simply enough right. So as I am reading how a podcast works and what tools and equipment are necessary, there is a sentence that made me think, “How cool would that be!”.

Because of the low cost of entry, anyone can be a publisher, or a broadcaster of their own “radio” show.

Ok, so how interesting would it be to have your own radio show? Well for me, talking is definitely easier than typing. So I went out and researched some podcast. One site I found and subscribed to was Podtech.net. I’m still searching through the information, but have found some very interesting podcast. Any suggestions to other sites are welcome!

When it comes to Vodcasting, it is clear that it takes more tools and equipment to get it going. Some of the software mentioned was new to me, such as iMovie and Adobe Premiere Elements. Once I researched these I found that they were simply tools you can use to create a Flash video that conforms perfectly to the needs of YouTube or other sites, so you get a nice optimized video that loads right up to a web site. Thats kinda cool! I was never really sure how people got their videos on youtube on other video sites.

Of course these two mediums raise significant issues, but one question already being asked caught my attention. How does podcasting or VODcasting challenge the current “talking head” model of classroom lectures? If all lectures are available via video and audio, do students need to go to class?

That’s a great question don’t you think? I have talked about this with other classmates regarding the life-learning process. After reading this article, my answer to the question is that it enhances not challenges the current teaching model. An instructor can only teach you what they know (my instructor has said this to me many times) . And what good does it do if you take only what they have passed on to you? We as students need to take responsibility in our own learning in addition to the structured learning we receive from our institution. I think the traditional teaching model is still needed as a guide and training process for future learning. We all have to learn to learn to be successful in our own life-learning. What are your thoughts in response to the question stated above?

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And thats about all I could come up with. So I sat back and examined my somewhat short list and said to myself, this list will not cover three years of schooling! I mean there are plenty of books and online tutorials teaching these things. Better yet, since I’ve discovered the art of blogging, learning these things are simply a blog or two away! So then the next question comes to mind. Why am I even going to school then?! Well the question isn’t really hard to answer. I like the environment! Of course I do not rely on the institutional setting to teach me everything I know. By doing that I am limiting my capabilities of learning many things that are not taught. But its great to exchanging information with people who have similar interest. Much like blogging!

But back to the original question, what do I want to learn, well to simply put it, I want to learn as much as I can from as many resources I can! So far in such a short amount of time, I have already learned about PLE’s, community practice, blogging, writing, and so much more! All these things would have never made that list in the past. So as long I have a starting place (my school and great instructor) I will continue to lengthen that very short list.!

So I read a brief introduction to “Communities of Practice” and quickly realized that my perception of a community of practice was a bit off. Or should I say, I looked at it as a group of people in the same industry sharing information between each other to gain knowledge. Ok, so that is partially what a community of practice consist of but the way communities are formed was new information to me. I never really understood HOW people came together and shared information unless the community was organized through an institution. Currently I have been attending an Interactive Media Design Club and according to this article, that would be a community of practice, and I didn’t even know it! But what confuses me is this, 

A community of practice is not merely a community of interest–people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members of a community of practice are practitioners.

So does this mean, if I organized a community of people who enjoy wine, it would be a community but not a community of practice?

And if thats the case, then is it even possible for me to become active in a community of practice if I am not a practitioner? Wouldn’t I need experience to develop resources to share with other community members?

So I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to break out of the structure I am so accustom to! I am holding myself back because I am not comfortable with stepping outside of the traditional institution environment. I must learn to engage in the practice and see the value in informal learning that comes with it. 

So once again I read some great advice regarding blogging for learning. Since blogs are a huge part of PLE, I felt I needed to learn more about what my blog should be. Michele Martin has become one of my favorite resources for helpful information regarding the world of blogging and learning. As I stated before, this avenue of learning is very new to me. I am still reserved with the traditional classroom setting. Maybe I just don’t trust myself to get out and get the information. Or better yet, sort through all the junk on the internet to find the correct information! I guess that is why you need to build up a reliable community to share information with.

Now for this “adding value” part. I am so happy to read something that states add value for yourself first rather than for readers. What a relief to me! As Michele states, a lot of blogs that give advice regarding blogging, as did Stephen Downes in his How to be Heard article, tell you to add value for your readers. But what always got me, is how do I add value to something that is giving me valuable information? What can little ole me give to someone who writes daily or is writing for an audience? I think continuing with this different perception about adding value, I can let go of the stress and fear I hold when I am trying to write. So you may ask, stress and fear? What can you possibly stress or fear about when writing? Well Michele hits it on the spot. I stress because this is a very public forum and whether or not anyone reads my entries, I worry about how I present myself through words. Which leads to my fear. When I read something, I have lots of thoughts and feelings about what I just read. But how do I organize those thoughts and feelings and neatly write them so that others will understand? If people don’t understand what I’m writing, then how can I expect useful feedback! What pressure!!

But just like everything else in life, it takes time and practice.

I came across this wonderful blog regarding personal learning environments! Michele Martin gives a helpful and simple explanation regarding her own PLE and what tools she uses to grow her space. I found a LOT of the information useful to use towards my own PLE. It is amazing to me how much knowledge we gain just by browsing the internet. Personally, I rarely used the internet for “learning” purposes unless I had an assignment that required me to do research. Even now, PLE’s are still new to me and I am still trying to grasp the importance of it in my daily life. One thing I found a bit confusing is her mindmap she created using Mindono. I understand each section within her mindmap but what is the purpose of the mindmap? Is it similar to a wireframe of a website? Why should I create a mindmap for my PLE? I will continue to play with my PLE, exploring some of the tools Michele mentions and determine what works best for me. One thing I do know is shaping your PLE is an ongoing learning process. As I begin to gather information, process that information and act on that information to learn, maybe I will begin to notice that this PLE is a part of me. Until then, I will continue to explore.

So after reading this article “How to be Heard” by Stephen Downes, I had to sit back and take it all in! Wow was my first reaction. I didn’t know how huge and popular blogging really is! Honestly, its a virtual world! At first I was inspired to become a blogger myself. How exciting is it to express yourself by writing, share it with the world and get feedback from people who have interest in what your saying! Of course as Stephen mentioned it doesn’t start off like that. First you have to know what to write! Hell, it took me at least 10 minutes to get the first two sentences down on this blog. And this is an assignment! So already I am tense and feeling pressured to put SOMETHING down, get SOMETHING going. Man this blogging is tough.

So for someone like me, how can I overcome this “blogging block”? Obviously I am no writer, nor do I write on a daily bases. So if the purpose of my blog should attract people and show what I can do, then why do I feel like I have nothing that would attract people? Is this a normal feeling for “new bloggers”? *Sigh* moving on….

Ok, so it took me another 10 minutes to figure out what to move on to! My excitement for this blogging is slowly decreasing. Why is it so hard to write but so easy to talk? Stephen mentions in his article when writing a post you should add value to the item you are writing about and not merely restate what the other person already said. I’m I adding value? How do you add value to someone who is an expert at this?! *sigh* moving on…

One thing that made me ask, “Do people really do this?” was marketing your blog. I mean writing a blog is difficult, especially when you are trying to write for an audience, but on top of that market yourself! Where do you find the time? Well there I go, just like Stephen said, “a common complaint of would-be bloggers is that they have no time”. Well I say, look at what you have to do just to get your blog started! I personally am a mother of 2 and a full time student. I won’t go into my daily routine but anyone who can relate knows that those two things combined doesn’t really leave much room for anything else.

But it still seems exciting!…..

So I am still not sure if I am really adding any VALUE to Stephen Downes’s article, but his article was valuable to me. I admit, nothing is ever really easy once you start. If I can discipline myself to not force it and let my words flow, then maybe I can enjoy this blog thing like everyone else!

Hey, and if it stops being fun, I’ll just quit! “Life is too short to do things you don’t like doing.” Nicely said Stephen!