You Version = No version

Not to publicly denounce them or anything, but I have to say that doing my devotions using You Version's Journal feature has not panned out like I had hoped. Not to complain or anything...but the past 7 months or so of experimentation has left me a little frustrated. During this year, they changed the layout of the site which certainly wasn't too easy to navigate. In addition to that, the majority of my devotions for 2009 have been "misplaced", deleted or lost. Attempts to get help or answers from their wikiHelp have come to no avail. I am saddened by this and am now looking for new ways to post. I would really like to stay paperless, but also know that doing so means that computer/internet is required. I also don't want to be tied to one computer (i.e. doing my devotions in a Word doc). I also would like to keep my postings private. I have set up a temporary private blog that I can use to post...but am still very unsure.

Lots of pros and cons....let me know what you think.

Pros:
No stacks of notebooks from years of devotional time.
Can be done anywhere, anytime. (internet required of course)
Easier to search if I want to go back to something.

Cons:
No stacks of notebooks from years of devotional time. (this is both pro and con)
Must have internet access.
Potential privacy issue.

Basic Web Design

This is my web design presentation.

Basic Web Design

View more OpenOffice presentations from ecadkins.

Web Design Basics

Last week I had the pleasure of team-teaching a basic web design class to group of women and men from my church. This presentation was very interesting/challenging for a couple of different reasons: (1) the age range of my students was 17-35+ (i.e. digital natives to gen X); (2) there was a wide range in technical knowledge (i.e. "I can use the internet" to "I am a software programmer"; (3) I had 30-40 minutes to teach it all.

From a learning perspective, I had a couple of goals in mind: keep their attention, make it interactive, teach them all something new, use examples that were easy to understand and last but not least, make it fun.

I teamed up with my friend Matt for the session and we brought together the best of both worlds: he's the cool, creative designer and I'm the meat and potatoes teacher/techie.

We began the lesson with a game show, where we had the least experienced techies come up for a Web Design Jeopardy. To include some audience participation, I allowed each contestant to "poll the audience" for help. I uploaded the questions onto Polleverywhere.com. This is an awesome resource that I learned about last year at the GMU Innovations in E-learning conference. It's a free online application that allows for audience polling via mobile texting & mobile web. You can check out some video footage of our poll by clicking here.

After our poll we showed a very entertaining rap video about coding. Check that out here. Not sure if the audience got some of jokes, but I thoroughly enjoyed his clever usage of CSS, search engine optimization, and browser best practices. A shout out to Matt for finding that piece of gold.

So after this bit of fun, we moved on to the presentation where I used a basic PowerPoint to demonstrate and explain some basic web design concepts. I covered html/css, html editors & the wysiwyg, web browser differences, domains, hosting, & bandwidth, and web 2.0. I tried to use a minimal amount of text on each slide, lots of pictures, and several basic analogies. I have uploaded the presentation to Slideshare and it can be accessed above.

I really enjoyed teaching this class and I can't wait for new opportunities like this in the future!

Googlet

MAN...I haven't posted in forever. Seriously, almost 5 months! This does not bode well for my 2009 goal of blog writing, now does it?

Anywho, this upcoming week I get to combine a couple of my passions: teaching, technology, efficiency, and organization! I'll be teaching several of my closest friends how to use some of the basic Google applications that are available out on the web.

One of my favorite things about technology is that it really CAN make life easier. I love how social networking can combine with a basic organizational need to make life fluid, productive, and easy. Now as one who constantly has to deal with work-arounds and server downs, I know what it is to be absolutely beyond frustration when technology malfunctions.

Some people, either through lack of experience, enthusiasm, or proper training can often develop a (real) fear of technology. It can seem like the most complicated, in-efficient, frustrating thing in the world! But do not fear - lack of knowledge is an easy thing to change...the hard part is becoming familiar and comfortable with technology in such a way that its usage becomes second-nature. This is a process and must take be achieved through gradual steps, practice, and encouragement.

So, what can Google do for us (besides give us answers to questions like: where is the closest ikea store or can a person really get water poisoning)?

Survey Says: It can make communication and organization SIMPLE.

Why do I think this? Let me get you thinking.....

Do you ever experience some of these common, time-consuming items:

1. You need to plan an event with 6 of your friends: And so the dreaded 3-week, 20-email chain begins....
2. You need to edit a group paper or assignment: You and your group email a word doc back and forwards and back and forwards, over and over again!
3. You need to edit a document, powerpoint, excel file: a) I don't have Microsoft Office products on my computer or b) Ooops! I only have a copy of the file on my home computer
4. You don't want to double-book yourself for your cousin's baby shower and the next softball game: you have to email, text, call, or wait until next week's meeting to find out!

If you were shaking your head "yes" to one or more of the above situations, then you need to Googlet!

Google has developed a BUNCH of applications that will seamlessly fix each of the items that are listed above (and many more!). Creating a Google Account allows you to have access to applications such as Google Groups, Documents, and Calendar. These tools combine to make a very powerful organizational tool that can be accessed anywhere you are!

Here's a great summary video on Google Docs (made possible by the fine folks at www.commoncraft.com); take a minute to view it and see how Google can help you! :o)

Spurgeon: morning and evening

At the recommendation of Ps. Mark, I went out today and found my devotional book for 2009: Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. My first reading was very exciting and I am intrigued by this man's works. Over and over again many of my friends and leaders have suggested his books, especially the infamous Soul Winner. 2009 is going to be a powerful year and I'm anxious to see what Spurgeon has to say. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

PS. Still using YouVersion and LOVING IT! Hoping to find a way to download all of my journal entries.....

LOST

Ok so surprise surprise, I forgot to blog about LOST which premiered last week. If you don't know that Season 5 of Lost is here then you must live under a rock or on the island itself.

The premier was amazing; I had to watch it in stages but each viewing was equally exciting. This has given me the opportunity to talk about the show at work again and in pretty much every other social circle in my life. We've got some great collective theories going on; my favorite is the one authored by my friend Ryan. He's thinking that they (meaning who knows who) have determined the exact date of the end of the world and there are several competing groups of people who want to obtain rights to island so that life can be preserved, etc. Kind of like a new garden of eden (but completely contrary to the book of revelations..lol). Interesting theory to say the least.

I don't have time tonight to elaborate, but stay tuned throughout season 5 because I'll be sure to discuss it.

A joyful burden

I enjoyed this devotion (done on YouVersion) so much today, that I thought I would make it a public posting.

So many of my goals for 2009 are so exciting (engagement, school, ministry, character, physical fitness) but 100% of them come with a new burden. It takes work to accomplish each of them and not just work, but a little "dying to self". Burden has a couple of definitions (I know because I looked them up): a load to carry and a responsibility. I have to admit, when I was making my goals for 2009, I wasn't thinking "Hmmm...what extra burdens and responsibilities do I want this year?" But that is the question isn't it? With each new blessing that God has brought into my life, there has been a new responsibility to follow. I suppose that can sound a little discouraging, but this is less about how I feel about it and more about changing my nature, my mindset, and my way of thinking about things. If my life is to serve God, to give him all the glory, etc., then my life and everything in it is lived in service to him. That's no different than a responsibility or a load to carry....enter in word: BURDEN. In my walk with God, I've definitely had to change my emotional reactions and pre-conceived notions to words like obedience, submission, responsibility, love, and authority. Burden is just a new word to add to the list. I feel like I'm re-learning the english language with a new translator: God.

How do I know this? Because Jesus is the example. He had a burden to bear, a weight, a load, a responsibility that was placed on His life from birth. So this becomes the foundation of my goals, dreams, and hopes. I must see these blessings and opportunities as burdens to bear, and gladly accept the responsibilities that follow.

Praise be to Christ for this! Thank you Lord that you are THE example in my life; that you show me how to have a JOY that is beyond the circumstances that occur each day. Your JOY for ME in dying.

Hebrews 12: 2 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.