Category: Uncategorized

NPR’s Linda Holmes delivered the keynote at the annual unconference, trying to find hope in the content chaos.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: technical.ly

Thanks to David Dylan Thomas for sharing this on Facebook.

I attended this fantastic "un-conference" last weekend (which David was at, too, and was one of the conference team members), and I don’t think I could write a better summary myself. This was a little different than some other conferences I went to because it was very casual, and it focused on more media-based content rather than only text-based. I learned about apps like Periscope, learned a little history about podcasting, learned about content within the context of media, and digital hacks to help with work and personal life. I got to spend time with some of my STC-PMC friends, as well as made some new friendship as well. The event was very inexpensive, and I enjoyed being around a lot of creative minds. It helped spark my mind, at least! I enjoyed the event quite a bit, and look forward to attending future events by this group if I can. 

 

If you have something like this in your area, I encourage you to go! You never know what you may learn, or who you may meet. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

How learning to weave on a loom became the perfect reminder to produce better content.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: contentrules.com

Val Swisher of Content Rules does it again, using an analogy that I can personally understand. Val is an incredible crafter, and she is adding weaving to her collection of craft skills. I have my own weaving loom as well, and have been self teaching myself as well. (PS Val–check out YouTube videos, and see if there are videos on how to warp your particular loom. That helped me immensely.) Anyway, she’s written an excellent article that anyone can understand about using technical terms and trying to explain them in plain English. Technical writing doesn’t have to be limited to software or technology itself, but it can be about a technique used for centuries as well–like weaving. 

 

Read this, and you’ll understand what I mean. 

 

This inspires me to get my loom out and try again…;-)

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

It looks like a cross between an electric circuit diagram and a Mondrian painting – but the London Underground map also revolutionised design. Jonathan Glancey travels back in time.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.bbc.com

This is UX/UI design at its finest, and has stood the test of time! This article reminds me of discussions about centered around arguments made by Tufte in my Visual Design class in grad school.  

 

Maps are tricky devils, if you ask me. It a miracle that some of them turn out as well as they do. (I’m hoping to write an article soon about two maps I came across recently that weren’t all that great to me from a surprising source.)  The London Underground map has grown over the years as new stops and new lines have been added. I have a poster of the map from 25+ years ago that I used to have that definitely is not as detailed as the one displayed in this article. 

 

The teaser line of this article suggests that the Underground map is content that revolutionized design. I agree. Read the article, and let me know if you agree as well. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

Creative Commons License Image Source With Competition Slowly Creeping in, How Goes it for the Behemoth of the Classroom Tablet Scene? When Apple released the iPad in 2010, they took the world by storm, adding another jewel to their crown

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.emergingedtech.com

I was excited to read this article. When I first started TechCommGeekMom, I was VERY interested in m-learning and the impact it could make in education on all levels. If you check the archives, you’ll see lots of articles about it.  While my own career has taken a different turn, my interest in m-learning through iPads hasn’t diminished at all. I still think it’s a strong tool for learning purposes, and this article shows some further proof for this argument. 

 

Take a look–what do you think? Do you think it’s still a fad, or has iPad found its place in education? Include your comments below. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

An artificial intelligence called Scheherazade crowdsources data to put together plots for interactive stories.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.cnet.com

One of my former digital marketing instructors, Augustine Fou, posted this on LinkedIn, and I had to share this as well. 

 

It’s cool to read about developing AI (articificial intelligence). This development as described is fascinating to me. However, I think there are questions here that pertain to technical communicators that need to be asked, even if they are no answers to them just yet. 

 

The first thing that came to my mind was the age-old question of, "Does this mean that writers are eventually going to be replaced altogether?"  The system described in the article still has a foundation built on content written by humans, so I think we’re safe for a little while longer.  

 

My second question was how this actually could be applied for help-based content. Much of technical content–especially help content–is related to hypertext theory. (For more info on hypertext theory, read this: http://www.english-literature.uni-bayreuth.de/en/projects/Literature_internet/2_hypertext/index.html).I studied quite a bit about hypertext theory in grad school, and one course in particular jumped back into my memories as I read this article, and saw how this AI is directly related to the use of hypertext theory. 

 

The third question I had related to translation and localization. As AI learns to develop different stories and curates content from everywhere, how does it ensure that the content is appropriate and translated correctly? While machines are getting better, some human intervention still is needed as we progress. 

 

What do you think of this new AI? Include your comments below. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications