The presents are unwrapped, the families are visited, and the winter breaks are almost done. NOW ’tis the season to look forward to the next year and resolve to do something better than you did this past year.

But how can the internet possibly help your promises to do better after that tipsy ‘Auld Lang Syne’ smooch?

For the next few weeks, I’m planning to profile resources in a “resolution per post” method. My choice of resolutions to profile will be from the poll or the comments below.

Participate if you want assistance finding web resources and/or apps to cheer you along your resolved path!

• Common Resolutions – Take a Poll!
• Improving Your Resolutions
• New Year’s Resolutions Tips & Tools
• Leave a Comment – Suggest a Resolution

Common Resolutions

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I talk. I talk a lot. But that does not web content make…or does it? (You know the answer or there wouldn’t be a blog post!)

As you guessed, there are actually a number of ways you can use your voice to create web content from podcasts to animated avatars to speech-to-text programs. Podcasting is a more extensive topic so instead I’m going to focus on the couple of options Trinity and I use when creating web content.

• Animated Avatars
• Speech-to-Text Program
• Helpful Links

Animated Avatars Read the rest of this entry »

On a clear fall day, with such a beautiful campus and an enthusiastic group of students, you might think it would be easy to take a couple of snapshots and end up with a fabulous photo or two to publish. However, a surprising amount of “behind the scenes” work goes into capturing a moment of fun, especially for publication in a print format, like the TRINITY Magazine.

STEP ONE – Be “one” with the Weather Channel

We looked into the future (via weather.com) and chose a day that was supposed to be clear and bright, ideally with a few leaves still hanging around the trees. We got our wishes…and we also got cold: 45 degrees with a brisk wind. Good thing we had so many Trinity sweatshirts! Read the rest of this entry »

While I have tons of wonderful pictures from my childhood, our family never did home movies. The few video clips that exist of me under the age of 18 can be lumped together in three main categories:

The beginnings of a costume...my sister was so tolerant of me!

• Theatre & Choir Shows…Someone Outside My Family Filmed
• Girl Scout Activities…Someone Outside My Family Filmed
• Sporting Events…Someone Outside My Family Filmed
  There’s a wonderful video of my mom narrating one of my basketball games when I was in 4th grade-ish. She didn’t realize she was sitting next to the camera. She makes a great color commentator!

However, the ability to record and edit video is much more widely available these days. Smart phones capture the surprise, funny moments; YouTube and Facebook spread the joy around.

Other than recording your daughters singing and dancing to Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” in adorable pink tutus, what else could you do with a video camera and few hours to edit? Read the rest of this entry »

The Fates: Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to learn a new video editing software.

Me: Yippee! More knowledge! Let me just push that button and start right now…oops. So, not that button. OK. This one? Uh, no. Hmm. How ’bout this one over here?…

All bad dialogue aside, I really do love learning. And, for me, learning is often a trial-and-error-and-trial-again process. Thankfully, there is a great online tool to help my process!

• The Learning Process
• Online Tool: Lynda.com
• What Type of Learner Are You? Take the poll!

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What are those weird black & white squares that have started popping up all over? They are called QR codes and they can open a world of data for you.

What is a QR Code?

The ‘QR’ in QR codes stands for ‘Quick Response’. Remember those tricorders from Star Trek? QR codes can make your smart phone act like a tricorder – one scan of a QR code and instant information to your phone!

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So we survived an earthquake and now Hurricane Irene is bearing down on us. What’s a techie to do? Track everything, of course!

• Earthquake Ideas
• Hurricane Help

Earthquake Ideas

Growing up in Northern Virginia, the extent of my earthquake experience (before Tuesday) was that Tori Amos album’s title track (“Little Earthquakes”). Now I can cross “standing in a doorway during an earthquake” off a list I never knew I had: Experiences I only want to do once!

The Trinity community gathers by the soccer fields in front of the Trinity Center, post-earthquake.

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What is twitter?
And why should I care while I’m at Trinity?

Twitter is a free website that allows users to send very short (140 characters or less) posts called “tweets” out to the world. It is a happy marriage of online social networking (like Facebook) and microblogging (like, well, twitter).

Trinity a-twitter

Trinity uses twitter for general notifications as well as emergency communications. President McGuire also tweets. Those twitter feeds are: Read the rest of this entry »

‘Tis the season for melting chapsticks, sweating gallons, and hot, hot, hot temperatures. What does this mean for your technology?

• Dashboard Cookies, Sidewalk Eggs, and Melting iPods?!
• Sweat is Wet
• Songs for a Heatwave (or Songs for a Heat Wave)

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Videos for All!

A Flip video camera plus three pieces of software plus lots of time equals a few great glimpses into Trinity’s 108th Commencement and 2011 Reunion weekend.

Skip to the finished videos.

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