Web Teacher » UsefulLinks

Komen Can Kiss My Mammagram

vdebolt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:01:26 +0000

Photo by Tim Waclawski via Flickr

As anyone who pays attention to the social blogosphere and the network news knows, the Susan G. Komen Foundation decided to stop funding Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer screening and mammogram program.

I’m a woman and a liberal. It doesn’t take much more information that that for you to know that I think politicized right wing attacks on the rights of women to receive important health care is wrong. But that’s not what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about how social media–Twitter, Facebook–and motivated individuals with connections online can change the outcome of an event. The Komen Foundation mishandled this event in social media terms. The supporters of Planned Parenthood used social media to their advantage. The consequences include damange to Komen’s reputation, lots of discussion about what Planned Parenthood really does, and many donations rerouted from The Komen Foundation to Planned Parenthood.

Instead of retelling the story of how this happened, I’ll send you to Beth’s Blog, where she’s already recounted it. Go see what social media can do to help a cause, or to slam a social media clueless organization.

Useful Links: Microformats are Hot, Accessibility Infographics, Nerd Words, Structure and Presentation

vdebolt — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:45:53 +0000

Web Data Commons Launches has data showing that about 89% of all structured data on the web is in the form of microformats.

5 Infographics on Web Accessibility for Designers is a nice compilation.

6 Made up Nerd Words that Made it to Common Usage, and 8 that Should.

The Separation of structure, presentation and behavior is dead. Must reading for anyone teaching anything in web education.

Useful Links: CSS3 Cursors, Learn to Code, HTML5 in WordPress, ARIA

vdebolt — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:49:44 +0000

Introducing the New CSS3 Cursor Styles is at Sitepoint.

Learn to Code is an new site that aspires to become a brilliant educational tool by teaching users to code using interactive and social tools. Congratulations to this new venture and wishes for much success in teaching learners to code.

The Rise of HTML5 in WordPress lists several WordPress themes that offer HTML5. This is a nice resource to use with my article Should Your Blog Use Responsive Web Design?

Knowing When to Break the Rules from Derek Featherstone talks about validation and accessibility and ARIA.

Useful Links: Video Games and girls, WordPress for Android, iPad bloggers

vdebolt — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:47:34 +0000

Are video games good for girls? The things she points out probably also apply to boys, but this is an interesting report.

I’m jealous of WordPress 2.0 for Android. I don’t blog from my iPhone, but I do use the WordPress app for iOS to check comments when I’m away from my computer. Look at what the Android app can do. Here’s hoping these improvements are coming to iOS soon.

Does anyone us an iPad to blog? I looked at it early on as a potential blogging tool and it didn’t seem up to the chore. Is anyone using an iPad to blog successfully?

Useful Links: CSS Layouts, Sliders, 2011

vdebolt — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:23:54 +0000

The Future of CSS Layouts. It’s coming and it’s gonna be good. Check out this exciting post by Peter Gasston at .net.

What you need to know about the HTML5 Slider Element. There is no slider element in HTML5, the post is talking about the new input type ‘range’ combined with the JQuery function called ‘slider.’ If you can get past that, the rest of the post is useful.

What I Learned About the Web in 2011. Of all the things I’ve read and reread and loved at A List Apart over the years, I love this post more than anything I’ve ever seen there. It’s like a big, beautiful Christmas present to the web design community.

Useful links: Adaptive Design, nested figures, Susan Kare

vdebolt — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:14:49 +0000

Nice article on Opera Dev by Chris Mills about Adaptive Design with media queries.

Nested Figure Elements on Paciello Blog.

The Sketchbook of Susan Kare: The Artist Who Gave Computing a Human Face. Did you know about Susan Kare? I’d never heard of her before. I certainly think a mention of her contribution to the GUI needs to be included in Introductory courses on history of the Internet and history of computing.

QR codes resources

vdebolt — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:31:39 +0000

The Daring Librarian has a lot of material about QR codes on Flickr and her CC license allows for use with attribution. Check it out.

Useful links: ARIA Resources, Mobile Apps

vdebolt — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:59:44 +0000

Here’s a well-developed resource for ARIA information from MDN.

Mobile Apps headed for the dustbin of history at DevBeat is must reading for anyone interested in where the Internet is going.

Useful links: Responsive images, WordPress gallery

vdebolt — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:15:37 +0000

Responsible Responsive Images brings out some points worth pondering.

WordPress has added image gallery support. Here’s how to make it work. Can’t wait to find a reason to try it out.

Useful Links: Flipped Classroom, Digital Talent, #mencallmethings, Treehouse, gamification

vdebolt — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:29:24 +0000

Progress report on my flipped classroom. Here’s what Suze is taking about:

The flipped classroom turns this model on its head; lecture materials are provided via video and other multimedia, and assigned as homework. Students complete the video lessons on their own time, at their own pace. Then, classroom time is devoted to assignments and projects, and applying the concepts learned in an open, creative environment. The teacher’s role is flipped as well, from instructor and lecturer to facilitator and coach.

What do you think about this article? Why Digital Talent Doesn’t Want to Work At Your Company from Fast Company.

Speaking out about harassment made its way to Twitter as Geek Feminism reports. Here’s the Twitter tag: #mencallmethings

Think Vitamin launched a new learning site called Treehouse. Videos, quizzes, badges and more.

The gamification of everyday life. Good explanation of the issues with an excellent resources list at the end.