Juice Up Your Presentations with VUVOX

We here at STS teach a lot of PowerPoint, in timetable courses for faculty members and in our evening classroom courses, however, we have also recently started teaching VUVOX. VUVOX is an online presentation tool that allows users to incorporate text, video, sound and time lines into their presentations.  A little more snazzy than what we are used to seeing in PPT presentations, eh?

Check out a VUVOX project made by a UW student here.

Interested in setting up VUVOX training for your classroom? See this page!

Finding Seamless Background Patterns for Web Designs

For those Web Designers, or aspiring Web Designers, who have not yet explored the amazing colourlovers.com, please, do so now.

This site is a social community that allows users to create color palettes and seamless patterns (yes!), share them, then get feedback on how amazing (or not amazing) your design is.

What I find the site is best used for: exploring patterns and color combos that are highly rated, then putting them together and using them in my own designs. There are over 1 million to choose from.

You don’t even have to have an account to use the art! Just opposite click on the image and save and pattern or palette you enjoy!

To explore patterns, click here.

To explore color palettes, click here.

Learn CSS Dynamically!

Know a little bit of CSS but need a little practice space to test out your skills? Try out CSSDesk.com, by description, the website allows users to experiment with CSS, see the results live, and share your code with others.

This little online tool is a handy dandy way to understand a what-can-be-confusing code.

Don’t know CSS yet, but want to learn it? Sign up for an STS class here!

IE9: It’s Here!

Check out the latest version of Internet Explorer from Microsoft here: http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/

It boasts some snazzy new features for HTML 5 and “Pinning” your favorite sites!

The browser is in a “test drive” now, so try it now and let us know what you think!

Launchlist: A Must Use Tool for Website Makers

For those of you who have been working on websites and are ready to upload it to the Interweb, you should check out Launchlist!

Launchlist is simple one page website that helps you keep track of all the editing you need to do prior to uploading a nasty typo or bad code onto the web. The list helps remind you of everything from spelling to SEO to browser compatibility.

Seriously, even if you don’t use it as intended, the list itself is simply a good reminder of everything you should be checking.

See Launchlist here: http://launchlist.net/

This website compliments the STS “Getting Your Website Online” class quite well… you can sign up for the STS class here: https://www.doit.wisc.edu/training/student/course.aspx?id=160

Trouble Finding a Job After Graduation? Freelance!

As we all know, the economy isn’t running at the same pace it did five years ago. Those students who find themselves facing graduation and job hunting in the current state of the economy are often finding out quickly how harsh a down-turned economy can be.

However, all hope doesn’t need to be lost. Several news sources (including the New York Times article pasted below) are now reporting an upturn in companies using IT freelancers to fill in gaps where employees used to be, creating an opportunity for graduates with IT skill sets to spread their entrepreneurship wings and make a little money.

There are several Websites dedicated to Web freelancing- connecting freelancers to people needing work. Guru.com is a site that started solely catering to Web development, and now has spread further into many industries. In addition, many companies are also posting their help wanted ads on Craigslist. All you have to do is log on to connect to these employers; you may find yourself working your own hours and at your own pace in no time.

Interested in IT freelancing, such as Web design and coding? Software Training for Students can give you the skill set you need to get started. Try our classes in HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, JavaScript or PHP; you may find yourself on the road to income and freedom!

The following article was posted in the New York Times :

Get rich from old technology!

While surfing the Web today for great blog topics, I came across the Website Gazelle.com , which allows you to sell all of your old technology and pays you well for it!

For instance, I have an old first generation iPhone. It still works, but it’s no new iPhone 3GS. I typed in information about it into Gazelle and low and behold, they offered me $125 for something sitting in my closet. I’ll take it!

I was a bit worried that you would never actually see the cash or the company would be hard to work with, so I did a bit of research. This was written on wired.com:

YouTube is smarter than I thought!

Did you know that YouTube has a site dedicated to College and University partners around the United States? If you didn’t, now you do!

Introducing YouTubeEdu (see youtube.com/edu) via the STS Blog. The site is a smattering of interviews with people who are way too smart, commencement speeches and other fun higher education related topics.

Enjoy it for yourself! I recommend the UCLA 2009 commencement speech by Brad Delson. Fun for everyone!

Website O The Week

I thought I would log on today and share one of my favorite Websites.

It’s called FeedMyApp and can be found at feedmyapp.com

The functionality of this grand Website? Simple. Finding and sharing all the latest Web applications and Web 2.0 technologies that hit the World Wide Web. Everything from Start Pages (I like Symbaloo and Sputtr), to Classifieds (you know, Craigslist!) to CMS apps (like Magento and Drupal).

Check it our to find an app to serve your needs! I promise they have eveything!