To educate, inform, inspire

WordCamp Peoria 2016

November 30, 2016 - Learning , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

The first WordCamp in the Peoria area was held on Nov. 12, 2016. Here is a brief synopsis of the event. I also provide some of my insights and notes further down the page. WordCamp Peoria 2016 from Mark DuBois on Vimeo. As you learned from the above video, there […]

Apple Watch Series 2

November 16, 2016 - Apple , Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

I recently purchased an Apple watch (series 2) to replace my aging Pebble watch (the eInk screen was starting to fade significantly). The watch was shipped directly from Suzhou (China). It was rather fun to watch it transit from Shanghai to Anchorage to Louisville and eventually to my home (taking […]

Adobe Spark Page

November 9, 2016 - Adobe , Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I covered Adobe Spark Video and Adobe Spark Post recently. Adobe Spark Page allows you to quickly create a compelling web page. Here is a quick introduction. Adobe Spark Page from Mark DuBois on Vimeo. For those who don’t need to know all the details of quickly creating a web […]

Fall, 2016 semester

August 17, 2016 - ICC , Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

The fall, 2016, semester started this Monday, August 15. As we start each school year, I take a moment and reflect on accomplishments (both last academic year and this summer) and think about the future. After all, the reason I teach web design and development is precisely because of the […]

Apps

August 3, 2016 - General , Learning , Mobile Apps - by Mark - 2 Comments

During my summer of travels, I encountered a number of apps for smartphones and tablets. Since many of these were new to me, I thought I would provide an overview of some of the ones others mentioned (during various conversations at events this summer). Here is a quick list of […]

Ricoh Theta

July 27, 2016 - Learning , Technology , Travel - by Mark - No Comments

I recently returned from the Adobe Education Leader Summit (held in New York City this year). Several colleagues were taking a number of photos using their new cameras. After further investigation, I had to get one of these puppies myself. It is the Ricoh Theta model “S.” It takes 360 […]

Working Connections 2016

June 8, 2016 - Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

During the week of May 23, Working Connections was held in Springfield, Illinois. This represented the 14th year for this event (and my 13th year teaching a class at this event). I thought it might be helpful for others to learn more about Working Connections and why I think this […]

Labcoat

May 18, 2016 - Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I recently provided an overview of the “design in browser” approach to working with a web site. Since that post, I have become aware of the Labcoat browser plugin. It only works for Chrome that being said, it has some powerful capabilities. Before you can work with this tool, you […]

LIX 3D Printing Pen

May 4, 2016 - Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

On Monday, May 2, 2016, my LIX 3D printing pen arrived. At long last. I ordered this on August 24, 2015. I was notified it was ready to ship on March 25, 2016. It shipped on April 25, 2016. Overall cost was $154.95 (including $15 shipping). Now that I have […]

Web Design MOOC 2016

April 20, 2016 - Adobe , Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I recently completed teaching another MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This one was on web design using the Adobe MUSE application and was done as part of the Adobe Education Exchange. This course ran from January 25 to March 11, 2016. If you have been reading this blog for a […]

Styling SVG

December 2, 2015 - ICC , Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

We have had several discussions about styling SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) at our recent WebProfessionals meetings. I also recently completed a short course at lynda.com on this same topic. I thought it would be appropriate to develop a weblog post on this topic (especially since we will be covering SVG […]

UX Rebels Summit overview

November 20, 2015 - Learning , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I had the opportunity to participate in the UX Rebel’s Summit this week [Nov. 17, 2015] (hosted by Christopher Schmitt). I found this to be a great online event and wanted to share some insights and thoughts from the event. Keep in mind, I have 189 pages of screen captures […]

Captivate Draft

September 9, 2015 - Adobe , Learning , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Adobe recently released a new version of Captivate (9) for both Mac and Windows computers. Along with the desktop version, there is now a free iOS app available – Captivate Draft. Essentially, this allows you to create learning modules in environments where a laptop might be impractical. You can also […]

Professor – would you please do my work?

May 13, 2015 - ICC , Learning , Technology - by Mark - 2 Comments

As we conclude this semester, I thought it might be appropriate to continue my discussion from the beginning of the semester (see Issues > Concerns > Problems). Frankly, I do not see the situation improving. Those reading this should pause and consider what they are asking in various classes. As […]

2015 Illinois Web Design Contest – the code

May 6, 2015 - Learning , Web , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

I previously discussed the Illinois web design contest at a high level. I thought it would be important to also focus a bit on the code and related design aspects of the sites. Note that these comments are my own and do not represent the observations of any judges in […]