SoylentFoo

• Gmail Mobile has convinced me to get my blackberry out again :).
• The Mac Mini that I’m setting up for my family this Christmas should be at my door in the next couple hours.
• I JUST FINISHED MY LAST EXAM!!! I’ll be graduating from the University of Georgia tomorrow morning at 9:30am – and boy am I excited :).

So it seems the two largest suppliers of enterprise education software have become one. Blackboard has purchased WebCT for $180 million cash. I’m a college student that uses both tools daily, and the most positive thing I can say about this is: possibly future students won’t have to remember that their Econ homework is in WebCT, but assignments for my Systems Development class are on Blackboard, they’ll both be in the unwieldingly huge and difficult to use BlackboardCT Ack.

Further, both tools are compeletely sub-par. Let me tell you why.

One thing that I like to do with websites: I use bookmarks. A lot of people use bookmarks, say, to store the address of an important site (like an Econ assignment page) so they can access it with one click.

What happens when I try to bookmark my Econ assignment page, and load in in WebCT? WebCT prompts me to login, which I happily do. Then, I’m redirected to myWebCT, WebCT’s fancy-scmancy dashboard page. I didn’t want myWebCT. I wanted Econ! No such luck. Don’t even get me started about WebCT’s file download links.

On to Blackboard, apparently the bigger fish of the two companies. Would you like to login to Blackboard? I’ve used this new-fangled technology called “bookmarks” to store the login page for easy, one-click access right here. If you’re registerd with Terry, try to login.You’ll be suprised to see a strange error message:

Challenge token null

Challenge what? Try again and it works. Or, you could use visit Terry’s Blackboard homepage, NOT the login page itself, then click on the login button, and you’ll see no such inflamitory remarks about your tokens.

Further, neither tool has ANY sort of notification system. That is, I frequently get e-mails from my professors saying “I’ve added a new assignment to WebCT/Blackboard.” This seems to me like a common task: upload new content, then notify a list of contacts. But software that automates mundane, repetative tasks? Alas, that just makes too much sense. RSS feeds would be perfect for this, but really, who am I kidding.

Anyway, I’m glad to be using both WebCT and Blackboard for my last semester. I hope they’re happy together as one huge educational software conglomerate. Maybe then they’ll take a second to develop software that doesn’t require huge manuals and trainings for instructors and headaches for students. Here’s my plea:

Oh BlackboardCT, or whatever you would like to be called, great software conglomerate, I bow before you and ask of you only this: would you please write software that helps students learn rather than requires them to learn how to use it? Oh Blackboard CT, next time around, help teachers teach and don’t make more work for them by requiring them to attend lenghty trainings. BlackboardCT, please heed my call.

Really, it’s all insignificant. In 5 years we’ll all be wirelessly connected together and to the Library of Congress via our BrainChips™. I’m all for that, as long as BlackboardCT isn’t in charge.

That is all.

This past Thursday marked the first day of my final semster at the University of Georgia in Athens. After a couple of days of strenuous syllabus sorting, things will actually get started on Tuesday. (I do have one class on Monday, but it’s a breeze :] ) Here are the classes I’m getting ready for:

Management Information Systems 4620 : Systems Analysis and Design

• Systems analysis and design with emphasis on the development of business application systems. Methods of system documentation are examined through the use of object-oriented and structured analysis tools and techniques for describing processes, use cases, data structures, system objects, file designs, input and output designs, and program specifications.

• This seems like it will be a good bit of work. Eek.

Management Information Systems 4630 : _ Network-Based Application Development_

• Network-based application development using a current development language and platform. Concepts include application development strategies and techniques, web technology platforms, a web development language and web services. Projects will involve development of a network-based application for an organization.

• Web apps built using JSP and Servlets basically. Boo Java.

Management Information Systems 5640 : _ Network Management_

• Basic computer networking technology concepts, standards, products, services, security, and emerging technologies. This course starts with basic networking, progressing to use of networking to deliver and manage network applications / services. While the focus of the course is around the Internet, the application of the concepts extends to other networks.

• We have to write a web app that searches an existing web service for this class. flickr.rb and Ruby on Rails anyone? This should be fun.

Management Information Systems 5990 : _ Directed Study_

• I convinced Dr. Peircy to sponsor me for a 3 hour directed study course. I’ll be catching him up on Ruby on Rails and helping him with some of his web development projects.

Economics 2100: Economics of Environmental Quality

• The economic analysis of environmental issues, with discussions of current environmental quality problems, their underlying causes, and command vs. market-based solutions.

• Sounds pretty interesting to me. For an ECON class, that is :)

For those still reading, I’m not done yet. I’m taking all of those classes (15 hours) working 19 more hours at Digital Insight, actively developing 3 projects in Ruby on Rails, and am anxiously awaiting news about a new job. Sometimes, I really just don’t know how I manage it all :).

Needless to say, I can’t wait for all of this madness to end. It’ll be nice to be done with school, for one. But most of all, I just can’t wait to move out to Bozeman, MT to be with my beautiful girlfriend…

A 106 on the final in in Java (MIST 4600) brings me to a final average of 98.52%. Pretty convincing argument that I should have been allowed to skip the course, eh?

I have my last final of summer semester tomorrow morning at 8am. It’s in my SQL/XML (MIST 4610) class, which proved to be pretty valuable. The test is open-notes/book/reference, so I printed out these web pages to have on hand tomorrow morning. I think I’ll be ready.

jnewland@flickr

While the view isn't half bad, my life is pretty stressful right now. Summer classes require lots of work (two projects due Tuesday!), and while I'm not working on SQL or Java I'm getting ready for an upcoming concert, adjusting to a new job, and playing 4 frisbee games a week.

But, since I'm spending more time on my computer, I should do some work on my blog. So, here's a start.

School and personal projects have been overwhelming me recently, and i haven't posted much. Today, I have some gems to make up for it:

• Radio DavidByrne.com -
  online radio station from the brains behind talking heads. I'm listening to it right now, great stuff
• Costa Rica on Flickr - my costa rica pictures. TONS of them.
• Google News customized for UGA Students - Google news is now customizable - this is my page. Athens and UGA news are featured prominately
• Katie on uga.com - this was the front page story the other day. :)