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InfoCamp SC – Bringing an “unconference” to Columbia

August 26th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

InfoCamp SCInfoCamp SC is a two day unconference happening at IT-oLogy on October 1st and 2nd. It’s cast from the mold made by the original InfoCamp, an event hosted annually in Seattle.  InfoCamps embrace open source development and web paradigms of networked communications to discuss, play with and create solutions for problems and challenges involving information.

InfoCamp SC draws people from across fields and disciplines, from experts to neophytes, to participate actively in creating new forms of knowledge. InfoCamp SC will be a chance to network across disciplines.  Whether librarians, web designers, UX engineers, or someone looking to activate their passion for information, InfoCamp SC is the place to come and develop the next killer app. It’s a place to find new ways to visualize and use information. InfoCamp SC will help information workers build a better world.

At InfoCamp SC, you can:

-Participate, whatever your skill level, in developing new ideas about information

- Facilitate a session. InfoCamp’s schedule is designed interactively. If you’re a beginner, ask a question and get help designing a solution. Seasoned professionals can gain access to new ways of conceptualizing issues, and help from peers with testing products and methods.

- Have a chance to build a better world. InfoCamp SC offers a unique environment for people to collaborate and design new products and services in the information environment. Whether you have a prototype that needs testing or an idea that needs developing, InfoCamp provides a creative space where creative people can help each other create the next big thing.

- Network. InfoCamp SC will bring people interested in creating connections from different spheres of information work. Attendees will range from a tech savvy librarian interested in spreading technology across the digital divide, to social engineers interested in activist structures, to web developers and computer engineers interested in helping their companies reach wider audiences, to artists working for database vendors, to more.

 Register for the conference. Come to Columbia, SC on October 1st and 2nd. Listen, learn, teach, pitch, and participate in Infocamp’s seven sessions. Finish with friends, knowledge, skills, and connections that didn’t exist before. Make a better world!

For more information on registration, accommodations, the schedule, and more go to one of the following sites:

Web: http://InfoCampSC.info/ )

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/InfoCampSC

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/InfoCampSC

Blog post contributed by Zach Frazier. Zach is in his second year at the University of South Carolina’s Masters of Library and Information Sciences Program. He can be reached at frazie26@email.sc.edu.

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A Generation Leading Digital Lives

August 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

cyberIQSocial media has taken over our lives. Whether we are tweeting about something funny that happened, or we are posting a work-related video on YouTube, we are constantly leading digital lives. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn have begun to be a part of our work and social worlds. I believe it is with my generation that the birth of the social media world has taken off. My parents and grandparents did not grow up living in a digital world. They grew up in a world of snail mail and expensive long distance calls. I grew up in a world where today’s technology was finding its ground – bulky cell phones, flat screen TV’s and laptop computers.

It’s the generation after me that is now leading a digital life. Cell phones are part of a child’s world at a young age; toddlers know how to work a cable box better than I do. Video games, cell phone apps and iPads are a normal part of life for an elementary school child. Wow! It amazes me how far we’ve come over such a short period. I have to ask myself, “How does leading a digital life change the way generations learn, connect and interact?”

Students no longer turn to encyclopedias and books for their information – those are out of date by the time they are printed. Instead, they turn to Google and Yahoo, looking for the newest, most up-to-date answer with the stroke of a few keys. Communication between friends and family is no longer through snail mail and phone calls. Instead, text messages are sent quickly, and Twitter and Facebook are means of communication. Students learn and communicate much differently than I did, or my parents did. Because they are born into a digital world, they learn through the technology that surrounds them daily.

Did you know that:

“77% of 8- to 15-year-olds said they’d rather give up TV than give up the Internet?” (Pangea Media and YPulse, 2009)

“1 in 5 kids 8 to 17 say they do things online that their parents would not approve of.” (Norton Online Living Report, 2007)

“75% of 12 to 17 year olds own cell phones and 88% of them use text messaging.” (Pew, 2010)

“93% of teenagers surf the web.” (Common Sense Media)

Today’s technology offers so many opportunities for teens to learn, interact and connect. It is important to have a conversation with children about staying safe while learning and communicating. IT-oLogy has joined forces with Girl Scouts – Mountains to Midlands to provide a half-day, hands-on workshop for middle school girls and their parents on cyber safety and awareness.

Topics include social networking, cyber bullying, mobile devices and online dangers and how to report it. We will have experts from the cyber industry on hand with information, tips and how-to’s. Representative Laurie Funderburk will also be presenting the keynote.

cyberIQ Blast

cyberIQ is a grassroots campaign to encourage middle school girls to surf the cyber world safely, and to educate parents on the importance of cyber safety. The cyberIQ campaign is powered by the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands and IT-oLogy.

Visit www.it-ology.org for more information or to register. Questions? Email us at info@it-ology.org or call us at 803.354.5730.

A few good resources out there for you and your child to use to learn more about cyber safety:

  • The Federal Trade Commission has great resources you can order for yourself and your teen, as well as community guides.
  • Common Sense Media is a fantastic website filled with cyber safety, texting and other information for parents and educators.
  • cyberIQ Facebook and Twitter pages will have more information coming over the next few weeks and months!

See you on September 10th!

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Important! Change of location for the Health Information & Technology Forum tomorrow.

August 9th, 2011 | Posted by Bobby Rettew in World of IT - (0 Comments)

Due to an air conditioning malfunction in the building where IT-oLogy is located, we must change the location of the Health Information and Technologies Forum tomorrow:

Registration begins at 8:30 am.

Please note the new location is:
Swearingen Engineering Center – Amoco Hall
University of South Carolina
301 Main Street (corner of Main Street and Catawba)
Columbia, SC

Here is a map for the Swearingen Engineering Center

View Larger Map

The best place to park is the Horizon Parking Garage at 519 Main Street ($3.00 all day), this is located at the intersection of Wheat Street and Main Street.  After parking, proceed down Main Street (headed away from the Capital) one block to the Swearingen Center.  There is also some parking available at the SCRA Innovation Center across the street from the Swearingen Center on Assembly Street.

Here is a map for the garage location:

View Larger Map

We regret having to relocate but the building technicians have informed us that the air conditioning will not be up and running until later tomorrow morning, making occupancy very uncomfortable for most of the day. If others from your organization will be attending, please make them aware of the new
location.

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Sprite – It’s Not Just a Drink

August 8th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

GameMaker screenshot

I had the opportunity to attend the STARS Celebration, a conference run by the STARS Alliance, a national program to broaden participation in computing. Yesterday kicked off a four day conference filled with college students and professors. I arrived in time for this morning’s keynote on cyber security with Annie Anton, a professor at North Carolina State University.

I noticed two sessions on the agenda that involved gaming and immediately knew where I needed to go. For those of you who have not visited IT-oLogy yet, we have an awesome gaming development lab called The Portal. This is a space where students and professionals can come to learn, test and play games.

Why would IT-oLogy include The Portal in the 22,000 square feet of renovated space? Gaming is one of the ways that students become interested in IT. What child has not played a game, be it a computer game or a video game? How many children play Angry Birds on their parents’ tablet? Games are all over the place, and children are often the “end user” of this technology. Why not show them how the game is made, and see if they see some magic in it? Through the Portal, we can engage a younger audience in IT, sparking an interest that hopefully will last.

So I’m sitting in “Game Maker Outreach,” a workshop led by Acey Boyce who works at UNC-Charlotte. It turns out to be a hands-on gaming workshop where we pretend to be middle school students learning how to create a game. How cool! I didn’t even have to pretend to not know how to create a game because I’ve never done this before. I quickly hear words I’ve never heard before, including sprite, iteration and looping. Did you know that sprite is not just a drink? Who knew!

This great workshop introduced us to a free software product called “Game Maker” that is available for download at www.yoyogames.com. Acey took us step-by-step to build a game. Acey has developed a 10 week curriculum around Game Maker that he introduces to middle school students on a weekly basis through the Citizens Schools program. It’s great to see that other groups around the Southeast understand the need to promote and engage students in educational gaming to gain their interest in an IT career.

We are currently working to roll out some program modules at IT-oLogy that will take place in The Portal. Stay tuned for more!

(Picture from www.yoyogames.com)

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Student Profile: Dakota Hunter teaching “IT-oLogy”

August 3rd, 2011 | Posted by Bobby Rettew in Education | IT Profiles - (0 Comments)

There is nothing better than telling stories of students who are doing some amazing stuff in the world of IT. Dakota Hunter is one of those students, he is attends the University of South Carolina studying Information Technology. We found him teaching middle school students the basics of HTML right here at IT-oLogy’s world head quarters.

Dakota has a special talent, sharing his knowledge of web development and design. When I first walked into the class with my camera, I knew there was something special about his style. He knows how to interact with the students and he knows his stuff. Dakota talked about the joy of teaching, how it provides an opportunity for him to learn from the students and the classroom experience. His teaching has reinforced his knowledge and has gained valuable communication skills for the work place.

The camp in the video is a two week camp for middle school students. This camp rotates, allowing other students to attend and learn more about a discipline and the world of IT. To learn more about IT-oLogy’s camps, CLICK HERE!

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Health Information & Technology Forum is August 10th

August 2nd, 2011 | Posted by Bobby Rettew in World of IT - (0 Comments)

Are you interested in the world of healthcare and information technology? Well, join us on August 10th here at IT-oLogy in downtown Columbia, SC. The agenda is in place and you will be able to see and hear presentations from BlueCross BlueShield of SC, CareCore National, OpenMEdSoftware, Electronic Health Network, VidiStar and so many more.

This event is more than just presentations from some top notch organizations, it is the opportunity to connect with like minded individuals in the world of health sciences and information technology. Since the emerging conversation surrounding healthcare reform and electronic medical records, we have wanted to bring thought leaders together and provide a platform to promote conversation on these topics and so many more.

IT-oLogy’s mission is create a pipeline of talent that will support a workforce for the future of information technology. Our goal is to bring industry, educators, students, professionals, and partners together under “one-roof” with the goal to Promote IT, Teach IT, and Grow IT. This is an event that meets that goal.

The 2011 Health Information and Technology Forum on August 10th is the time and place to provide a platform for this discussion…to promote the future of IT. We are looking forward for you to join us, register for the event by CLICKING HERE.

Here are pictures of IT-oLogy (below). This might give you a better idea of what the day will look like. Check it out, and we look forward to seeing you on August 10th right here in Columbia, SC at IT-oLogy.

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Bobby Rettew is a Emmy Award winning, documentary storyteller and digital media strategist. Bobby works with IT-oLogy with all of their video, digital media, and social media strategy.

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