Memphis, just be proud.

So much good is happening in Memphis each and every day. I’m so proud to call this city my home. For those of you who read this and have never been to Memphis, I hope you will consider stopping by our wonderful city full of caring and charismatic people. For those visiting for a weekend, I hope you stay longer. For those who are natives, I hope you grow appreciation stronger. And for those of you who criticize our city without even knowing or exploring it, I hope that through this post, you are able to see the good that our city has been noted for since January of 2013.

I wanted to share with everyone this post because we have so much going for us. We just have to open our eyes and see it. People all around the world seem to recognize what’s so great about our city, yet some of our locals can’t see past the 5-mile radius of their home. I hope that our citizens start to embrace who we are as a community. Our diverse community allows us to grow and learn from one another. We are recognized because we are unique. We are unique because we have citizens who invest their time and passions into making our city a better place. Not for their own merit or advancement, but for the betterment of our Memphis community.  And so I say to my fellow Memphians, just be proud.  We have so much to be thankful for.  The joy that surrounds our communities is something to be proud of.  The people who lead our city, educate our young, provide aid to our ill, care for our poor….be proud of them. Regardless of our opinions, they ultimately make our community a better place. For that reason alone, we should be proud.

The list below includes some of the reasons why I am proud to call Memphis my home. Of course, my list is most likely missing some things that our city was noted for in 2013 that I might have missed somewhere along the way. However, this list made me so proud of my city and how far we have grown since I was born here in 1989.

2013 was an unbelievable year for Memphis…and 2014 is looking up!

*for links to these rankings see the list below…

Best Trips Around the World -National Geographic

Best Travel Destinations in the World -MSN Living

Top US Cities with Emerging Downtowns -Forbes

South’s Tastiest Towns -Southern Living

Cheapest US Cities to Live In -Kiplinger

Best Sports Franchise in North America -ESPN

Best Iconic American Attractions -USA Today

Iconic American Streets -USA Today

Most Generous Cities in the US -Huffington Post

Most Affordable Cities -Huffington Post

Iconic American Food -USA Today

Top Enterprising Cities in the US -US Chamber of Commerce

Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker -Moviemaker

Hottest Housing Markets in the US -CNN Money

#MEMmktg: Digital Marketing at the U of M

When I saw the “Marketing in a Digital Environment” class being offered as an elective for my MBA program, I knew I would be waking up at 8:00am on registration day to make sure I was enrolled in the course.  I’ve been wanting to take a course like this for quite some time, so I anxiously awaited the start of this semester.  Of course, the first class was great.  It was very exciting finding that I would be learning a great deal about how businesses look at their digital footprint in a strategic marketing perspective.  In addition, I was excited to learn that we would also be doing some personal branding projects in this class, which is always great to do as a young professional.  Our professor, Alexa Fox, also seems to be very knowledgeable and resourceful when it comes to all things in the digital marketing world.  To which I should applaud the Fogelman College of Business & Economics for providing me with highly qualified professors throughout my MBA program at the University of Memphis.  Overall, I am very excited to learn more about advancing technologies and the impact that the digital environment has made in the world of marketing.  This semester should be great, to say the least.

StudyBlue

In response to Janelle’s current event post, I decided to talk a little bit about my opinion and experience with StudyBlue.  The StudyBlue resource has been a good friend of mine for quite some time!  I started using StudyBlue my freshman year of college and have randomly used it throughout my time as a college student.  I find it really helpful for certain subjects and then useless for others.  So that might explain why I use it on a ‘random’ basis.

I’m one of those visual learners so if I see something multiple times, I will most likely remember the material/content.  I’ve found that because of this, the digital flashcards have been especially helpful for me.  Whenever I have a lot of material that is more memorization (definitions, key terms, facts, etc.), I will use the online flashcards on the StudyBlue app on my phone.  Instead of wasting so much time and energy writing flashcards for hours, I can type much faster on my computer and then automatically save it to my online “backpack.”  Now, whenever I’m on my phone and sign-in to the mobile app, I can study on my phone!  StudyBlue also has some other really cool features like the “thumbs up/thumbs down” feature so you can save the flashcards you may have ‘missed’ while reviewing…and then you can just review the ones you missed!  Overall, the flashcards are my favorite feature because of the convenience and efficiency in helping me remember a large amount of material in a small amount of time.

I’ve also used StudyBlue to study with friends.  We would split material to make study guides and then share the study material with each other through StudyBlue.  I found that this was also really useful because we would hold each other accountable to make study guides for one another and then we were also providing ourselves with useful and convenient study material.

I think this website/application is just another great example of how the Net Generation is changing the status quo.  So often we think about a normal task and then one day someone introduces some new, innovative form of technology that changes how we do things.  In this case, we can see how hours of writing stacks of notecards can be converted into a lot of copying and pasting into an online platform that forms a digital stack of flashcards.  Net Geners are providing opportunities for businesses to capitalize on the new way that people think and do things.  In return, these businesses are able to help consumers of the Net Generation be more successful (e.g. StudyBlue helping students).  Below are a couple of videos that I feel explain what StudyBlue has to offer and why students use these applications.

3D Printing

After reading Rajeev’s current event post about 3D Printing, it made me curious to find out more!  One of my favorite sites, KickStarter.com, is a great resource for up-and-coming products that are innovative, yet lack funding.  I won’t bore you with information on what it is so you can read more here if you’d like!  Anyway, I found a really interesting 3D Printer on KickStarter that seems to be one of the best out in the (potential) market.  It’s reason for being great: High Quality combined with Low Cost.  I think if someone is interested in Architecture, Engineering, or even Marketing & Design, they could use one of these 3D Printers to set them apart from the average person in these fields.  The software combined with the resulting three-dimensional product gives someone the ability to make an idea come to life.  I think it is so neat how our technology today is able to take a 2D drawing and make it an object you can hold in your hand.  To see a video, details and specifications on the product, you can visit the FormLabs page by clicking the link below:

FORM 1: An affordable, professional 3D Printer

 

A Closer Look at UofM’s eCourseware

I have utilized the eCourseware site since my Freshman year as an undergraduate student.  I feel that it is a very useful site for many reasons.  However, I have heard that it can be a bit of a pain for professors to navigate.  At my high school, Christian Brothers High School, we were fortunate enough to have a platform very similar to that of eCourseware.  Our teachers would post syllabi, keep grade postings current, send updates to both parents and students on his status in the classroom, and even update their personal website with assignment details and resources for projects.  Because of this, I feel that I was accustomed to always knowing my status in each of my classes.  But this may have spoiled me a bit.  When I got to college, I found that very few of my professors utilized the eCourseware site for reasons other than posting the syllabus.  So, when I wanted to know how I did on a paper or what my participation grade was looking like, it wasn’t just calculated for me online; I had to go to my professor most likely during office hours.  Although eCourseware can bug students, like me, because we sometimes expect more from professors, there are many professors who do great things with eCourseware.

Let’s talk about the benefits of eCourseware!

1. Course Home– I like that a professor can post updates throughout a semester and the course home page simply functions as a bulletin or news feed of what is happening or changing.
2. Groups– When it comes to group projects, there’s always one thing that seems to be the same with every group: everyone has their own preferred channel for communication.  It is so hard to make everyone happy and use a platform that everyone is familiar with at the same time.  If I had the choice, I would use a Facebook group.  But I also recognize that not everyone in my group may have a Facebook or may not check it often.  Others might prefer a chain e-mail (which personally drives me insane).  Whatever the platform may be, they all, for the most part, accomplish the same goal: open communication within a group.  The Groups feature on eCourseware does just that.  It allows a professor to set up a group of students in a cohort so that they can communicate amongst each other and work on a project/assignment.  I have used the group feature a couple times before and have enjoyed it.  My one complaint is similar to most others in that I don’t regularly check eCourseware.  But, I definitely appreciate that everyone has access to and is somewhat familiar with the platform.
3. Dropbox– It is great to have a place where you can submit assignments to professors for three reasons: 1. you’re not typing an incorrect e-mail address for your professor (so you know they are going to get it)  2. you’re not maxing out space capacity in your outbox/sent e-mail or your professor’s inbox  3. you get confirmation e-mails! (who doesn’t love knowing that their file made it to the destination?)
4. Exams/Quizzes– When professors offer an online exam, I always feel a sense of relief.  Sometimes I get major anxiety when I have to take an exam/quiz in a classroom and I think the option of online exams/quizzes allows students to be much more comfortable when taking an online exam/quiz.  In addition, I think offering multiple online assignments is a great way to allow a student to improve their grade.  Not saying because it might be easier, but because I can’t stand when a course only has three or four grades a semester and if you do poorly on one assignment, there’s no hope for an A.
5. Grades– This feature might be self-explanatory because all students are usually interested in how they are performing in a course.  Furthermore, the Grades feature allows students to recognize where they might be struggling and what they can do to improve their performance.

Google Docs & Gantt Chart Widgets

I’ll have to admit, I am no pro when it comes to organizing a Google Doc or a Google Group.  So, what did I do?– I googled ‘How To” videos, sites, etc. for information on how I could form a Group and/or Doc.  It’s amazing how helpful Youtube can be!  And to think, we thought at one time this site’s purpose was for humor only.  Below are some tutorial videos that our group used so that we could better collaborate with one another for our MIS Team Project.

Having never used Google Docs for collaborative purposes, I was hesitant to use this platform.  I prefer Dropbox and in the past I’ve used the Google Docs application so that I could store files to an online cloud and share files with a friend, but never for group editing purposes like I do with Dropbox.  Now that I have had a chance to navigate through some of the features, I am highly impressed.  Once again, great job Google! I like that you can collaborate and interact in real-time.  My group had a conference call the other day and as we were all talking, we were on our computers editing the document.  It may sound weird but I think it is so neat to see where someone’s cursor is and what they are editing.  While forming our document, we did, however, come across one flaw with the Google Doc Gantt Chart widget: we couldn’t see the same thing.  When I would post the widget (or Gadget) in our shared Excel document, not everyone would see the same thing.  It was like only one person could view what was happening, and everyone else just saw a big empty white box.  We just dealt with it for the time being and will probably take screenshots for our dropbox submission.  Gantt charts can be very confusing, but I luckily had an awesome course in Project Management during my last semester of undergrad.  I learned a great deal from Professor Richardson and the course in general, so some of the knowledge I gained from that course, I was able to use in forming an accurate Gantt Chart for our Team Project.  The real catch for me was that in the past I used Microsoft Project; now I have to use a gadget in Google Docs.  So I again searched for ‘How To’ videos that would help us.  Below is the video that we used.  Even though it is a little outdated, it provided us with valuable information in making our Google Doc.

E-Business: Oracle OpenWorld 2012

Oracle announced yesterday the schedule of sessions for their OpenWorld 2012 conference where they share information for business decision-makers, IT management, and a line-of-business end users.  The conference as a whole can give corporations insight as to how they can improve their own processes and information systems.  They can also learn about new products and services that Oracle offers.  E-Business is a very complicated topic.  It involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business partners. Through its information systems, Oracle is able to provide valuable data and information to businesses in a variety of ways.

LinkedIn – Resumes of the Future

LinkedIn is one of my favorite social media sites.  I was drawn to the site as a junior in college by my scholarship advisor, Justin Lawhead.  He encouraged all of my peers within the Emerging Leaders program to sign up for a LinkedIn account.  At first, I thought that it would be a complete waste of time.  However, it is very interesting to see how many fast you can build a network.  It was also neat to build ‘professional’ connections with people you already knew, but would never friend on Facebook because it might be seen as being ‘unprofessional.’

One of my favorite features about LinkedIn is that it works similar to Facebook, but is a way for your professional network to share topics informally.  It’s a way to share anything from a great article you read to the latest statistics about your best stocks.  I also like the “Groups & Associations” part of my profile.  By joining these groups and/or associations, I am able to easily communicate with members from all different networks.  Meeting other professionals who either share the same interests or career path is a way to connect with and learn from others.  In addition, these groups also have a great way of communicating through the Group Discussions on their respective pages.  I also like that you can customize the settings so that you can receive an e-mail notification whenever someone posts a new topic, article, etc.  Or, if you’re one of those that doesn’t like to be bombarded with every detail, you can change the settings to receive weekly or monthly e-mail updates.

Overall, I think LinkedIn is a great way for professionals to network with one another in an informal, yet professional manner.  Furthermore, I think it provides yet another link between different generations.

Twitter- The new educator.

During my time as an undergrad, I never had the chance to use Twitter in conjunction with any of my classes.  I have friends that are Public Relations, Advertising, and Communication majors, and all of them have used or are currently using Twitter as a supplement to their coursework.  It is neat to see professors, like Dr. Janz, appealing to the new generation of students.  In addition, it is neat to see how we can use social media in a positive light, as opposed to what some critics might say about social media.

Whenever I heard that Dr. Janz would be using Twitter to remind us of assignments, share neat articles, etc., I immediately remembered an article I read last year about how professors can utilize Twitter in the classroom (click the picture to link to the article).  I think it is a great platform to interact with younger generations and can expose older generations to newer waves of technology.  One of the most common ways professors can appropriately use Twitter is by sending reminders about assignments via tweets.  Because Dr. Janz stated in class that this would be one of the ways he utilized Twitter, I immediately subscribed to his tweets.  Subscribing to tweets, something the average Twitter user is oblivious to, is a way to never miss a tweet from a specific user.  For example, if your favorite sports team is playing a game, but you aren’t around the TV, you can subscribe to tweets and get a text message sent to your phone anytime they score a touchdown.  I know there are other ways to keep track of sports, but this is just a simple example.  In the same aspect, I subscribed to Dr. Janz’s tweets in hopes that I will never miss a deadline (assuming Dr. Janz will never miss a ‘tweet reminder deadline’) haha.

Overall, I think using Twitter in the classroom will be seen as a more common practice as schools interact more and advance their technology.  I look forward to the semester in utilizing the Twitter platform as a learning tool.

MIS 7650- The First Day!

So, the first class is always the best right?  Of course it is!  It usually consists of going over the syllabus, meeting a couple classmates, and then leaving early.  Well, although the leaving early part didn’t happen, I was completely okay with it!  I loved not just hearing what my classmates were doing, but I was glad I could put a name with a face.  Much different from other classes, I feel like I got to know my peers in this class and it was just the first day.

From looking over the syllabus, I can tell that this class is well structured.  I sense that there is a good combination of online assignments, in-class discussion, and group work.  Specifically, I am really interested in the current events that will be presented throughout the semester.  I am always anxious to hear about the latest and greatest products or technology out in the market, so hearing things from my fellow classmates should be really interesting!

And of course, who doesn’t appreciate a good hashtag! #MIS7650Ground