21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020

This will make you think ...

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/03/21-things-that-will-be-obsolete-by-2020/   

Do you agree ... Education Reform Should Be More Like This

This should give all educators lots to think about.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a free simple to use task manager.  This application works for event planning, shopping lists, and more.  It is available on Windows, Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Androids.  The user adds tasks to the Wunderlist and then uses the drag and drop interface to move tasks around.  You can put a star next to important tasks.  You can set up reminder notifications. You can add notes to each task.  You can access from any device with an internet connection.


WunderList is an excellent tool for anyone who wants to get organized. The application is very easy to learn and lets the user customize the look of their account. Make a list on your computer and view it on your smart phone.  Lots of ways to use this organizational tool.

Check it out here http://www.wunderlist.com 

Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  Users can organize their thoughts and photos on pinboards and then share them with others.  "The mission statement of Pinterest is to connect everyone in the world through shared tastes and the “things” they find interesting."

Users can create a board. A board is a set of pins created on any given topic. Suggested boards include: products I love, favorite places & spaces, books worth reading, my style, for the home, food.  Some examples of applications are brides-to-be have a place to store pictures of gowns and things they would like for the wedding.  Some people create a board for each room in their house and then pin decorating ideas for that room to that specific board.  You can keep an online recipe box.  Boards can have multiple people contribute and so collaborating with co-workers or family members is easy as everyone's ideas can be stored in one place.

You must request an invite in order to join Pinterest. Log in can be done using a social media account, either Twitter or Facebook, or you can login with the e-mail address associated with your Pinterest account.

Tweet Deck

TweetDeck is a dashboard that allows you to organize your tweets.  You can group your followers and that makes it easier to keep track of conversations.  TweetDeck allows you to create separate panes on your screen.  You can customize these pains and you can group your followers into categories.  You can perform Twitter searches directly in your TweetDeck. 

You can link your TweetDeck to other social networks and update all at one time.  I update Facebook, Linked In and Twitter all at one time with mine.

I am enjoying checking out this free app.  It makes keeping up with my tweets a lot easier.

Rockmelt

I’ve been playing around with an new web browser called RockMelt.  RockMelt integrates social media directly into the browser making it much easier to communicate with your Facebook and Twitter networks, and to also share web content more quickly and efficiently.

I am enjoying the ease at which I can keep up with social networks while browsing the web. The browser is built on the Chrome platform, so it is easy to use and fast.

While it's not perfect and I'm not ready to make it my primary browser yet, it has a lot of things that I like.  Here are my observations so far:

Good:

1. RockMelt inherits all the benefits of the Chrome browser, specifically the browser speed. 
2. The user interface is easy to learn and navigate.  The left and right sides integrate social media pretty well. 
3. Facebook integration is well done.  I am now using the browser to update Facebook statuses and catch up on the news feed.
4. Sharing web content is amazingly easy.  The share button is integrated into the browser and allows you to share the page you are on on Facebook and Twitter.
5. The quiet button is a nice feature.  If I find myself being distracted when I have to finish a  report, I can quiet the screen and hide all the feeds and updates.

The "Not so Good" - but not really bad

1. Twitter - I find myself still preferring "Tweet Deck".  Will review tomorrow.  Still missing some key features that I like.  For example, would like the option of shortening my URL  
2. I am not crazy about the searching features.  The search results pop up in a column rather then in the browser window.  I prefer the single bar approach that Chrome uses where the top bar acts as both the URL and search box. 

RockMelt is not for everyone.  I would never recommend it for middle or high school students.  It woulld be far too distracting.  If you are a heavy social media user, the you will probably find this browser very convenient.