Classes are over















NEXT CLASS

Semester Over
It was Fun and I hope
you learned something
in this class. Review this blog in 2033
and see if we were right.


Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wealth over Riches

BY: Paul Campbell


In class we talked about the importance of building wealth. We learned to focus on increasing our wealth rather than focusing on becoming rich. A number of factors can affect the accumulation of wealth. Things such as the environment we are in and spending habits can have a drastic affect on our wealth.
I came across an article that spoke about the gap between black and white families. The contrast in the amount of wealth that black families and white families have is extraordinary. Studies have shown that on average white families have accumulated nine times as much wealth in comparison to blacks.



While education and inheritance does play a role in building wealth, the biggest reason for the huge gap lies in home ownership. A larger amount of whites own homes compared to black families, close to 30% more white families own homes. With owning a home, most of their wealth lies in their ownership. It is smarter to own a home instead of renting a home. Renting a home is almost like burning money, it goes toward that one month of living and that’s it.

While education and income can be used as an excuse for the gap in wealth, studies have shown that white families are smarter in their spending. Even with equal income between the two, whites are able to build toward their wealth because they already have cash saved up from smart spending. On the other hand blacks are using their income for emergencies.

Increase in education will help build income but even with high income, money management plays a big role. Black families need to make sure that they use their income wisely and work toward wealth rather than riches. Living within one’s means and being frugal so that money can be saved to purchase a home can help close this enormous gap.




Homework #2 - Tips & Tricks

This assignment is due by Sunday March 3, 2013. There will be an exam on Classmarker.com. The Homework #2 grade will be this exam. This exam is based on the video provided below.

1) Study the video
2) Starting on Saturday March 2, 2013, at noon and ending March 3, 2013 at midnight, the exam will be available to take.
3) complete the exam and you will receive the grade for HW #2


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cloud Class - Wednesday Feb. 27, 2013 - SMS Text

We will discuss SMS, better known as texting.


Evolution of Video Games


By :Hakeem Allen

Video gaming has come a long way since the early days of Pong and Pac-man. We can now play affordable games of high definition with 3D graphics and awesome interactivity in the comfort of our home. Taking for granted the little and subtle improvements made to each and every consoles before becoming what they are today. In a way, the aggressive competition between companies of video game consoles had churned out the superior features of video gaming to bring to us the excellent quality we see today. The picture quality improves every time a new generation of the PlayStation releases. With the PS4 being released this year, it will almost seem as if you are watching TV while playing.

PlayStation (1994): The PlayStation released in December 1994 in Japan. It was the first ubiquitous series of console and hand held devices. It was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64.


Video gaming has come a long way since the early days of Pong and Pac-man. We can now play affordable games of high definition with 3D graphics and awesome interactivity in the comfort of our home. Taking for granted the little and subtle improvements made to each and every consoles before becoming what they are today. In a way, the aggressive competition between companies of video game consoles had churned out the superior features of video gaming to bring to us the excellent quality we see today. The picture quality improves every time a new generation of the PlayStation releases. With the PS4 being released this year, it will almost seem as if you are watching TV while playing.

PlayStation (1994): The PlayStation released in December 1994 in Japan. It was the first ubiquitous series of console and hand held devices. It was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64.

PlayStation 2 (2000): The PlayStation 2 released in 2000 and is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. It is the most successful home console in the world selling over 150 million units.  


PlayStation 3 (2006): The PlayStation 3 released on November 6th, 2006, which is the third current iteration in the series. It competes with the Xbox 360 and the Wii in the seventh generation of video game consoles.  





Huawei - New cellphone


By Felton Hill

The Chinese company, Huawei has produced a new smartphone, which the company has declared as to be the fastest on the market. The company was just recently declared the third place in wireless equipment. Recently it has released a huge product that has been announced as the “world’s fastest phone”.

           Huawei announced the Ascend P2, its main device for the first half of 2013. It is a thin smartphone that features a 4.7-inch 720p HD display with a pixel density of 315 pixels per inch. A 1.5-GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM powers it. The phone comes with 16 GB of onboard storage and supports micro SD cards for extra storage such as music, photos and videos. The P2's camera rates 13 megapixels and includes a flash, backside illumination and a 1080p HD video capture.


          During the presentation of the device, Huawei constantly compared it to the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III. The company made the message clear about saying that its device is superior to those of its competitors. Two specific features that I like more than the iPhone 5 is that the P2 has a gorilla glass 2 top screens for scratch resistance, and lower power consumption. The Ascend P2's screen is also sensitive enough to use with gloves on. One downside is that the screen is of a lower resolution than recent models from LG, HTC and Nokia, and can display 720p HD video rather than 1080p output.

Below are links and videos that tell more about the product:


Sources:

Videos:




Renewable/Alternative Energy. Invest?


By: Kabeya J. Kabongo

The latest revolution that the human race experienced was, and is notably the information age. The information age is also commonly referred to as the computer age or digital age. We underwent a drastic change. That change was from an age of industrialization to a bright, new age of information computerization. The term “digital revolution” is associated with “Information Age”, just as the term “industrial revolution” is associated with “industrial age.” With an increased worldwide focus on alternative and renewable energy, there is room to speculate that maybe the next age could possibly be named the “Alternative/Renewable Energy Age,” furthermore the “Energy Revolution.”

In America and abroad, J.P. Morgan alone has invested 3.8 billion dollars and raised another 3.9 billion dollars for numerous renewable energy projects. They have had a hand in financing approximately one hundred wind power projects in twenty different states. J.P. Morgan has also invested in a number of solar power projects including photovoltaic systems. Photovoltaic systems use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.

In China, Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd produces industry leading solar products for residential, commercial, industrial and utility applications. Suntech has delivered more than twenty million photovoltaic panels to over a thousand customers in more than eighty countries. Suntech is very motivated in their mission to “provide everyone with reliable access to nature's cleanest and most abundant energy source.”





Yingli Energy is another China based company, yet it happens to supply fully vertically integrated photovoltaic panels to Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, and the United States. One could assume that Yingli Energy deserves a large amount of credit for the absolute outbreak of renewable energy research worldwide.

There are numerous other Renewable Energy researching companies, and several other forms of energy that have been created or discovered. Quite a few notable scientists believe that renewable energy is the way of the future, and natural resources such as gas, oil and other minerals will become obsolete. If this actually holds up and there is another revolution near, wouldn’t you want to own shares of stock in the companies which produce the replacements for the most widely used natural resources in the world?

Here are some interesting videos that may capture your attention or tickle your fancy:








Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Wednesday Feb 20, 2013 - Traditional Class

Wed. Feb. 20, 2013 class will meet in Room 225 Leadership Center.

Let's start by looking into future predictions. The following are five videos about the future.


1967 looking into the future





1993 ATT Predictions 




The next three videos are by Corning - Year 2025+


#1 - One




#2 - Two




#3 - Three


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-GXO_urMow



Now lets talk about Excel 2010. 

Homework #1 is due Sunday Feb.24, 2013. Its about basic excel. 

Watch the 2 videos below and then download the homework assignment here. Go to your classmarker.com account, this weekend, log-in and answer the HW#1 questions. Your HW#1 grade will be based on your quiz answers.

Again, you should watch the videos below before you attempt the quiz. You will need the downloaded excel file to answer the questions in the quiz.

The quiz will be available Saturday (2-23-13) noon until Sunday midnight (2-24-13).

Excel Video #1


Excel Video #2

Converging to the Digital Age

BY: Joseph P. Dillon

 In the year 2013, it is no longer enough to have objects in the hardcopy or tangible form. Now, everything must have a softcopy supplement, or be entirely on the Net. In our MIS class, we have recently been discussing the human move into the digital age, where everything has an electronic copy to it. The common book is no longer just on a self, but instead it can be found in online stores available for downloading. Furthermore, these books aren’t being downloaded into a hardcopy form, but rather the text is downloaded onto a device that can hold multiple different novels.

This option cuts down on clutter in a household and allows for more efficiency. Soon students won’t need to walk around with backpacks because everything will be able to fit on an iPad or Tablet. All textbooks will be downloaded to the device, and all class notes will be taken on the tablet, allowing students to simply carry one electronic device, and leave the backpack at home. What I am currently speaking of, with the consolidation of tangible objects, seems great from a consumer standpoint, however the manufactures of these books, backpacks, loose-leaf paper, and ink pens probably are not so thrilled. This is now bad for business, and is actually causing quite a few places to go out of business.

The bookstore Borders is a prime example of the disappearance many companies are facing, the “E-Book” drove them out of business. It took away consumers from their market. iTunes has increased its market share by selling all genres of music, television shows, movies, and access to radio shows, while all of these CD manufactures and DVD manufactures are now struggling to find business.



Everything seems to be going digital. Even a mere letter in the postage is not good enough for some people. Individuals would rather send an email or an E-Card to recognize their friend’s birthday. For me, as a person that was raised in this growing era, I am perfectly fine with the transition, and understand the conveniences of these new luxuries. However, as a business major I see the strain it has and will put on some households – in particular mom and pop business owners.

While I am still the guy who does not like to read books from a screen, I am definitely a fan of being able to have 5 books in my possession at one time and on one electronic device. The digital move is sweeping the world. This is global economy and the Internet proves that very point with each progressive day.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Monday Feb.18, 2013 MIS Class

Monday Feb. 18th 2013 class will be in the cloud. Cloud Classroom Monday.


Ipad app for anymeeting.com - NOW AVAILABLE


Thanks to one of your classmates, a solution was found for anymeeting.com (our cloud class) and your Ipad (may also work on Iphone).

As you know, the Ipad and Iphone does not work because Flash is required to use anymeeting. Well there is an app in the Itune store called puffin. You can install the free version for 14 days which will allow you to access our anymeeting classroom. After the 14 days you, your classmate says you can uninstall and then re-install the app. However, for $2.99, I recommend you buy the full version. It has many uses.


I tried it today on my wife's Ipad and it worked.

Here is what I did:

  1. Went to Itunes
  2. Downloaded and installed 'puffin' app
  3. opened the app - It opens as a web browser
  4. went to our course blog
  5. clicked on anymeeting.com link
  6. signed in with name. location and email
  7. accessed meeting and it captured attendance


On Monday try your Ipad. You may need to use your headsets to hear the lecture or use your phone to hear the lecture.

To use your phone, you can choose that option while you are logging in and after it tests your network connection.

The other option is that once you are in the classroom, you can click the mic icon at the top-center and then choose phone.

In both cases, it will provide you with the phone number and access code to listen to the lecture on your phone.

Risk Taking

By: Landon Spratling

 Risk is exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or a dangerous chance. People take risks everyday whether it is personal or business. Whenever someone makes a decision they are taking a risk. The risk may be either positive or negative. Let’s relate risk-taking to a game of cards. It is not about the hand you are dealt, it is about how wisely you play your cards. This includes placing your cards in the right order and aiming big. Also, being willing to throw out your biggest cards and having the confidence of a successfully risk taker.









Consequently, most individuals face some type of risk in business throughout their life. Even if one attains stability, there is a great chance that you will face some type of obstacle. However, the most risky plans are typically the ones you should invest the most time, effort, and energy in, because they will result in the most gain. As a result, one’s greatest challenge is learning just exactly how much risk to take, in order to achieve success and economic prosperity. When an individual is considering taking a risk he or she must think appropriately. An appropriate risk is a risk that keeps you in the game even if you fail. If you take calculated risks you can push your business forward, instead of staying in one place all the time.











This type of advancement can lead to new products, expansion, investment, etc. On Wednesday, January 30, 2013, Professor Sistrunk discussed Risks. According to his discussion taking a risk is taking a chance. Meaning there is a chance that something unexpected will happen and that unexpected occurrence turns out bad. As mentioned before we take risk every day. Some examples of daily risk he listed were driving a car, getting up the morning, asking someone on a date, and eating our choice of food. While covering entrepreneurship it was mentioned “the higher the risk the higher the return. Also, during this discussion Professor Sistrunk showed us the episode from when he appeared on the Television Series game show Deal or No Deal. In order to make his risk taking effective he had to manage his risks. Managing your risk is evaluating the data and information given. By managing your risk you can increase the odds of success while maintaining the return.










The Human Development Index

BY: Malik Sapp


Trailing only Norway, Australia and The Netherlands, The United States is currently ranked fourth on The Human Development Index (measures standard of living). Even at fourth place, when a man or woman living in the US looks around, he or she may have a plethora of luxuries. Many families in the US have more than one car, heating and central cooling throughout their house, multiple appliances, and even wireless Internet. And as many US citizens live this life of lavish, very few people really think about how the way we live impacts the very planet on which we reside. Very few people even ask if the lives we live are even sustainable. This high standard of living is a relatively new phenomenon. The many luxuries we could not live without such as light bulbs, flushable toilets, air condition, and cars all were either invented or became standard in most households in just the past 200 years.


Oil is the foundation to the lives we live today. Without oil and fossil fuels, the lives we live would not be possible. Food for instance, is something that we all need to survive, but with out oil most people in the US cannot obtain it. To eat we all usually go to a restaurant or grocery store. Nonetheless, before that food gets to the grocery store or restaurant, it must be shipped from its place of harvest. Unless a person knows how to grow cattle or how to grow fruits and vegetables, they are not eating without oil.

This may not seem that bad, until we all acknowledge the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource. There is a theory called Hubbert’s Peak that states that we may have depleted over half of the world’s fossil fuels back in the year 1995. And because we are producing and using more gasoline and oil than we were in years past, the decline after the peak is extremely steep. As fossil fuels become scarcer, this current era that we call the “information age” may only be sustainable to everyone for only twenty to thirty more years. With less than one percent of people in the United States being farmers, we would all have to learn how to hunt and or grow our own food, bringing us back into another agricultural age. In a worst-case scenario, we could all find ourselves living in “Book of Eli”-esque world. This could be avoided if the search for sustainable alternative energy sources is successful, and it has not been in the past.



The biggest problem that we face with oil right now is the fact that it is so cheap and under valued. When you think about how much it costs to get from place to place, its really crazy. Journeys that used to take people days or weeks to complete now can all be done in hours, all because of gasoline, which only costs about $4-$5 a gallon. Think about how much it would cost for you to pay someone to carry you to your destinations. There’s no way a large cup of coffee at Starbucks should cost more than a gallon of gas. One day we will run out of oil, but we all value it and use it as if it were infinite. The alternatives we have found to fossil fuels have either been too expensive or do not have the same type of volume as fossil fuels. Right now, we as a human race have become too dependent on fossil fuels. It may be imposable to find alternatives before the supply runs out.




Thursday, February 14, 2013

MIS Course Overview so far

BY: Richard Nichols

In Management Information Systems (MIS), we learn about the many ways in which one can modify the traditional, or older, methods of running businesses in order to bring them up to speed with the technological advances and the Information Age.

 One thing that we have talked about ad infinitum is the improvement and updating of the school system and the way that classes are taught. In MIS we have learned about many websites (mainly free to use) that allow for classes to be taught primarily over the Internet.

One website that we frequent is Anymeeting.com. Our class’ web address is Anymeeting.com/MISCourse1, and we log into it during each class period. This website provides a streaming video service so that we can see and hear what is going on in class, without having to physically be there. There is also a voice component that allows students to ask questions or to verify points made in class. It even takes attendance! This is one way that technology can be used to revolutionize the modern day classroom. Another way that we can update our classrooms today is to move away from the antiquated system of writing down grades in a physical grade book.

In MIS we use Learnboost.com to get our grades. This website gives students access to their grades in a user-friendly format, which makes keeping up with a student’s progress easy. Finally, as it pertains to actual assignments, our class currently uses Classmarker.com. This website is different than most online assignment websites because it allows for additional functionality in areas like short answer assignments.

A teacher can now have short answer assignments that can be automatically graded by the computer. This is something that was previously thought improbable and, admittedly, there have been some problems in that area with this website, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Throughout MIS we will learn about ways to move our lives into the Information Age. I look forward to learning new ways to integrate technology into my education, and learning new skills, such as those in Excel.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Wednesday Feb 13, 2013

We will have traditional class on Wednesday, meaning we will meet in the Leadership Classroom.
Check the blog to make sure you know where the next class will meet. I do not have the time to respond to each student's text about there class will be held. Just check here.
Wednesday, we will discuss in greater detail the shift from Agriculture to Industrial age.

Monday Feb 11, 2013 Attendance Sheet.

Check your attendance grade and quiz grade on http://www.learnboost.com






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRFIoWkUIk



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_3RYmKggw


Watch Henry Ford Chapter 1 on PBS. See more from American Experience.



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Monday Feb 11, 2013 Class Presentation and Quiz

Below is the class presentation for Monday. The first section of this was discussed last Wednesday. Monday we finish our discussion.



After class, you have until 10 pm tonight to take the quiz on classmarker.com

The quiz is based on the Toffler video we saw in class.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04AhBnLk1-s

Quiz: Click Here

Exam Web Site: Your Login Email for Class Marker


Between 5:15 pm and 5:25 pm, today Sunday Feb. 10, 2013, you received an email from http://www.Classmarker.com with your username and password.

If you do not see the email, check your spam and trash folders. You will need this to take course quizzes and exams.

I suggest you access this account quickly, as you will need  it to access Monday's quizz.

Any questions, text me at 4045090533.

Sistrunk


MIS Course Gradebook

I decided to stay with Learnboost.com for atleast one more semester.

On Feb 8, 2013, LeanBoost.com sent you an email with an activation code. Follow the email directions to active your account. The code is only good for about 1 week.

Check your email spam and trash folders to make sure the email was not rerouted into one of those folders.

You will need Learnboost to check your grades during the course. If I make an entry mistake, you can correct it by emailing proof that I am wrong.

My grade book grades will be used to calculate your final grade. Your final grade is based on using the syllabus formula and your grades hosted on learnboost.

So you do not need to ask me how to calculate your grade. This is not high school or middle school. You can do it anytime, yourself.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Wednesday Feb. 6, 2013 Class

Anymeeting.com

Monday Feb 4 2013, we worked on connecting to anymeeting.com.

To access the cloud classroom - follow the link below:
http://www.anymeeting.com/miscourse1

Also, if you need to attend the class when its at the leadership center but you can not attend, use the link above.

Inorder to get attendance credit when you are not in class, you must be logged into our cloud classroom.



There is now an ipad app for anymeeting.