LogMeIn

Martha sent an article about LogMeIn.  LogMeIn is the parent company of Join.Me - the app I use to work on the computer remotely with students.  LogMeIn allows for remote access of all of your computers.  It is free and works on the Mac and PC.  I don't often have two computers on at the same time, with the exception of the laptop and iPad, although some might question that assertion.  Dropbox has probably been the main reason that I don't use LogMeIn anymore.  I would never have any files in DropBox that reveal any confidential information.  Most of the files relate to meeting minutes or course lessons. Anyway, LogMeIn is a very nice app if you need a file that is stored on a remote computer..

Skitch for Evernote

Learned about a new app, Skitch, that works with Evernote yesterday. It is free for the iPad from the iTunes store.  To learn more, go to http://skitch.com/

Skitch allows you to annotate media.  It is really easy to use.  When you are finished, simply save it to Evernote.

Encryption Software

Now that I have most of the paperwork for fall semester completed, I have time to do some exploring.  With privacy issues associate with HIPAA and FERPA, it is important for clinicians and educators to use encryption software.  AxCrypt (http://www.axantum.com/) has just released a new update to the free encryption software.  The software is really easy to use.  Simply right-click on a file or folder and select encrypt from the menu. 

To learn more about encryption, go to How Stuff Works at http://www.howstuffworks.com/encryption.htm 

New computers often have encryption software pre-installed.

Social Media Use in Nursing

I stumbled upon a 6-minute video on the use of social media in nursing on YouTube.  It provides a very nice overview on the subject. In my research on the topic, I found that the video is posted on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) website with the NCSBN social media guidelines at https://www.ncsbn.org/2930.htm,  
The American Nurses Association has published a toolkit on the topic.  The toolkit can be accessed at http://nursingworld.org/socialnetworkingtoolkit

Outlook 2010 Power Shortcuts

 Oscar (my 12 pound dachshund) decided that I had to get up at 5 AM! :-(  Of course, he is now curled up and asleep.  Anyway, I explored new 2010 Outlook features.  Thought of Martha when viewing Lynda.com because she uses 2 monitors at the office.  The URL for  the video is noted below.
Outlook 2010 Power Shortcuts

Transferring an eBook ot the iPad

I just finally finished writing a chapter for a textbook on distance learning.  One of the sections in the chapter had to do with eBooks - so of course, that took some research.  I had already downloaded some eBook readers (discussed in an earlier blog) to my iPad. I knew that I could purchase or in some cases with really old books, like those written by Florence Nightingale, download for free.

The new adventure was to figure out how to check out eBooks from the local public library.  I went to the Twin Lakes Library website and found a tab that had all of the eBooks.  It included both audio books and digital books.  There were not as many digital books  as audio.  One blog I read during the research indicated that eBook publishing companies were hesitant to make their resources available because of concerns about losing sales.  Oh well....

One of the YouTube videos on the topic indicated that Adobe Digital Editions was a free app for checking out an eBooks, so I downloaded it.  It required for me to enter my Adobe ID and password.

On the local public library website, I found a book by a favorite author.  When I tried to check out the book, it was not available.  A couple of days later, I received an email stating that the book was available for checkout.  I downloaded it to Adobe Digital Editions. The following steps were use to get the eBook to the iPad.

• Downloaded the Bluefire Reader from the Apple store onto the iPad
• Synced the iPad with iTunes
• Added the eBook from Documents > Adobe Digital Editions to Bluefire Reader
• Opened the Bluefire Reader and authorized it with my Adobe ID and password
• Done!

Well, that might seem like a complicated process, but in reality, most of the steps had to be accomplished only once.  I have all of the necessary applications downloaded.  The next time I check out an eBook, all that I have to do is to add it to the Bluefire Reader and sync.