June’s Goal: Get an App Certified for the Windows Store

June 3, 2013 in store, windows 8 with 0 Comments

I’ve set a goal for myself this month of getting an app certified for the Windows 8 store. I’ll be using the following tools and technologies.

I’ve decided to port one of my flashcard applications, Periodic Table, to a Windows 8 HTML 5/JavaScript app. I’ve written the application code for the web so porting shouldn’t be the bulk of work on this project. That’s good because I want this to be about learning how to certify and launch an app in the Windows Store instead of developing a new app.

The first step is upgrading my laptop from Windows 7 to Windows 8 so that I can develop the app. I’ve purchased an upgrade for my laptop from the windows store and am ready to kick off the install. I’ll let you know how that goes and keep you posted as I make progress on this goal.

Wish me luck!

HTML5 Tutorials – Five Resources to Get You Started

February 12, 2013 in HTML5, Technology with 0 Comments

If you are like me you learn by doing. HTML5 is no exception. If you really want to become proficient within you will begin with online HTML5 tutorials. These are typically free, provide working examples, and give you experience with the pieces of HTML 5 in bite sized chunks.

I’ve used several HTML5 tutorials to sharpen my skills and stay up to date on the technology. I’ve collected the top five that I found the most useful. They are provided here along with a summary of my experience with them. I hope you find these HTML5 Tutorials as useful as I have.

W3 Schools HTML Introduction – This HTML5 tutorial will get you off to a great start. It begins with basic concepts and each lesson builds on the last. You can take the content at your own pace so you can get a thorough understanding of it.

Four Part HTML5 Tutorial on Local Storage – One of the biggest new features of HTML5 is local storage. This tutorial takes you through it step by step. By the end you will be well versed in the subject and ready to tackle it in your own applications.

Beginner’s Guide to Application Cache HTML5 Tutorial – With HTML5 it is now possible to allow your users to work with your application even when they are offline. This means less downtime for them and more satisfaction with your site. This tutorial will get you started in providing your users with a site they can use no matter their connectivity status.

Canvas HTML5 Tutorial – The Canvas feature of HTML5 opens up a whole new world of expression to the web developer. New graphic capabilities and animations are now available natively to developers without depending on external technologies like Flash. This tutorial gives you the groundwork you need to get started developing canvas based applications for the web.

Geolocation HTML5 Tutorial – Having the ability to recognize your user’s location is a powerful feature of HTML5. This tutorial at W3 Schools gets you started on learning how to use this feature. In no time you will be building location aware applications with HTML5.

Those are the top five HTML5 Tutorials I recommend. There are many more out there but these will give you a solid starting point to build from.

Enjoy!

Question: What are some of your favorite HTML5 Tutorials?

Pssssst! Check out this Great Free way to Earn PDUs!

February 5, 2013 in PDUs, PMP with 0 Comments

Pssssssst! Want in on a great secret to earning PDUs free? Well have I got great news for you!

Over the past several years I’ve sought cost effective ways to fulfill my PDU requirements to renew my PMP certification. I’ve read books, attended PMI chapter meetings, and purchased discounted computer based training.

All of these options are great resources and I learned a lot from them. However, I still had a desire to be even more frugal in my pursuit of PDUs. I thought I had reached the lowest possible price point until I made a fantastic discovery.

Communities of Practice!

The PMI member website hosts multiple communities of practice. Each one is concerned with a particular specific aspect of Project Management. You can explore these communities and discover the ones that pertain to your particular needs. The best part is that many of them conduct regular webinars in the topics related to that community.

These webinars qualify as Category A PDUs. This means you can apply as many of them as you like toward the renewal of your PMP certification.

Simply plug into the webinar, absorb the great information it has to offer, and report your PDUs via the PMI web site. That’s it.

I can’t overstate how valuable this resource is. You get specific coverage of project management topics relavent to your areas of concern at no charge and credit towards your re-certification as a PMP. Two thumbs up in my opinion.

Question: What valuable resources have you found for staying current in project management knowledge?

Insist on Receiving Value

February 4, 2013 in Technology with 0 Comments

Are you struggling to get the value you have paid for out of your information technology service providers? Your small business is dependent on the professionals you hire to provide services that free you to perform the activities that make up the core of your business.

As a small business owner myself I know how frustrating it can be when your expectations are not met. For several years I had purchased my web and email hosting from what I thought was a reliable service provider. One day, out of the blue, I stopped receiving e-mail. Worse yet, I couldn’t get to any historical e-mail on my hosting provider’s server.

I contacted their technical support to find out what had happened and what could be done. My expectation was that there had been a malfunction but that my e-mail was safely backed up and would be restored in short order. Unfortunately my expectations far exceeded what my hosting provider could deliver.

I eventually wound up switching hosting providers. This experience taught me some lessons that I’d like to share with you so you can be sure to get the value you expect from your IT Service Providers. If you are not receiving the value you expect there are three steps you need to take to get what you need for your small business.

First, make sure you have clearly communicated what you expect from your provider. If your small business needs your website to be up and running at all times, make sure your service provider has a plan for keeping your site live during times of system maintenance. If you haven’t clearly communicated your needs to your provider it is unlikely they will always meet your expectations.

If your provider is not meeting your expectations, talk to them. Make sure they have correctly understood what you have asked them to provide. If they misunderstood your requirements clarify what you are asking for and find out if the provider can meet those needs under your current service agreement. If they can, that’s great. If not, you may need to renegotiate your agreement.

During renegotiation, make sure your requirements are clear. Get specific information from the provider as to how they will meet the requirements you have. You may need to pay for additional services if your needs exceed the capacity or features offered in your original agreement. If you have documentation that the provider promised something in your original agreement that they are now saying they cannot fulfill bring this to their attention. You may be able to negotiate a discount on the upgrades you are now being asked to pay for.

If your service provider has failed to meet the terms of your original agreement and you have clear evidence this is the case you should insist the provider live up to the terms of the agreement. You have based your decisions on the things the provider said they would do. When they fail to meet their obligations it damages the performance of your business.

If, in the end, your provider cannot or will not live up to their obligations you should part ways with them. If a provider cannot meet your expectations when they have promised to you have to find one that can. End your involvement with the provider, salvage what you can and find a new provider that is willing and able to meet your needs.

Your small business is a professional endeavor. The providers you work with should be professionals as well. If they are not providing the value you expect them to you have the right to ask them to perform better. If they cannot or will not, you need to find one who will.

Question: What experiences have you had with providers that met, exceeded or failed to meet your expectations?

I Built my Daughter a Web Site to Teach Her Multiplication Facts

February 2, 2013 in Web with 0 Comments

At the beginning of this school year my daughter was having a bit of a struggle with learning her Multiplication Facts. When I started working with her on them I realized she was falling into the same trap I had when I was her age. She was trying to calculate the answers instead of just memorizing them.

I decided I would help by creating a set of Multiplication Facts flashcards for her to study. However…

Not content just to write out 3×5 index cards that would be used once and then discarded I decided to build a website that I could upload the Multiplication Facts flashcards to. that way she, her sisters, her classmates, or anyone world wide could use it whenever they wanted.

Better yet, if I did it right I could upload other card sets to the site for other subjects: Spanish Vocabulary, Civil War Facts and the periodic table.

So I built the site, got it running and started having her use it. I tweaked some things along the way to make it run more efficiently but basically, it is functioning just like I hoped it would. The cards come up in a random order with the question shown. She clicks on the card to flip it over and reveal the answer and then moves on to the next card.

In addition to the Multiplication Facts flashcards I have created over twenty additional subjects for the site. I’m working on more and more topics, not just for elementary level students, and hope to continue to grow the catalogue of free flashcards larger and larger as time progresses.

Question: What topics would you like to have available as free flashcards online?

Attract Customers by Selecting a Magnetic Domain Name

February 1, 2013 in Blog with 0 Comments

Magnets have the ability to attract or repel. The same is true of the name you choose for your company’s website. If you select the proper name customers will be drawn to your site like iron is drawn to a magnet. Select the wrong name and you will repel your customers, often into the welcoming arms of your competitors.

Fortunately there are some simple things you can do to ensure you select a truly magnetic domain name.

Continue Reading…

Diaries aren’t Just for Teenagers any more: How to Track your PDUs

January 31, 2013 in PDUs, PMP with 0 Comments

Self study is a great means of accumulating 30 of your required sixty PDUs per renewal cycle. However, in the event PMI asks for supporting documentation of your activities it is important to have accurate records.

If you are like me, one of your preferred self study methods is reading project management related books. Documentation of your activities in this case is not difficult but does require accuracy and discipline in recording your activities.

I use a simple reading diary to track my activity. I place it on a google drive folder to insure I can access it from any device that I have connected. I also use an old feature of Notepad in Windows to automatically log the time and date.

  1. Create a text document in Notepad
  2. Type .LOG on the first line of the file.
  3. Save and close the file.

Now, whenever you open the document the current time and date will be appended to the file. I simply open the log when I begin reading, type the word START and the title of the book, save and close the file. When I’m done with my study session I re-open the file, type the word STOP and the title of the book, save and close the file.

Simple!

When I’m ready to report my PDUs I simply tally up the total time from my log for that particular book and report it to PMI. Then, if PMI ever needs documentation of my activities I can send them my log.

Tracking and documenting your self study activities doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Simply keep accurate and up to date records and you will have all of your bases covered.

Question: What methods do you use to track your self study PDUs?

Build a Quick and Easy QR Code Generator with Ajax and Goo.gl

January 30, 2013 in Google, jQuery with 0 Comments

Google has a great URL shortening service at, http://goo.gl. Any URLs you shorten while logged in will also be recorded in your history. On top of the service Google also provides an API accessible at http://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url.

Additionally, if you add “.qr” to the end of any short URLs generated by the service the result will be a QR code image that, when scanned, will take you to the URL.

To get familiar with the API I decided to build a JavaScript function that could shorten URLs via Ajax calls to the service. Additionally I wanted to generate the QR codes for the URLs and dynamically render them on the page.

I counted on jQuery to implement my Ajax calls and manipulate my pages to render the resulting images. I was able to complete the task in fifteen lines of JavaScript code.

I’ve included the complete HTML and JavaScript below and you may also view the working QR generator online.

The Goo.gl shortener is extremely useful and simple to use. I’m actively trying to think of more applications where I can utilize it.

Question: What uses can you think of for this shortener?


<!DOCTYPE html >
< html lang= "en">
< head>
< meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="application/json" />
< title> URL Shortener </title >
< script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.js"></ script >
</head>
< body>
< label for= "longUrl"> Long URL</ label >
< input type= "text" id ="longUrl" />
< button id= "btnShorten"> Shorten</ button >
< section>
< ul id= "shortenedUrls"></ul>
</section>
< script>
// initialize
$( init);

// the initialization function defined
function init() {
$( '#btnShorten').click(shortenUrl);
}

// function shortens url and displays result
function shortenUrl() {
// declare variable
var longUrl = $ ('#longUrl'). val();
$. ajax({
type: "POST",
url: "https://www.googleapis.com/urlshortener/v1/url" ,
data: '{ "longUrl": "' + longUrl + '" }',
contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" ,
dataType: "json",
}).done (function( msg ) {
shortUrl = msg.id;
$( '#shortenedUrls').append("<li><a href='" + shortUrl + "'><img src='" + shortUrl + ".qr'/></a></li>");
}).fail (function (jqXHR , textStatus, errorThrown) {
alert( "Request failed: " + errorThrown );
});
}
</script>
</body>
</html>

PDU Categories Demystified

January 29, 2013 in PDUs, PMP with 0 Comments

There are six categories of PDUs. These categories are divided by activity type.

Category A
Category A activities include courses offered by PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s), PMI itself, or PMI chapters. PMP holders can earn up to 60 category A PDUs per certification cycle.

To document PDUs earned in Category A you should receive a registration form, certificate, or letter of attendance. These documents will need to be presented in the event that PMI requests them/audits your PDU activities.

Category B
Continuing education activities including courses through a college, university or non R.E.P. training provider fall into Category B. documentation for academic courses require a transcript or grade from the institution indicating that you passed the course. Documentation for courses from non R.E.P. training organizations should include a registration form or certificate of attendance as well as a brochure or syllabus outlining the subject covered by the course.

Category C
Self directed learning activities fall into Category C. These activities can include reading project management books, articles, or instruction manuals. You can also earn PDUs in Category C from listening to podcasts, using interactive courses or watching videos on project management. Having formal project management discussions with colleagues, clients, coworkers or consultants also qualifies as PDU worthy activity in Category C. Lastly, being coached or mentored by someone in project management can be reported as PDU activity.

Since Category C activities cover such a broad range documentation can be a bit tricky. I will cover the best practices when it comes to documenting these activities in a later post in depth. For now, know it is important to capture as much information as possible about the times, materials, and participants of each Category C activity that you want to report as a qualifying PDU.

PMP holders are limited to earning 30 Category C PDUs per certification cycle.

Category D

Category D activities encompass all activities in which you give back to the profession by contributing knowledge. This includes authoring or co-authoring a book, writing articles, presenting in a webinar, serving as a speaker or instructor or serving as a subject matter expert in a panel discussion.

You may earn up to 45 PDUs in Category D activities per renewal cycle. Be sure to document your participation in these activities by keeping copies of publications, sample education materials, or course agendas.

Category E
Volunteering your time as a project management professional or for a project management organization can earn you PDUs in Category E. Activities range from serving as an elected volunteer officer for a project management organization to coaching or mentoring others in project management topics.

Activities must be non-compensated and work for non-profit, not-for-profit, or charity organizations must meet the PMBoK definition of a project.

You are eligible to earn up to your entire 60 PDUs via Category E activities.

Category F
By doing your job, practicing the profession of Project Management, you are eligible to earn up to five PDUs per year of your certification cycle. You must be practicing project management for no less than six consecutive months in order to claim the PDUs for Category F.

By understanding what activities qualify for PDUs you will be better able to plan your for your recertification. You will not be surprised at the end of your certification cycle and will not be forced into spending a lot of money to achieve recertification.

Question: What categories do most of your PDUs fall into?

Care and Feeding for your PMP Certification

January 28, 2013 in PMP with 0 Comments

Your PMP certification represents a huge investment in your career. You’ve spent years in the practice of project management. You’ve completed the necessary contact training and you’ve passed the exam. Time to sit back, relax and enjoy the rewards you’ve so rightly earned… right?

Not quite.

PMI certifies project management professionals for three year cycles. This is to ensure that your skills remain relevant to the current state of the project management profession. If you did not actively engage in activities to keep your knowledge current it would soon go out of date.

This is why PMI requires that all project managers re-certify every three years. You won’t be required to re-test but you will have to earn Professional Development Units, or PDUs, to maintain your certification.

For PMPs re-certification requires that you achieve and report 60 PDUs in three years. A typical PDU amounts to one hour of development activity. Activities can include formal project management training, self study, continuing education, volunteer activities, and practicing project management in your profession.

However, not all activities are created equal. There are multiple categories of activities and certain categories have annual and certification cycle caps.

It’s important to know which activities qualify under a specific category and just how many PDUs you are eligible to earn in a particular category. This will keep you from nasty surprises at the end of your renewal cycle. Surprises that will leave you scrambling and often spending a lot of money to ensure you maintain your certification.

I will be writing posts that help you maintain your PMP certification. It will cover the categories that PDU activities are broken down into, any gotchas you need to be concerned with regarding a specific category, as well as economical resources you can use to maintain your PMP certification.

I look forward to building a community of Project Management Professionals interested in maintaining their certification by expanding and sharpening their skills as project managers.

Question: What topics would you like to see covered in regards to PMP certification maintenance?

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