ACET, Inc. Blog

Here is a link that highlights a variety of webinar hosts for small businesses.  This is a great place to start if you’re looking to add webinars as an option in your program.

Last week, we posted about document sharing resources that organizations may find useful. This week, we would like to follow up with a post sharing online resources that you may appreciate.

Tagxedo is a free program that creates tag clouds, also known as word clouds, in visually-appealing images and styles. This resource can be particularly useful in helping to analyze and display qualitative data. Users simply copy and paste all their prose into the text box. From there, the program automatically removes common words such as “and” or “so,” and allows people to select words from a list that they want to include. Users can choose an image that best depicts the text subject(s) or upload an image of their own. They can also create tag clouds from a blog, a Twitter ID, a news story, or a variety of other online sources by uploading a link rather than pasting in text. The program will require you to install Microsoft Silverlight in order to run, but the program is free, simple, and entirely safe. See below for the poem “Peanut-Butter Sandwich” by Shel Silverstein.

Prezi is a free web-based presentation application that uses a single page instead of multiple slides. All information (i.e., text, images) is put on one canvas and then grouped into frames. This allows the user to create a nonlinear “story” of sorts. The presenter can create a path for the frames or choose to select a section at will. Although the application is web-based, the user can download the presentation at any time if they don’t have an internet connection. The basic version of Prezi is free to use, but must be published on the Prezi site; however, private licenses can be purchased.

Another presentation tool, MindMeister, allows users to create a mind map to show information. Users can change font size and color, insert images or icons, add links, and rearrange spaces as needed. The map fits as many paths as you need for any given area, automatically readjusting to make space. Each caption and path is easy to create – click “add” to create a new path, “delete” to remove an unwanted path, or move a path by clicking on the caption and dragging it to a different path. MindMeister does only allow three free maps before you have to buy a membership to use the program, but the membership is low-cost at $4.92 per month. See below for my example that, again, highlights peanut butter sandwiches.

What tools or programs do you find most useful in your work? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Cassie

When you want to share information, either hosting a presentation or simply wanting to share work on a document, what resources do you use? We’ve found some particularly useful tools for sharing and presenting information (click on the link attached to the application to view more about that resource). This week we’re posting on tools for sharing documents.

A simple way to share documents that are not confidential is by uploading them to an online space. By using an online space, users are able to access the document anywhere they have internet access.

Google offers a free online sharing application called Google Documents that allows users to not only share documents, but also work on a document at the same time as other users. Once uploaded, users can edit, add, and change information in a document much like they can in Microsoft Word or a similar text editing software. When one user uploads a document, they can share with other users who can view or edit those documents. The original user must have a Google account to upload the document, but any other users do not need a Google account.

Dropbox is also a free project collaboration tool that allows users to upload and store files on multiple spaces of their choice. Just as with Google Documents, users can upload documents, photos, and more. An additional feature that Dropbox offers is the ability to link the application to multiple computers and phones. The program creates folders on each computer or phone that a user wants, allowing a safe space to upload documents without having to go onto a website.

Stay tuned for next week’s post on online resources!

Cassie

Brainstorming creative and useful ways to display data and results can be a challenge. A recent discussion on the LinkedIn page of the American Evaluation Association has turned my attention to a useful tool called the “Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, which can be used to aid and/or inspire this creative process. The table, as suggested by the name, is designed to mirror the periodic table of the elements, but instead of describing the many basic elements and their components, this table is based on the many ways to visually display common evaluation information.

Though the table itself is quite detailed and may look daunting at first glance, you can easily begin to explore its usefulness through its interactive features. Please click on the link and I can further explain this tool: http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html.

Once you have activated the link, take a moment and hold your cursor over one of the “elements.” A little graphic should pop-up that will give you an example of that particular visualization method. Each element has its own unique example. Though these are just examples, one can begin to imagine their own information in such displays.

Along with the great examples of each visualization type, the table provides various color coding and symbols to highlight what each type of visualization communicates. For example, yellow indicates a visual display of data while blue-green indicates a visualization of a concept. The two-letter acronyms are described within each box; the symbols used within the boxes are described in the key. Again, hold your cursor over the box for information.

For a more detailed explanation of the development and rationale behind the table, follow this link: http://ow.ly/wk7d

One of the challenges presented by this table is the actual creation of these displays. Though the displays are very visually appealing and often complex, the appeal and complexity demands software that can do such. However, this table does provide some useful guidance and inspiration for how to grab readers’ attention and communicate complex information effectively. What visualization methods stand out the most for you? Which do you think are most appealing? Any personal favorites?

Joseph

The Children’s Bureau has created some new online resources on parental mental health and the child welfare system. Research has indicated that children of parents or caregivers with mental health needs have higher rates of involvement in the child welfare system. The resources were developed by Kim Halfgott and the team at the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, which is part of the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network. The resources include promising practices for screening and treatment, tools and training, fact sheets, web sites, and research to better understand how the mental health and the child welfare systems can work together to support parents and caregivers with mental health needs.

The resources can be found on a new section of the Technical Assistance Partnership website: http://www.tapartnership.org/content/childWelfare/publications.php?id=topic17