Why Does the Apple Site Lack a LOGOUT Button?

I chatted with tech support and got no answer (Xscript below). Forums on the web groan without resolution. I am curious to know if there is any UX, Psychology or other fringe science involved?

The robot talk wasn't half bad as something AT&T customer support might throw at you, but certainly, I felt a slight urge to throw a digital copy of the Cluetrain Manifesto at her, which I did in the end. Digitally.

How may I assist you today?

how do i log out of my account on the apple store?

I'd be happy to assist you! You would need to either clear out your cookies if you know how to do that or close out of all of your browsers and the Apple store will log itself out within 30 minutes.
huh, so no logout button? I wonder why... would you take a minute to explain the missing button? I am curious to know

Let me check on this for you, just one moment.

thank you

You are welcome!

I'm sorry I don't have the information available as to why there is not a log out button. However you can clear out your cookies or close your browsers and the information will time out within 30 minutes.
thanks anyways....

You are welcome! Did you have anymore questions for me today?

have you read the Cluetrain Manifesto? I do tech support too, I am finding that book eyeopening for techies like us... its written by respectable people (Adobe, NPR). I think it will help. Its available free online. All the best and take care.

World Usability Day 2009 - Afternoon Session Reflections

(Continued; See Report from Morning Session here)

The afternoon of World Usability Day (WUD) 2009 [http://usability.msu.edu/conf/2009/Default.aspx] focussed on larger infrastructural, community and sustainability issues. Almost all speakers were excellent, spare one who performed the good old, 'death by powerpoint'. He shall remain unnamed for the rest of this blog post.


I liked Kirk Riley's presentation on how ITEC, a local Lansing org is working to bridge the digital divide that exists due to class, race or gender, working with a local faith based organization. They recognize the lack of hard skills and subsequent low enrollment in computer science degrees. So they are using Randy Pausch's head fakes (Riley's own words, not mine) to entice students to learn math and programming skills through 3D worlds (Kodu on XBox) and other programming languages like Alice. They think they are doing cool stuff but actually learning hard stuff. Way to go.
Sharron Rush spoke on the need for accessibility. She is a "well decorated veteran" of the IT world and she proved it with an engaging presentation. It was impressive how she illustrated population percentage statistics by making all audiences stand, to begin with (100%). Then having portions sit down and make a statement about the rest. Do another chop, have more people sit down and make a statistical statement. I would love to use this audience engagement tool, if I ever got a large audience like this. (World Youth Congress, Turkey 2010, application submitted, fingers crossed). Sharon runs Knowbility.org.
It's a pity, I did not find a way to follow either Sharon or Knowbility.org via RSS.
Conferences are my favorite use-scenarios for twitter. Even passively following one. By not providing a twitter tag, WUD caused tweeters to use a wide and wild variety of hashtags: #wud09, #wud2009, #wud, #inwud etc… I think we missed out on some great microlearning there. Nevertheless, a good 1-day learning event to go to. Thanks to all MSU folks for hosting the event.

World Usability Day 2009 - Morning Session Reflections

I began learning about usability the moment I sat in the car this morning to travel to East Lansing to attend World Usability Day (WUD) conference hosted by MSU. Its an hours drive from home, so I decided to pack some podcast-heat to bring myself unto speed. My last format interaction with Usability was at the 2007 WUD conference in the exact same spot.

Listening to the UXPod podcast, which interviewed Ethnograpist and UX lab work expert Patrick Larvie, I picked up my first micro-learning lesson.


Bollywood Method of UX Testing
In Asian countries where it is considered inappropriate to criticize other people's work, users are culturally restrained from openly commenting on the drawbacks of design. This hurdle was overcome by a Mumbai UX company who started putting the users in a story which could come right out of a cheesy Bollywood movie (similar to Telenovelas). Now the user is role-playing and has to use the product/service/system/website under pressure of time etc. And their roleplaying starts generating UX data for the studies.
Anyhoo, onward to WUD09: http://usability.msu.edu/conf/2009/
WCAG 2.0, ARIA and AJAX
The morning session on WCAG was quite enlightening. The talent was playing on home pitch, the presenters being mostly from MSU, but an excellent, enlightened bunch. The first part focussed on the new and improved WCAG 2.0 guidelines released by W3C.
There are three levels of compliance a web interface can meet, A, AA and AAA. A stands for minimal, AA for minimal+recommended and AAA, unbelievably are impossible to meet in the given state of technology, as per Elledge. The thought that occurred to me was how are SEO/SEM types dealing with accessibility? Mostly accessibility works well for SEO, but SEM (Search engine marketing) requires blatant breakage of consistency of design (e.g. landing pages, which have no navigation for most parts. Just big kiosk style design with a huge call to action button.) But maybe I am just being paranoid.
The second part of the morning session was on AJAX, which was quickly moved on from a rather long introduction to AJAX mechanisms (since its not 2005 anymore) to a well rounded presentation on challenges brought to accessibility by the so-called usability of these Rich applications. CAPTCHA emerged as the top culprit amongst all AJAX widgets/elements. In the third part of the morning session, Carl Bussema showed screen-videos of the hell that is unleashed on a JAWS user with AJAX and how they were countering it with special tags and behaviors - i.e. ARIA - Accessible Rich Internet Applications. The handling of accessibility through careful implementation of ARIA was impressive. It is hard work, but these guys impressively make it happen. ARIA is still a working draft, nevertheless, the most crucial happening in coming times. The logic is to expose AJAX elements in the interface to a screenreader in a systematic, logical and non-repititive manner. http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/
Firefox and surprisingly IE do quite well when it comes to ARIA support. Google Chrome comes in last. The best combination for a user with accessibility needs would be Firefox 3.5 + JAWS 10.
The morning presentations were followed by a tour of the Usability Labs, which is well equipped, well supported and well staffed.

Teaching Audio Recording Today

In HMP 612...

HMP 612 Audio4 Podcasting Part I

View more presentations from Vic Divecha.

The Record Update: Article on EPID GSS Distance Learning

Front Page of the Issue

Link to the Article

So Much for Patient Privacy

From India...

Simulteaching Paper in 2009

Getting ready for the Summer and trying to write a paper about it in late summer... my abstract for a brief paper as a follow up to the simulteaching 2008 paper:

Improving Quality of Simulteaching by Analyzing Demand for Support
Abstract:
Measuring the quality of synchronous delivery during the 2008 cycle revealed distinct areas for improvement in the synchronous offering approach at two hybrid summer courses. Measurement of the quality of synchronous course delivery was done using demand for support. Analysis of demand data yielded the following areas for improving quality of learning (i) Better instructor & student orientation (ii) better pre-course launch administrative processes and (iii) Simplification of the homework and take-home exam submission process. The effectiveness of the new and improved approach in 2009 is expected to reflect in the new demand data for technical and learning support. This data will be collected during summer 2009 and analyzed in the final paper submission.

How sustainable is internet democracy?

In response to "The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500"

This article reflects the current “rules-of-engagement” where the individual is empowered through free web-services. I keep mulling over the scenario when economic squeeze may make free-memberships unsustainable, falling back on pay-for-service models (no free email, no free membership on social networking). However blasphemous this may sound, it may very well be the reality in a few years if the credit crunch takes too long to untangle. So the rules-of-engagement may change again to favor institutionalized content-generation. “Internet democracy” is fragile because it depends on infrastructure which is not yet controlled by individuals.

True internet democracy might happen when individuals generate and maintain hardware independent of big companies or government. It could be a distant fantasy, to imagine a Ham Internet like Ham radio. But not impossible.

Bottom line point: I’ll celebrate internet democracy when I run my part of the internet without the dependence on local infrastructure and those tech innovations are yet to come.

Tech Podcast: Episode III

Vic Divecha's Tech Podcast: 11th March 2009

Implementing a Cell Phone SMS Service using Twitter, "Scratch" Interesting possibilities in a different application realm for MIT's new programming language for children; The death of email and Internet Explorer and more...
Music: DJ Adori "Lies"

Tech Podcast: Episode 2

Twitteronomics Video


Tips for presentation via TED photographer

Eric Schmidt's Twitter Rant:

Toledo School of Ed: No to Distance Learning

USC's Online Master's in Teaching, Supported by 2Tor

Athabasca and Sun Tieup for Virtual Worlds

Music: http://ccmixter.org/files/George_Ellinas/19174

Tech Podcast: 4th March 2009

Download mp3 here

Podcast Contents:
Moodle + Google = Awesome
Kindle 2
ASU's Ambitious Enrollment
Purdue's Rhea Raises Hopes, Leaves Me Grappling
Podcasting Effectiveness Research at SUNY Fredonia
Camtasia 6 Update

Good Game Design: Google Tech Talk

Accelerated Learning: A Personal Experiment

For long I have yearned the need to become familiar and stay current with a few news domains which are information heavy. Being a fan of late night talk shows, stand-up comedy and fake news (The Onion, Stewart/Colbert) I decided to have some fun permeating these new realms.




About a year ago I had heard an npr story on how the new generation prefers to get it's news from "fake" news: Parody, Satire and Sarcasm have fed generations with laughter and skepticism, but now there is an additional nutrient in this junk food for thought - useful information. Information which can be used by the listener to inform oneself of current affairs. The listener had become a learner.
My previous attempts at staying current using social bookmarking were not satisfactory, although I still like to keep my delicious.com and Google Notes well fed with tagged items from the web.
In my attempt to regain touch with (a) State of Technology in General & Online Learning in Particular (b) Current Affairs in USA and (c) Current Affairs in India, I subscribed to some RSS feeds. When something useful would strike me, I would ask the stand-up comedian in myself, to write a one line joke for me, based on Dave Barry's highly original microblogging style.
After about a week of poking fun at the news, the information started to retain in my conscious brain and I was able to apply it - in my conversations with peers, friends and families. (Sometimes I even became the alpha-bore of the party: geeky opinionated know-all. That's an indication to cut-back on your RSS feed-greed.)
Adjusting the RSS feeds to remove redundancies and optimize focus of learning, I started realizing that the stylings of the inner comedian were now an inefficiency - so the one liners simply became comments and notes. The crutch of comedy and satire was no longer necessary to engage the mind in the target domains - the barrier to entry - spontaneous interest, had been breached. A sustainable-enough connection now existed between the mind and the knowledge domain to synthesize new information into fruitful conversation and writing.
I only hope that the trend of getting news and information from clowns does not raise a generation of skeptic jokers. These fake news outlets arise from a basic need of learners: barrier of boredom. When mainstream news started looking like sermons, propoganda or classroom lectures, the generation turned to fake news to stay current. Of course that is no justification for teachers to become clowns, however keeping learning active with or without humor is highly warrented.

Cheating in Online Exams

King et al. write in the Journal of Educators Online:

...respondents felt quite liberal in their views of potentially cheating behaviors when there was no test-taking policy set by the course instructor. In addition, 73.6% of the students in the sample held the perception that it is easier to cheat in an online versus traditional course.

Towards the end of the paper, the authors suggest research based remedies for inhibiting cheating: open discussion in a classroom setting (which is done by some departments/schools), posting of honor code in print and online (which is supported by UM's testing tools) and keeping updated on strategies from Duke University's “Academic Integrity Assessment Guide’

Google Apps Academic to Include Moodle

This is a synergy that I would look forward to. This will remove barriers to using moodle. I hope moodle can leverage security and code maintenance from Google's team and become a high quality, yet simple to use product:

Through the integration, users loaded into Moodle will be automatically loaded into Google Apps Education Edition, "providing users with Web-based e-mail, document authoring, spreadsheets, presentations and sites, all integrated with their online learning platform," explained Moodlerooms' West Coast Managing Director Michael Penney

via CampusTechnology.com

Design Principles Database

This is an excellent tool for instructional designers, where case studies are posted by ID/eLearning practitioners.

Whether you are an educational technology researcher, a learning scientist, a designer of web-based learning materials, or a teacher using technology, the DPD is a place for you to learn from the wisdom gained by dozens of researchers who have designed, enacted with students, and studied the use of technology for learning. This wisdom is translated in the DPD into pedagogical Design Principles

CSI: Wisconsin

Where heinous crimes are committed in respectable classrooms

14-year-old girl was charged for repeatedly text-messaging during class... ... a body search revealed that the defiant teen had stuffed her handset — said to be a Samsung Cricket — down the back of her pants.

India's Higher Education Ambitions

The Indian government intends to increase its higher-education budget by 21 percent, to $2.79-billion from $2.22-billion.

India Plans Big Budget Increase …..Funds fillip for varsity dream

Thumbs down for Distance/Online Leaning?

Faculty are split 30:70 against online courses in a survey: Preliminary results of the surveys by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges

Survey of Faculty:

10,000 faculty members at 67 public campuses in the survey.

+a majority of faculty members acknowledge that distance instruction offers students increased accessibility and flexibility,

- developing and teaching online courses can be burdensome.

Survey of administrators:

Need for institutions to incorporate online learning into their mission statements.

Centralize Oversight of Online Programs (Won't Work at UM, IMO)

Have Cross Campus Teams Look at Online Learning (Is Being done)

RoR IDE - Browser/Web Based Coding IDEs! Holy Crap!!

https://bespin.mozilla.com/


Introducing Bespin from Dion Almaer on Vimeo.

Motion Graphics Learning Done Right: Jonathan Jarvis' "Credit Crisis"

Notable elements in Design: Minimalist design, Subtle Background Music, Balanced Use of Sound Effects


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Windows 7 will come in 6 flavors: Imp Information

Windows 7 Starter Edition
Consists of a single full screen video showing that system is running and your keyboard/mouse are dysfunctional. Upgrade everything.


Windows 7 Home Basic
Security vulnerabilities will expose all passwords, home finances to hackers.
Windows 7 Home Premium
Security vulnerabilities will expose all passwords, home finances to hackers. AND sell your home to a Nigerian business man
Windows 7 UnProfessional
This one will expand the viruses to your TV, toaster and fridge
Windows 7 Ultimate
Will require a new computer purchase every month.
Windows 7 Enterprise
You’ll have to work in Redmond to operate this on test beds only. Will not work on any known computer sold in the market.
Note – all versions will render your PC unusable if you try to go back to XP (yeah, who has Vista anyways)?

Technology Fail: MS SongSmith

Need we mention the M-word? YES!

Via TechCrunch

"When we first came across Microsoft Songsmith, it was the promo video that made us cringe. But the song-making software is inspiring a whole new genre on YouTube where people alter famous music videos and concert footage by stripping out the original instruments and replace them with tinny keyboards or folk banjos, and keep the vocals. The results are a twisted breed of classic hits that are fascinating in the same way that terrible automobile accidents are. Once you start watching, it is hard to look away."

Listen to these and vote to rename the product "Microsoft SongAssassin"

Dropping out of Online Learning: Reason? Linux

The surprising part of this story was not that the student had to dropout due to a mistake requesting Ubuntu as the OS on her new laptop, but the heat she got from the Ubuntu community for being "too dumb" and "unworthy of a degree" for not navigating her way through living with Ubuntu:

First the breaking story:


The reaction:

Geeky Timeout: JJ's Star Trek

There is nothing better than spicing up Star Trek, JJ Abrams style. From the trailer and JJ Abram's previous work (Fringe) the new Star trek will surpass the glory of all the new Star Wars movies put together. Here is the trailer: