The new task for the final week of the semester requires embedding of the Google Drive spreadsheet (with shared public link as described in Q&A of W3P1) into your blogs.
At this point it should be clear that your blog is not just a blog but a distribution carrier for your information services and communication functions. It is a small information system. Here you can control access to various subsystems on your blog (like analytical spreadsheet services or database selections - another topic of the final week). Each of such data services can allow access to information for different customers or departments since there could be many spreadsheets and database tables for various data sources and functional services: HR, accounting, R&D, and many other projects/functions. More than that. You can allow for each data service embedded into your blog (spreadsheet, database, RSS links and many others) to have other team members to have access not only for reading but for editing, thus supporting collaboration in project teams.
Important to note that Google Drive is a cloud-based service (similar to Zoho) which means that all hardware, availability, and scalability headaches are resolved without you having an IT department doing this job. If one computer or connection go down - they automatically switch to other resources. If your delivery time to the client on another continent is too big - they will use resources closer to that country thus minimizing the connection time. If the number of your customers using your small IS will suddenly grow dramatically - cloud services will scale automatically to many computers and Internet channels. All these operations would normally require you to create a small company with an IT department just to maintain your blog-based information services. Now with free cloud-based support - you can run your start-up for free. Until... there will be a need in more people/agents supporting their local databases and analytical spreadsheet services. Such local resources could be integrated on your blog (you just need the embedding link from them) allowing a big distributed company to view their operations on such integral view as your blog as well as provide the necessary decision-making and information support for your customers. For example sharing orders from other stores in the chain, managing hotel branches, etc .
Of course, there are other means of integrating information subsystems like creating full-fledged web sites or specific apps, but for the purpose of the course this simple IS could serve as a useful hands-on experience in using the theory of the book and the skills obtained in weekly labs.
So in order to embed your spreadsheet into the blog for an integral view do the following:
1. Once you have for your Google Drive spreadsheet public link in in W3P1 which might look like:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aslm8JDe-wu4dGpYMnRQZVE2VFJpbFhGRFJwUnFESVE&usp=sharing&authkey=CJuj58UF
2. Create an iframe (an embedding mechanism) by surrounding your link with iframe tags and parameters like shown below (you can copy them from me to surround your link in the iframe). Pay attention to all parts ADDED to the abovementioned link:
<iframe frameborder=0 width='600' height='300' src= 'https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aslm8JDe-wu4dGpYMnRQZVE2VFJpbFhGRFJwUnFESVE&usp=sharing&authkey=CJuj58UF'></iframe>
3. Create a new HTML/JavaScript gadget in your blog, give it a name and paste the created iframe there. Move the gadget to the bigger part of your blog (which is usually the left one).
4. You might want to adjust width and height parameters in the iframe by clicking on the edit icon under the embedded gadget on your blog. But note that you can switch sheets and scroll.
Note: sometimes it might not work and sometimes the working embedded spreadsheet stops working. This might be caused by periodic Google's reluctance in allowing embedding. Then do the following:
Use Zoho which allows embedding in: https://docs.zoho.com/home#allfiles where you can recreate the same what you did in Google (create a spreadsheet) and then click Share, Embed and get the iframe!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Web 2.0 and CI
The best way of learning systems, and IS features in particular, includes the design of a small information system versus just learning buttons for the current version of Excel and Access. Normally, the development of an IS, even of a small size, is quite expensive and/or requires a lot of man/hour investments of highly skilled systems developers. Only organizations with sufficient capital were able to develop and use IS...
The evolution of software as a service (SaaS) or even Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with various types of accompanying web services (and apps) created a possibility of new methods in IS development – assembly of systems out of existing services LEGO – style. This simplicity has led to a dramatic increase in end-user creativity and development capabilities. In this course I want you to learn the most simple but effective ways of such system development for personal and organizational use. Become a one-person army... The basic services we were using so far included free blog development and support services, Zoho spreadsheet and database services and, what is most important, services allowing sharing and collaboration. Already this set of tools, if learned a bit deeper than you've done so far, allows for some basic IS development.
The new, mostly free, and easy to use services that can be incorporated in any custom IS design/redesign led to a new phenomenon: social networks. But the most important effect goes beyond increased activity of emerging social structures. This new unleashed power is studied in Collective Intelligence (CI) dealing with creation of super intelligences out of rather simple processing performed by its parts. Examples include ant societies, various swarm intelligence examples, and... effective teams and organizations. This possibility of acquiring enhanced intelligence is the biggest asset and advantage an organization can dream about nowadays, which comes not as much from the mere infrastructure presence, but its proper architecture and processes in accordance with this new Web 2.0/CI developments.
Web 2.0 technologies released the power and creativity of regular IT users making them producers/consumers (prosumers). These Web 2.0 technologies paired with proper CI organization (where effective collaboration is the key) are the main and the most fascinating developments in modern IS.
Another important event, not to be missed, is rapid growth of cloud computing (see the textbook) that makes Web 2.0 services and accompanying networking even easier.
The evolution of software as a service (SaaS) or even Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with various types of accompanying web services (and apps) created a possibility of new methods in IS development – assembly of systems out of existing services LEGO – style. This simplicity has led to a dramatic increase in end-user creativity and development capabilities. In this course I want you to learn the most simple but effective ways of such system development for personal and organizational use. Become a one-person army... The basic services we were using so far included free blog development and support services, Zoho spreadsheet and database services and, what is most important, services allowing sharing and collaboration. Already this set of tools, if learned a bit deeper than you've done so far, allows for some basic IS development.
The new, mostly free, and easy to use services that can be incorporated in any custom IS design/redesign led to a new phenomenon: social networks. But the most important effect goes beyond increased activity of emerging social structures. This new unleashed power is studied in Collective Intelligence (CI) dealing with creation of super intelligences out of rather simple processing performed by its parts. Examples include ant societies, various swarm intelligence examples, and... effective teams and organizations. This possibility of acquiring enhanced intelligence is the biggest asset and advantage an organization can dream about nowadays, which comes not as much from the mere infrastructure presence, but its proper architecture and processes in accordance with this new Web 2.0/CI developments.
Web 2.0 technologies released the power and creativity of regular IT users making them producers/consumers (prosumers). These Web 2.0 technologies paired with proper CI organization (where effective collaboration is the key) are the main and the most fascinating developments in modern IS.
Another important event, not to be missed, is rapid growth of cloud computing (see the textbook) that makes Web 2.0 services and accompanying networking even easier.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Steps for the DB task on Zoho
After the table and the formula column have been created, you have to complete the last part of the task - sharing your table over the Internet! Here you will have two types of sharing: one for the forum link and another is an iframe to be embedded into your blog. Note that the first one is a link, that if you click on - you get to the table. Another one is an iframe that works only if embedded into the HTML gadget in the Blogger.
Here are the sharing steps that might be even easier than the task proposed:
1. Make the view of your table public (this is important for further sharing):
2. Copy the url that you will post into the Moodle forum and then confirm the public view
3. Select Publish, Embed in Website/Blog to copy the iframe and then paste it into the HTML gadget in Blogger
Here are the sharing steps that might be even easier than the task proposed:
1. Make the view of your table public (this is important for further sharing):
2. Copy the url that you will post into the Moodle forum and then confirm the public view
3. Select Publish, Embed in Website/Blog to copy the iframe and then paste it into the HTML gadget in Blogger
Friday, January 3, 2014
Databases
Although a database table might look like a spreadsheet, the capabilities of a database management system (software engine behind the databases) are quite different. For better understanding you might go to the Featured Samples (while on the Home page in your Zoho Reports site) to see that after the initial tables are created and filled with data, the rest of the database consists of various queries (that could be saved for future easy customer use), reports, charts, etc. All other database products, created from the data tables by using simple and effective tools, allow to SEE and ANALYZE a LOT of DATA form MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW, as compared to the relatively small amount in typical spreadsheets.
Well designed and developed (in terms of convenient analysis) databases - is what create added value to the initial data collection often stored in some input “flat” files. Data warehouses (or smaller data marts) are systems enhancing this analytical and decision support function of organizational (and even personal) data.
In my professional capacity, I was often asked by organizations that invested a lot of money into collection of valuable data – to help them make better use of this information (bang for the invested buck, if you want). This usually results into the development of an information system with a database at its core (this is why they call them “information systems” :)
Well designed and developed (in terms of convenient analysis) databases - is what create added value to the initial data collection often stored in some input “flat” files. Data warehouses (or smaller data marts) are systems enhancing this analytical and decision support function of organizational (and even personal) data.
In my professional capacity, I was often asked by organizations that invested a lot of money into collection of valuable data – to help them make better use of this information (bang for the invested buck, if you want). This usually results into the development of an information system with a database at its core (this is why they call them “information systems” :)
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Meaning of the Gadget Task
After you add a gadget to your blog you should realize that leading blogs are not just diaries but special carriers of various types of media, software objects, and live services that could be placed on them. Such services might include games, live images, GPS-based regional information, current events/weather, and practically and app that you can have on your phone. They can be used for secure group collaboration (adding me as a co-author showed it) and many other features. Later we will use these blog capabilities to build on its base a small networked information system to supplement the theoretical aspects from the textbook. They also have static pages allowing to build real web sites, as well as RSS broadcasting of their content (this is how posts from my blog automatically appear in the bottom-right gadget pane of the Moodle front page).
More About Systems
Congratulations with the successful start of the course (since you are reading this post :) ! This course is designed to enhance/offer an understanding in systems theory and information systems and technologies in particular. The first week is may be the most important since you are getting here the fundamentals of the "so-called" systems vision. Regardless of the variety of entities and processes surrounding you in your personal or organizational lives a stunning discovery has been made by Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy - the founder of the General System Theory (GST) - that they all are systems. More than that there can be created a science that can cover all types of systems as having common properties, features, and traits. Since then the theory has been evolving and now many organizations require from their leading employees "systems thinking" as ability to apply GST to any situation of any kind that they encounter.
After you get familiar with the main systems concepts we move to the applications of this theory to a specific type of systems – information systems (IS) and information technologies (IT). You will often find a term ICT (information and communication technologies) instead of IT. And finally, we will move to the role of IS/ICT in business and organizational systems. The Information Systems major in the Business School (has a minor too) offers students a professional grasp of the most general and widely useful knowledge, which nowadays is being used in all organizations/jobs – IS/ICT. With deeper knowledge and skills in this area students learn of how to dramatically enhance individual abilities by using various methods, skills, and tools that are offered in the major in order to enhance personal ability of consistently making best decisions under all circumstances, of how to put artificial intelligence to your personal and organizational service, of how to design systems that are the most important competitive resource for individuals and organizations, and how to develop electronic businesses and start-ups. This course offers you a glimpse (although important) into the IS/ICT world.
As one of the extensions of the IS activities we offer a completely online Web Development Certificate Program (just like Business Essentials) increasing your knowledge and skills in developing modern Web-based systems, sites, and organizations. This course might be a good foundation for this program.
There is a lot more to the systems theory than we can fit into this course. Such areas a Complex Systems Theory, Dynamic Systems Theory, Chaos, fractal systems, and Theory of Catastrophes are some of the more specific areas that being actively used in economics, finance, business, marketing analysis, medical and biological studies.
After you get familiar with the main systems concepts we move to the applications of this theory to a specific type of systems – information systems (IS) and information technologies (IT). You will often find a term ICT (information and communication technologies) instead of IT. And finally, we will move to the role of IS/ICT in business and organizational systems. The Information Systems major in the Business School (has a minor too) offers students a professional grasp of the most general and widely useful knowledge, which nowadays is being used in all organizations/jobs – IS/ICT. With deeper knowledge and skills in this area students learn of how to dramatically enhance individual abilities by using various methods, skills, and tools that are offered in the major in order to enhance personal ability of consistently making best decisions under all circumstances, of how to put artificial intelligence to your personal and organizational service, of how to design systems that are the most important competitive resource for individuals and organizations, and how to develop electronic businesses and start-ups. This course offers you a glimpse (although important) into the IS/ICT world.
As one of the extensions of the IS activities we offer a completely online Web Development Certificate Program (just like Business Essentials) increasing your knowledge and skills in developing modern Web-based systems, sites, and organizations. This course might be a good foundation for this program.
There is a lot more to the systems theory than we can fit into this course. Such areas a Complex Systems Theory, Dynamic Systems Theory, Chaos, fractal systems, and Theory of Catastrophes are some of the more specific areas that being actively used in economics, finance, business, marketing analysis, medical and biological studies.
How to use your Time More Effectively
You online attendance is automatically registered. You are required to log in at least once a day to see if there is any need in your reaction or something new and important has been posted (like help materials and messages regarding the quiz, etc.). The most important parts where you get a lot of explanations saving your thinking time and enhancing the quality of your work can be found in Q&A forums – read them all as I assume that you did it, see the posts of the leading students doing the early work to which I usually comment if there is a way of improving the post. Read the News forum (if there is anything new – since MOST important messages will be posted there).
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