ARC Light

After a trial period with Google Docs, we have updated ARC Light to use this online word processor in lieu of the Open Office suite of applications.   We continue to recommend Open Office as a desktop suite of choice.   However, in the course of academic pursuit, particularly in the digital realm, Google Docs offers the most dynamic and flexible application.

Since the ARC Light application requires you to be online, it makes sense that a comprehensive online word processor also be available.   But wait, there’s more.   Google also offers a presentation application and a spreadsheet application that compliment your academic pursuit.  You can save your documents on their server, or alternatively, you can choose to download the file in MS Word, Open Office, or text format.  Simply, sign up for free and then log on with a username and password (your security of privacy).

It makes sense to use these tools, which are available whenever you need them.  Once you’ve tried it, we believe you will agree.  Selecting ‘My Office Tools’ on the ARC Light menu automatically refers you to Google Docs.   Download ARC Light at Fowler’s Internet Library, LLC.

The steps by which a person performs the process of inquiry using the digitally-networked tools for academic exploration.

Background

In the pre-Internet days,  a student would normally begin the process of research by taking a pencil and paper to the library, finding a seat somewhere in the confines of the room, and begin searching for a suitable reference that provided information on the topic.   Reference materials were limited to the hard-copy materials located in the library.   Even the best resources were limited by the sheer volume of paper required to print the publications.

Over the past 100 years alone, thanks largely to the improved mass production techniques of book publishers, the amount of information blossomed, as evidenced by the growing numbers of shelves in most libraries.   Most encyclopedias, for example, grew over the years from a few volumes to the massive shelves of library stacks that most of us remember from our high school and college years.

So massive had our collections grown that, for the common man, the information within the physical collection literally became increasingly difficult to locate.    Librarians with expertise in finding information, coupled with sophisticated card cataloging systems, kept track of most of the growing volumes of information, yet their impact was by and large limited to the patrons who sought out their services.

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you concerned about where your child is visiting on the Internet?  Using commercial search engines for academic studies is not the best option for school students seeking information for assignments.  The normal frontline deterrent to prevent their visiting inappropriate sites is to simply tell your child not to go there in the first place.  But, how do you really know?

A remedy can be found with a personal time management application, called ManicTime.   The program tracks which applications you use and presents them in an easy to understand fashion.  ManicTime even shows the web URL and how long you were visiting the page.  This  allows you to see exactly which sites your child visited in their quest for information.

One of the most exciting advances in digital reference and research comes from the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.   Deemed as the next-generation research tool, zotero is an interactive and truly dynamic resource for anyone exploring the enormous wealth of information on the Internet.

As an add-on to Mozilla Firefox, zotero makes it easy to accurately cite the resources you find, leaving you more time to perform your study of whatever the topic may be.  You will find zotero to be a dynamic resource in your academic studies.

Find it at http://www.zotero.org

GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is the versatile graphics design program used by ARC Light.  This powerful application can be used for anything from simple paint design to expert quality photo retouching.  It can perform image format conversions, image rendering, and numerous other advanced interface applications.

You will find an outstanding Help system built into the GIMP application.  Simply press F1 for context-sensitive help.  In addition, extensive documentation, tutorials, FAQs, and other useful how-to materials are available online at the GIMP Documentations web site.

ARC Light uses the OpenOffice suite of resources, published by Sun Microsystems, Inc.  This powerful set of applications enables you to prepare virtually any kind of presentation for your business, school, or organization.  The important task for you is to discover how to use these valuable tools.   The primary resource for OpenOffice is their extensive Support Network comprised of documentation, FAQs, community forums, and a host of other important links.

We invite you to comment on how you use OpenOffice to development presentations.

The fact that the Internet is growing exponentially is well documented.  In just a few years, the Internet has changed the way we do business and the way we communicate, creating a globalized dimension to the world.  Social networking is rapidly becoming popular, enabling individuals to collaborate with others around the world in ways never before possible.  It is becoming the universal source of information.

 According to Jefferey I. Cole, Director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School of Communication,

“the emergence of online communities is demonstrating that opportunities to be involved in common projects and idea sharing about any subject we choose and with people anywhere on Earth is possible and practical.”

Indeed, the growing participation in online communities is beginning to have a profound social impact in America and the world.   Yet, many, if not most, of these social groups have little to do with scholarly pursuits.   A view of the top twenty most popular websites around the globe paints a picture of who is using the Internet and the purpose for which they are using it. Read the rest of this entry »

Discover the World with ARC Light

As an advocate of modern education, we believe that every individual should be able to locate information in the digital realm of the World Wide Web, and be able to assimilate the information for personal use or for presentation to others.  This requires the individual to be proficient in the use of digital presentation tools and fluent in the use of digital reference and research resources.

ARC Light, or the Academic Resource Center, is designed to provide this ability.  It gives you quick access to a wide range of ready-reference resources, as well as a full suite of office productivity software, enabling you to plan detailed projects, reports, and other academic assignments that are detailed and highly polished.

This blog is designed to facilitate your learning how to use this powerful, and easy-to-use, resource.