Most Important Work Skills?

In thinking about the world of work That you'll enter after school, it's impossible to precisely predict the skills and careers that will evolve from the current economy and technology ecology. Top Ten Online Colleges created this infographic outlining some of the vital skills and competencies future employees may need--with a focus on six drivers of changes within the global economy.

Whether the skills in this graphic are being embedded into modern education systems--from primary school to post-secondary--is up for debate, but this is a great resource to explain how the job markets are changing, and how you need to prepare for such a future.

simonejenifer.org - 2014 Edition

Well, I've been doing responsive site designs for clients in recent years but have neglected to update my site with the proper code and functionality. earlier this year I took the time to rectify that issue and also added higher quality images; owing to the mobile move toward retina displays (more about that in a future article).

The redesign also has to do with my current work in teaching, training and academia. One website reviewer said that she noticed that my site was much more academic than in previous iterations. I'm happy with the result.

With out much more ado, here's a preview of simonejenifer.org:

Thanks owwwlab!

Thinking of Conferences for 2014?

My director just put out the call for us to populate out 2014/15 conference wish list. As the only communications/design person on the team, my list is a little bit different than the others. Wouldn’t it be great to hit more than one of these. My focus here is on design/ marketing / communications in higher education. In order of the strength of my desire to attend:

44th Annual UCDA Design Conference -
Long Beach, CA September 20-23, 2014
The UCDA Design Conference provides you an opportunity to get an in-depth look at some of the issues facing designers and communication professionals both in and out of educational institutions.

How Interactive 
Washington , DC Sept 3-5 
Meet the interactive designers behind blockbuster web design projects for GE, Zappos, Nike, Facebook, Google and more. They’ll demystify complex concepts, share design processes you can apply to your own work, and clue you in to the web design trends and tools you need to know about. All with the trademark designer-friendly content, networking and inspiration you expect from the team that created HOW Design Live.

EduCause 2014
Orlando, FL Sept 29-Oct 2
With over 300 sessions and more than 500 speakers—60+ webcasts and 18 exclusive online sessions provided virtually—the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference presents a robust, community-generated program that explores today's toughest IT issues facing higher education and convenes some of the brightest minds in the community.

the HighEdWeb 2014 Annual Conference
Portland, OR, October 19-22 
The HighEdWeb 2014 conference will feature six thematic session tracks, with 70+ presentations by industry leaders; pre- and post-conference half-day, add-on intensive workshops; outstanding keynotes; and a number of social and networking events.