Conference Mobile Application / Website

We are excited to announce that are we are using Jasig's newest project – uMobile – to provide a mobile application and website for this year's Sakai Conference. From this application/website you'll be able to access the full conference schedule, see the directory of other attendees (who choose to share their contact info), access the map and weather of the conference area, see news feeds about Sakai and other higher ed sources, see the Twitter stream from the conference, and watch YouTube videos about Sakai.

To get set up on the mobile site, please go to http://umobile.unicon.net/ and select "Forgot Password" and enter the email address you used to register for the conference. You should receive a password reset email at that address and then be able to log in. To share your contact information in the directory, log into the site from a desktop browser and click the "My Account" link and you can update your profile there and choose to share it with other conference attendees (not visible to the public).

In addition to the mobile web site you can visit from your mobile device, there are also native Android, iPhone, and iPad applications available. Install these either by using the links present on the home page for http://umobile.unicon.net/, or use the QR codes below directly from your mobile device, or just search for "#Sakai11" in the Android Market / Apple App Store.

Special thanks to Unicon for donating their services and infrastructure to provide this mobile experience for the conference!

Conference Mobile App

For other attendees that have opted-in to share their contact information, you can look up their details in the Mobile App for the conference – see details above.

Location-Aware Technologies

Foursquare

Foursquare is a location-aware technology for smartphones. It uses the geolocation features in your phone to allow you to see what's near you. Foursquare is also mostly crowdsourced, meaning that the users of Foursquare create the venues, add tips, etc.

Some companies have started offering discounts to people who check-in (the act of opting-in to show you're at a certain location) or who become the Mayor of specific venues (the person who has checked-in the most in the last 2 months).

During the conference, a lot of folks will check-in around the hotel, so it's a chance for you get to know them! Hint: The hotel bar is usually a hot spot

http://foursquare.com/

Share your location with your friend during the conference by checking in to the rooms at the Westin:

• Beaudry B
• California Ballroom
• Palos Verdes
• San Francisco Room
• San Gabriel A
• San Gabriel B/C
• Santa Anita A/B
• Santa Anita C
• Santa Barbara A
• Santa Barbara B/C

QR codes

What is a QR Code?

QR codes can be used for many purposes. At the conference, we're planning on putting QR codes at strategic locations to allow smartphone users to access information about what's happening in a specific room, get information about products, etc.

So make sure to get a QR code reader for your smartphone!

Social Backchannel

Twitter

Our main backchannel for the conference will be Twitter. Be sure to follow our sakaicon account to get timely updates on upcoming sessions and their location.

The hashtag for the conference is #sakai11, so enable a search on your smartphone app, engage in the conversation, and start following fellow attendees! And as in years past, there is a frequently updated analysis of the #sakai11 Twitter activity.

Be sure to install a Twitter client on your computer to really enjoy using it! My favorite one is Twhirl, but a lot of people enjoy TweetDeck as well.

Location hashtags used during the conference:

Contact Exchange

Bump

Instead of exchanging (or losing) business cards, why not bump each other? Bump is a technology that lets iPhone and Android users alike knock they phones against one another to exchange the contact information of your choice. It's also a great way to share URLs of your current projects to let others explore on their own later. You also can elect to share your profile picture, so it's easier to remember who you have met.

http://bu.mp/

Personal Note Taking

Evernote

Evernote is a note-taking application that runs on most major operating systems (Windows, Mac), including smartphones and devices (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPad). You can also install a web clipper add-on to your browser to keep copies of those important articles you have found.

Evernote supports text, images, screen captures, and audio notes. It also keeps the source URL of the things you capture, so you can find them again when it’s time to write and cite.

Notes are synchronized between devices, so you can start on your computer, switch to your iPad or smartphone, and access the web interface later. You can also share notes very easily, either by copying and pasting the information in an email, sending a note directly through email, or by sharing notes with other Evernote users.

http://www.evernote.com/

Web Presence and Collaborative Note Taking

Confluence (in development)

Pictures

Flickr

You might have not realized this, but we all have many ways to take pictures right in our side pocket or on our desk. Phones, digital cameras, webcams, and scanners are some of the devices we can now use to capture a moment, an architectural detail, a very interesting poster, contact information on a poster, a computer screen, etc.

Flickr is a photo sharing site, not unlike other similar services like Photobucket or Picassa. The free account is limited to 100 MB of upload per month, but you can upgrade to a pro account and get unlimited uploads, collections, and sets.

Flickr allows you to upload pictures in many different ways, including a small client-side uploader that works very well, and through smartphones as well. You can tweak your privacy, copyright, and geo-location settings on an account level or for every different picture if you want to.

http://www.flickr.com/

See Flickr pictures tagged with "sakai11"

Also, join our 2011 Sakai Conference group!

Videos

Citizen journalists will collect video snippets and share them online throughout the conference. More to come.

Links of Interest

Please share links about conference hacks here!

• Smart Technologies for Smart Conference Participants: http://sites.udel.edu/mathieu/2010/05/sfi2010-smart-technologies/