I just want to say thank you for the good fortune in my life. Today has been a full day. Breakfast with fellow retired educators, volunteer time at the local library, lunch with two former colleagues and the ability to walk over six miles today. I also got a call from a client who needed my assistance. Retirement was a big if a year ago and there was concern for what I would do. Now, I can see that I’ve got lots to do and many ways to help others. Namaste!
Once a teacher, always a teacher
I am preparing once again to teach class next Wednesday night at the Blount Library in Franklinville, New York. My first class of three adults met a couple of weeks ago and our topic was introduction to computers. The next class will be an extension of that same topic. I was fortunate to be asked to teach this group. I was thinking earlier today of my first student, my brother, whom I taught when we were in primary grades. I would make up tests for him with my Dad’s typewriter. Later as a member of the United States Navy I was called on to educate members of my company in recruit training at Great Lakes, Illinois. Though I recently retired from public education, teaching is something I enjoy. My students on Wednesday night will learn more about Google Drive and Microsoft Office. I’m going to teach them how to attach documents to an email and how to collaborate with others. I enjoy blogging and using social media and soon I hope to teach a class on that topic too. I was thinking too of teaching a course on introduction to Linux and open source software. Though iPads and tablets in general are very popular there are still computer users who enjoy tinkering and that group would enjoy a class on open source software like Ubuntu Linux or creating your own podcasts with Audacity. Linux is like a software erector set. There is almost no limit to what you could teach a class about Linux. Linux skills are in demand in the marketplace too according to a recent article in PC World.
Inkpad for iPad
Just today I received a tweet from Phil Shapiro (@philshapiro) about an open source program for the iPad. It’s called InkPad and it’s the equivalent of Inkscape for the iPad. I was determined to use it and produce a graphic that I could share back to Phil. My mission is accomplished but more than that I can recommend InkPad to any of you iPad users who are interested in producing scalable vector graphics on your iPad. It’s very easy to use and the “Help” section of the application is very complete and easy to use. I’d give it five stars and I’m using it on an iPad 3 running iOS 7.
I’m blogging today on Ubuntu 12.04 Linux which is running on a four year old Dell Vostro 1520. Ageing technology given new life by Ubuntu Linux.
Open Source of Course
I have been an advocate for open source software for a number of years. Until I bought a MacBook Pro four years ago I used Ubuntu as my primary platform. Ubuntu and other Linux distributions provide a reasonable alternative desktop. The library I’ve been volunteering in the past couple of months has aging Dell Optiplex 755 desktop computers that struggle a bit to run Windows 7 with 4 gigabytes of RAM. I know these same units using a Ubuntu desktop would still be quite responsive. I have an older Dell Vostro laptop that came with Windows XP Professional on it four years ago. With the end of support for XP I’m tempted to install Ubuntu on it. I could put more memory in the computer and run Windows 7 on it but that’s going to cost about two-hundred dollars. In addition to that I’m going to have to install sometime of antivirus client. With Ubuntu or some other Linux distribution I need none of that and I get a host of other free software programs to install on this older laptop. Open source operating systems like Fedora or Ubuntu provide reasonable alternatives to Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh platform.
How far did I walk?
One of the joys of retirement is the opportunity to spend more time outdoors walking. In the past couple of weeks I’ve been walking about two or three miles each day. Uphill, downhill, side streets, main streets. An hour or sometimes less each day. During my walk today I happened to see and old friend who asked me if I knew how far I had walked each day. I don’t really know and it’s not all that important but I’m a curious fellow and wouldn’t it be fun to know. A half dozen years ago I bought a pedometer and fastened it to my belt. I was amazed how much walking I was doing at work. I was walking four to five miles each day. Nowadays, with smart phone technology there are apps that can function very nicely to give us lots of information about how we’re walking or running. Up until today I thought that was interesting information but no application in my own life. Today, I downloaded my first walking app to see how far I’m walking. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s stroll already.
Open Source – A model for Social Enterprise
I first became acquainted with open source software in the mid-1990s. My brother James asked me if I had heard of Linux. I had not heard of it up until that time. A few weeks later I bought Red Hat 5.0 at the nearby Staples. Now, the open source model applies to more than software, but then even the thought of working for the common good appealed to me. There was after all a higher calling in this work. It reminded me of the early Apple II days when people shared their work and their code.
In the years that followed I became sold on the utility of open source software and the concept of working for the greater good. I believe it’s possible to sustain oneself while at the same time providing a valuable service to the customer. It’s a win-win proposition. Open source software really fueled the development of the internet. Platforms like WordPress, Twitter and Google itself run on open source. But what does the future hold and can the open source model be applied to other ventures too. This summer I came across an open source eye ware manufacturer in the United Kingdom called Botho. This quote taken from their “Why Botho” page really sums it up.
Open Source is about listening to our community, understanding our needs, developing solutions and facilitating our growth in a selfless way.
“Facilitating growth in a selfless way”. That’s really the heart of open source and social enterprise. That’s appealing to me.
OS X Mavericks Upgrade
Yesterday I downloaded OS X Mavericks from the MacApp Store. I was a little hesitant to install it as you never know if some critical application will require an update. For me that was VMware Fusion 5. I’m happy to report today that the upgrade did not impact VMWare Fusion and so far the computer seems peppier. I read early today that Mavericks would slow your Mac down and that you should consider waiting for the first patch upgrade. In my case that concern appears to be unwarranted.
I like the addition of iBooks and Maps to the operating system. Though most of my eBooks are Kindle oriented this addition of iBooks is a nice feature. I’m not sure how I’ll use Maps but it’s a nice addition too. Thank you Apple for a free upgrade too!
Twitter a medium for storytelling and more
I’ve been watching Andrew Fitzgerald’s, “Adventure’s in Twitter Fiction,” another interesting TED talk. I’ve been a Twitter user for almost six years. I was not sure what Twitter was at first and a bit skeptical and unsure of how this worked. A bit more than four years ago I began to follow sources on Twitter and I found it superior to RSS feeds that I had been reading up until then. Andrew’s talk provides yet another application of Twitter and invites the viewer to consider yet other ways which Twitter empowers its users both active and passive to be part of an international multiple point broadcast network. Virtual Abbey is one such application of Twitter. Virtual Abbey tweets the Liturgy of the Hours each day. It’s a unique application of Twitter. I’ve found that using Twitter for conversation forces me to be more succinct and it also helps me to appreciate the power of just a few words. Andrew’s talk is an invitation to consider the similarities between Twitter and the early days of radio. I’ve found Twitter a great way to follow sporting events that are not broadcast of blacked out locally. Thanks Andrew for a great talk.
[ted id=1841]
Yoga for teachers
In the past year I’ve discovered that there are many teachers who are stressed about a variety of things. For many it involves high stakes testing and tying their evaluations to the results of those tests. For others its a combination of raising a family, higher fuel prices, uncertain futures, children in college and more. I’ve been taking yoga classes locally and one at Bikram Yoga in Tempe, Arizona when I was on vacation this past February. I’ve found in all of this a relaxation and stress relief that not only works but also invites others to respond the same way. There are some in our society who classify Yoga as a religion and some go so far as to insinuate sinister forces in operation at its core. Those assertions are not grounded in reality but they do keep some from seriously investigating this practice and applying it to their own lives.
My approach to this discourse has been Franciscan. I have let my activity, actions, reactions and other people’s reactions to me be the testimony of my practice. I’ve found other Franciscans who practice Yoga too. Of much greater importance is a natural method to deal with stress and improvement of one’s life and the lives we touch each day. Who among us doesn’t witness the reactions of our pupils to these incessant high stakes tests. Add to that the normal stresses of growth and maturation and you have a climate that invites bullying and other negative behavior.
This year I used some simple practices like mindful breathing to reverse these conditions with students. Each class period we began with six deep breaths. This mindful moment focused the children and calmed them too. It provided a natural break between the excitement of passing from class to class to the learning environment and it brought more oxygen into their blood which helped them to be more alert and focused too.
Each day prior to class I spent a few minutes in downward facing dog and forward bends along with mindful breathing to help me relax and prepare for my time with the students. I know that this was reflected in my teaching and my other interactions with them each day. Recent interactions with some of my peers invited me to consider how I could share my experience with other teachers and encourage them to consider yoga for themselves and their students too.
Concentric anachronism
This morning I sit in a library that I used to frequent 41 years ago. The books may have changed, the shelves may be rearranged, but the the place looks much the same. Inside this room is a circle of educators examining how the 1970 model still works today. I feel like I’m at a living museum. Education is a living museum. These are very good people perpetuating an anachronism. How can we change the paradigm to reflect the post-information/post-industrial age in which we live? How do we prepare today’s learners for careers that don’t even exist today? What are the skill sets that we should be emphasizing? Does teaching global studies in an age of Wikipedia and Twitter still make sense? I don’t mean to pick on global studies either. You substitute another subject and ask yourself the same question.