Category: Uncategorized

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The Obama Legacy

I just watched a segment of “The Kelly File” where conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer said that the Trump presidency cancels out the Obama Legacy. I think that’s a very shortsighted comment. The people affected by the Obama presidency cannot be cancelled. The Republicans may finally get to repeal Obamacare and reverse legislation that was passed during the Obama presidency, but they will never be able to remove the indelible experience that those people who were lifted up by the Obama presidency. It’s presumptive indeed for such assertion. The genie is out of the bottle so to speak. The GOP may remove millions from healthcare for a period of time and while this will cause unprecedented suffering for the those affected it will not remove the love and affection that they have for the Affordable Care Act. Our daughter was one of the beneficiaries of the act.

Likewise there are other policies like the “Paris Climate Agreement” which may be revoked but it will not cancel the legacy. If anything such egregious activity will cement the Obama legacy. The American consciousness has been expanded and will never be the same. Does that commentator really believe that Americans will not remember with pride the eight years that the Obama’s graced the White House?  I believe the so-called conservatives are whistling in the dark. Out of the darkness and defeat of this election will arise a new progressive agenda forged by a new leadership driven by the Millenial generation who care deeply about the environment, health care for their families and burdensome college debt. President-Elect Trump’s victory is not a blessing for the GOP status quo of intransigence. On the contrary Candidate Trump walloped every GOP candidate in the primaries who espoused the tired rhetoric of confrontation and crony capitalism.  His populist message is much more about trashing the Washington elite than it is about a return to conservative principles. It will be an interesting time in America and one that many in both parties will find un-settling.

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The future is open

I came across a blog post from 8 years ago where I wrote about how I was working with students and talking about computers. In the post I shared that I used Ubuntu Linux as my operating system.  I still work with students and I still recommend Linux over any other operating system because there is something wonderful about software freedom. A lot has changed in 8 years. That was a time before Raspberry Pi and the iOT, Chromebooks, iPads and more. I was using a Blackberry as a mobile device then and an iPhone now. That was before FaceTime and Google Hangouts. In that time Linux has evolved too. It’s found in all the Chromebooks, Androids, and most everything else except iOS devices. Even Microsoft is using Linux these days. There are just so many things you can do with Linux. In addition to the open source operating system the Linux concept has spread to an entire open ecosystem that pervades not only software but philosophy too. Openness and transparency are becoming overarching goals of most forward thinking organizations. I always have enjoyed helping people. Linux and open source software help fuel that passion to assist others.

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Fixing LibreOffice after an upgrade to OSX El Capitan

I read an article this morning which stated that more developers use Macs than Linux and while I can’t disagree with that I am perplexed by my recent upgrade to El Capitan. My four year old MacBook Pro continues to perform well despite its age. I’m happy with that, but after upgrading to El Capitan from Yosemite yesterday, LibreOffice 5 no longer worked. I kept getting an error message about the need to install Java JRE. I’ve downloaded the Java packages from Oracle after reading some “how-tos” after doing some “googling.” I use my Linux laptop more for everyday so it’s not a huge inconvenience, but I’d really like to know how to solve this current problem.

There is a fix I’m happy to report and it involved downloading the appropriate JRE environment from Oracle for OSX 10.11.3. Then I deleted LibreOffice from my system and then downloaded and installed the most recent version of the software. After doing all that I had to open LibreOffice for the first time and then go to LibreOffice  -> Preferences  -> Advanced then select the version of the Java Environment which in my case was version 1.8.0_73. Highlight that selection, press “Add” and then “Okay” and you’re done.

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Ten Years and the Road Ahead

I’ve been blogging for ten years. A lot has changed in my life since then. Two children have graduated from college. Both of them are married and we have a grandson now too. In the ten years since I began this blog,  I returned to school and earned another master’s degree. In the process,  I met a lot of wonderful people and that broadened my life. I retired two years ago and I’m no longer a technology director nor a public school educator. I found that since I’ve retired I’m living a redirected life. I have more free time in one sense but I’m far from bored as I’m active in more public service than ever. In the past fifteen months, I’ve become a Community Moderator  at Opensource.com and in that role I’ve been able to give my time and talent to a cause much larger than me. I’ve had an opportunity to learn and grow in a new direction. Along with that and complementing it nicely I’ve become involved in the EdCamp movement and have attended a couple of conferences with plans for a third in April.

My blogging began as a question to myself and each time I have shared here I have gotten more answers. I have found that blogging is cathartic and instructive. It’s given me a voice I didn’t know I had. In the ten years since this experiment began I’ve met others,  I would not otherwise have met and grown in ways I could never have imagined. I’ve become a writer that I had never imagined possible. Some of my posts have drawn dozens of readers, some only a few and one drew over a thousand page views. I’m grateful for the journey.

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EdCamp is is an opportunity for learning you cannot afford to miss

I became aware of the EdCamp movement over a year ago through one of my Twitter contacts, Christina Luce. Since that time I’ve done a lot of reading about the EdCamp movement and I’ve been very impressed by what I have read. Recently I attended and participated in the EdCampCNY. I found it refreshing to be sitting around talking with professionals about solutions to everyday educational needs. I recently learned that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the EdCamp Movement two million dollars to continue this seminal work and to grow the movement. Because of my positive experiences with EdCamp I’ll be attending another EdCamp next week in Canandaigua, New York. Like all EdCamps it’s free and you can register by following this link.

Edcamp is a form of unconference designed specifically for teachers and their needs.  Unlike traditional conferences which have schedules set months in advance by the people running the conference, edcamp has an agenda that’s created by the participants at the start of the event. Participants attending the conference are encouraged to have discussions and hands-on sessions. Sponsors don’t have their own special sessions or tables, all of the space and time are reserved for the things the participants want to talk about.

Built on principles of connected and participatory learning, edcamp strives to bring educators together to talk about the things that matter most to them.  Educators who attend edcamp can choose to lead sessions based on their passions, interests and questions, with an expectation that the people in the room will work together to build understanding by sharing their own knowledge, experience and questions. — Kristen Swanson in Edutopia

Learn more about the EdCamp Movement here.

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The pristine beauty of fall along the Allegany

  
I love this valley and the view I have of it today. I’ve been blessed to live near here for thirty-seven years. It is the perfect location for my Alma Mater,   St. Bonaventure University. I have often wondered what guided those Franciscan Friars to this exact location. St. Bonaventure spoke of “the fountain fullness of God” and nowhere is that more evident than along these banks. 

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Massively Open Online Course

A couple of days ago I signed up for my first ever MOOC and then I visited the Coursesites.com and signed up for a course about Locating, Creating, Licensing and Utilizing OER (Open Educational Resources). MOOCs are potentially disruptive innovation.  They are free courses primarily from higher education institutions that have traditionally charged tuition for such opportunities. Regardless of the implications I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about open educational resources (OER). It’s an area that has interested me ever since I began to explore open source software and open source resources. I’ve found the course I’m taking to be very engaging and already I have learned a great deal. I’ve found out about Coursesites and Coursera. I’ve learned more about OER Commons and how to add your own open educational resource and license it properly using Creative Commons.  I’ve learned about resources that support the open educational resource community like Merlot.org and added to the knowledge I already had about other sites like CK-12 which allows teachers to create their own Common Core aligned texts which can be shared in a browser or on any tablet that can view portable documents (PDF).

Whether massive online courses are the future or not few can say. But one thing is for sure they along with pervasive broadband and wireless have changed the landscape of traditional higher education and will transform aspects of K-12 as well.

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Sustainability Sells

I just finished watching this TED talk on sustainability by the CEO of IKEA. It’s great that a business leader sees the imperative of sustainability and one that is actually saying that it makes sense for business. 

[ted id=1850]

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A school called to model Francis

Recently I met with the principal of a local Catholic high school who is attempting to resurrect the Franciscan tradition upon which her school was originally built. Declining vocations meant that the school had to be staffed with lay people and administered by them too.  There are members of the school’s governing board who would like to see a return to the school’s roots. There are few reminders of its rich Franciscan heritage nor of the Franciscan friars and nuns who once walked its corridors. But aren’t we all called to follow Christ and couldn’t we model this charism for faculty and students. Could this rebirth of the Franciscan Intellectual tradition be a model for others. Could the creation of an authentic community of teachers and learners modeled on the care of creation point and the celebration of the uniqueness of each individual mark the way forward?    The following quotation taken from the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order points the way.

“Together with all people of good will, are called to build a more fraternal and evangelical world so that the kingdom of God may be brought about more effectively. Mindful that anyone “who follows Christ, the perfect man, becomes more of a man himself,” let us exercise our responsibilities competently in the Christian spirit of service. Let us individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of our human lives and our courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, we should make definite choices in harmony with our faith. Let us esteem work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption, and service of the human community.”

Aren’t all students and teachers whether in public or private education called to conversion where knowledge becomes more than mere learning and instead begins to animate the life of the students and the faculty?   Franciscans celebrate life and creating a school where life in all its forms is celebrated and respected would provide a unique experience for the students. Imagine a school where care for all creation became a theme around which the school could unite.

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Gratitude

Lately I’ve been brimming with gratitude for a new beginning in my life. Grateful for the opportunity to begin another chapter in the book of life. “Sit finis Libris, non finis quaerendi.” That quote is found at the end of “Seven Storey Mountain,” which has been central to my life. August 31 was the end of one book and the beginning of another. I’m finding new life and purpose as a volunteer at a number of venues including Blount Library, The Warming House, Canticle Farm, Mt. Irenaeus and elsewhere. My days begin and end with yoga and meditation. Hot oatmeal, honey, flax seed and coconut milk are my companions too. Long walks, short naps and ample time to read highlight my days. Thank you for my life and retirement which is more like reinvent. Peace and all good.