Miscellaneous

A Busy Summer Ahead

Here in the Memphis, Tennessee area, we are entering our final week of the 2015-16 school year. For me, that includes finalizing plans for summer conferences and professional development offerings. As usual, I have overpacked my schedule and adding graduate school courses to the mix is probably going to push me over the edge. However, most of the conferences at which I am presenting involve sessions I’ve done before so they only need a refresh. Many of the gatherings will have me on the other side of the podium which is far more relaxing that overbooking myself with presentations. I am super excited to be able to see (and, in some cases, meet for the first time face to face) so many in my PLN.

Here is where you might run into me over the next couple of months:

North Alabama Featuring Google for Education – June 2 & 3, Florence, AL (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; BreakoutEDU)

Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Teacher Academy – June 6, Memphis, TN (Attending)

LSS Technology Session – June 8 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Drawings)

LSS Technology Session – June 9 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Slides)

Illinois Summit Featuring Google for Education – June 15 & 16, Homer Glen, IL, outside Chicago (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; Build Your Own Chrome Extension; Getting Started with Google Apps Script)

LSS Technology Session – June 21 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Docs)

LSS Technology Session – June 22 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Forms)

PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator Summit – June 25 & 26, Denver, CO (Attending)

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2016 – June 27, 28, & 29, Denver, CO (Mostly attending. Will be presenting “Hands on Activities w/Google Drawings” at the ISTE Google Playground (Table 3) on June 28 at 2 pm.)

LSS Technology Session – July 6 (Presenting: Become a Google Apps for Education Guru)

EdCamp US Department of Education – July 8, Washington, D.C. (Attending but hope to facilitate a session)

Tennessee Educational Technology Association (TETA) Summer Institute 2016 – July 12, 13, & 14, Collierville, TN (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; BreakoutEDU)

TETA Summer Institute 2016 Teacher Day – July 15, Collierville, TN (Presenting and Event Chair)

LSS Technology Session – June 19 (Presenting: Hands on with BreakoutEDU)

LSS Technology Session – June 20 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Classroom)

Tech Day at West Carroll / McKenzie Special School Districts – July 21, Atwood, TN (Presenting: Google Classroom; BreakoutEDU)

Google Geo Teachers Institute 2016 – July 25 & 26, Mountain View, CA (Attending)

In and among all of that I will be spending some time visiting family and taking my last two pre-dissertation courses through The University of Memphis: IDT 8600 – Seminar in IDT Research; EDPR 8562 – Designing Qualitative Research.

I hope to run into you at one of these events. I am very much an introvert and quite shy but love meeting folks from my PLN and talking about education and all things techie. If you see me, please say hi.

 

 

Make a Soldier Smile

Powtoon has a great way to honor our fallen heroes and veterans this Memorial Day by reaching out to those who continue to serve and protect our country!

SmileThey are calling on teachers, students, military family, friends, and anyone else who would like to salute our men and women in uniform (past & present) to create and send a personal video message to a veteran or soldier stationed abroad.

This takes less than 5 minutes.

  1. Select one of their special templates. Templates are available for teachers/students as well as family/friends.
  2. You do need to log in to Powtoon but if you already have a Google account, you can sign in with Google.
  3. Edit the scenes of the template as you wish.

Powtoon workspace

  1. Save and click the Share button. You will be walked through the publishing process.
  2. Get the URL to the video and email it, post to social media, embed on a school website, etc.

Here is one I made in just a couple of minutes.

 

Also, if you know someone in the military who could help Powtoon spread this to more soldiers they would love to hear from you. You can email Ari at support@powtoon.com and they will follow up with you asap!

 

 

Have a Mac and No Ethernet Port?

When I purchased my latest Macbook Pro many months ago, I wasn’t happy that it had no Ethernet port. Sometimes, you just need to get the speed a network cable provides. So, if you have a Macbook Pro or Macbook Air that doesn’t have an Ethernet port BUT you have a USB port, consider doing what I did. I purchased an iLuv USB Ethernet Adapter. I got the one with two USB ports built in so I wouldn’t lose out on USB options. Here is the one I purchased (not an affiliate link – I make nothing off directing you to their site). They have other products but I haven’t tried them. I am, however, very pleased with this adapter. It allows me to wire up when needed (like my room at work that doesn’t get good WiFi) and the quality of the product is very good. I highly recommend it.

iLuv USB Ethernet Adapter
 

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Verizon, Lollipop, and My Samsung Galaxy S5

While not directly related to education, this situation is affecting my workflow and me so here I go.

My wireless provider is Verizon Wireless. Several months ago I made the switch from being a long-time iPhone user to the Android OS on a Samsung Galaxy S5. Until recently I found the switch to be good for me. The device plays better with my Google Apps workflow. The cost was reasonable. I added additional storage and know I can change my own battery if needed. I still use iOS on my iPad so apps purchased were not done in vain.

Last week the upgrade to Android Lollipop was released to Verizon Galaxy S5 devices. I had been watching the reviews other users have had over the last many weeks. It seemed fairly stable and so I upgraded with little hesitancy. The upgrade process was fairly quick compared to some iOS updates I’ve had in the past. Sadly, the problems became evident just as quickly.

Hot, hot, hot!Suddenly my phone was always hot. Not just warm. HOT. I am honestly surprised it hasn’t burst into flames.

The charge on my battery (which usually gets close to empty around 3 pm since I work in a building that blocks cell signals like crazy) ran down at an incredible rate. For a recent example, I sit at Starbucks typing this post and entered less than one hour ago with a fully charged phone. It’s now at 68%. The last several days my phone was completely drained by about 10 AM. Not acceptable.

When the problem first showed up, I hit the Verizon forums and found that other, many others, were having the same issues. I was reassured it was not all in my imagination but am not happy at all that, after 6500+ views, Verizon still hasn’t addressed the issue. If they would just come out and say they have discovered the problem and are expecting to have a fix soon, I would not be so frustrated.

The consensus is that a significant part of the problem is the Wi-Fi. The phone is constantly dropping and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi resulting in apps quitting and restarting which contributes to the heat and battery drain. However, even with Wi-Fi turned off, my phone is still experiencing the high battery drain so I tend to believe that the Wi-Fi issue may be increasing the heat which would, in turn, contribute to the battery drain (and eventual battery damage). I have noticed that as long as I have the phone on me and I’m moving about, the situation is worse. Whether that is from the pedometer (which is now turned off even though I like to use my phone as a pedometer) or if it is an issue with the accelerometer, I don’t know.

All I know is that Verizon needs to let their customers know what it going on. I shouldn’t have to have the Wi-Fi and pedometer turned off OR fear that my phone will spontaneously combust. Verizon certainly doesn’t hesitate to contact customers when they want to sell us something. Let’s see the same veracity from the customer service department as we do from sales team!

 

No More To Do Lists!

I am a list maker. Year-round I have my paper lists, Google Keep, various notebooks, Google Docs, and Evernote notes. This time of year I have lots of company as many I know are constructing lists resolutions for the new year.

Anyone who still uses Apple Stickies (or post-it notes stuck all over their computer) should really look at Keep. I think you would really like it.

Lists help me remember all the things I must do, need to do, and want to do. As I mark items off my lists, new items take their place. The order of priority often shifts (Keep makes this easy) and it used to depress me that the lists never got shorter. There needed to be an end, right? I’ve decided the answer to that question is “NO!” Not just because I have difficulty saying no and, in turn, frequently over-extend myself but because these lists are the action plan of my life.

action-blocks-logoThis year lists will certainly be a part my workflow but I am going to approach them more as action plans – little blueprints to guide my journey through the year. My personal action plan as I attempt to maintain good physical and mental health and connect more deeply with family and friends. My graduate school action plan as I work toward finalizing my dissertation proposal. My work action plan as I help our new school district continue Google Apps for Ed implementation and look toward the birth of a new middle school / high school. My PLE action plan as I continue to build to and interact with my PLN, explore topics of interest (like coding, design thinking, learning spaces, informal PD, and more), and step out of my comfort zone to present at more conferences. My GCT action plan as I work toward completing my Google Certified Teacher Innovation Plan.

I challenge you to think of your to do lists and lists of resolutions as your action plans for the coming year. Let them guide you into making things happen!

 

Back To Top