Moving.

I have discovered what I believe to be the source behind the lack of posts on this site: It's too hard to keep up with half a dozen blogs. It's that simple. I've tried to keep my professional blog here and my personal blog separate, and that led to frustration, guilt over not posting, and a general lack of quality over all, though mainly on here.

So, I am moving the posts from here to my regular blog: www.poppedinmyhead.com in order to keep myself consistent and accountable.

The old posts will remain here, but all new posts will appear on poppedinmyhead. In order to help you find posts relevant to my work, I will tag the posts as "work life" along with other tags as appropriate.

I appreciate anyone who has come by, and I encourage you to follow me in my move.

Thanks for reading!
--David

Not yet half the day

Not yet half the day has gone by, and I feel as though I have accomplished quite a bit. For starters, we have Michael J. Graham in the house! He is the author of "Google Apps Meets Common Core" through Corwin Publishing. Of course, around here, we've known him through his connection to and participation in the TIE program we host.  It's been fun listening from another room.

Why another room? Because I have been setting up a new set of laptops that we will use as a portable station to move throughout the building to various workshops as needed. I think this is a great move on the co-op's part to help provide technology to areas where that technology has been lacking.

I sent my request for my replacement Nexus 7. Let's just hope everything goes well. For whatever crazy reason, mine will not come on. Not even the "Hold power for 30+ seconds" trick works with this one. I can also hear a weird buzz coming from the back when I plug it in. Sounds to me like the battery is shot. The warranty does not cover a power spike, and so far as I can recall, it hasn't suffered one of those.  We'll see how the Google team responds. I have enjoyed my Nexus.

I've also been working with the Director and new Teacher Center Coordinator on a few in-house projects, and that always presents different challenges to solve various problems. It is one of the reasons I enjoy what I do. Sometimes, we are given a challenge that forces us to think differently or to grow professionally (and sometimes personally).

So, the day is not half over yet, and it is time to get back to the grind before lunch!

Learning Lessons

This year, I am heading up several projects in addition to my regular duties. These additional projects are beyond my 'normal' work hours, but require some special TLC to get them going. It's a new opportunity for professional and personal growth, for sure.

Yesterday, I realized that my old way of keeping up with various needs, programs, projects, etc, just isn't going to work. What was the old way? I'd simply remember what was on the 'do to' list.

For now on, I will make use of my note-taking apps on my phone (since I carry that with me at most times) to keep track of projects, rollouts, etc.  Sure, most folks have that figured out already. But, I had always been really good at keeping everything in the space between my ears. Over the years, that space has been getting fuller and fuller.

I think the key to any success is recognizing when things aren't working and then being able to adapt. In education, the saying is "monitor and adjust." I am doing just that.

Getting back up to bat

It is the start of a new fiscal year for us, so I am going to try posting here more often. I discovered, I think, the reason behind the sporadic, lackluster posting on here: purpose.

When I started this blog, I did so because I needed a place to record my activities as part of the grant that funds my position. Frankly, it was a chore to write things every day. And, so I did not write every day. In fact, I got to where I loathed writing here. It was too much like work itself, and I keep busy enough with my actual job to add this to the list of things I "have" to do.

So, this year, I'm taking a different approach. I am going to use this space as a means for journaling what I learn, what I'm not learning, and where I am (or not) growing.  I'm hoping this new perspective will keep my writing about my work without feeling burdened by the process.

The past few days, I have been working with the DL Coordinator in replacing an old piece of CIV equipment. That involved pulling out the old cameras, cabling, and codec. Then, we installed the new cameras, cabling, and codec.

The toughest part of the job, though, was pulling everything out of an old Smart Sympodium we have. You see, that cabinet not only houses a PC for presentation purposes, but also houses the codec used for CIV conferences. Over the past decade or more, that cabinet has seen all kinds of equipment come and go. Each time, it appears that new wires were simply added instead of using what was already in there. It was a mess. Now, it is MUCH cleaner and neater.

Since this is Wednesday before the long 4th of July holiday, there won't be much going on. I am starting the day by meeting with the Prescott tech folks to look over a classroom in which one of our early childhood programs will occupy. We're going to look at network drops, Smart Board placement, etc. After that, I'll be headed to the office.

There is no telling what I will learn today!