Artificial Intelligence. Hmmm...

 I've been thinking a lot about AI (Artificial Intelligence) these days and will be writing about it here and in my professional blog Thoughts From The Field.  

Today I was asked a question about using AI to provide subjective feedback to students. I wrote some ideas on AI and subjective feedback at  Can AI Provide Subjective Feedback? . I've cross posted it here as AI is one of those things that makes me go hmmm...

There will be more posts on AI, general posts on what we can do with it and what we need to be aware of and specific posts about AI and education. I suspect I will post most of them to Thoughts From The Field and if I do I will cross post them here. Hmmm...

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Now We Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Winter...

It's been a very odd winter here so far - practically no snow in December or January, then torrential rains that caused flooding (a little bit of it in our basement - all good now. Thank you ServiceMaster!!) and generally spring like conditions.

Except for last Friday and Saturday when it fell to -37C with the windchill A real shock to the system. Power went out for four hours and it was so cold that our propane-powered backup generator didn't come on. Have you ever noticed that the power always goes out at night? For us it was about four hours in the dark (literally) and in that time the temperature in the house dropped to about 14.5C.  Given what was going on outside, that was quite impressive. 

Thank you to the power crews for getting the power back on.  House warmed up nicely and the outdoor temperatures are back to a range of 3C to -5 C here. And just to continue with our fun weather, tomorrow is 11C and raining.  Plants in the yard are having a hard time figuring out what to do. Keep this up and we'll have a bumper crop of kale (the horror!!the horror!!). Or maybe it's time to plant those orange trees...

But there is no climate change. Hmmm...

The Big Things That Make Me Go Hmmm...

These days, I have a lot on my mind. These are the daily observations and vicissitudes of life and they all make me go hmmm...

Then there are the larger issue and events and it's some of those that are the focus of this post. Impossible to list them all due to time and space, but the ones that follows are certainly front of mind right now. I suspect that this will be a regular post with some issues and events staying on the list and others fading away into history or a small dark corner of my mind.

I have a lot of interests, personal and academic. This blog is mostly for those things of personal interest that make me go hmmm... For the academic interests, most of them can be found on my professional blog Thoughts from the Field on my consulting Web site Birch Hollow Consulting. But just to be contrary today, I'm going to list them all to get started. I will cross post when I want to share all of those hmmms...

So let's start with those big things that are personally making me go hmmm...

• Climate Change - as I look out my office window on to a verdant front lawn on the 19th of January, I have what we are in for weather wise and its associated impacts and costs. We're supposed to get our first real snowfall of the winter tomorrow (10-15 cm forecasted), while globally the weather over the last few months (and years) has gone wild - droughts, floods, atmospheric rivers, weather bombs - Mother Nature is isn't going to take it anymore The socioeconomic, political, infrastructure and human cost are massive and will continue to be. Grocery stores here have signs apologizing for a lack of produce due to weather and food security is an issue for many - and that's in the First World!
• Healthcare - the system isn't working the way the we want it to and fundamental change is needed. Efforts are being made but they have to be apolitical and focussed on results. The amazing frontline health workers provide incredible care in a system that sometimes seems to work against them. More to say on this too.
• U.S. Politics - Why did it take 15 rounds of voting to elect a Speaker of the House who had to sell his political soul to get the job?  Why is a congressman who seems incapable of telling any truth still holding his seat? Why are debunked conspiracy theorists holding positions of power?  Why isn't the former president (you know who I mean) not in jail? If they don't sort themselves fairly quickly and focus on their job, settle on a debt ceiling and budget that is not based on revenge, then the lights will be going out all over the World.
• War in Ukraine - geopolitics is indeed a murky place most days, but this is cut and dry - Russia has invaded a sovereign nation regardless of past history and connections.  The World has an obligation to do all it can to correct this wrong. All it takes for Evil to prosper is... 

 I don't want to write a tome today, so here are my current academic interests:

• Appreciative Inquiry - in my doctoral work focussed on organizational change and culture I used an Appreciative Inquiry approach to develop models for change. I like AI as it focuses on the positive and what it working well and stops organizations from getting bogged down in the bad. David Cooperrider is the father of AI and it is worth taking a look at his research.
• Artificial Intelligence - There's been a lot of talk about applications such as ChatGPT and how they are going to ruin education by letting students  easily cheat.  The advent of AIs like ChatGPT are an opportunity for a change in learning and assessment and really look forward to exploring the opportunities further. Plus the fact that two of my interests both have the same acronym is enough to make any one go hmmm...
• Competency- Based Learning - has been a passion of mine for years. By developing learning environments focussing on competencies and what students need and allowing them to learn and demonstrate skills and knowledge directly, is for me the best way to learn. A lot of work for educators but a better learning experience for students. I'll definitely be writing more on this and possibly even on how all three of my academic interests might come together.

So there we are. Hmmm...

Image from http://clipart-library.com/

Climate Change is Real, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

With apologies to Sergio Leone. This is a crosspost from my Facebook page:

Well here we are, 18 January 2023 and it’s almost T-shirt weather out (actually it is - I let the dogs out this morning in a t-shirt and shorts (me, not them) and it was nice and cool) - average temperatures must be close to 5-10 C above normal.

Back yard is green, devoid of snow and sodden. If it’s possible to have the water table above ground and not call it a lake, then that’s what we have here in the Valley.

There is a supposed 5cm of snow in the forecast for Friday but with the temperatures near 0C, God knows what we’ll get!!

Time to break our our new winter wear - raincoats and rubber boots. Have a great day, think cold, frozen ground thoughts and snow until April. Now if that isn’t a sign of climate change, I don’t know what is…

And from a later post:

Look at me!! Outdoor Christmas lights are down and put away and it’s not June!! Maybe there’s something to this climate change thing after all? Hmmm...

If there were any doubt that climate change is real, today should dispel it - high of 7C here in the Valley, a nice Spring Day on the 18th of January.As you can see from the crossposts above, a great day to be outside - dogs are loving it and the grass in the backyard has never looked greener in January. Question is, when will Winter start and when it does what will it be - looks like one with no skating on lakes, no snowmobiling and for those folks who plow snow, they're off to a great start.

The big issues are economic and social - growing season changes, too much water, too little water, things growing when they shouldn't in microclimates that aren't natural, invasive species moving North, the change of employment, particularly for seasonal folks, many more and an overall impact on ways of life today and into the future

We're past the point of not doing anything - the ugly of climate change is with us now and it appears to be just one more new normal to adapt to.

Interesting times...

My Recent Great Healthcare Experience At the Valley Regional

 There has been a lot written and said about the healthcare system in Nova Scotia, most not good and many would say well deserved. The Premier has promised to fix it, but it remains in a state that no one could call good. Two recent tragic deaths while waiting for ER care, for which there can be no excuses, have again brought the issues to the forefront. There are systemic, administrative and bureaucratic issues that must be resolved

I recently had a health issue (I'm better and on the mend) that resulted in me being transported to the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville via ambulance. I then spent most of 4.5 days in the hospital. This post is about my experience with our healthcare system from the perspective of the wonderful people I interacted with. I'll have more to say about the system itself in a future post

It was an amazing experience. From the arrival of the paramedics (one even checked in with me a day later to see how I was), to being cared for on arrival at the hospital and to my stay in the hospital, I received nothing but the best care from an amazing team of professional, engaged and carrying paramedics, nurses, technicians, doctors, volunteers and support staff who focus was solely on getting me well. Thank you to each and everyone of you, you are true heroes.

It was obvious though that they are all beyond busy and working in an environment that must be beyond stressful - ER rooms set up to hold patients, the need to always be in PPE and working with a full facility. I can only imagine the stresses of the past three years and I commend our healthcare workers for their dedication, passion and perseverance. It could not have been easy.

There may be many things not right with our healthcare system, but there is nothing wrong with the frontline individuals responsible for the great care we receive. They do amazing work every day and I cannot thank them enough...

Image by DilokaStudio on Freepik

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Here we are a few years into Year 4 of the Virus 20s (The Roaring Covids?) and time to look back at the past year and forward to this one.

The pandemic is still with us, with XBB. 1.5.5 the latest variant to be concerned about. This lovely genetic marvel apparently evades current vaccines so it's life as new normal - boosters, masks, social distancing and being just plain careful. For the anti-vaxxers and Covid deniers, good luck!

Looking Back:

• We lost the Queen, a profound loss for millions. As someone who holds the Queen's Commission, I will miss her dearly. Her passing is the end of an age.
• Covid continued doing its thing, I am so used to wearing a mask now when out, I feel incomplete without it.
• Completed my first full year as a senior citizen and am really liking all those discounts - shopping is planned around Seniors' Days now...
• I became one of tens of thousands of Nova Scotians without a family physician when mine tragically passed away. Dr. Marsh, you are missed.
• Started my consultancy, Birch Hollow Consulting, hoping to be able to help folks and pass on my many years of experience in leadership, change, teaching and learning and education. Check out my professional Blog - Thoughts From the Field.
• Blue Jays didn't win the World Series, again but always next year. We won't mention the Leafs...
• We may have seen the end of Trumpism - the fall midterm elections didn't really go the GOPs way and there are even some Republicans distancing themselves from him - even his announcement of another presidential run landed with a meh.

Looking Forward

• We're all going to have to get used to saying King Charles and remembering that is now "God Save the King".
• As this year begins and we see the mess that is the start of the 118th Congress, I am wondering if we are seeing the end of the Republican Party? 
• Sometime this year there will be a Speaker of the House
• I hope to get a family physician in 2023, in the meantime, it's walk-in clinics and emergency departments - not the best way to run a health care system, but what we have is still better than most.
• I remain eternally optimistic that the Blue Jays will again make the playoffs and this year go farther. As for the Leafs...
• Climate Change continues to be a headline. It's four days into the New Year and we have yet to see below 0C temperatures (there is a promise of messy weather tomorrow). This keeps up and I may think of planting palm trees in the back yard.
• Nothing will change for me on the Covid front - I will continue to be boostered, will wear a mask most everywhere and keep my distance from folks, even those I like.

Whatever happens in 2023 here's hoping the good outweighs the bad and that joy and happiness outweighs woe and sorrow in our lives. Have a great one!

Climate Change - In Case There Was Any Doubt...

Seeing the aftermath of the storms that went through the US yesterday and here in Atlantic Canada, I hope that any doubt about climate change is long gone. Heavy snow, rains, lightning and tornados in the US and snow rain and winds here, including some dramatic shots of the Canso Causeway being swamped while drivers crossed (much braver than me). I'm sure if you looked closely there may have been a locust or two in there somewhere...

Winters here are now more sleet, rain, freezing rain and slushfests than the heavy snowfalls of my younger days. A White Christmas here is no longer a guarantee. Waterproof clothing is a must, and layers too as you never know just how cold, warm or wet it might be.

And summers - well, one look at Lake Mead or anywhere else there has been drought for many years says enough. The way things are going the next big pipeline from Canada won't be carrying Alberta oil, it'll be water. If there was ever something to go to war over...

The Night The Lights Went On In Georgia

It has always fascinated me that in many ways US politics carries more importance outside of the country than in it. Many of us spend more time following it than the politics of our own countries. This has become particularly true with Donald Trump's arrival and persistance on the scene. What will he say next, what will he do next, will he or won't he be found guilty of something and how could anyone vote for him, although those that have and do must have reasons valid to them (hopefully).

It appears though that Trump's star and influence may be fading - the Democrats did better than expected in the midterm elections this year and most of his endorsed candidates lost. More importantly many of the down ballot candidates who could have had great influence on the 2024 election cycle also lost and a greater sense of democracy seems to have taken over for now.

This is never more true than in Georgia - Senator Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker to retain his Senate seat. It took a runoff, again. Senator Warnock has been involved in 5 campaigns over the last few years - primary, election, runoff, election and runoff. He must is one of the most experienced campaigners today. Even give that experience, his victory over Mr. Walker was not a foregone conclusion. The election night map showed the urban (democrats)/rural (GOP) divide that seems to becoming the norm in politics not just in the US but in a lot of places.

The fact that it was so close is another example of why much of US politics makes folks go hmmm... Even GOP members and pundits questioned Herschel Walker's suitability as a senate candidate  and he did little during the campaign(s) to refute their concerns, yet he forced a runoff and came close to winning. I do feel sorry for him given the treatment he received form the media and how he was abandoned by the man who endorsed him in the first place. A future risk, given how candidates are treated, will be finding good people to run. 

The end result though was the lights did come on in Georgia, the Democrats hold a clear majority in the Senate and they are on much more stable ground heading into 2024. For no this bodes better for all of us. The fact is US politics has global scope and influence that are inescapable.

US politics will continue to daze and confuse and remain a concern of the World. Here's hoping they get it right for all of us...

(With apologies to Vicki Lawrence)

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Things That Make Me Go Hmmm... The Digest

 There's lots of things these days that are making me go hmmm... (or worse), so thought the easiest way to get them out was to create a digest of some of them...

• Moved to Mastodon, so far I like it better than Twitter. So far there does not seem to be any of the crazy that seems to have taken over the little blue bird. Check it out!
• It seems that even Republicans are finally starting to notice what many of us have seen for years - that Donald Trump is not the best candidate they can have for 2024 (or for any election for that matter). Just his dinner companions should give pause, let alone everything else. Maybe money will talk and move on.
• In the province where I live there were 10 deaths, 31 hospitalizations and 500 new cases of Covid last week. Add to that RSV and the flu and we're are still in a pandemic soup. Get vaccinated, wear a mask and social distance please!
• If you think climate change isn't real, then explain how we still have vegetables growing in late November. Or is Swiss chard simply indestructible?
• Congrats to Team Canada for winning the Davis Cup - very cool,
  and to the Men's Soccer team for representing Canada so well at the World Cup. (if there ever was an event that makes you go hmmm...)
• My life is run by a 10 pound Yorkie and I am completely OK with that...

A Pair of Dimes Shift

 Hard to believe that it has been over six years since my last blog post. I stopped because I was concerned about potential conflicts with my job and the college I worked at, not wanting to say anything that might reflect badly on it - this was my choice, not the institution's,

Now that I am retired I face no such restrictions or ethical issues, so here I go!

Let's start with the pair of dimes (paradigm?) shift of retirement. I've been at it for a little over 18 months and I think I'm beginning to get that hang of it. Everyday is Saturday, a lot less meetings and no commute have become luxuries. After a life time of work, it's been an interesting transition to being left to my own designs. The cool thing is I can do pretty much whatever i want to do and it if doesn't get done today, there is always tomorrow. I am able to picj and chose and do things I want. This includes being on the board of Digital Nova Scotia and being a director of the Army Cadet League of Canada (Nova Scotia). It's good to stay engaged.

One of those things I want to do more of is write - here on this blog where I will again look at things that make me go hmmm... and on my professional blog Thoughts From the Field where I will write and talk about education, leadership, change, organizational culture and other issues and topics related to teaching, learning and creating better environments for students and their educators. I have started a consultancy, Birch Hollow Consulting as a way to keep busy, continue my academic research and hopefully give back to the fields of education and leadership. If you need advice or help with what your organizations are up to, let me know.

So here I am, back and ready to go - so many things that make me go hmmm... and now the time post!

A New Year - Endings, Beginnings, and Other Things...

Here we are at the beginning of another year - out with the old, in with the new, a time to look back and to look forward at what's going to be.

It's nice to be back back writing and a quick look back at 2015 tells me it was  pretty good year, everyone happy and healthy and despite an ever increasingly crazy and angry World, my corner of it is pretty good, happy, warm, and safe.

The biggest event for me from the past year was our federal election in October - with the majority win of the Trudeau-led Liberals bringing fresh air and vitality into the political scene, I feel more Canadian than I have in years. The previous Harper government was doing its utmost to create an American presidency in Canada and thankfully they didn't succeed. Interestingly enough with the defeat of the provincial Conservative government in Newfoundland and Labrador by the Liberals, there is now not one single conservative government at the provincial level (although the Saskatchewan Party and premier Brad Wall are definitely conservative in philosophy) - the broom swept well. It will be interesting to see where Canada is at the end of 2016...

As 2016 unfolds I'm looking forward to less of a Winter than last year (not sure it can get worse - there can't be that much snow left!!), better organizing my time to do things - read, blog, exercise and be happy :-) (these aren't resolutions, but an attempt to be better at doing what makes me happy). I want to spend more time with my dog Max, who is such an amazing, loving, giving animal and deserves that from me, with close friends and family, and all in all focus on enjoying life!!

Here are some of the other events that I'll be watching in 2016:

• The presidential election in the US - election night is 8 November, my birthday - not sure if that is a present or not - feels more like watching the decline of the American Empire - specially if Donald Trump is a legitimate candidate...
• Summer Olympics in Brazil - maybe the last big Olympics? Venues not finished or scaled back, and enough pollution to be a serious health hazard - I hope it goes well and all are safe
• Chaos in the World - refugees, terrorism, ISIL, will be interesting to see where we are at the end of the year - all I know is that the World is fundamentally changed

And then there is the biggest event of the year, my 60th birthday - bring on those senior discounts!!

Hmmmm...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

With apologies to  Edward Pola and George Wyle and to Andy Williams, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year - now is, at least it is here at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). It is convocation time at NSCC - as a pan-provincial community college with 13 campuses across Nova Scotia, from Yarmouth to Sydney, we have 17 convocation ceremonies over the next two weeks. A total of 4719 graduates will cross the stage at their campus ceremonies to receive their diplomas or certificates from our president.

As a dean of the College, I have the honour and great pleasure of attending the convocation ceremonies. As an educator, parent, employer, legislator, friend, or acquaintance, if you have ever doubted the transformational power of education, run, don't walk to the convocation ceremony nearest you - you will see happy, joyful graduates, families, friends and communities, but more importantly you will see confident, assured adults ready to take on the World in their chosen professions, to be successes, to have changed their lives and the lives of their families and communities.

As an educator, if you have ever doubted that what you do matters, all it takes is one little girl's voice echoing across the stage "Way to go Daddy" as her father accepts his credential - that is why we do what we do! It really is the most wonderful time of the year...

Back To Blogging... and Slogging!!

I'm baaack!! With a little push from my friend bitdepth (check out his blog it's very cool!). Seems like forever since I have posted anything and turns out it has - no real excuse, I haven't run out of things to say or thoughts that make me go hmmm..., just never seemed to get around to it. Plus there were those whole Twitter and Facebook distractions - but I'm back - really, I am!...

So tonight thought I'd post about something I've been up to - as I sit here dripping on to the keyboard - I'm just in from what I affectionately call (well, not so affectionately when I'm actually doing it...) slogging - think of it as periods of walking interrupted by periods of very slow jogging (slow + jog = slog- elementary!! :-)). The good news is that I slog now more than I walk and I'm out about 45-60 minutes a slog - my city is a good one for slogging - pretty, with lots of hills and flat bits (I'm really good at finding the flat bits and downhills). I feel great and I know I'm fitter, so I'll keep it up until the snow flies and then I'll head to the gym for the winter...

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A new feature here is that I plan on ending with a link or site that I find useful or interesting or one that just makes me go Hmmm.... Today's site is Ron Berks's - Ron is Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics and Measurement at The John Hopkins University and a master of the use of humour in the classroom and of all things PowerPoint - check him out at LinkedIn too. Ron is amazing and very generous with amazing stuff (stuff is a technical term) and lots of wisdom for educators and presenters. Hmmm...

No More Anonymity...

Hi folks - I love your feedback, but I've turned off Anonymous comments because of all of the spam - getting tired of people and sites posting unrelated, irrelevant, and frankly unsavoury feedback on a blog that is supposed to be about things that make me go Hmmm..., not Yuck!......

Sugata Mitra - the Child Driven Education

This is from TED.com and is an amazing presentation from Sugata Mitra, on experiments and studies he has done on children in remote areas teaching themselves to use computers with NO assistance - amazing stuff and proof that children will learn what children want to learn - something as educators we can all keep in mind...



Hmmm...

Back Up Out Of The Twitter Rabbit Hole And Other Musings...

Hard to believe that it has been almost six months since my last blog post - I truly did fall down the Twitter rabbit hole - was (and is) to type out that quick and witty (well I think they are witty) 140 charcter stream of consciousness than it was to sit down and think of something almost sensible to say...

Another advantage of Twitter is that with TweetDeck, I could kill two birds with one stone - tweet and post to Facebook (in fact other than Birthday greetings, I have not used the Facebook interface since I installed TweetDeck almost a year ago...).

While I find Twitter a good way to stay in touch and to get info - depending on who you follow it's almost a "headline" RSS feed - there is still very much room in my life for a blog and for other folk's blogs too (although I must confess I have not looked at Netvibes in months either - something I must get back too.

We're nearing the end of another full and busy academic year here at the College - convocation is next week and we are already in next year mode - seeing prospective students, looking at enrollment numbers (ours are great!), and all in all getting sorted out for another academic year - there is no longer any "down" time...

The two big pieces of tech news for me over the last few months are all Apple related - the release of the iPad and today's announcement of the new iPhone 4 - there is definiteky an iPhone 4 in my relatively immediate future, as for the iPad we have oredered some to try as teaching and learning platforms and to become more informed about their capabilities as we know students will strat showing up with them this fall.

I see the iPad as primarily a consumption machine, not a creation machine - Ira David Socol on his SpeEd Change blog has an interesting post on the iPad - check it out. I think the jury is still out on if the iPad can be successfully used as a learning tool in PSE - I suspect that in some programs it can and in some it cannot. I plan on using one this summer and fall as my " go to meetings" machine - note taking, file retrieval etc. I'll post on how it goes.

My cross Canada virtual trek continues - I think I'm somewhere in Saskatchewan I'll be updating those posts shortly - I did the Bluenose Marathon 5 KM walk/run this year for the third time - my goal was sub 50 minutes and I finished in a chip tine of 50:07.9 (shouldn't have tweetd at the 1 Km mark :-)). You can see my hard-earned medal above...

Well it is so good to be back up from deep in the Twitterverse - I've really missed that 141st character and all the ones that follow. Time to think and muse on what will be here next. Hmmm...

Looking Back 2009 - Looking Forward 2010...

So here we are - the end of one year and the beginning of another - time to look back and look forward - the adventures and opportunities of the year past and the adventures and opportunities of the year ahead...

2009 was a full and busy year - I began a regular gym routine which has morphed into a six-day a week routine - I'm in much better shape now than I was a year ago and fully expect to be in even better shape by the end of 2010. My virtual cross Canada trek from Halifax to Vancouver has me somewhere around Winnipeg right now (more posts to follow on that) - I hope to be in Vancouver by October or November 2010. The gym and fitness has become part of my life - a big lifestyle change for me. In 2010 I plan on running (well slogging - slow jogging) the Bluenose 5K - I've walked it the last two years. Also plan on playing more golf in 2010 than I did in 2009, but that will be u to the Golf Gods...

On the technology front 2009 was the year where Twitter became my most used Web 2.0 tool and Facebook declined in use - in fact if it were not for the ability of TweetDeck to simultaneously post to Twitter and Facebook, I might never use Facebook - although it is still my preferred tool for tracking Birthdays etc. As it is I use Greasemonkey scripts to customize facebook and get rid of a lot of the superfluous stuff that seems to spring up all over Facebook these days.

I also blogged less in 2009 but plan on doing more in 2010 - Twitter took a lot of what I wanted to say, but some days I just need more than 140 characters. Twitter changed the way we look at and get news - look at the uprisings in Iran and the Haiti earthquake - Twitter got the news out to the world...

I'm still looking for that killer Web 2.0 app that will tie all these social media sites together - if you create it, you will make a fortune. I thnk in 2010 the desktop and operating sytems will become less relevant and the move to the cloud will continue. I wonder what impact that Google's Chrome OS will have? Google's influence will continue t0 grow - it will be a noun, verb, adjective, and who knows maybe even a preposition bythe end of 2010.

Devices will continue to shrink - more and more folks will use smartphones an netbooks to connect - I can't wait to see what Apple does with their tablet (iSlate, iTablet or who knows the Newton II?).

All in all 2009 was a great year and I'm looking forward to what 2010 brings. Hmmm...

Happy New Decade!!...

Well here we are the beginning of a new year and a new decade - It will be interesting to see what adventures and opportunities await in the year (and decade) ahead.

My plan is to spend more time blogging this year than last - life got away a bit - ended up havong a very bust Fall and got absorbed into Twitter a lot too - while I've gotten good at expressing myself 140 characters at a time, I'm not yet ready to abandon this long form of getting my thoughts out about things that make me go Hmmm... My inner "wordie" just can't stand the limitations of microblogging - it's maxi-blogging for me!

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2010 full of fun, adventures, challenges and opportunities - enjoy!! Hmmm...

Looking Back - Looking Forward - The Decades...

Well, here we are the end of one decade and the start of a new decade... Time to look back at where we were and look forward to where we are going.

• In 2000 I was working as a facilitator at ITI - the Information Technology Institute, one of two private IT companies that were to go bust early in the decade while I was working for them...
• In 2010 I'm now in my eighth year at NSCC and have found the best place to work for me. NSCC was just named one of the 50 best places to work in Canada - the only educational institution on the list...
• In 2000 I loved my Handspring Visor gray-scale PDA, but still depended on my paper DayTimer to keep me organized...
• In 2010 I use Outlook, my iPhone, Google Calendar, and text messages automatically sent to my cell phone to stay on track. Oh yeah and my DayTimer (some things never change...)...
• In 2000 I was using "high speed" wired Internet access on desktop computers to look at mostly static information push sites - Altavista was my favourite search engine...
• In 2010 I'm using much faster high speed, mostly wireless Internet access on my laptop, cell phone, iPhone, and iTouch using all sorts of Web 2.0 pull technologies delivering to me automatically the information I'm interested in (RSS, blogs, wikis....) and Google is my favourite search engine and so, so, so much more...
• In 2000 Web sites were predominantly static, presenting information the way the developer put it on the site - tables were cool and there wasn't a lot of downloading of information...
• In 2010 web sites are dynamic, customizable and present a user-centric experience allowing users to create an online experience that works for them. Downloading information is the norm...
• In 2000 buying something online was not a regular occurrence for a lot of folks...
• In 2010 many companies make more money from online transactions than they do from "brick" stores and in fact many are solely online - who hasn't heard of Amazon?...
  
• In 2000 I watched my favourite TV shows when they were scheduled, or I recorded them on my VCR...
• In 2010 I can choose to watch my favourite TV shows in high-definition, when they are scheduled or recorded on my DVR, time shifted, or not even on TV at all - watch them online or download them and watch at my leisure - even but them from the Apple Store to watch on an Apple TV or download them and show them on a Western Digital TV Live...
• In 2000 my main sources of information were still the "old media" tools - newspapers, magazines, radio, TV - remember book? :-)...
• In 2010 my primary source of information is the Internet and I'm giving my library away...
  

So over the last ten years things have gotten faster, user-centric and dynamic - I've moved from bulky and comparatively slow desktop computer systems to laptops and handheld devices - I can do things with my iPhone that I could not do with a year 2000 desktop computer. The sea of information available on line has now become a tsunami of information and the decisions we make now are to be skimmers or divers, but probably not both - as an educator I notice students who know a little about a lot of things, but probably have less depth of knowledge that they did 10 years ago. That may not be a bad thing, providing we teach them the information literacy skills they need to find that depth of information when they need it...

So where will be be in 2020? Here are some of my predictions for the next decade:

• The desktop computer as we currently know it will be gone - replaced by a multitude of highly customizable devices in a variety of sizes from pocket-sized handhelds, to information "walls" that will combine all forms of media - wires will be a thing of the past too - everything delivered wirelessly at speeds way beyond where we are today with Wireless-n or even Wimax...
• Many of the current media and information sources will be gone or significantly altered to allow for user customization - it will all be about the user and what they want
• Search technology will be real-time - this will have huge implications for education and the way we educate...
• Most students will learn through online or blended deliveries using personal learning environments, PLEs, that work for them - many of the best educational institutions will have an online presence only
• Technology will be less obvious and more immersive - whether that's holography, 3D (although I can't see running around with goggles all day), or a technology not yet considered, information will be all around us - simply just "there"
• The sheer volume of information will reuire search algorithms and technologies that have yet to be created, creating significant paradigm changes in how information is delivered, searched and made sense of - information literacy will be the single most important set of skills a person can have...
• The multitude of Web 2.0 tools that we are using today - RSS, blogs, wikis, Twitter, social media, Flickr and on and on and on will be consolidated into one-stop tools taht will do it all based on what you want it to do
• Operating systems - Windows, OSX, and all the flavours of Unix/Linux will be consigned to history, replaced by instant on access to the cloud - guess that would be Web 3.0 or even Web 4.0...
• Data storage will not be on the hard drives we use today - that technology will get exhausted sometime in the next decade - devices will be fast with some local storage, but most data will be in the cloud where it can be collaboratively accessed and used...
  

I have no idea if any of these things will come true - just my random musings. Will be interesting to see where we go over the next ten years - all I know is that it'll be an adventure. Hmmm...


(Photo - Janus Coin by Marco Prins)

The Joys Of Modern Air Travel...

As I write this, I am sitting in the Maple Leaf Lounge at the Ottawa airport awaiting my flight to Halifax which departs in about 90 minutes (I was in Ottawa fro Christmas). I've already been here for 60 minutes, taking heed of the Transport Canada and Air Canada warnings to arrive three hours before my flight due to the new travels rules in place as a result of the aborted terrorist bombing in Detroit.

I have absolutely no issues at all with the new regulations (except for the one saying nobody could get out of their seat in the last hour of a US bound flight - luckily cooler heads prevailed - that one could have gotten messy...). I just find it somewhat ironic that it was a failed attack and yet seems to have had the desired result of increased delays and inconveniences.

I must compliment the security staff here at the Ottawa airport - they were friendly, courteous and professional - I can only imagine how hard that must have been to do with all of the reported delays of the last few days - it's the front line folks who take the abuse. Today there were few delays getting through security even though I was randomly selected to be patted down, so here I am spending 2.5 hours waiting for my plane (old military habits die hard - I spent a lot of years at military air terminals two hours ahead of departure and that was for flying on Yukons and Hercs!!...). All I can say is if you travel regularly by air these days and you do not have lounge privileges, GET THEM!, it's the only way to travel these days.

So wherever you may be off to, safe travels and get to the airport early. I'm off to have a free cup of tea. Hmmm...