April 06, 2023

TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

I originally wrote this about 10 years ago. It's slightly edited to correct typos and clarify information. Overall, this is a snapshot of technology.

I was asked how technology has changed in the classroom since I started teaching. In 1995, some teachers had a classroom computer and most schools had a lab.


During that first year of teaching, I approached one of our administrators about needing a couple of new computers for my students. I taught English and journalism, and I was able to gettwo brand new computers with Pentium 133 MHZ processor. I don't remember what that exactly meant, but it was good for 1995. They also had a hard drive, maybe a 2 Gb. They might have been five, I'm not sure. Anyhow, I felt good about that. I returned after Chirstmas Break and they were in my classroom/office.


As the journalism teacher, I was lucky enough to have some Macintosh computers, as well. And by some, I mean, two. One had a small hard drive and the other didn't have one. After a semester, we quit using those. (Editor’s Note: Instead of disposing of these machines, we should have kept them. They are probably worth a bit on Ebay — which did not exist in ‘95).


PageMaker was relatively new and unknown at the time, but we had version 4.2 on the Macs. It wasn't worth using, but we did some mock ups and cuts and pastes. I also came across a bootleg version of PageMaker 5.0 that I could use with my other district–issued computer: the  Gateway. I also was able to borrow another teacher's Gateway because she never used it and I told her she could "house it in my classroom." I found ways to get computers.


Back in ‘95, we didn't have the Internet, but suddenly we were able to go into the "head end" room and use a computer with our new email addresses to communicate. Well, actually, we had to use our own email addresses, but we would eventually be receiving district e–mail addresses. There was only one computer set up this way. I remember trying to get in there early in the morning to "check email." Wow, this was so 1995.


Most teachers back then didn't really incorporate technology. But it began to change during the next few years. We were able to receive the Technology Literacy Grant at that school and make some major changes and upgrades. We spent money using stipends and such to get teachers trained on email, Microsoft, etc.


Times began to change and by 2000 we had "a lot of" teachers getting "with the program."


I can't imagine how fun it must be to be a teacher these days with the Internet, with collaboration, with the endless supply of information. If all the other political mumbo jumbo didn't come with the package ...


November 30, 2022

Sometimes You Roll Sevens

Tigers' Mistakes Personified 

I actually do not remember writing this blogpost in July 2015. 20 Days later, Dombrowski was jettisoned. Ironically, a few years later, he actually did join the Phillies. Many of my concerns about Avilia turned out to be founded. 

November 07, 2022

Well Maybe I Was Wrong/Right

 It's On (Revisiting History — Part I) 

Presumably, the prospects the Tigers acquired in the trade are top–notch talent

With the trade last week of veteran starting pitcher and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, the Tigers signaled that the rebuild was real. It was happening. 

Apparently, we didn't get that idea as the team jettisoned JD Martinez ahead of time. Then, at the non–waiver trade deadline the Tigers moved Justin Wilson and Alex Avilia to the Cubs for some prospects. 

Suddenly, on the playoff–deadline day, the Tigers shocked everyone by sending Justin Upton to the Angels and, with a minute to spare, Justin Verlander to the Astros

The Astros made total sense as a destination for Verlander. He's a stud, big game pitcher and the Houston Astros needed one of those. Presumably, the prospects the Tigers acquired in the trade are top–notch talent

The 'Stros have been building for 2017 for a long time, so the trade could be the final piece of the puzzle.



October 20, 2022

When Changing the Attitude Does Not CHANGE the Culture

FIRE MILLEN REDUX 

I rediscovered this today. Current Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell has allegedly changed the culture and moved forward after the few years under former Head Coach Matt Patricia. 


"*To me, the biggest reason is Rod (Marinelli)," Millen said. "I think he did a great job this year on a lot of fronts. If you remember back when I first got here, the very first thing I talked about -- the very first thing -- was the attitude. We had to change the attitude. Remember that? And I still believe that. I think that Rod has addressed that and has continued to pound it every single day. This is the first time I can see things are changing."

- Mr. Matt Millen, Former Boss of the Lions (2001 through 2008) 

He led the team that drafted Charles Rogers, Joey Harrington, and Mike Williams et al. 

He fired Gary Moeller and hired Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron,  and Rod Marinelli. Most of those head coaches lasted a season or two. So, Millen changed cultures several times. Marinelli lasted from 2006 through the 2008 season. 

So, what we are enjoying these days is nothing new …


[*Taken from The Detroit Free-Press, January 3, 2007]

October 18, 2022

Preparing a New Book for Release (or any piece of art)

WINNING isn't easy but it can be FUN 

Author's Bo Jackson biography drops on Friday


A few years ago, I was sitting in a hotel room in Florida when I found out about a contest just before it ended. But I had an idea so I submitted it to author Jeff Pearlman, a renown writer who specializes in telling true stories that read like novels. 

In The Bad Guys Won he puts you right back in the early '80s growing up with the Mets. In The Rocket That Fell To Earth, you feel like you know Roger Clemens and his family. Right now, as I read Boys Will Be Boys, I'm enjoying getting to know Jimmy Johnson's crazy team once again. Pearlman would prefer that you didn't give his Brett Favre biography the time of day. I'd highly recommend his expose on the USFL, Football for a Buck. His new one, The Last Folk Hero, drops on Friday. After sharing my idea, I added,
As a comparison, I have always thought it would be cool if musicians (we’ll use Kid Rock since I’m a Michigan person) would release some of their rough, demo material to their fan clubs for like a 24-hour period. Maybe it would just be streamed and not something that could be downloaded, but it would build up to the release of an album. If Kid Rock did that, I think it’s just different enough that it would further build his brand …  

About a year after my Pearlman contest victory, as Kid Rock prepped his album FIRST KISS, he released all the lyrics on Mondays leading up to the February 24, 2015, release. He also released one video as well as an audio video for another song. 

Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone from Kid Rock's camp read the post by Pearlman, but the marketing going into FIRST KISS was nothing short of awesome. The lyrics were cool to read ahead of time and try to determine what the song might sound like — and the videos have been actual songs. Furthermore, he also released a "behind the scenes" video for the making of the "First Kiss" video. Later, in 2021, he did a livestream 50th birthday party where he previewed songs from an untitled album that ended up being BAD REPUTATION
"That was a bad album," Rock says. "I didn't spend enough time on it at all…"

October 17, 2022

Always a Tiger. ALWAYS.

Two–thirds of the Ilitch years have been sub–.500


At one point around forty–ish years ago, probably because they won the first World Series I ever watched — and the fact that they had really cool hats — I was a Pirates fan. (Hey, those hats were cool!)


Then, because of ace reliever Tug McGraw and his quirkiness, I became a Phillies fan in 1980. (Don't forget that team had Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Steve Carlton, and a bunch of other guys. They were good.)

I thought Reggie Jackson was cool, so I was an Angels fan. (Reggie would hit 30 home runs in the new Yankee Stadium … and that cool cat is in his mid-70s!)

Yeah, but I was always a Tigers fan. (Always was, always will be … even during the rough years; Tigers fans have had more than their fair share).

In 1984, I journeyed through the end of sixth grade and into the beginning of seventh grade and the Tigers never fell out of first place. It was quite a year, first place wire–to–wire, not to mention the World Series champs. I even went to the clinch game for the ALCS and the first Tiger game in Detroit (Thanks, Grandpa for making that happen!) 

It seemed that we would probably win a few more World Series in the '80s, as the team was young, hungry, and well–managed. It didn't happen, though. 1987 was great until it wasn't … and by '88, the team was on its way down, down, down … and the '89 teams: ARGH! Seriously, did the alleged collusion affect any team worse than it affected the Tigers? 

The Tigers did some funny stuff through the next several years and in '02, they decided that Alan Trammell would manage the team. So, in 2003, Trammell and a bunch of cool dudes from the '84 team took over the Tigers. And, it was one of the worst seasons in Major League history. The Tigers finished 43–119, barely avoiding the worst record ever. Barely! 



October 15, 2022

Beyond The Tower Treasure

Back when I was a kid, I loved to read. Loved it. 

I still love to read. 

But before I loved to read, I wanted to love to read. 

I remember going to a big mall in Flint, Mich., with my mom and grandma. I would stare at the books in bookstores, wishing I could read them all. I especially thought the Hardy Boys series looked good. 

It would be a few years later, but I eventually read most of the hard cover series. Another bonus of going to the mall in Flint was that we could occasionally eat at Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers -- there weren't many in the state in the '70s.