Written in 2011, I am revisiting this blog post as I make my first attempt at applying things I have learned about using the WordPress block editor. Until now I had resisted learning this, but the excellent Linkedin Learning course I am taking taught ( WordPress 5 Essential Training) by Morten Rand-Hendriksen has motivated me to learn.
Time to retool. Just had installed a new IMac in my lab with a new color laser printer. How things have changed from my TRS80 Radio Shack computer and “dumb” terminal days! [By coincidence, other day I was delighted to hear from my first student assistant, Larry Jost, who helped me program my TRS80 and coauthored our first publications Occasional Papers in Psychology. Also, today I was delighted to hear from emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Richard O’Farrell, who shared with me some of memories of the computer technology of the 1960’s].
Almost ready to take the plunge and to migrate my personal Mac Laptop Pro to the MAC Lion operating system. So much to learn…
I am blessed this year with an unusually talented group of bright, young, fun, eager-to-learn, student assistants. Just had my office dual operating system Mac Laptop (OS10.6 and Windows7) recloned with Carroll software. Have been playing with an Ipad and an Kindle. Gearing up for teaching the Research Seminar next semester (hope I get a few students!), and most importantly, just sharpened a new box of pencils and added to them extended erasers! Some needed school supplies never change!
Time to revisit. I see that Jane Hart is about to announce the final polling results of her Top-Tools-for-Learning List. Always worth revisiting, so I examined each of the 100 tools listed and will be directing my research assistants to a subset of them before I “cast my vote.” For me the critical questions are:
- Will mastering this tool increase the likelihood of my becoming a more effective teacher?
- Which of these tools will enhance my research and my research communication capabilities?
- Which of these tools do I want all my students to know how to use? (Which are best for freshmen versus seniors?)
- Which of these tools will be around in the next four years?
- Which of these tools serve me best when I am engaged in my nonacademic role as partner of Schneider Consulting?
- Among subsets of tool types, which best serve my needs?
- How much learning time do I or my students need to invest to use these tools?
- Are these tools portable across the browsers I most frequently use?
- Are these tools portable across the hardware I most frequently use and am about to explore?
- How much of the attractiveness of these tools to me is simply due to their “wow factor” and the fun they engender?
Stay tuned.
