Google Forms & an iPod Touch

As a Technology Integrator for our Middle School, I've been "playing" (isn't that what us GEEKS do?) with an iPod Touch and Google Docs to see how they can support each other. Most of all, I'm trying to see how the "forms" part of the spreadsheet can help in a classroom.

Here's what I've come up with so far - First tried forms with a simple survey to the teachers about what type of computer they want when the capital outlay process rolls out next year - desktop or laptop, and any special considerations for that machine. Initial experience very promising, but not perfect. Biggest mistake was that, not wanting to send it from my gmail account, I mailed the form to myself and then distributed from there on my school account. The form was in the forwarded email, so after staff filled out the form, but when they "submitted," it took them to the "real" form on the web, so they had to do it all again. Next time, I'll simply include the link and save them some time and effort. Glad it was a simple form.

Next experiment is with classroom observation and the iPod Touch. Created a form for observing student posture in 6th keyboarding class, and sent it to myself on my gmail account, which comes up on my "Touch." What I wanted was to walk around the room, enter info into the form and have it automatically fill out the spreadsheet with my observations. Then, enter grades at the end of the class, print for documentation, and be done with it.

The first form had "drop down" choices which, in theory, are good, but don't play well with a "Touch" because it will automatically submit the form before you are ready. So I went back and changed to check boxes with one required box that simply says "done." That gave me control of when it actually was submitted. That worked well, except that I had to keep going back to the email, click the link, and go to the form each time. Haven't tried embedding in a webpage yet - that's still to come. That may make it easier.

Note to Google Docs folks - Don't bury the published form so far into the document - make the finished form come up as maybe a subset of the document itself so it will show up on mobile sync applications for easy access. Or, maybe an application specifically for forms that support a Google Doc. This would really help.

If you have any suggestions for me, please chime in. I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

Ya' know, back in St. Olaf...

You will probably recognize this line from the sitcom "Golden Girls" that's been airing in constant reruns since whenever!  After saying this line, Rose Nyland would venture off into some story from the town where she grew up. That town is, of course, St. Olaf.

I think I can finally identify with Rose.  I'm afraid I drive through St. Olaf (by another name, of course) every day when I go to work.  Probably not an atypical little rural town, but no one could accuse them of being in the top ten areas for MENSA members per capita!  

Same route every day (boring, isn't it?) so I notice things that change, and things that don't change.

Before I go any further with this, I'll say that this is year #2 for a similar observation; so I know it's not just an oversight.  Here's the setup.  Fairly nice house and yard, a few derelict items scattered about, but not too bad.  At one corner of the house is a nice looking, fairly new (by all appearances) yard tractor.  But I'm not sure the owner really understands the concept.  I've never seen the tractor moved since I noticed it, and there is grass growing around and under it that's longer than the surrounding lawn.  Apparantly, the owner of the property uses a regular mower to keep the yard.

If you don't see irony here, leave a comment and I'll ignore you.

(not really...)

Hope you enjoy this.

God's will

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to our local Christian Radio station, and Chuck Colson's Breakpoint show happened to be playing. The overall theme was a month-long review of some of Dante's historical works. He touched on several things, but there was one point that just hit home with me.

The discussion went something like this: People frequently ask how a loving God can condemn people to eternal separation from Himself? The truth is - God doesn't do that - people choose it themselves.

It ends up there are two ways people can respond to God. The first is to say to Him - "Thy will be done." That's the road He wants us to choose. God would have it that everyone do that, but some will resist until it's too late. When that happens, God will reluctantly say, when their brief life here on earth has ended, "OK -I gave you all the chances I could. You blew it. Now, THY will be done."

Some assembly required

Some Assembly Required…

For whatever reason, that phrase has haunted me today. It came into my mind shortly after I woke up, and many things I’ve heard, read, and done today fit well into this framework.

This is a common phrase when you receive something in pieces – they are all there, but you have to put them together to make something that does what’s intended. And an instruction sheet is a good thing, too, by the way. Without following the instructions, things may not work as designed.

I sing in the praise choir at our church. I am one voice of many. I have a part to learn and give back; that part is different from the person next to me, and theirs from the next person, and so on. We couldn’t each have just one piece that didn’t fit with the others. Some assembly was required before we could help lead the congregation in worship. The “instruction sheet” was the written music score; that was our guide to assembly.

Our sermon today related the grumbling of the Israelites as they wandered through the desert. God, by His Mighty Hand, had brought them out of Egypt, and buried their pursuers under a wall of water. God provided them manna and water as they needed it. Then he gave them quail every evening. They even had their own navigation system in the form of clouds and fire. They had all the pieces, but somehow still couldn’t put it all together. There was still some assembly required – about 40 years worth! They were a work in progress for all that time, and for a considerable time after they reached the Promised Land.

I was also blessed today to be able to help serve a meal for our local Cornerstone Mission. Many hands provided things for the meal – main course, sides, desserts, drinks – but it was all just pieces. Before we could be a blessing to these folks who desperately needed this food, we had to organize it, heat it, serve it up. Some assembly was required.

The room at the mission was filled with people; many of their stories would be tales of woe and tragedy. But we must not forget that these “pieces” are as valuable to God as each of us. Our situations are different, but our souls are the same. Though the puzzle may be more complex and difficult to put together there, some assembly is still required.

As I reflect on this in my daily life as a teacher of Middle School students, I have to constantly tell myself that they, too, are works in progress. They are putting together various pieces of their lives in order to be their own person – and it’s my job (my passion, if you will) to help them along in that journey.

Some assembly required.

Lord, Help me to assemble my life as a model for those I touch in some way today.

AMEN

hailstorm

Wednesday afternoon, we had a good old midwest hailstorm come through. I captured a short video of the front steps and the hail coming down.

trip to Sioux Falls

This is a post with a video from our trip to Sioux Falls to see granddaughter Elise (and the rest of the family, too..)

(This is a later edit) I was doing some work with video and uploading to my internet web space at my school, and some of the recipients of the video were having problems getting it. So I made a webpage, and posted it, then linked it to this blog. Worked well.

More on the trip - We took our oldest Daughter and her kids with us, so all three grandkids were together. I think everyone had a good time of it.

Educational dilemma

When do inherent risks outweigh benefits?

Here's the philosophical side: I've been reading a lot about motivating students by tapping into their love of gaming. I't a research-based technique that's recommended by many experts. This research says that's what students do in their free time, and that's what they love to do. So that's what we should do whenever we can make educational use of it in a classroom.

Move to the application in the classroom side: I teach 7th grade computers, where about half the curriculum is oriented toward keyboarding skills - striving for 35+ words per minute with 2 or less errors per minute on a 3 minute timing. This, in and of itself, is less than glamorous to a 7th grader. So I've tried to find games that support that part of the curriculum.

Enter http://play.typeracer.com - The site provides lines from various books and articles that people are asked to type - most of what I've seen are excerpts from books, songs, poetry - and appropriate for use in a classroom. There are two sections - a place to practice, and a place to race against others. After logging into the site, and working with it for just a couple of moments, all students were able to understand the game and how to play. Most of them were fully engaged for the alloted time. A couple of them were extremely competitive and became quite vocal as time progressed, and I could see that there was a spark that had caught on.

Here's where the question comes in. Students race against opponents randomly chosen from whomever is logged into the site at any given time.

We can specify and control in the classroom what our students may or may not use for a name when they sign into the game; not so with the rest of the random players from around the world who are on the site. Some of these names are not well chosen, and the students brought a couple of these to my attention. Nothing I saw was extremely offensive, but some still not entirely school appropriate. The practical thought here is that there's nothing this MySpace & MTV & Facebook genreation that I'm teaching hasn't seen. But I don't want to appear to condone the use of this type of language or vernacular in a classroom.

I like the site. The students like the site. It has educational value for typing skills. But should I restrict them from it because of what they just MIGHT see on it from other players around the world? If I continue to use the site, what's the best way to with those random occurrences when and if they arise?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

What if I had owned the colt?

During Palm Sunday service today, I heard the wonderful story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Same as last year – and the year before that. But something was different this time - it was the scripture that really spoke to me. A particular phrase was given twice - “The Lord hath need of him.”

Luke 19:28-35 gives the story of a forgotten person in all this – the owner of the donkey colt. Although not called by name, nor described in any manner in the texts we have been given, this person’s faith and attitude are key to how this story unfolds.

It is likely that the owner was not a rich man. Donkeys are not what rich people owned. Rich people have horses and chariots and “fancy” stuff. Donkeys are workers, and likely this donkey was being raised for just that – to help the owner’s family conduct whatever business they were in. It was probably extremely valuable to that person and his family.

All of a sudden, strangers come into town, walk over to this colt, and start untying it from it’s post or stable or barn. I’d imagine the owner was just a little bit concerned about these people who, with no explanation, are taking the colt away. When confronted, their only explanation was “The Lord hath need of him.”

I’ve always believed that the stories in the Bible are accurate. That leads me to the conclusion that there was no further discussion, no debate, no more questions posed to these men. The colt was given willingly out of love. There was no promise of payment, nor of whether the owner would even get it back. It was just given away.

Which brings me back to the question – What if I had owned the colt? Would the story be any different? I’d like to think that I would be willing to do what the person in this story had done, but it really made me think about it. What would I be willing to give up if someone simply said to me “The Lord hath need of it?”

Filling the barrels

Our pastor today gave a very good sermon based on Jesus' first miracle. That, of course, is changing water into wine at a wedding celebration in Cana.

The point of the sermon was that we need to focus on where the action really is, as well as WHO takes the action. So many times, we feel defeated when WE can't make something happen ~ in the church, in our family, our work, our lives. We have a responsibility to do what God asks us to do, but then leave it to God to make the difference.

The barrels were empty. All Jesus asked the servants to do was fill them up with water and take them to the steward. When they did what Jesus asked, the miracle was fulfilled. He didn't ask for anything difficult, or something beyond their ability. Just obedience. If they had not filled the barrels, or hadn't taken them to the steward, things likely wouldn't have turned out the same.

We are like the empty barrels. All we need to do is be filled and presented as "ready," and let God make something of us. Nothing fancy; nothing difficult. Just be available.

I guess I can do that...

Not a typical post for me

I do a lot of "surfing" related to computer technology and applications for my work as a Middle School teacher. One of the sites I visited this morning posted the results of the "2006 Scrappy Awards," a scrapbooking competition sponsored by Adobe Photoshop.

I'm impressed by the intense emotion and creativity each of these evokes. Just thought I'd share.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A logical question...

It's rather hard for my 4 year old grandson (Jackson) to wrap his arms around the fact that I used to be in the military. Never having seen me in uniform, (I'm retired for more years than he's been alive) or never even seeing much to do with that type of thing, the "soldier" concept is rather vague. Furthermore, the concept of time is not yet fully developed. You will probably see what I mean.

Here's the way one conversation went. "Grandpa, were you a Soldier?"

"Yes." I replied.

"Did you carry a gun?"

Again, I replied "Yes, sometimes I did."

"Did you ever shoot any dinosaurs?"

What could I say?

Epiphany

I heard an interesting comment from a fellow (thanks, Andy!) at our Wed Morning Bible Study. We're currently studying Romans, which, throughout the entire letter, references what is to come. Andy brought up a concept that's common in the military, having to do with "short-timers."

It goes like this - ask someone on a remote tour, or, what's common now, deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, when they are due to "rotate" back to real life. They are likely to tell you "...XX days (or months) and a Wake up!" Of course this means that they are counting the days until they leave. The "wake up" refers to the day they actually get to leave whatever duty they are enduring to return to their families. For many, their service is an interruption to their "real" vocation in life.

The epiphany is THIS! We are enduring a life that's full of temptations, trials, hurts, losses, etc, that seems to go on forever. What we see in the short term is not how God views it. Being here IS NOT our calling! We're here on earth to serve Him through various ministries, using whatever talents and resources He's loaned to us for our limited time here. Face it ~ even if we live to be 100, it's still puny when compared with ETERNITY! We are called to praise God, and He wants us to do it in his presence - FOREVER!

OK, we're here for XX years and a Wake up! We'll wake up in the presence of God. Does that change anything you might do or think or say? "O Grave, where is thy victory? O Death, where is thy Sting?"

How's that for making your day!

"Loose lips sink ships..."

ARGHHHH!

Yes, That's frustration showing its ugly head. I've been listening to the news reports concerning the release of classified information associated with tracking financial records. And if I hear one more person, who is being interviewed as an "authority" on anything, say that "the public has the RIGHT to know..." I'll probably choke! I heard one person from the media saying something to the effect of (loosely quoted here.. ) "...it's up to the media to police and report on everything the government is doing..."

The title is chosen from a slogan used during our World Wars to emphasize that each of us has a responsibility to protect the information any enemy could use against us. We were united in this. Apparently, we aren't any more.

I'm speaking as one who has held high-level security clearances for most of my adult life. The public DOESN'T have the right to know everything! There are just some things that shouldn't be out there! Sometimes they just can't handle it. An incident comes immediately to mind from the first Persian Gulf war. On one operation, there were Navy Seals and other service special forces coming ashore for an operation, only to be met by the media with lights and cameras there to capture and report on how it was going! Absolutely ABSURD! Don't they understand the concept of special ops??? Or of keeping something quiet to allow it to work??? I guess not.

Just knowing something doesn't make it right to say it. Let the government handle things as they see best from the overall scheme of things. They have a lot more information than you or I do.

To comment on the "leakers" would be an entire different 'blog', so I'll not get deep into that. But it's clear that we have at least two elements at work in the country ~ the elected government who does things by established laws, and the people working for them who, on their own, seem to "know better" and take it upon themselves to put things into the public sector for their own purposes.

OK - I've said my piece - thanks for bearing with me.

The Colonel.....

Opting out...

Does it seem that sometimes, things are just sdrawkcab? (OK - that's ...backwards...) I happened to pick up an insert that came with my latest credit card bill, and actually read part of it! (I know what you're thinking, but, yes, I DO have a life...) I was reading the part about opting out.

Let's see. I have to provide some essential information to get a credit card. If I don't give the information, I don't get their card. The company now has information like address, email, phone numbers, etc. on file. As I read this little flyer, it comes to mind that the company has now taken ownership of that information. They can publish, sell, give away, or do anything they seem to want to do, with it.

I can only gain back that control if I fill out a form that may or may not work, which may or may not reach the proper desk, or call them and work through some 10 levels of menu and then finally give up because there's no one to talk to anyway. I tell them I don't want them to include it on any lists that are sold, given away, or otherwise distributed. They are then obligated to not do that any more. (Oh yeah - if they happen to sell it before my message reaches them, 10/100/1000 other companies already have it, and I have to go through THEIR systems, too!) In fact, nowhere could I find that the company is under any obligation whatsoever to even tell you to whom your information was distributed! Now, I ask you, isn't that just crazy?

Why isn't the ACLU all over this? They seem to jump into all those areas where someone is taking away someone's rights! Of course, they're probably too busy fighting against important things, like including God in the pledge, or - heaven forbid - having the 10 commandments or a cross on federal property! This cause would at least give the ACLU something constructive, rather than destructive, to do! (sorry - didn't mean to start a rant...)

Why not instead have the choice to OPT IN instead of OPT OUT? You know, because it's MY information, and not theirs, they shouldn't be able to use it unless I say it's OK! Or, at the very least, require them to send the OWNER of personal information (e.g. ME) a detailed list of every place that information's been sent, along with a check for the use of that "trademark." There's a novel approach!

So - I've had my say. And, by the way, you have my permission to quote me!

Just take old Volt Road...

Why is it that we look at a "position" that someone holds and assume that person has knowledge and authority because of the position? Shouldn't we know better?

Case in point - we visited Wolf Point, Montana, to look over the homestead my grandparents worked in the early 1900s. I'd never been there, and the trip my parents made there had been quite a number of years ago. Hence, we asked the person behind the counter at the motel how to get there. We should have known better than to take her directions at face value because she initially seemed to have no clue about what we asked. Then, she suddenly was the authority on it and knew all about it. "Just take old Volt Road. It's out by 6th street, and it'll take you where you want to go."

So we followed that "sage" advice, and took 6th street, crossed the main road and started on a gravel road. It was fine for awhile, but the farther from town we got, the worse the ruts became. No one seemed to be home in the houses we stopped at to ask directions, so we drove on gravel for probably 15 - 20 miles back and forth until we came to a paved road. It seemed to be headed in the right direction, so we followed it. Almost ready to give up, Dad noticed a church and a farm that were familiar, and we realized this was what we wanted all the time. We found the school house, the homestead, the cemetary, and other landmarks we wanted to see.

We had a wonderful time, in spite of the bad directions we initially received. Time with family is always worth it.

So the next time you get "directions" from someone, think first whether they are a credible source. Are you following their lead because they know what they are talking about, or just because they are celebrities in their own right, which has nothing to do with the subject at hand? Think twice (at least) before you blindly follow someone's lead.

Old Volt Road was NOT the right way to go...

Let's just Re-boot

Anyone who has spent anytime around computers knows that, for the most part, any operating system can run for quite some time without problems. As it operates, it creates and replaces countless thousands of temporary files and constantly moves things from one place to another. We try out new programs, and keep or throw them away as we work. Even when we take the program off, there may be "legacy" bits that remain buried deep in the system.

But even the best operating system will develop little pieces of "stuff" that slows it down. Those "in the business" call these little pieces "artifacts" for lack of a better term. These bits probably had a purpose at one time, but that purpose has long since gone away ~ but that little piece is still there. Many times, even the basic purpose for those things is suspect ~ they served no real purpose except that someone thought it was a good idea. What do we do to clear them? Re-boot the computer. It may not take care of all of them, but some will be cleaned out. It gives the OS a fresh start.

Fast forward to our situation as a country. We started out with a decent (although not perfect) "operating system" based on the best "programming" our founding fathers could come up with. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution set the ground rules for our "computer" to operate. The operating system has gone through SP1, SP2, ... with such things as the Bill of Rights, constitutional amendments, etc.

Add to these the laws, regulations, commissions, panels, taxes, international obligations, and all those other things, and we've got a system that's grinding to a halt.

In addition to that, now we're getting some hackers (radical judges) who seem to be trying to break our system, or somehow use it for their own purposes rather than what is intended. The problem is that, instead of doing it behind someone's back from the outside, they have all the "code" so it's easy to hack! And they're doing it right in front of everybody! It seems that no one is willing to force them to stop.

We need to re-boot!

Lessons in Generosity

I come from a rich heritage, for the most part German Mennonites who immigrated to this country from the Ukraine in the late 1800s. These people had a strong faith, and an equally strong desire to help their fellowman. (If you look at the history of the German Mennonites, their exceptional skill at both farming and at MANAGING an agricultural business was noted by Catherine the Great of Russia. She enticed them to come to the Ukraine to farm that rich soil, and the Ukraine became the breadbasket of Russia for many years. They left when political conditions were not so favorable for them anymore.)

So much for the history lesson. Now for my recollections of childhood.

I remember vividly going to my grandparent's small farm often, but most memorable were the Sunday Afternoon drives to their house. They would keep a milk cow or two, worried over a small garden, sometimes had a horse, maybe a goat, dogs, chickens and assorted other animals from time to time. These were not well-to-do folks - just hard working, proud people. We'd play in the barn, spend hours on the seat of the tractor just dreaming we were driving who-knows where. We might have a meal, or at least a snack, around the old black, circular oak dining room table - a table that always had room for whomever came to visit. It could be just a bite of clabbered milk (like cottage cheese) with meat jell. These they kept on the back of the wood stove so they could get to them easily. I can still remember that wonderful taste and smell.

Of course, anyone who visited that small, humble farm went away with something. Maybe milk, or eggs, or a few vegetables from the garden. Maybe a roast or some of that unique German sausage that always tasted so good. She'd give each something that showed the visitors that they were appreciated and loved. Grandma would keep individual paper sacks by the door, each labeled with her children's names so that, when she thought of something they 'needed,' she'd be able to put it in their sack for them to take on their next visit. She'd clip coupons, find interesting news articles she thought they'd enjoy, and include them, also.

Oh, that I could learn to be as generous and caring as Grandma. She set a standard that's so high, it seems impossible to reach. But an admirable goal, none the less.

Thanks, Grandma.

The "Blinker" Generation

In recent times, the news media, editors, authors, and other "thinkers" have sought classifications for each group they encounter; they do this as a method of giving you some preconceived ideas about how they think, act, and respond to stimuli. We've gone through the Baby Boomers, the Digital generation, the X-Gen, etc.

I think of myself as part of the "Blinker" Generation. I use my blinkers. Small thing? Not really.

Using your blinkers shows that you care about other people. You use them to "signal" your intentions so that others have the information they need to make decisions ~ in fact, making those decisions sometimes in a crucial split second that means safety or danger. You allow them to think over a situation, take control of it, and act. Nothing lost to anyone - clearly a Win - Win situation.

Think for a moment of the other side of this issue. Think about those who don't use them. It's probably become so habitual to them that they no longer even think about it. They appear to be in their own little world, oblivious to others around them, uncaring whether others have a clue about what they intend to do. They think only about themselves. It's an unthinking, selfish behavior. Very rude. Kind of like "I've turned here every day for 20 years - surely everyone should know that by now." In a way, it's indicative of the control people want when they are behind the wheel. They control the situation by keeping others "out of the loop" until THEY are ready to act - unimpeded by someone who might have otherwise very safely turned or changed lanes or stopped. They did nothing to help out other drivers - instead, they attempt to control them.

How about you? Blinker or non-blinker?

starting from scratch

It might be obvious to the casual reader what my background is ~ military. 22 years and a day in the Air Force somewhat colors my view of life.

In my "second life" I'm a Middle School teacher at - you guessed it - a school district colocated with an Air Force Base.

Don't expect any amazing insights or world changing concepts to eminate from this blog. I have no real idea how things will develop.