The challenge this week was shadows. I had a few options, but this was the one that I liked best.
The shadow is cast from another gravestone. The shadow reminds me of a pawn in chess.
52Frames – Shadows
Author: Troy (Page 3 of 40)
Educator, Thinker, Moodler, Podcaster, Open-source advocate. Check out the world's longest running middle school focused podcast at https://middleschoolmatters.com
Weekly Review 202507
The past couple of weeks have been spent dealing with the passing of my mother-in-law. I’m aware of the classic mother-in-law jokes, but we actually had a positive relationship.
Things went much faster than anticipated. I had originally flown out to Michigan with the idea of staying four days. I had figured that we’d get some things arranged (my wife had flown out a couple of days earlier), and then I’d fly back. Quite frankly, I figured her passing was coming, but that we probably had a month or so. However, I ended up staying for almost two weeks. (Special thanks to my Superintendent for his support.) While I was able to do a good bit of my job while away, I focused on the really crucial things, as my mindspace wasn’t really conducive to working full days.
I also have a couple of observations. My kids drove out. Since I thought that I’d be flying back, I hadn’t brought a suit. It quickly became clear that things might not go as expected, so I asked the kids to bring my suit. So, I went out to grab the suit from the kids’ car and put it in mine. Upon approaching the car, I noticed that the right rear tire looked “odd”. Upon further examination, it was low. Upon closer examination, there was a large screw in the tire. Great. I look at my watch. 16:30 (4:30 p.m.) on a Friday. I quickly look up tire stores around me. (I want to note that 40 years ago, this wouldn’t have been possible, so, yeah, technology.) Anyway, I see a couple of shops close, but then I think that I’ll check to see if a Belle Tire is close. Thankfully, there was. I head off to Belle Tire. The counter tech (who turns out to be the Store Manager) reassures me that they can get it taken care of right away.
I did notice that when he asked for my phone number, I hesitated at the area code. See, in Maine, there is only one area code (207), so I’m in the habit of saying “area code”, then waiting as they delete out the 207. However, I was in Michigan, where they have lots of area codes, and don’t assume one. It was then that I realized that I didn’t really have a sense of place. I had been in hospitals and the hospice center and had really lost where in the world I was. If anyone had asked me to go to spot in Maine, I would’ve thought that we could just head there. Same with Michigan (though that would work).
My mother-in-law passed away. There is tons of work to do. Clearing out a lifetime of stuff, even if it has been sorted down a few times by moving from a house to an apartment to another apartment, can take a while. Doing this while not living in the same spot can be that much more overwhelming.
I’m so extremely proud of my wife. She managed to take care of so many things while dealing with her own grief. I’m so glad that I found her.
There are still some things to do. However, the things that are left can mostly be accomplished from anywhere.
This is a reminder for me to better prepare for my own end of life. I want to make things as easy as possible for my wife and kids.
Special Education Chatbot
The latest episode of Middle School Matters is now available. This one has a deep dive on how Shawn has created a Special Education Support Resource to help his students out (and the overworked Special Education teacher.
Shawn walks us through the process of using Google’s Gemini to create a chatbot that students can use for support.
52 Frames Submission
This is my submission for 52Frames this week. The challenge is time.
I wanted to capture the turning of the leaves. Here, the trees have obscured a telephone pole next to the railroad. A couple of the glass insulators are still intact on the pole. The poles have been overgrown with trees. These trees are showing their color as another year turns to winter.
Weekly Review 202506
Post Update: Idea Board (Padlet Alternative)
I’ve updated the last Weekly Review to include the examples of Idea Board. I’ve also added it to one of my Moodle sites so that I can start playing around with ideas.
Josh Ritter
I Believe in You, My Honeydew is now available. My copy arrived last night. I listened to it on the way into work this morning. Solid album.
I strongly encourage supporting local artists. There are tons of really great artists out there. Go see a show. Buy an album if you can.
novelWriter
I’m checking out novelWriter. It seems to be similar to Scrivner, but open-source.
There is nothing wrong with supporting good, commercial software. I have purchased Scrivner, though I don’t use it much. It was worth the price.
I also believe in open-source software. This may work out well for you.
iOS 26, Mac OS 26
I’ve updated to the newest OS for all of my devices. I have to say that much of the interface looks a bit “fuzzy” to me. That is, the icons and text are just not a clear and crisp as they use to be.
I do kind of like the visual structures (rounded rectangles), but the clarity thing is bothersome.
Naturally, my main iMac decided to go into convulsions. It seems that when I update the iMac, I need to unplug the external drives that are attached. Of course, I forget this until there is an issue. While simply unplugging the drives usually returns the update process activity, this time I had to invoke the DFU process. This means dragging another Mac to put next to the iMac, connecting them up with a USB-C cord and following very specific instructions.
Fortunately, all is well. Middle School Matters was recorded and published on time.
Our Past, Their Future
It’s long been a question to be answered in my educational career,
Are we preparing kids for our past or their future?
That question has been persistent for me.
This has come up again as the discussion around phones and screens is one of the hot topics. It’s something that I’ll be continuing to think about and discuss.
Periodic Table Personalities
I’ve posted a “Periodic Table Personalities” resource over on Middle School Matters.
Periodic Table Personalities is the embodiment of the personification of those elements that make up our world.
Students simply answer a few questions about themselves to find that elemental connection. That’s right, students answer some (16) questions and then are presented with their “Element”.
Thanks to Shawn McGirr who developed this wonderful resource. This is an H5P activity that can be downloaded and reused.
Recently, I was asked about having students “mark up” (annotating) digital text. The specific example involves students marking up a math problem. For example, the students are given a story problem. Each student identifies parts of the story problem by:
- Underline – (the question)
- Circle – (the numbers and units)
- Box – (math action words)
- Line – (extra information)
Traditionally, this has been done by printing out the story problem on a sheet of paper (two per page), then cutting them up and passing them out to students.
This is based on the CUBES strategy for math. However, the basics of this could be used for a variety of classes.
Can this be done digitally?
Yes.
I considered using Apple’s Freeform. However, since the teacher uses Canva and Google Classroom, it seemed best to go with those tools.
For this example, we are going to use the Whiteboard feature in Canva.
- Log in to Canva
- Click on Classwork along the left-hand panel.
- Select “Whiteboard”
- Add in your story problem (cut and paste may work best)
- Click on “Share”
- Select “Google Classroom”
- Select the Class in Google Classroom
- Select the Share Action “Create assignment”
- Enter appropriate Google Classroom information:
- Title (Required)
- Instructions (optional)
- Assign to All Students or by group
- Add a Due date (optional)
- Add a Topic (optional)
- Set Grading category (optional)
- Set Points (optional)
- Click Assign
Student Actions:
- Students will see the Assignment in Google Classroom
- Students click on “Use Template”
- Students click on “Open in Editor”
- Students will need to know how to use the whiteboard in Canva
- Tools on the left side
- Select Tools | The Red Marker | Blue Pen
- Now students are ready to Mark up the document.
- (*They can use other tools as well. The highlighter can be used in many colors. This is a great transferable skill that has many uses.)
The end result is that each student will get their own copy of the story problem on a whiteboard. Since it is a digital whiteboard, the students can mark it up as directed.
“Padlet” in Moodle (H5P)
Oliver Tacke has created a wonderful resource in H5P that mirrors some of the functionality of Padlet. I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet, but it looks interesting.
Here is a basic example:
The second example shows the different types of boards.
Joplin
I accidentally double-clicked on a note in Joplin. To my surprise, the note opened in an additional, separate window. This is awesome!
The latest update (or maybe before that and I missed it) includes Markdown row highlighting. Joplin keeps being a really, really good choice for me.
Power of First Impressions & Tech
We know the power of first impressions. I was thinking of first impressions in troubleshooting. Sometimes, people get frustrated about Technology not working. (I get that, I get frustrated too.) However, the blame is frequently passed along that the thing (could be a site, hardware, etc) isn’t working (e.g., I need a new computer because this one won’t…) and the thing is the problem. Then it turns out that the user hasn’t restarted the computer in months. A restart fixes the thing. However, that first impression sticks.
COVID
Maine is currently requiring a prescription to receive the COVID vaccine, unless you are over 65 or have certain health conditions. Maine law requires a vaccine to be on recommended list from the CDC. I feel for the doctors and pharmacists who are now being put into a very uncomfortable position.
So, I checked the State of Maine’s website on Covid Response. Apparently, I’m not allowed to view it.
Trip
I’m planning on taking a trip to Ireland and Scotland next year. I can either spend lots of time trying to figure out how to get around, where to stay, etc. OR I can book a tour.
So, I’m currently looking at CIE tours. The reviews seem good. Does anyone have experience with CIE tours? Do you know of another option that you would recommend?
Anniversary
Today (well, a day last month) is the day that I officially wed my wonderful, fun, loving, smart, intelligent, beautiful wife. Turns out that the priest didn’t actually file some paperwork, so we got to do it again with our kids as witnesses. So many great years together.
AI
This year is going to continue to be about AI in schools. There are lots of concerns (e.g. water usage, power consumption, copyright, moral, etc), but the reality is that AI will be part of our (and our students) lives. I’m planning on lots of training and information for our staff.
Technology and Respect
I had an interesting chat with a fellow Tech Director the other day. We were doing the general chat thing, when the other Tech Director noted Technology Directors are the “Rodney Dangerfields” of education. (*To those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Dangerfield, he was well known for the line “I get no respect”). The Tech Director noted how difficult it was to get training time with teachers. Teachers have so very little professional development time. There are so many things that teachers could grow and develop with opportunity.
The other Tech Director went on with another example. “I was at XXX, and noticed that there were reserved parking spaces for the Superinendent, Director of Business, Director of Curriculum, Director of Food Services”. Notice which Director is missing? It’s not about the parking space, but the mind space.
Things I Learned This Week
Take hearing aids out if using an electric beard trimmer
Yea, not my most shining moment. On one hand, I’m so used to wearing hearing aids that I don’t really think about it. On the other, I thought that I wasn’t getting close enough to be an issue (wrong on that one). Those little wire tubes do split nicely though.
Facebook in Maine
In Maine, businesses may not update their website (check Facebook, they may update that). The kids invited us to go skating. They checked the website and the skating rink was opened from 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. The kids picked us up and we headed off to skate. However, when we arrived, they were pretty obviously closed. A little more searching, AND, there is a Facebook post stating that they take July off and are closed. I don’t use Facebook.
Flowers
My wife has done an absolutely fantastic job of planting, cultivating, and growing flowers around the house. The yard looks absolutely fantastic.
A Little Taste of Michigan
It turns out that you can order an Olga’s Snackers Kit directly from Olga’s. I can confirm that they are wonderful. I would lower the air fryer temperature just a bit though.
52Frames
I broke my string of a year and half of posting in 52Frames. The killer is that I had a picture ready to go, but decided to wait until Sunday. See, I was taking a hike with my youngest, and knew that I was taking my camera. So, week 30, Unusual Crop has no entry from me. My submission would’ve been a whale seen from a boat.
Garage Organization
I’m finally making progress on organizing my garage. I still have a ways to go, but the tool organization means that I can actually find tools now. I’ve also made efforts on small parts.
Jesse Terry
We went on Monday night to see Jesse Terry. Jesse Terry is an independent artist who has created some wonderful music. We had to go to Castine in order to see the show. This is a two-hour drive. Gee, if only we had a concert venue* near us.
On the way, we stopped in Bucksport for dinner at Chalee Thai-Sushi. The food was terrific. The place is small, with three dine-in chairs, but obviously owned and operated by a passionate couple. We chose to “take-out” and walked down the stairs to a picnic table.
It was a good show. He played straight through for a little over two hours. It is absolutely wonderful to hear the story behind the songs. This just deepens and enriches the song.
(* We have a terrific concert venue which is wholly under utilized. A local restaurant has more events at Johnson Hall than Johnson Hall does. However, most of those are posted on Facebook, so I can’t see those.)
Anniversary
Today is the day that I officially wed my wonderful, fun, loving, smart, intelligent, beautiful wife. Turns out that the priest didn’t actually file some paperwork, so we got to do it again with our kids as witnesses. So many great years together.
AI
This year is going to continue to be about AI in schools. There are lots of concerns (e.g., water usage, power consumption, copyright, moral, etc), but the reality is that AI will be part of our (and our students) lives. I’m planning on lots of training and information for our staff.
Technology and Respect
I had an interesting chat with a fellow Tech Director the other day. We were doing the general chat thing when the other Tech Director noted that Technology Directors are the “Rodney Dangerfields” of education. (*To those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Dangerfield, he was well known for the line “I get no respect”). The Tech Director noted how difficult it was to get training time with teachers. Teachers have so very little professional development time. There are so many things that teachers could grow and develop with opportunity.
The other Tech Director went on with another example. “I was at XXX, and noticed that there were reserved parking spaces for the Superintendent, Director of Business, Director of Curriculum, and Director of Food Services”. Notice which Director is missing? It’s not about the parking space, but the mind space.
Things I Learned This Week
Take hearing aids out if using an electric beard trimmer
Yeah, not my most shining moment. On one hand, I’m so used to wearing hearing aids that I don’t really think about it. On the other hand, I thought that I wasn’t getting close enough to be an issue (wrong on that one). Those little wire tubes do split nicely, though.
Facebook in Maine
In Maine, businesses may not update their website (check Facebook, they may update that). The kids invited us to go skating. They checked the website, and the skating rink was open from 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. The kids picked us up and we headed off to skate. However, when we arrived, they were pretty obviously closed. A little more searching, AN there is a Facebook post stating that they take July off and are closed. I don’t use Facebook.
Flowers
My wife has done an absolutely fantastic job of planting, cultivating, and growing flowers around the house. The yard looks absolutely fantastic.
A Little Taste of Michigan
It turns out that you can order an Olga’s Snackers Kit directly from Olga’s. I can confirm that they are wonderful. I would lower the air fryer temperature just a bit though.
52Frames
I broke my string of a year and half of posting in 52Frames. The killer is that I had a picture ready to go, but decided to wait until Sunday. See, I was taking a hike with my youngest, and knew that I was taking my camera. So, week 30, Unusual Crop has no entry from me. My submission would’ve been a whale seen from a boat.
Garage Organization
I’m finally making progress on organizing my garage. I still have a ways to go, but the tool organization means that I can actually find tools now. I’ve also made efforts on small parts.
Jesse Terry
We went on Monday night to see Jesse Terry. Jesse Terry is an independent artist who has created some wonderful music. We had to go to Castine in order to see the show. This is a two-hour drive. Gee, if only we had a concert venue* near us.
On the way, we stopped in Bucksport for dinner at Chalee Thai-Sushi. The food was terrific. The place is small, with three dine-in chairs, but obviously owned and operated by a passionate couple. We chose to “take out” and walked down the stairs to a picnic table.
It was a good show. He played straight through for a little over two hours. It is absolutely wonderful to hear the story behind the songs. This just deepens and enriches the song.
(* We have a terrific concert venue, which is wholly underutilized. A local restaurant has more events at Johnson Hall than Johnson Hall does. However, most of those are posted on Facebook, so I can’t see those.)
Digital Card
Troy Patterson
Middle School Matters; Troy Patterson Consulting
troy@troypatterson.me
+1832-378-7697
Moodle, Education, Open-Source
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Middle School Matters Content
- MSM 692: What’s In The Teacher’s Lounge? Troy Patterson, Shawn McGirr
- MSM 691: The Parents Know Troy Patterson, Shawn McGirr
- MSM 690: Bringing Back the Ancient Art . . . Troy Patterson, Shawn McGirr