Down For the Count

For the first time in a couple of years, I got sick. It seems to have been food poisoning, several COVID tests continually came back negative. So Saturday was no podcast. I was pretty much out for the whole day.

Back to Work

Time for schools to open. Time for me to be back to work full time. This was the first summer that I had off in roughly twelve years. (To be clear, I still did lots of work this summer. I still held meetings with my guys. But I didn’t work every day. I mostly had meetings remotely.)

I’m hoping that this year will be much more “normal”. There were so many things that I wanted to do last year, but just couldn’t.

Moodle Times

Lots of Moodle work over the past couple of weeks. This was generated by yearly training requirements. Every year, we need to do compliance training. It’s not the most enthralling experience (either for the teachers that take it or the organization that has to provide it), but it is an important process. There are legal considerations.

I utilized Lesson for the staff members. This allows me to control their path so that they must be successful. If they don’t get a question correct, I can give them information and redirect them to try again. I give them unlimited attempts so, really, they just need to pay a little bit of attention and they will be successful. However, I hit just a bit of a roadblock. Even though I have no penalties set, and the highest attempt, by default, Moodle tells them that their additional attempt may not count. Ouch. Some staff members will read that and freak out. Not what I want. So, a quick trip to Language Strings and I can then edit out that parenthetical language. Now the staff members will not receive the inaccurate language. Yea!

I’m being told that the Lesson module will be deprecated in the future. There is a push for H5P to be utilized instead. Now, I love H5P. But there are issues with H5P sometimes too. For example, I also did the activities in H5P, since I did them last year in H5P, it was a simple Reuse download and upload. H5P is currently duplicating the Header (which is really ugly and confusing for users). There is a CSS addition to remove the extra Heading.

/* Hide the doubling of the description on H5P activities */
div#hvpintro.box.py-3.mod_introbox {
display: none!important;
}

That goes into the Raw Initial SCSS box. This fixes the duplicate header.

However, the Lesson module ends up being much cleaner and better organized. Specifically, in H5P, the student (in this case the staff) has to click on the “Submit Report” button to, well, Submit their answers. Since this looks like a summary sheet, some staff members miss that they need to click that button.

So, I generally try to add in a bit of humor. (I have to be very careful about this though.) Everyone has an indicator of Awesomeness. Each staff member can see their very own Current Level of Awesomeness… via Checklist plugin and the Checklist block. This provides the staff members with a quick thermometer of how much they have completed and how much is left to go.
*Mine is empty as I’m the teacher of the course. I also have the ability, and the button, for the Overview of Students.

Once they have completed the course, every user gets a badge and a certificate. Moodle has two different certificate possibilities (which leads to some confusion). One of them gave me fits trying to develop the certificate. I couldn’t get elements to reliably “stick” where they were put.

The documentation on the other one is less than stellar. Developed for Moodle Workplace, rather than the open-source Moodle version, it is built-in to Workplace. The key is to add an activity “Course Certificate” and the appropriate restrictions. Then, things work wonderfully well.

Presentation

Yea, my presentation proposal was accepted. Now, I have to prepare a presentation. I’ll be presenting on H5P at the ACTEM Conference. I have some ideas on how to structure the presentation, but I need to further develop them. I’m thinking that I’ll be making them play as part of the presentation. That may involve setting up a server. There are some great support resources available, so mostly, I’ll be putting my spin on the use of H5P.

Vactionland

It seems like I’m still on vacation in many ways. Some of this is due to a conscious decision to enjoy things. Some is probably due to moving and not having the same kind of supports and connections around. I don’t really have friends in the area. Many of the places that we are going are places that we are learning about. We lack familiarity of place and people. Thus, things sometimes seem more like vacation than home.,

Book Banning

There are several movements to ban books around the country. Here in Maine, two books seem to be under the microscope. There is a push from some people to ban GenderQueer by Maia Kobabe. This is a graphic novel that is in some high schools. I borrowed it from Hoopla through my local library. It is a quick read. The book addresses growing up, sexuality, and gender identification. This is definitely a book that high schoolers should have access to. Even though it may make some parents feel uncomfortable, it is crucial that our teenagers have access to this information. Our goal should never be to make things like they were for us but to make things better for our kids.

Hypothesis

I’m a big fan of Hypothesis. Essentially, Hypothesis is social bookmarking. Hypothesis allows for annotation on web pages. These annotations can be public or private and include tagging. I’ve used Hypothesis to replace Diigo. I had used Diigo for quite a while, but then reached the limits of the free version. Hypothesis is free and open-source. Theoretically, I could set up a server to run Hypothesis, but that isn’t necessary. The web version of Hypothesis doesn’t have limits.

Hypothesis also allows for the use of groups. I use this group feature pretty extensively. I have a group for Middle School Matters which I use to bookmark things for the Middle School Matters Podcast.

One of the features that I would love, is the ability to see annotations or bookmarks by groups. I would love to see an indicator as to which group a site is bookmarked in.

Dinner with Friends

We had a terrific dinner with a couple of friends. Rm made some Detroit Style Pizza. Yes, this involved purchasing the correct pan (you’ve got to have the proper tools). This was the first go with the new pan. I must say, Rm knocked it out of the park as usual. Anyway, everyone enjoyed the pizza.

We also shared some Venor’s with them. This is a magical elixir that is difficult to get in Maine. Maine has Moxie, like several other local area specialties. Venor’s is really a treat for us.

We also shared a bottle of wine from Black Star Farms Winery that was acquired on a recent trip back to Michigan. We are big fans of the wines from Black Star Farms Winery. We now have a couple more friends that are also fans (at least of the Arcturos Pinot Noir).

Clambake

We also had an opportunity to partake in the Cabbage Island Clambake. This was part of enjoying our wedding anniversary. We headed down to Booth Bay Harbor and checked in. Naturally, we were a bit early, so we got to do a little wandering around Booth Bay as well. The boat ride out includes a tour and explanation of some of the islands.

Then it’s time to dock on Cabbage Island. You can see and smell the smoke rising from the prep area. We disembarked on the island and found a table overlooking the water. There was a young married couple there as well.

A bit of conversation, a bit of enjoying the view, and it’s time for dinner. We started with clam chowder. We were lucky enough to be able to go up to collect our dinner early. Oh, what a dinner it was. Two lobsters, corn on the cob, oysters, onion, and an egg. The couple next to us had a great time working on the lobsters and such. Next up was a generous piece of blueberry cake.

We had some time left so we took a quick walk over to the other side of the island to watch the sunset.

The ferry ride back was much quicker (which I’m sure Hazel appreciated).

D1 Housework

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit D1 and help her with some work around the house. This is one of the main reasons that we moved to Maine in the first place.

For some reason, it is much easier to work on someone else’s house. The motivation seems a bit higher. I really enjoyed helping her out and getting to hang out with her for a while.

Dark Table

I’ve been working on increasing my proficiency in photography. As part of that, I’ve been working on improving my photo editing skills. Really, I should say developing (see what I did there?) my skills as I’m starting out as a total newbie.

Anyway, along those lines, I’ve started a series on Darktable through Youtube. Darktable is an open-source photo editing program. Yes, I do have access to Adobe Lightroom through work. However, photography is mostly for personal pleasure. I like to keep some of those lines clear. When the time comes and I don’t have access through work, I don’t want to lose all my photos.

So, I’m starting with the basics and learning Darktable. Darktable is a really powerful program that can really do so much. I’ll never win awards, but I am enjoying figuring out what I like and how to improve the pictures that I take.

I have learned and applied a few specific things with Darktable already. Now though, I’m looking to really build my understanding and ability to correct photos to what I want to see.

Cars and Independence

Two of the cars now have updated registrations and inspections. It is a big change moving from cars being registered to match my birthday to being registered all willy-nilly. Plus, in Maine, there is no reminder mailed to me to register my cars. I’ve got to do the adult thing and keep track of that myself. So, all set now, reminders set for the future, and one more difference noted between living in Maine versus Michigan.

Schooner Charm

Rm and I had a wonderful trip on the Schooner Charm. The day was very hot so getting out on the water and the cooling effects of doing so, was greatly appreciated. There is something very calming about being out on the ocean. Due to the hot weather, there was a bit of haze in the distance. Largely this had the effect of seeming like we were out on the water far from land.

Google Photo Embed

We all love pictures. It can be great to share pictures. However, how that happens can matter. One way to do this is to move all of your pictures into a service that hosts and serves them. Usually, this is at the “cost” of everyone staying in that service. For example, Facebook will host your pictures, but they will then keep you in their service (and all that that entails).

I use a self-hosted version of WordPress to post my material. This means that I have control over all the data, but it also means that I have to pay for storage, bandwidth, etc. Pictures can quickly use up space.

Google meanwhile, offers to host and provide photos. You can easily share pictures in Google Photo through a link. However, you can’t embed that link in a WordPress site. Unless…..

The wonderful Amit Agarwal over digital inspiration has developed a site that converts Google Photos links into links that can be embedded into WordPress. Brilliant.

MIFF

We took the opportunity to attend the Maine International Film Festival. We had a terrific time. We had to adjust our schedule as the first movie (Il Paradiso del Pavone (The Peacock’s Paradise)) that we wanted to see was having technical difficulties (no subtitles).

• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – This was a wonderful needed diversion. This was our favorite movie of the set.
• The Story of My Wife – This was a complex story where we just kept thinking, geez, if they only would have a conversation.
• River – important but not thrilling
• Straighten Up and Fly Right – This was an interesting movie on being different.
• Penelope, My Love – based on the real-life experience of a couple with a daughter on the autistic spectrum.

Hazel

Turns out, Hazel is a very strong swimmer. We took her kayaking (with her “shark” life jacket. She quickly jumped out of the kayak and started swimming about. The first time, she kind of went head first under, but quickly changed to jumping out with her head up.

We had taken her into the water in bits to make sure that she was safe. With the latest experience though, she is clearly a strong swimmer.

Clouds

I’m loving all the wonderful views of clouds here in Maine. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Rm to D2

Rm took the opportunity to visit our youngest daughter. This is the major reason that we moved to Maine in the first place. All reported a great time.

Wedding & Vacation

We traveled back to Michigan to attend a wedding and enjoy a bit of a vacation. We brought in a wonderful couple to watch Hazel while we were gone.

We traveled all day to Dearborn, arriving in time to enjoy some chicken shawarma sandwiches, tabouli, fatoush, and hummus. The next day we picked up some Michigan favorites (Vernor’s, spices, etc.). We also visited and cleaned Rm’s Dad’s gravesite. Then we headed to Dearborn Brewing, yep, I brought my mug back, for some good beer. We were able to chat with Chris and Amy for a while.

The next day was the wedding. Christian and Jenna had a wonderful ceremony. In between, we stopped off at Qawah House for some coffee. A medium pot of wonderful deliciousness. The reception was fun. After the reception, we headed to La Feria. Though short-staffed, who isn’t these days, the wait was short, and the service was phenomenal (as usual). We cruised around downtown Detroit as visitors.

We headed up to Traverse City the next day. The morning drive was nice. We were surprised that Mackinaw Brewing was closed on a Sunday. Bummer, but it’ll be open tomorrow.

Monday we started with a quick trip up to the Mission Point Lighthouse. This is a wonderful little lighthouse on the 45 parallel. After that we headed off to Traverse City and some wine tasting. The weather was beautiful to sit outside and sip some wine. We stopped at Bonobo Winery for a tasting flight. We enjoyed some conversation and a terrific view. The wine was very good. We headed around to Sutton’s Bay, with a quick stop at Moomer’s for lunch (ice cream – this is vacation after all). The ice cream was wonderful. Next to Sutton’s Bay. We enjoyed wandering around Sutton’s Bay. We even picked up a Peacock for the garden.

We stopped at Black Star Farms for another wine tasting. This one was a bit of a challenge since we know and like so many of their wines. Still, we found a new wine and purchased a few bottles to bring home.

Back to Traverse City. Cherry Republic was sadly out of sour cherry balls. Even sadder, Mackinaw Brewing no longer carries the Havarti Cheese appetizers (think mozzarella sticks with Havarti cheese). I was able to pick up a couple of hats from Diversions. Rm did some shoe shopping with no luck.

We headed back up to Mission Point Lighthouse to enjoy the sunset. What a beautiful evening.

The next day was another travel day. We headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame area. The only issue was Waze deciding to send us through Canada after I had checked to make sure that it wasn’t. It’s frustrating when you can’t change the route to what you want. Thankfully, I’ve made the trip before, so we could avoid the directions.

The Baseball Hall of Fame was next on our agenda. I had purchased the earliest possible entry time and was glad that I did. We enjoyed seeing the history and controversies presented in the Hall. It was getting pretty packed by the time we left. We had a nice lunch (hot dogs of course, in honor of baseball) and wandered Cooperstown. Then, time for the ride home.

Turkeys?

On our way to pick up our farm share, we saw a family of what looked like turkeys. Two adults and about nine offspring were crossing the road. I saw looked like turkeys, except brown in color, because at least one of them took off in flight (cue Les Nessman here). I’m still searching for what they were.

Kayaking

Pleasant Pond

This was a really nice spot. There is kind of like a river that runs around the edge. Very smooth to kayak on. Rm and I had a nice time.

Great Moose Lake

This was an easy spot to get to. Daughter 1, a friend of hers, and I had a good time. Great Moose Lake is pretty wide. We headed, at a leisurely pace, out toward an island. This was the first time I took my camera as well. i didn’t get a great many good pictures, but I do feel confident in taking the camera in the future.

Swan Lake

Rm, Daughter 2, and I met up at Swan Lake. The Lake was fine, but there were too many motorized craft. It was great to see Daughter 2.

Sir

One of Daughter 1 friends went kayaking with us. She addressed me as “Sir”. I told her to please call me “Troy”, or most anything else but “late for dinner”. I wanted to use humor a bit to let her know that I was totally fine without the honorific. I totally get why. She has respect for her elders. She is also a Doctor. In a different setting, the dynamic would be very different. The context is really important here. I could just as well be meeting her where she was the Doctor and I would be using the honorifics.

Summer Projects

This is the first summer that I’ve had off in over 10 years. Since we’ve moved into a new (old) house, there is lots to do. We’ve been here a year now, and I’m behind where I really wanted to be. I’ve gotten a couple of rooms painted (and installed beadboard in one), but there are many rooms left to go.

I’m working on the hallway and stairs right now. It really does make a difference to get things painted.

I’m also getting quotes on tiling the kitchen and painting the shutters. Ah, the joys of home ownership.

Dinner with Friends

We had a terrific evening of dinner with friends. It’s really nice to be able to get together and learn about new people.

Weather

We get the weather for the entire state. This fascinates me as in my previous neighborhood, we got hyperlocalized weather.

Open Source

Coco Material. I found this site this week and I like it – a lot. Open source, hand drawn cartoons and resources that you (or kids) can modify easily. Free to use – even commercially.

Dine and Discuss

I’ve been invited to a conference called Dine and Discuss. I love this idea.

Crypto

I have some cryptocurrency.

MOOSE

Maine Opportunities for Online Sustained Education
I’ve worked more on MOOSE this week. I’ve got the Data Collection piece much closer to done. It was surprisingly hard to find good ideas for Data Collection. Most of the models that I found were focused on whole-class instruction. Since this has to be available for individual use as well as whole-class, I needed to create something that could be done individually.

I have also finished up the Food Waste section.

I’m getting used to the workflow for Drupal. It still takes a bit of thinking, but at least now I pretty much have the workflow down.

Chasing People Out

One of the side effects (and it’s intentional) of several of the laws that we are now seeing passed in certain parts of the country is to drive people out. The Washington Post posted an article about a Florida teacher who is leaving teaching. See the teacher is gay and married. She’s afraid to talk about her life and/or her marriage. Teachers have been encouraged to talk about their life in general. Teachers talk about their spouse (unless of course that spouse is the same sex).

Keep in mind, we have a teacher shortage. Keep in mind that kids need to see the real world. Having a teacher married to someone of the same sex is not going to change anything about the life partner choice that kid will make. However, it might just make that kid kinder, more respectful, more understanding, and more compassionate.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry

By Fredrik Backman

WOW. Fredrik Backman has done it again. Meet Elsa, a different almost eight-year-old. Elsa’s Grandmother is truly a character (and avid defender of Elsa). When Elsa’s Grandmother dies, she sends Elsa on a journey to learn about those around her. That journey involves delivering letters to tell those around that the Grandmother is sorry about things that she has or hasn’t done. The story is couched in the fairy tales that the Grandmother has told Elsa (some of which Elsa knows has been “lifted” from other writers). The fairy tales feature a wurse, drunks, monsters, and more. This is a powerful book that fills your heart and head. The story is extremely week crafted. Elsa may be different, but she is present in all of us. (I looked this up on Wikipedia, so I know it’s true – a reference to Elsa).

I’ve read several of Fredrik Backman’s books now, including A Man Called Ove, and Anxious People (both of which I loved). I’ll be reading the rest of his books soon. He has risen to be one of my favorite authors.

MOOSE

I’ve started working on converting some resources to MOOSE. I’ve been adding in Data Collection activities for kids to learn about Data Collection. I hope to work on converting this to MoodleNet as well.

I’ve also worked on a creating the Food Waste materials.

Board Meeting

This was a Board Meeting week as well. That means that Tuesday was a long day. However, the Board Meetings are very focused, productive, and timely.

Audiology Appointment

I had a disappointing audiology appointment. I wear hearing aids, kids, watch that level of music that you are pumping into your ears, and with the move needed to find a new audiologist. Unfortunately, all this turned out to be was a quick clean and sanitize. The audiologist didn’t take any readings or check anything at all. I may be finding a different audiologist.

Principal Conversation

I had a chance to have a conversation with the High School Principal. I really like him a lot. He’s got great ideas, is realistic, and looking out for the kids. I wish that we weren’t dealing with COVID so that I could have had more conversations with him.

Hostas

Thanks to NextDoor, I’ve picked up some Hostas from a neighbor. This also means that I met another neighbor. The Hostas are slated in part for behind the bench on the deck. I’ve cleaned out most of the area behind the bench, still have a bit of knotweed left to remove, and planted a couple of new flowers back there.

School Year

In many ways I can’t believe how close to the end of the year that it is. There is so much that I wanted to do but haven’t been able. Hopefully, COVID will be more manageable next school year. Currently, our elementary school is back to mandated masking. We’re really hoping to avoid returning to remote.

Outside step

This week I tackled the step outside. In our backyard, there had been an inground pool. There is a path with pavers and two steps to the still existing pool deck on the ground. However, the step was incredibly narrow. This made it dangerous to walk with anything in your hands. I had to figure out how to square up the step and then elongate the step. Turns out the two steps were poured in place and heavy.

Fortunately, I was able to get the steps in place. I then added pavers as supports and used the pavers to create a step that is 16 additional inches wide.

Break

This last week was break week. I didn’t do hardly any work at all. Rather, I did get some things done around the house. Rm was off to Michigan for a shower for a friend.

I had to make a threshold for the living room to dining room transition as that is an unusual length. I got the steps done (see above). I also painted the curtain holder (we have a window that goes all the wall to a wall, so we had to be creative with installing the curtain rod) and patched and painted where I had installed a screw for a picture.

I’ve started working on building a cabinet for the kitchen. This is turning out to be a learning experience.

Running

After over a year away from running, for a variety of reasons, I’m trying to re-establish the running habit. Turns out that hills make things that much harder. It’s a slow start, but I’m working on building up my endurance again.

Hazel – Ninja Dog

I was doing some work outside and had Hazel outside with me. I just saw her on the bench, as usual, a spot she likes. I went back to working. A couple minutes later, I went to check on her. Not on the bench. Not on the stairs. Not running around. I checked the garage, not there.

Panic ensues. I start calling her and looking for her. The gates are still closed. I check the cemetery, figuring that is where she usually goes for a walk. No Hazel. Now I’m really panicking. I look around where we usually walk her. I’m stuck as I’m afraid to look too far in case she comes home (I’m the only one home). Yet, I also know that time is of the essence. The longer she is gone, the further she could go.

In looking, I see a police officer (alright, the police officer). He says that he will look for her.

I call Rm to let her know. As soon as I make that call and start explaining, who comes running up the street? That’s right – Hazel. Thankfully safe and sound.

The rest of the day is spent purchasing some additional fencing, checking all areas of the fencing where she could’ve gotten out, and installing said purchased fencing so that she can’t go under gaps.

Pimorini Keybow2040

A great gift from my daughter, the pimorni keybow2040 is essentially a wonderful keyboard extension. It is completely programmable.

I’m still researching exactly how I want to use this. It is a fun, wonderful addition though.

French Braid

Anne Tyler released a new book: French Braid. It is wonderful! I think that this is one of her best books of late, and that’s saying something. Anne Tyler writes about interesting characters. French Braid is more so about a family. This book has all the wonderful characters and imagery that one comes to expect from Anne Tyler. The reader is drawn into their world. It was especially easy for me to relate the Garrett family. Across the generations, the idea of family and how that plays out is fascinating. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. Go read it now.

Easter

The kids weren’t able to join us, but we had a wonderful dinner.

Live Update

Maine is doing a live stream of a bridge construction project. This impacts my drive to work (and from work). It’s pretty cool that the project is being streamed. Essentially, they have built a replacement bridge and will be moving it into place over a few days. This replaces months of closures and construction.

Podcast

Shawn and I had a terrific podcast this week. One of the things I was interested in was the Florida Department of Education’s latest Press Release Florida Rejects Publisher’s Attempts to Indoctrinate Students. This doesn’t sound like a Department of Education Press Release, but a listicle. With a title like that, it isn’t about education, but political positioning. We also talked about citizen science, schedules, and much more.

I’ve also been wondering about advertising. On one hand, it would be nice to mitigate some of the costs of running the podcast, but we don’t have a huge following either (maybe you could help out with that).

Barn 8

I’ve finished Barn 8. I can’t say that this one had me absolutely enthralled, but I did find it interesting. This is not a mystery. The plot of the story is pretty well explained and laid out. The story is dependent upon the character of Janey. Janey is a teenager who finds out that her father is actually alive. She goes to visit him and her mother is killed in an accident prior to returning home. Janey then becomes a chicken auditor and develops a plan to save a million chickens.

The story then introduces a couple of different characters who make up the story. I would’ve like a bit more focus and development of these characters. They feel fundamental but underdevelope.

ClipMenu

I’ve been using ClipMenu as my clipboard manager for years and years. It has been discontinued. The download link doesn’t resolve anywhere. However, since I have the application, I’ve been able to move it from computer to computer. It works. Except that it works slightly different on one computer than the other. Using the keyboard shortcut of Command | Shift | V, I get a menu pop up allowing me to pick from recently copied items. On one computer, my selection automatically pastes (this is the desired effect). On the other, that item is moved to the top of the list, but nothing is actually pasted. So, I have to hit Command | V again. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying.

So, I went to see if there was an update. Nope. However, I did find Clipy (this is a Japanese website) (Github version) which is based upon ClipMenu. When I say based, it is almost an exact replica. This is one of the beauties of open source. Since ClipMenu was open source, Clipy is allowed to exist.

So far, I’m grooving on Clipy. It is exactly what ClipMenu was but updated.

MOOSE

My MOOSE partner and I have met and begun the work on our middle school computer science project. It is very early, but we have at least begun the process.

Anne Tyler

Yea! Anne Tyler has released a new book: French Braid. This one has arrived and has been bumped up to “NEXT”.

Taxes

Taxes were tough this year. Selling stock meant a “pay” instead of refund. However, taxes are done and submitted.