Reflections on D'Arcy Norman, PhD

2024 week 50

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 10:19:17 +0000

My last full week of work before The Break

2024 week 49

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 11:17:54 +0000

⚙️ Work

I moved 4GB of my work files from my personal iCloud storage and into my UCalgary-provided OneDrive storage¹. After working through the process of trying to access work files stored on a laptop left behind by a former team member, it’s basically impossible to access content on an encrypted mac. So. If I want any of my work to be available if I get hit by a lottery, I need to store it in a UCalgary-provided cloud storage bucket. I’d been using my iCloud storage because it just works, and works reliably on all devices that I use. I hadn’t been able to say that about OneDrive. Hoping the sync issues I had before aren’t still a thing.

2024 week 48

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 09:49:04 +0000

🔗 Links

OERs

eCampusOntario: Affordable Learning, Lasting Impact: How OER and Partnerships Save Students Money (via Clint Lalonde)

Webstuff

Docsify-this (via Paul Hibbitts and Alan Levine)

A utility that turns any web-visible markdown .md file into a fully rendered web page. Looks handy, but would be even handy-er if it could be deployed on a webserver as a script to render any .md files in public_html directories. Which connects to…
Docsify - a command line tool that runs the Docsify-ing thing to generate a website from markdown .md files.

2024 week 47

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:13:00 +0000

⚙️ Work

We started the process of restructuring our team. The first step was the hardest thing I’ve had to do professionally. Now we get to move into the next phase for the team, and lots of exciting opportunities coming from that.

Also

I’m hiring - the posting to fill the Learning Technologies Specialist role for a 2-year limited term went up on Friday.

Also

While sharing the posting on shudder LinkedIn, I saw a video that was shared by UCalgary, showcasing Phong Vu and his family who own and operate Bake Chef. Which reminds me, I should plan to get a Bake Chef sub for lunch on Monday…

2024 week 46

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:13:31 +0000

🔗 Links

Leadership

Robert Winter: The Speed of High(er) Trust Leaders: Part 1.

Talking about Covey’s Cores of Credibility and 13 high-trust behaviours.

Conferences

SIGCSE Virtual 2024 (via Peter Drake)

a virtual conference hosted by ACM’s Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education. When I was working on my dissertation, SIGSE wasn’t even on my radar. Which, in hindsight, is kind of surprising (although I came from the direction of SoTL rather than from Computer Science, so…).

2024 week 45

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 11:16:46 +0000

When people show you who they are, believe them.

Maya Angelou¹

Over half of a country looked at a racist, sexist, rapist, convicted felon, petty, vindictive useful idiot and enthusiastically said “OH HELL YEAH HE’S OUR GUY!!!” They know who he is, and who his handlers are. And handed him a decisive victory.

I’d bet that almost nobody was swayed by policy. It looks like it was mostly decided by apathetic citizens choosing not to vote. That’s maybe more shocking than a corrupt proto-fascist convicted criminal getting elected? A third of people say “HELL YEAH!” a third said “not really, I guess” and another third said “I just don’t care enough either way” (or, more likely, “I don’t care enough to vote against Him when the alternative is voting for a woman of colour”).

2024 week 44

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 11:37:17 +0000

Chronic insomnia is a hell of a thing.

🔗 Links

Leadership

Luis Velasquez @ HBR Review: When You’re Told You’re Not Strategic Enough

I haven’t been told this, but #3 definitely resonates:

3. Shorter-term issues take precedence.

The immediate pressures and urgencies of the day-to-day business sometimes overshadow the need for communicating about long-term planning. Leaders often prioritize execution and operational work over strategic reflection and communication, making it harder to articulate the bigger picture. As one stakeholder told me about Jason, “He appears too busy, always in execution mode.” Additionally, uncertainty and pressure can make leaders hesitant to articulate plans that aren’t fully concrete, and their stakeholders may be unable to connect the dots between the strategy and what’s happening on the ground, causing misunderstanding and misalignment.

2024 week 43

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 11:30:09 +0000

This week: a visit from the German Parliamentary Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, AI-related articles and links, and discussions around active learning, edtech, and surveillance technology.

2024 week 42

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 10:47:30 +0000

A short week with some kind of huge institutional changes. Some links about GenAI, edtech, academia. Also, drone regulations in Calgary.

2024 week 41

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 11:20:33 +0000

This week’s highlights include recognizing team members who reached the 15-year milestone, attending a talk on AI history, and exploring various articles and resources related to AI, edtech, and design.

2024 week 40

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 10:30:10 +0000

This week’s update covers a range of topics including work dynamics, AI developments, joyful learning experiences, web sustainability, and management insights. Some reflections on how I share work-related content, explorations of various AI tools and their implications, the importance of authentic learning, and the evolving nature of the web.

2024 week 39

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:31:41 +0000

A week filled with meetings, collaboration on AI and technology initiatives, reflections on Truth and Reconciliation, and explorations in AI tools and course design. Also, finished reading the final book in Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series.

2024 week 38

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 11:12:13 +0000

Some resources and thoughts on design, AI, and education.

2024 Week 37

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 13:31:17 -0600

Notes on simplifying classroom support models and content retention guidelines for Brightspace. Links include items on AI trends and various articles on leadership, AI in education, and course design.

2024 Week 36

dnorman@me.com (D'Arcy Norman) — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 11:21:25 -0600

This week’s links cover various topics including leadership authenticity, the renewed Experiential Learning Framework, AI’s role in creativity, and tech in higher education. Highlights include discussions on micromanagement, holistic pedagogy, AI in art, and generative AI’s impact on writing.