Category: Blog

Yes, still going to the Windows Phone Developer Conference and the good news is that it got approved as Professional Development!  No losing Personal Days.

Can't wait to share with my students.

So last Saturday night my Mac Mini blew up (literally, I think the noise the power supply made blowing up woke me up.

I took my Mac Mini to the Knox Street Apple store, and as always they took their own sweet time. 

Before I go further, I am an experienced Ham Radio operator (Extra class) and Computer Scientist and I know darn well if a power supply explodes to the point that you can smell the burnt component, more than the power supply is gone.

Now, if they had replaced the Mac Mini on the spot, I would have bought something else, and I was leaning towards a notebook or iPod, hadn’t decided. I am quite serious about this.

However, they lost their chance and it gets worse.  i looked up the service status yesterday and it was still showing "Service in Process".  Good news is that it now showing "Service Complete".

I had to call and ask the status on day 7 of the estimated repair.  They did replace the Mac Mini with a new computer BUT they should have called me and told me that they were replacing it as soon as they opened it up.  I NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD TO CALL!  And the status should have not been showing "In Service", but it should have told me to pick it up.

Very unhappy with the Apple Store experience.

I’ve been registered for some time, but wasn’t 100% sure I was going.  TCEA is rewriting our TEKS though and adding courses, including a course in writing mobile phone software.  This looks as good as any to get started on that, though I have played with Mobile phone programming with Visual Basic and even a little with Java.

I’ve been trying to get the school to give me the time off for staff development but haven’t gotten anything back.  Plus looking at the new attendance report, it seems we don’t have a Staff Development code that doesn’t dock days anyway.  Weird.  I already mentioned to Alfred that I figured one of the reasons it hadn’t been approved  was budget issues, and I suspect I’m right again.

Looking forward to some training on something new!

I posted last weekend that my Mac Mini blew up.  Apparently the power supply is no longer working.  The device smells burned and won’t power up.

Took it to the Apple Store and they told me the repair would take 5-7 days.  It’s morning of day 5, and no signs of repair. 

Here’s what I expected to take place:

Be given a refurbished Mac Mini on the spot, and have to restore my data from Time Machine

If that had occurred, I would have bought a new device on the spot, either a notebook, an iPad or an iPhone, not sure what I would have gone with.  Probably the new iPhone because my Windows Mobile phone is driving me nuts.

I really liked the Mac Mini until it blew up.  It kind of scares me now, and I probably won’t leave it on over night any more, I keep wondering about it catching the house on fire after it blew up.

I also don’t like their service – I paid extra for Apple Care and honestly did expect faster service.  They could at least keep spare supplies in stock.  What is standard turn around on Notebooks, etc?

I really want a Windows 7 Mobile phone, to show my students Windows Mobile Phone development.  That’s always been a big interest of students, slightly after XBox 360 development.

So here’s information about the launch and cross your fingers for me to win!

Yes, I am keeping the iPod Touch.  However, I use it as a laptop killer or mobile phone replacement. 

Between the Zune pass and the Zune device itself, music is better on the Zune.  So are podcasts, unless someone can tell me how too run them at normal speed.  Makes Jessica and Skipdeez sound like they are on speed when I listen to the Zune insider.

However, I like the fact that you don’t need a speaker with the iPod.  It also has much more and much better apps.  Like Words with Friends, Facebook, etc.

I’m still holding out on replacing my Mobile phone, have a Windows mobile, Tilt and I still like it.  Hoping the Windows 7 phones will be nice but am going to wait until they are in the wild for a while.

I like the camera in the iPod Touch and used it today, several times.

Found the playback answer by doing a web search, it’s a setting on the Podcast settings page.

I overheard this today:

"The kid is 18, he should just go get a job."

ARGH!  This is one of the two reasons we are on the bad list of schools.  We aren’t graduating enough students fast enough nor are we graduating enough kids.

My attitude (I teach an elective, and so does the teacher who said this)

• I teach an elective.  To keep my job, I have to get kids in the door.
• No kid should not graduate because he flunked my class — by the way, only breathing oxygen will get you a failing grade.  But I have a system that keeps kids going and successful.
  • If you couldn’t do the work the first six weeks, you get a 70.
  • If you couldn’t do the work the second six weeks, you get a 65
  • If you couldn’t do the work the third six weeks, you get a 60 … etc.
• That way, you have a chance if you suddenly wake up and figure it out.
• I have to start with what I have and then move to them to where I want them.

The prevailing attitude is the opposite, which is what I think got us in trouble in the first place.  Especially that last one.

So I really don’t understand mobile me and iweb yet.  I’ve never been fond of two heavy of a WYSIWYG of a web editor and iWeb is probably one of the worst of the work. 

I purchased mobile me, as insurance for my ipod Touch.  Between the Findme, and trust me it sends out an obnoxious signal, and Apple Care I figure I have everything covered, as man oh man, is Apple fond of it’s products and make you pay for them.

However, I’m loving the iPod Touch and still don’t think I’ll go to an iPhone.  Waiting for whatever ATT brings out for Windows Phone 7 next year, as I am still loving the Zune.  I mostly have the iPhone for the APPs.

This is interesting, I fired up Contribute and it wants to make an automatic connection to mobile me.  Will probably like it better, since I do like Contribute (not as much as I like Live Writer, which I am using now).

Unfortunately the more you use Apple products, the more you want to use them.

Love to have more ideas on this.

I am getting an hour to do staff development on Monday, which I am using to meet my TIMs requirements.

First on the Agenda:

STaR chart, because it’s mandatory for us to do some training on it.  My plan is to start with showing the campus results page, and then having the group access the school as a whole.

My plan is to use my Airliner slate and hand it to a different person to lead the discussion on each survey question.

Second on the Agenda:

I have a moodle set up for the school in order to teach technology.

Right now, it is a reference point and in it’s early stages.

Plan: Is to hand the computer, or the airliner slate to a participant who has not logged into the site. 

I also plan to have a different person come up and do a different new thing to the moodle. 

Post in the introduction forum.

Take text I’ve already created and put it in a label field

Take text I’ve already created and make it a website.

Last would be to discuss "Formative Assessments" since that is something that the CILT wants us to do.  (CILT = Campus I Leadership Team)

The principal who hired me 18 years ago is working with us to become a better school.  We’re on our second year of not meeting acceptable yearly progress.

She told me that she was glad to see I was still here and that she had heard some good things about me.  She also made me very nervous since I’m presenting on Monday.

She also told me that they "stole" me from another school.  Makes me wonder how things would have turned out if I had gone with that school.  I would have at the very least spent half as much money on gas, as it is closer to my house.

I showed her the tools I use to teach with and she seemed impressed.