Here’s a summary of some of the things I learned and published this week.
Readings
You can follow my daily readings as they happen here. Below are a selected few, with commentary, from the past week.
- Microsoft Teams doesn’t get a lot of press when we hear people talk about doing things online. Maybe with these new features, that will change.
- This is a very sad, real story of returning to school told through the eyes of a student.
- I’ve read a lot of stories about doing this and have done it myself. Take an old computer and put some version of Linux on it. Pro tip – it is easy and it works really well.
- Congratulations to the award winners from Western University. There are some names there that you should recognize.
- Curbside library pickup in Toronto is received well. Congratulations.
- This is a collection of ideas about how to speed up your Apple Macintosh or Air computers. The tips are pretty straight forward but it’s a nice reminder.
- So, if Tim Horton‘s is tracking me, then I really shouldn’t have to go through the drive-through. I should be able to just press a button and they deliver.
- Imagine an Edgebook. Would it compete with a Chromebook? I don’t know but if they’re looking for volunteers, count me in.
- The is a prudent move on the part of the Mexican authorities. They should be wary of people contracting the virus and spreading it.
- If you’re considering dropping the entry level mouse that came with your computer, take a look through this list.
- I guess that it is a good move for Google. The biggest complaint about Chromebooks is the inability to run Windows applications. Maybe you’ll be able to do so soon.
- It is a truth that things in education will change. Some thoughts about the new look for the future can be found here.
- I can understand why making it a law is just not feasible. After all, if it’s a law it needs to be inforced.
- I’ve been using LibreOffice for so long I almost forgot that there was an OpenOffice. Here’s a comparison between the two.
- If the goal is to make the news, then this announcement of providing high speed internet everywhere in the province did it. The proof will be if it actually comes through.
- The folks at SickKids put together their advice for reopening schools. It’s one voice and doesn’t speak about the teacher end. All angles need to be considered.
- I’ve been a user of Flipboard for years and can recommend it without hesitation. You need to have a broad selection of categories for best results.
- This article explains why I’m incapable of taking a good picture of myself.
- Juneteenth explained with a Canadian voice.
Blog Posts on
doug … off the record
My daily contributions to this blog. If you’re looking for a week in review for doug–off the record, you came to the right place.
- Sunday – My Week Ending June 14, 2020
- Monday – Eat to learn
- Tuesday – Double up to break even
- Wednesday – Not the time to drop your guard
- Thursday – There will be a miracle
- Friday – This Week in Ontario Edublogs
- Saturday – Details
- Sunday – Whatever happened to … haircuts?
#FollowFriday – June 19, 2020
voicEd Radio
This week on voicEd Radio, Stephen Hurley and I chatted about graduations, fatherhood, photography, racism, and mathematics.
This week’s show – https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/photos-fatherhood-graduations-and-more/
Intro Song:
All of the podcasts are archived here.
Blog posts this week came from:
- Jennifer Casa-Todd – @jcasatodd
- Jay Dubois – @Jay__Dubois
- Noa Daniel – @noasbobs
- Edugals – @EduGals (Rachel Johnson, Katie Attwell)
- Idil Abdulkadir – @Idil_A_
Technology Troubleshooting
I bit the bullet the other day and downloaded and installed the May 2020 Windows 10 upgrade. It took a few hours; I need to get faster internet. I had nothing else to do so was sitting at my desk watching it do the installation and it was kind of painful. But, upon final reboot, I was up and running.
My impressions, at first, is that it runs slower than the previous version of Windows. I know that this will likely change as it optimizes itself. I did a quick rundown of the programs that get me through the day and everything works except for the Opera GX browser. It’s providing something I haven’t seen in Windows in a long time. The active window freezes and it fades to white.
I haven’t done a lot of work looking for a solution yet except to search Twitter for “Opera GX Windows 10” and there is actually quite a bit of conversation going on with it. Much of it isn’t in English so the translator is providing a bit of insight.
I suspect there will be an update coming sooner or later.
Video of the Week
This was another song considered for the intro to the podcast. Sorry, Rod.
Photo of the Week
Driving through my old school district, I ran across this sign. I know the literacy folks will have fun with it but I suspect the spelling is intentional. After all, there’s an identical sign going the other direction. But, the big question is – is there a comma missing?
Thanks for reading.
Please join me daily for something new and, hopefully, interesting for you. Time willing, this summary appears every Sunday afternoon.
Be safe.
dp
This blog post was originally posted at:
https://dougpete.wordpress.com/
If you find it anywhere else, it’s not original.
doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.