Last?

I heard from three readers! Three! That's a ton if you ask me. But they enjoyed the "updates from the field" series that I've been running to ground. 

However . . .

This could be it. This is all I could find from the series of humorous posts from the front-lines from our CEO that I produced for a leadership group I created at work years ago. 

Humor From a While Back

I've been inspired by McManus, and I'm trying to write some short stories that are more humorous than my normal writing. Doing this brings to mind some writing I did back in 2018 in our Leadership Group on Facebook. 

I posted one of them HERE, years ago. But there were several more in the series. I've found what I could and I'll post those as I can, but here's what I had. 

Write Up My Alley

I saw this image in some social media feed and it hit me. Some do, . . . some don't . . . this one did. Why? Not sure, but it made me realize I have a lot more writing to do. 

According to AI this meme is "mostly true" . . . for example AI told me that many of Pablo Picasso's pieces were just sketches. BUT, when you consider that it's 150,000 . . . even the fact that they're just sketches is impressive. 

Beloved Book Club

I'm a part of a book club, and recently Beloved came up for discussion. I read Beloved back in high school, and just going back and getting ready to read it again brought back so many bad memories that I decided this might be one book that the book club reads, reviews, and discusses that I won't be a part of. 

I had a hard time with this book. I even remember arguing with our teacher about it and trying to get extra points on quizzes and tests. What I found funny about this is that when I was in middle school and high school, I was constantly getting into trouble for reading. I would read what was assigned immediately, then go back to my own reading list. I remember cracking open Beloved, knocking it out, and coming away more confused than ever. I can't imagine what some of my classmates, especially the ones who didn't enjoy reading and weren't very good readers, got through that module of the class.

The Next Video . . . about the Next Series . . . which includes the Next Book

 Hello! Thought it was time to fulfill my stretch goal and record another video. Again, this is about my reading series, which I've discussed before HERE and HERE.

Publications . . . on a Random Week in July

My boss, every now and then, requires a more complete update from his leadership than he usually gets. So, at those times, we all go in and draft much more explicit and detailed reports that show everything that our departments are doing. 

Now there are times when I'm circumspect about what I post here. I don't need some hacker on the other side of the world knowing my address or phone number or where I'll be on September 2nd. Worse, I don't need to be posting our Research Department's strategy and tactics for all of the world, or our competitors to see. However, knowing which journals I've submitted articles to, doesn't seem to me to be too confidential. 

Best Writing Beards

In my last video, I spoke about my audience for this blog. One large cohort of this audience has pitched a very compelling and cogent question. Basically, many of my former students who like to peruse this blog have asked what happened to my beard.

I'm sure the men in the above picture, famous authors all, need no introduction. It only made sense last year that I too go down the route and become a great bearded writer as well. Well, when making videos for my classes, I couldn't very well shave or hide the beard. Ergo, there's an entire cohort of graduate students, many of whom follow this blog, who are wondering what happened to the beard. 

New Readers and New Audiences

 So, in my efforts to continue to move away from just providing written word updates, here's my next video. Enjoy.

Another Academic Publication

As this blog is about my writing and (hopeful) publication, I thought I'd mention some of the other publications that I have earned. In this most recent case, the June issue of Adult Learning, a peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, was released yesterday, and there at the bottom is my name listed next to a book review.

I remember one of my professors saying that an easy way to get started in the academic publication world is to publish a book review. She was (and I believe still is) an editor of the journal, and I think she was trying to get more book reviews for it, since it's a constant part of each issue, and I'm sure they have to fill the funnel every now and then. Regardless, I took her at her word, and I have to say she was right. 

Brenda Video

 Second video-inspired post. Enjoy.

Reading Series

This may be challenging to see, but this is my reading series challenge. About a year and a half or two years ago I made myself a goal to read through several series of books all written by the same author. I've made some good progress, but boy do I still have a long way to go. 

These aren't the only books I've read. I just finished an "off series" book, and actually, I'd bet it's about 3 to 1. For every 4 books I read, 3 are from the series. Some of these are commitment books. I just finished Rainbow 6, and that sucker is long. 

Going Video

 

Adaptive Learning

Adaptive instructional design was something that I was working toward in my prior position at a non-profit safety council. 

We were actively working on several different solutions that focused on using technology to support adaptive learning. First, I think it's important to note that in my perspective there is a difference between adaptive learning and differentiated learning. While both are pro-active one is constantly adapting and changing, (adaptive) while the other is a bit less pro-active and could be seen in my view as reactive. I see them as similar but slightly different variants. Like a naval orange and a blood orange. Farrer (2024) does a good job of explaining this when she writes about differentiation that: "the teacher recognizes that students have differing needs and addresses them before learning occurs" (para. 24). While adaptive learning environments, she writes: "adaptive teaching is when the teacher continuously collects data on students and then uses that data to adapt their teaching in the moment" (para. 25).

TPACK & SAMR

I had to draft a script for a presentation on SAMR vs TPACK. This is what I got: 

Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.

Change Management vs Change Leadership

I enjoy focusing on the contrast between change management and change leadership. This has been an actual challenge for me throughout my life. 

Kotter (2011) emphasizes that change management focuses "refers to a set of basic tools or structures intended to keep any change effort under control" (para. 1). Change leadership however requires something deeper. Again, according to Kotter (2011), change leadership is "concerns the driving forces, visions and processes that fuel large-scale transformation" (para. 1). Both concern, in my opinion, the ability to influence people toward a shared or common vision but there are disticnt difference. I also think there is a time latency aspect where change leadership begins before the project, and before change management. It's making a case for change as well. 

Poor PO Fit

 I got a chance to sit behind my old colleagues for a short flight back home. I didn't "try" to listen in, but I did hear. And each successive sentence made me realize how happy I was to have left. I listened to them say this and that and then this again,  . . . (then that again) . . . and I swear I didn't want to roll my eyes, . . But I may have. 

It made me think about the report I wrote several years ago. I tried to get it published. I thought it was good enough to be published, but it never was. I remember I got a somewhat poor grade on it, and I was furious, . . . apparently Dr. Priest is a better grader than I thought. No one else thought it was any good either. 

Give Me Some Orders

 I'm reading a book about D-Day by Stephen Ambrose. I've read a lot of books by Ambrose over the years. I gave up on him due to the "plagiarism" scandal at the end of his life. I wasn't a fan of that. And I'm still not. BUT, I've been stunned (as my readers well know) by the magnitude of plagiarism taking hold in academic circles, see for instance Harvard's president, et al. I wonder if there is a study there somewhere. Regardless, Ambrose is a greater writer. More on that later. 

What I find interesting is his description of the landing at Omaha Beach. The first invasion he discusses is Utah, and for the most part that sounds rather staid. But boy, Omaha was a goat fuck. 

Tizzy Moments

 I think it's funny how little things can throw us for a loop. For example, I felt like I was doing great yesterday. Working hard, moving forward, enjoying my work, etc. Then BOOM one message from my boss, and everything is thrown into a scrum. 

In this case, it's such a silly message too. 

Writing Tropes - Crossed Up Plots and Time Travel

There are two type of story tropes that I particularly enjoy. I've never written any like it, but they are well-known and usually well-liked. My next project is going to be my own effort to bring them both together. 

I love movies with multiple divergent yet congruent and intersecting story lines and character arcs. At the beginning of the story, you have multiple characters, none of whom seem to have any relationship with the others. By the end of the movie, you recognize where and why they all intersect, and usually they intersect in ways that the reader or watcher would never have suspected. 

Another for BIC

I had another article published in a trade magazine. My goal for each of my studies is to produce a report for academics, another report for industry leaders, white papers, podcasts, videos, and trade magazine articles. This most recent publication is for a study I completed last year, and this is the trade magazine article. 

For a long while, I thought BIC wasn't worth publishing in. Several things led to this view. First, I had read several things in it, and so much of it was "inside baseball" and shallow. Also, many of the leaders I worked for thought it was too "People-Magazine-esque."