My second ATD-GTC meeting

After my first positive ATD-GTC experience at Medtronic, I stepped out a little further and attended the group’s networking event at Cooper Irish Pub in St. Louis Park. I would consider it a successful evening as I met a handful of learning and development professionals who shared experiences and advice with me about entering the field. Unfortunately, I was unable to talk with one particular individual before she left. We were sitting in different areas of the room, and when I looked up after talking, she had disappeared. Have no fear followers and networkers, I will contact her via email later this afternoon!

As a whole, the GTC experience has been worth the membership fee, and I look forward to participating more in the coming year. I registered as a member of the national organization earlier this morning, so hopefully this will open more opportunities to me in the future. For now, it’s back to the Vistaprint website to work on business cards. It’s the wave of the future!

More job searching is on tab for this afternoon as I sit in the lobby of Burnsville Toyota’s service department. My vehicle’s airbag was recalled – just like nearly everyone else’s over the past year. The repair will take approximately 2 hours. I brought the Chromebook, just to be safe. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. If not, wish me luck!

Quick pass at Camtasia Studio 8

Part of my activities is learning new software to prepare me for corporate training and development. Last month I registered for the Introduction to Camtasia Studio 8 online course through DCTC’s Continuing Education program. At first I was using Camtasia 2 for Mac as I followed along, but soon needed to download the trial version on Studio 8. Since I have a month to play with the program, and the course’s 12th and final module goes live on July 24, I’ve taken some time to show you what I’ve been working on.  This is a very quick 30-second spot of me reading the first paragraph in Dear Old Hill, the story of St. Olaf College. I wandered campus and took a couple pictures with my cell phone to make it a little more interesting.

So, ladies and gentlemen (Who am I kidding? I’m the only one who reads this blog.), without further ado, my first 30 seconds of Camtasia.

Another year

Another year has come and gone, and with technology and blogging long forgotten, it’s time to start it up again. In a time of transition, what’s another item added to my plate? If you’ve got some time, I’ll let you know all the great, and not so great things that have happened since January 2014. For now, know it’s been a crazy year. I’m sure there will be more excitement (and disappointment) to come.

Almost a year

It’s been 11 months since my job change.  I find things are going well.  I’m finding enough work to keep me busy, and am learning a lot about college students.  There will soon be time for reflection, but with work and research to do, now is not that time.  However, I will make time later this month.

I’m not sure what the future holds, but I do know one thing.  My current position isn’t a career.  It’s a step in the right direction, but not the end.

Long-standing traditions are over

With tomorrow being the first day of August, I can’t help but remember that I’m no longer a student lifer.  This means that the long-standing traditions of door decorations, staff trainings, incident halls, and move-ins are over.  Since 2000,  these activities have been fall staples.  I’m going to miss them a bit, but since moving into institutional research, I’ve got plenty of new work to do in the coming weeks

• Write a lit review on survey response rates
• Start and finish proposals for a presentation on our response rate findings and a poster session related to retention between the 2nd and 3rd semester.
• Begin the registration process for HEDS’s RPS survey and our home-grown ELOA
• Figure out a good way to supervise my incoming student workers.
• Get rid of the stuff still sitting in boxes from my move last February.
• Spend the evenings with my family during the evenings.  My wife and kids are going to enjoy the month of August.

It’s time to start new fall traditions and the good thing is, they don’t involve me being tied to my work for an entire month and a half.

Dusting it off

Yes, it has been a couple years since regular posting, but with the new job and growing children.  Not to mention moving out of the residence hall, it’s been quite a busy time.  However, with a new position in assessment with an emphasis on the use of technology, I might find myself posting a bit more often.  One thing’s for sure…

There’s been drastic changes, and I can’t wait to let someone know what’s been going on.  Until then, good night.

Oh, Christmas Tree

We went Christmas tree shopping this past Sunday (11/27/11).  It was a successful trip to the Hampton Hills Christmas Tree Farm.  The hayride and visit with Santa looked pretty lame, so we skipped it.  After cutting on site, the tree made it home in one piece.  We were about 4-5 inches to tall for the apartment, so after some indoor trimming (with a white twin sheet covering the carpet), everything worked quite well.  Here are some pictures:

I told her to find a tree that “spoke to her.”  She then wandered the aisles asking questions directed at the trees, listening for answers.

She found a “girl tree”.

So, I did what any self-respecting father would do and cut it down.

I had to assemble our new stand and decided to do the trimming in the apartment.

The finished product.

Thanks to Amanda for taking some great action shots.  Overall, it was a great experience.  I think we’d definitely do it again.  It’ll take some practice to remind ourselves that it needs watering, but we’re doing a great job so far.  There should be no difficulty keeping the tree in excellent condition through the holiday season.

It’s a food product, essentially.

After reading this article involving a Walmart shopper in Los Angeles.  It’s actually not a bad idea.  You arrive a little late to the store to get the deals, pepper spray other shoppers, claim their merchandise, and Merry Christmas!

I found this somewhat relevant video:

“Pepper spray, that just burns your eyes, right?”
“Was it diluted?”
“They should have had a bigger reaction than that.”
“…a fairly liberal campus…”
“The chancellor said, ‘You can’t operate a college like this.'”

The better thing about the interview is that Kelly appears to be almost supporting the students in their decisions.  I’m not impressed, but am a little surprised.  It’s too bad Bill doesn’t ask some follow up questions about moral decision-making by the campus police.

We educate students, not have them pepper sprayed and arrested.

As a higher education professional, I have strong opinions about what went down at UC Davis this past weekend.  We are educators.  As administrators and faculty, we are supposed to be teaching students, not having them pepper-sprayed and arrested for sitting on the sidewalk.  At the very least, these students should be meeting with a campus conduct officer, like me not.  Shame on Chancellor Katehi.  Perhaps she visited and talked with the group before calling the campus police?  Ordered some food and had an educational moment?  That’s what I would hope I would do if I were in her shoes.

Here’s a link to The Chronicle of Higher Education piece.

Here’s a video that everyone should watch.

Holding the door

I’ve been thinking about why we hold doors open for each other.  Many times, I catch myself (and others) hold a door open for themselves, even when it’s being held open.  Today, I commented to a Hall Receptionist that it seemed odd that this happens.  What do those people think will happen?  After politely holding open the door, it’s going to slammed in their face as they walk through it?

I could see one reason for the “double-hold”.  As this picture demonstrates, holder #1 has only a fingertip grip on the door.  There’s definitely a possibility of the door swinging back in this woman’s face.

I was going to rant about this tonight, but as I was doing a quick Internet search, someone had already beat me to it.