Categories
Interests

reflections ala IM

I have an account on most of the major IM clients.  Most of the time it sits there idle, sometimes family will use it to contact me and sometimes friends will banter back and forth.  And, on some occasions there is the appearance of some heavier material.

In this case I made a statement, sent it and after the fact I thought, “yeah, that’s really it.  Isn’t it?”.  It was a revalation that came out of a simple conversation but upon reflection I realized it held more.

The following conversation took place via text messaging.  The friends name has been changed to protect their innocence.  Well, with this friend, not innocence, but a sense of respecting his privacy.

Friend1: it’s funny.. the tech program does seem to provide a much greater sense of accomplishment than my masters program did
Friend1: it just feels like there’s a lot more substance there
ServerGoon: I was thinking of the learning process for me this quarter it was “here’s what you got to do, here’s what you need (materials) to do it. Now go do it. Oh, and if you have to learn something extra along the way, do that too!”
ServerGoon: as opposed to the class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), TEST class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), class (spoon feed), TEST
Friend1: yeah
Friend1: it’s definitely for adults hah
ServerGoon: personally, I was a little irked that he assigned aspects of web site design that involved Flash, podcast, etc.. technologies that some have not had a class in yet, but hey, that’s life. Sometime you don’t always know what you need to know when you start a project.
Friend1: well, it’s also indicative of when you have an instructor rather than a professor, i think

“Sometime you don’t always know what you need to know when you start a project.”

I look back at that statement and realize that’s where the learning comes into play for me.  It’s not sitting in a lecture covering what was supposed to be read.  It is being told here’s the end product, here is some material to help you along the way, the rest is up to you.  I feel fortunate that I was able to spend some time and pick up what I needed to know (mostly) to complete the projects and I feel for those poeple that are learning multiple technologies at the same time, that can be very rough.  But as my friend said “it’s definitely for adults hah”.  Speaking of which, I’ve got a project due and I should be working on it instead of writing about this.  But this was one of those moments that I thought I should share.

–EdTechGoon aka ServerGoon

Categories
Interests Professional

Server Consolidation

With the looming server consolidation and subsequent reorganization I’ve decided to ramble a bit and share my thoughts and concerns.

I work in an educational environment with a distributed IT model.  Seems years ago (I wasn’t here, so I’m going on hearsay here) the university had a centralized IT model and the level of service the individual departments received was unacceptable.  So, individual departments hired their own technical staff, set up their own services and continued to serve their clients (faculty, staff and students) as best they could.  The Centralized IT structure provided infrastructure service (email, phone, internet, etc) and some departments chose to go with their own email and/or calendaring solutions.

Well, it seems as if the cycle is to continue and the mode of operation for this university is to go back to a centralized structure.  Now, I’m on the outside of that structure, so I don’t have insider knowledge as to what is going to happen (which is a concern to me and I would think everyone in my situation).  I can see the benefits of a centralized IT providing university wide services; mail, calendaring, web hosting, internet and phone.  I can even see the benefit of a central IT structure setting down rules and guidelines concerning what security standards must be met in order to “stand up” a server on campus.  I’m even fine with meeting those standards, but I’m concerned about the ability of a larger structure, concerned with university wide services, to provide the support and service for those smaller specialized applications used on a departmental basis.  Those concerns aside, I’m still willing to work with the centralized IT, I’m still willing to see what advantages can be provided by a consolidated bargaining unit when it comes to purchasing hardware and software.

When talking about server consolidation — and when talking consolidation let’s not forget the subsequent consolidation (read reduction) of work force — the buzz words seem to be “economies of scale”, and “providing better service by providing specialized expertise”.  I’ll be the first to admit I’m stretched between multiple projects most of the time and I rarely have time to become an “expert” (that may be the subject of another rant) in any one area.  However, when the centralized IT talks about expertise, they are also (once again, this is from my viewpoint from outside the structure) talking about limiting what services are provided.  The focus seems to be on Oracle DB services and MicroSoft server products.  Needless to say, this is a concern to me.  I’m more of a LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) person myself.  Now we’ve been guaranteed there would be no “reduction in service” but when you have staffing that doesn’t allow you to support what’s running “out in the field” how is that possible?

These are just a few of my concerns, and they’re not to the point of keeping me awake at night… yet.  But as I work on providing a list of servers and the services they provide these concerns come to the forefront.  I have an investment in my area and I have an investment in the services I provide.  I almost feel as if I’m providing a hit list of sorts, betraying my department by providing information that will eventually lead changes, changes that may not be fully welcome.

I see the security concerns, I see the concerns of a CIO that may not fully know what all technology is being used on campus.  But I am also keenly aware of the concerns of my fellow coworkers and department.  I’m aware of the services we provide because that service wasn’t offered centrally.  And most of all, being the selfish being that I am, I’m concerned about what my job will look like in the coming year.

Of course, after writing this, I may not have to worry about that…

Categories
Interests

Hot for teacher

Yeah, that headline caught your attention didn’t it?  I saw this article on Social networking sites can be mine fields for teachers in The Salt Lake Tribune and thought I’d make a comment or two on it.

It’s not a new story by any means. Student and teachers see each other on a daily basis. And, when the age difference between the two can be as little as four years, it only seems normal that hormones could come into play.  It’s been in the news, teachers crossing the lines with students.  Add to that the prevalence of social networking and the fact that a teacher entering the workforce now has always had Facebook and MySpace, both launched in 2004 and you have a whole new venue for potential trouble.

Does that mean as a teacher you shouldn’t be on MySpace or Facebook?  I don’t think so, but I think it is important as an educator that you think about the potential implications of being friends with students on such social networks.  Additionally, as an educator, if you were to see students engaging in illegal activities on a social networking site, would you be required, ethically, to say something?

Even now, college students are finding out that employers are looking at social networking sites before hiring an individual.  Don’t think it’s true? I can tell you that I personally check facebook when considering student hires.  The same would be true for a full time hire.  It would be the same thing as checking for published papers to see what an individual’s perspective is on a particular subject.  So, just remember, that keg stand you did in college could come back to haunt you in the end.  Social networking, while great for keeping in touch with friends, can be a double edged sword.

So what is the answer?  Where are the lines drawn?  I don’t know.  I think the area is just going to get grayer…. just like my hair.