It was 66 degrees out this afternoon when I finally pulled on my riding gear to begin the next phase of training. I'd set the goal of restarting bike training over Thanksgiving, so technically I did so. Long? No. But that would have been a terrible idea. I am going to move slowly on this to see if I can bring the foot up in training without hurting it. I have had no pain for weeks, so here's hoping it stays that way.
I've been thinking about the running thing too. It might be a good idea to start running a short bit before the group runs. This would extend my running days a bit, and would greatly enhance my base. On paper it's solid; in practice it doesn't always work out. Every year brings new health challenges to overcome, and who knows what lies around the corner this time.
Completely off topic, I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks traveling down different, but oddly converging paths professionally. My teaching centers on business IT, which in itself is a broad category. Essentially that would be any technology that enhances or aids in the conduct of business, and sometimes even creating business. I don't want to get into the weeds too much there, it's rather dull to those not interested, just suffice to say it is not the engineering IT most commonly associated with IT.
With the advent of 3D printing coming home, it occurs to me that before long most homes will have printers. That means having at least a cursory knowledge of 3D design would almost certainly become a life skill. That leads me to believe I need to add that to my classes.
Now as I move along that path and dig into what it would take to conduct this type of activity at home or in the small office, I find there is still a great deal of graphic design involved, particularly in vectors. Programs like Illustrator are the industry standard for vector design, so now I will need to bring that into the class.
And while I am at it, might as well bring them both together in a fun way by doing basic game design and execution. Students create their worlds, characters, vehicles, and cause them to interact. No, it would never get to the place where it would be commercial, but it would open some possibilities.
It is not small arrogance to assume I could learn all the directions to a high level. I have no illusions about that happening, and there is no chance I will go back to school. However, I can still learn enough to introduce the concepts. In the first year that will be enough. As time goes, I will pick up more and more, and it will get better.
I'm excited about it. It's one of the wonderful things about my profession... there are standards you must hit, but how you hit them is up to you. Especially in my field, where change happens so fast, flexibility is itself a life skill. My classes will naturally have to evolve - the technology we use never stands still.
There's a commonly held precept in the computer world known as "Moore's Law". Essentially, computer power doubles every two years. That means software is written to keep up with the new ability of more powerful computers. Everything you know today about computers will be completely different in 10 years time. Fact. The sooner kids understand the need to constantly update their knowledge, the better off they'll be. This too is something I hope to share through this added curriculum.
Running tomorrow! 5:15 from the Quack's office.
I've been thinking about the running thing too. It might be a good idea to start running a short bit before the group runs. This would extend my running days a bit, and would greatly enhance my base. On paper it's solid; in practice it doesn't always work out. Every year brings new health challenges to overcome, and who knows what lies around the corner this time.
Completely off topic, I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks traveling down different, but oddly converging paths professionally. My teaching centers on business IT, which in itself is a broad category. Essentially that would be any technology that enhances or aids in the conduct of business, and sometimes even creating business. I don't want to get into the weeds too much there, it's rather dull to those not interested, just suffice to say it is not the engineering IT most commonly associated with IT.
With the advent of 3D printing coming home, it occurs to me that before long most homes will have printers. That means having at least a cursory knowledge of 3D design would almost certainly become a life skill. That leads me to believe I need to add that to my classes.
Now as I move along that path and dig into what it would take to conduct this type of activity at home or in the small office, I find there is still a great deal of graphic design involved, particularly in vectors. Programs like Illustrator are the industry standard for vector design, so now I will need to bring that into the class.
And while I am at it, might as well bring them both together in a fun way by doing basic game design and execution. Students create their worlds, characters, vehicles, and cause them to interact. No, it would never get to the place where it would be commercial, but it would open some possibilities.
It is not small arrogance to assume I could learn all the directions to a high level. I have no illusions about that happening, and there is no chance I will go back to school. However, I can still learn enough to introduce the concepts. In the first year that will be enough. As time goes, I will pick up more and more, and it will get better.
I'm excited about it. It's one of the wonderful things about my profession... there are standards you must hit, but how you hit them is up to you. Especially in my field, where change happens so fast, flexibility is itself a life skill. My classes will naturally have to evolve - the technology we use never stands still.
There's a commonly held precept in the computer world known as "Moore's Law". Essentially, computer power doubles every two years. That means software is written to keep up with the new ability of more powerful computers. Everything you know today about computers will be completely different in 10 years time. Fact. The sooner kids understand the need to constantly update their knowledge, the better off they'll be. This too is something I hope to share through this added curriculum.
Running tomorrow! 5:15 from the Quack's office.
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