Organizing for Change

Warning, this is a lengthy post, but this topic really struck a nerve. As someone who was in the customer service space for over 25 years (more depending on some definitions), I have had a difficult time watching the descent of the discussion on Reddit in the Supernote community. What used to be a place for serious discussion and support, both by community members and the company, has devolved into a constant barrage of hate, vitriol, and drama. Don't get me wrong, Ratta is not perfect as a company, and I have been a leading proponent of them not being as restrictive on comments about other competitors. While I recognize their right to do so, I just think it's a bad look from a public relations perspective. Additionally, the delays surrounding the A5X2 and the decision to reduce transparency has caused even more angst. Acknowledging all of that, there is something even more insidious at play here. First, we need to examine what started this firestorm. In October, Ratta rele...

After the initial livestream with the E -Team, I began thinking a lot about where this journey (YouTube, Blog, Patreon, Discord) started and where it might go. Don't get me wrong, there is no vision on my part of this being a primary source of income or even a significant one. However, I am curious to see what the potential is and explore the possibilities. I posted my first video, a trailer, on December 10, 2023. It's hard to believe that in those ten months over 1,400 people have subscribed to my YouTube channel. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure that monetization was ever in my future. This whole thing started as a hobby to share information and learn a new useful set of skills. As a full-time staff member in higher education and adjunct instructor, I work online a lot. I teach face to face, online, and hybrid courses facilitated with technology on a constant basis. Not to mention the other roles that come with leading a teaching and learning center, such as: Profess...

I am asked all the time about open-source programs, resources, and other free alternatives for things that can be prohibitively expensive. Don't get me wrong, sometimes there are easy answers. Big companies will offer generous discounts to educational institutions, non-profit organizations and even individual educators. However, as we also know, sometimes, there is a significant barrier when talking about access to knowledge. Let's step back for a minute and think about what is necessary versus what is desired. Of course, "free" always sounds better and seems more desirable. However, what does free really mean? After all, most of us understand that there is some inherent cost to everything. The real question is more about who is paying that cost and what are we willing to accept? Below, we will explore three primary sources of "free" resources and talk about the implications and tradeoffs involved. For our purposes, we will look at publicly available r...

Welcome to our second article in the series examining my first 3 years with the Supernote A5X. After making the decision to purchase the device, I was very impatient and tracked it through DHL multiple times a day. Luckily, it arrived earlier than expected. Now that I had the A5X, it was time to get started. Below are some things to consider and how I incorporated the device into my workflow.  Don't Let it Sit Probably one of the best pieces of advice I can give after buying a new piece of technology is to  use it!  I know this may seem obvious, but think about it. How many times have we gotten a new gadget and been all excited, only to end up getting frustrated and putting it on a shelf or in a drawer? That would be the biggest mistake you can make if you feel like you made the purchase for the right reasons .  When I first got the Supernote, I started writing with it right away. Luckily, it arrived over a weekend and I was able to play around with the features, get...

I have a thing for organization, which is more than evident by the title of my blog. However, one thing that is a little disconcerting for me is when someone says that I need to not get distracted by what Steven Covey would have referred to as “the whirlwind.”  I have been around a while (half a century now) and enjoy the whirlwind almost as much as getting things done. This is not to be dismissive of the fact that things need to get accomplished, and that organization is a key to this. However, completing projects does not always mean doing things in order. Let me take you on a little journey. Imagine you walk into an organization that is predominantly server-based with no real “cloud” presence (don’t worry, I am not going to bog you down with nerdy details….although I could). You come in and you are tasked with modernizing the technology infrastructure. Your plan includes the following:   Office 365 Trial – 60 days, including SharePoint and Microsoft Teams Managed Service ...