My job at iLearnNH is to make sure IT administrators are taking advantage of all the features that our suite of tools has to offer. I offer recommendations regarding industry best practices, suggest ways to automate common tasks, and submit enhancement requests to our vendor partners when something could be done in a better or more efficient way.
One of my favorite moments was attending the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference (CMTC) in December of 2021. While we had plenty of face-to-face team interactions in the office throughout the pandemic, CMTC was the first time that we were able to all get back out into the “real” world and connect with our partners and colleagues. And even though we have since pivoted back to a mostly remote environment, it was extremely refreshing to get a taste of what is to come in the (hopefully) very near future.
I’ve never met a Saturday that wasn’t perfect, but my favorite ones look something like this: I wake up around 6am and meditate. Next, I dose myself up with nutraceuticals and pour a large glass of water with lemon and a touch of sea salt. While I’m hydrating, I listen to a podcast or audiobook by one of my current favorites (Cal Newport, Aaron Alexander, Tim Ferriss or Tom Bilyeu). When I’ve finished quenching my mind and cells, I move on to a light movement practice. Once that's complete, the rest of the family is usually up and ready for breakfast. After we’re fueled up, it’s off into nature we go and the sky is the limit from there (hiking, biking, camping, beaching, sports, etc.…)
It sounds very nerdy, but I’d love to dedicate three months to learning Python programming. There are seemingly endless applications (no pun intended) for a functional language like Python, ranging from healthcare to artificial intelligence to game development. And while I know just enough to be dangerous, if I had more time to deliberately practice there’s no telling the cool things I may be able to come up with!
One improvement I’d like to see for my own children is more access to unique and interesting coursework. With the rise of platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning, there’s no reason that a student who’s interested in Roblox (game design), YouTube’ing (video production), or NFT’s (blockchain) couldn’t get exposed to those topics in the classroom. Curriculum from Khan Academy or Coding for Kids is a start, but I can tell you that I’ve utilized my knowledge of French language approximately zero times in my adult life. If I had the chance to instead learn a computer programming language in its place – who knows what I may have built or accomplished by now?
Brownie Brown is the most basic of pups. He has an inquisitive personality and his favorite things include going for walks, rides in the car, and Newman’s Own beef jerky treats (uber basic, right?). He is a little over a year old, but it feels like we’ve already loved him for a lifetime. When he’s not playing with one of his favorite toys (currently lobster and green bone), he’s snuggled up on the couch with one of us, being the world’s best cuddle buddy.
