Year in review

Overall, a boring year.  No kids were born, no multi-state moves, no getting married, no new PhD programs, no new jobs.  But we had fun this year none-the-less.  We had regular things, like GLO, dinners with Alex, driving kids to school, working out, and what not.  Here's the rest:

January

• Started my semester teaching our department's capstone class and End-user computing 
• Thomas and Tara started swim lessons
• I started a major change to my End-user computing course

February

• More of the same.  
• We all got sick right before GLO kids event, so we missed it, unfortunately.
• This was our most boring month.

March

• Participated in the IT career fair at EMU
• Parent teacher conference for both Thomas and Tara
• Took a tour of Menlo Innovations
• Completed the departmental program review, started in 2009
• Started doing P90X workouts

April

• My Parent's visited
• Celebrated my youngest son's 1st birthday
• Hit on the concept of value-dense living
• Finals and semester end
• Participated in Writing Across the Curriculum Fellowship
• Submitted an article on business ethics

May

• Started Spring semester teaching 2 courses in programming in C# and in web development
• Participated in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference where I hosted a workshop on blogging in the classroom

June

• Finals and Semester end
• Visited St. Louis
• Updated this blog's design

July

• Held a Garage sale.  A lot of work for not much reward.  Not sure we want to do that again. 
• Hosted GLO Kids and had a blast. 
• Painted our bedroom
• Stained our deck
• I painted 3 pictures for my wife's birthday present

August

• Worked on my pedagogical article on meaningful learning
• Parents visit again
• Celebrated my son's 5th birthday
• Vacation to OBX.  Meet Rational Jenn and her family.  Got to spend time with a good friend from high school, Dave Emigh, and his family.

September

• Semester started back up.  I taught End-user computing and Systems Analysis and Design.
• Thomas started Kindergarten at his new school.
• Thomas started soccer
• Tara started dance
• Submitted and approved a design for a hybrid course for web development - half online and half in class instruction.
• Had lunch with Craig Lahti whom I hadn't seen since high school, but living near Detroit. 

October

• Attended a conference in Atlanta for AIS student chapters
• Joined the AIS student chapter advisory board
• Saw the Greenfield Village Halloween special
• Had a 30 minute meeting with the CIO of Borders
• Submitted article on meaningful learning versus active learning
• Built my first piece of furniture - a magazine rack

November

• Had Craig Lahti and his family over for dinner.
• Visited family and friends in St. Louis for Thanksgiving.  
• I attend an academic conference (DSI) in San Diego (although it wasn't as warm and pleasant as I had hoped for).
• Participated in an Academic Service Learning panel discussion.

December

• Received a revise and resubmit notice for both my pedagogical article and my ethics article - WooHoo!
• My parents visited for the 3rd time this year. 
• Celebrated my daughter's 4th birthday. 
• Had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

I didn't quite meet all my new year goals for last January.  I was able to meet the first one in redesigning my intro to IS class.  Instead of conducting another business ethics survey, I decided to write an article in pedagogy, so I don't consider my second goal incomplete, just re-directed.  I was not able to start a part time business this past summer as I had originally intended, but it is still on my radar.  The money we were considering investing in a rental property was diverted to buying a new vehicle for my wife.  I did start trying a new workout program, P90X, but I'm not 100% satisfied with it and may try CrossFit and/or Body by Science this coming year.  

Developing habits, part 2

Earlier this month, I stated I was reviewing habits that I would like to develop.  Over the past few days, I have been reviewing what habits/virtues that I deem appropriate for cultivating.   I used several sources for evaluating various virtues, including Ayn Rand's virtues in Virtue of Selfishness (VOS), Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steve Pavlina Personal Development for Smart People, Branden's 6 Pillars of Self-Esteem (as much as I hate the guy, he did write some useful things on developing habits), and The Virtues Project (which mostly helped me review a list of virtues that I may have forgotten).

In compiling and organizing this list, I tried to develop a hierarchy of virtues, with four major virtues, Rationality, Productivity, Integrity, and Justice, and lower level virtues that best capture the totality of the top virtue.  While this does not perfectly match Ayn Rand's conception, my goal was to put this in my own terms.  However, her influence is readily apparent.  For each, I considered habits in developing of ideas, habits with staying true to ideas, and habits applying ideas consistently.  I tried to stop at thirteen virtues, so that I could use these virtues similar to Ben Franklin did (as I described  in my last post on developing habits).  Because of that, I'm sure this list is not comprehensive, but serves as a practical starting point.

So without further ado, here is my list along with a brief explanation of each.

Rationality - applying reason to all my thinking

• Living Consciously:  Applying my focus and mental awareness to all situations. 
• Independence:  Verifying all ideas in my mind with first hand research and thinking.  When multiple perspectives exist on a subject, I must independently evaluate each perspective to discover the truth of falsity of those perspectives using logic and the facts.
• Honesty: adherence to the facts of reality. In this sense, honesty applies to both with myself and with others.  It includes having the courage to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without undo fear, particularly in being true to truth.
• Self-confidence: being true to my own consciousness.  

Productiveness - consciously chosen pursuit of a productive career, in any line of rational endeavor, great or modest, on any level of ability.

• Purposefulness: The systematic identification of goals and objectives to achieve.
• Ambitiousness: The systematic pursuit of achievement and of constant improvement in respect to one’s goal.
• Efficaciousness: The systematic pursuit of the knowledge and skills necessary to produce desired effects
• Self-Discipline: the ability to get myself to take action regardless of my emotional state.

Integrity - loyalty to rational principles.  Never comprise on my morals.

• Principled: the pursuit of living by principles.  In my case, I refer to this as the systematic identification of principles for optimal living.
• Responsible: Strive to be accountable and respond rationally to principles consistently.
• Moral ambitiousness: Always strive to be as moral as possible.  This includes discovering what my values and virtues are and pursuing them with all of my effort.  Ayn Rand described this as "pride", but it makes more sense in my own mind when I refer to it as moral ambitiousness.
• Joyfulness: pursue joy in the little things so as to make the pursuit of the big things bearable.

Justice: Improve my judgment capabilities of others and apply that judgment consistently. I will "regard strangers as innocent until proved guilty, and grant them that initial good will in the name of their human potential. After that, [I will] judge them according to the moral character they have actualized." ~ Rand, VOS, "The Ethics of Emergencies".  My focus is on identifying and rewarding the good in people.

Are banks the boogie man?

In this Kiplinger column, an interview with Mr. Simon Johnson, a former IMF chief economist, leaves me very puzzled: 

"The main problem is political. Who would pay for any bailout and over what time period? To what extent are German taxpayers, for example, willing to foot the bill, directly or indirectly, for the mistakes of other countries -- or, you could say, the mistakes of their bankers?" [bold added]

So which is it, a political problem or a banking problem.   Throughout the interview he blames the bankers for much of the problems in Greece, Ireland, and every other country in economic crisis mode.  And yet, he seems to hold that this is a system crisis.  A system of what?  Does he mean an economic system?  A political system?  Or does he consider economics and politics so intertwined that they are one in the same?  If the latter, then why does he place the blame on just the bankers?  If the bankers are in bed with the politicians, then, by his standard, aren't both to blame equally. 

This is my take on the current crisis: to the extent that European countries (and the U.S.) maintain a mixed-economy, politics and business will necessarily be intertwined.  Bankers are the most regulated industry in most countries and so highlights the major problems with socialism.  So if this is a system crisis or a problem with banking, its manifested by the political/economic system that these countries adhere too, socialism.  Its not a failure with the free-markets or with bankers, its a failure with trying to control industries, necessitating political lobbying, favoritism, and bailouts.  Banks don't need more regulations, but less.  But let them fail when they screw up.  The short term hurt will be worth the long term strength.  And they will quickly learn NOT to do that again.  But most importantly, respect the property rights of the bankers.  Doing so will ensure their self-interested pursuit of fiscally strong institutions.  But let's stop acting like the banks are the boogie man.  

Selfish Giving

A couple weeks back, someone on Facebook sent me a notice that it was national philanthropy day, expecting, I assume, that I do not give to others.  Oh, but she is wrong.  I give to people, but I do so in a very selfish manner.

Case 1: 
My cousin, unfortunately, has gone through a really tough time the past few years after a fire broke out in her house just before Christmas.  She and her husband were not hurt and were insured.  The insurance company told her to replace what she lost and that they would repay her.  Several years later, the ins. company still has not paid them back.  While this is now in court, they are hurting financially.  Well, guess what... she is now pregnant.  Now my cousin is one of my favorite people in the world.  She is absolutely wonderful - friendly, caring, considerate, rational, productive.  I always have a good time talking with her.  So what have I done?  I've donated much of our baby stuff to her.  Stroller, baby seats, baby toys, bottle warmer, etc.  Anything we could strap to the roof of our car when we drove down to visit them last Thanksgiving.  I didn't do this for any selfless reasons.  I did this because I want to see her and her family do well in life - because that will bring me joy!  The only moral obligation I have to do this is that I value my friendship with her.

Case 2:
When we first moved to Michigan, I emailed a young man just starting his PhD at Univ. of Michigan to ask him about the OAC.  As a PhD student living far from his family, we realized that he probably doesn't get many home cooked meals.  So we regularly have him over to our house for dinner.  That's right, we have fed a poor college student many, many times and not asked for anything in return (nor will we).  I might have said we asked for his friendship in return, but even that is not something we ask for - he freely gives it.  Why do we do this?  Because we love talking with him.  Alex is an incredible guy - extremely bright, honest, hard working, independent, passionate, and happy.  He shares a bunch of similar interests with my wife and me - SciFi, physics, camping, Objectivism, PhD programs, good food, good beer, a distaste for tyranny, etc.  He likes playing with our kids and our dog.  We couldn't have asked for a better friend.  So, yes, we give him our beer and cook him meals and we are happier because of it.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I encourage everyone to give to those people they love.  Do it until you are fully happy, but no more.

Popular course?

I need to be careful before emails like this go to my head.

"I recently did some research on your teaching methods by stopping by your department's office, and online.  I've came to the conclusion that you're one of the best (If not the best) IS 215 professor here at Eastern!  I would truly apreciate the opportunity to be in your IS 215 course ..."  [Bold added]

But truly, I thank Lisa VanDamme for the inspiration and Adam Reed for some of the content of this course.  I still have lots of room for improvement and hope to realize that over the coming years.

Weekly goals

This week, I would like to accomplish the following goals:

• Complete the revisions for my JISE article on meaningful learning
• Complete and submit the grades for my classes
• Identify and define the habits/virtues that I would like to develop
• Review the family budget for winter and spring
• Prepare the house for my parents' visit
  

Developing habits

I have been reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin the past couple weeks.  Great book, by the way, written by the man how signed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the peace treaty with France, created a success printing business, owned a newspaper, printed and sold Poor Richard’s Almanac for 25 years, discovered lightening was made of electricity, invented the Franklin stove, helped many young men start printing businesses in multiple cities, and dined with a King.  Part of his prodigious productivity stems from his approach to developing good habits.  In his book, he states that he identified thirteen virtues that he deemed appropriate and then each day kept written record of success and failure at maintaining those virtues.  Then, a week at a time, he would focus on improving one of the virtues in his every day dealings – 13 weeks to cycle through all the virtues, repeated 4 times a year.  This idea of regular self-reflection and focus on improvements is witnessed in a variety of self-help books since that time, including the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Reading Franklin’s book and a conversation I recently had with a good friend of mine, made me realize that I can do much more to improve my habits such that I can accomplish my goals more effectively.  To that end, I am considering how to implement the habit of self-reflection for the goal of self-improvement.  Like Franklin, I recognize that this needs to be a daily practice.  For it to work, I need to find a regular time and place to review.  It would be great if I could include my family in on this, just not sure how to implement so that we all could gain value from it.  Maybe start every morning off with a discussion on how to make today a “Great” day and get them to start thinking, not so much about specific goals and activities, but behaviors that will make the day great (not that thinking about specific goals is a bad thing).  But ideally, I should not get any grandiose ideas about developing a self-reflection system.  The bigger it is, the harder it will be for me to develop the habit quickly.  If I start small and work at improving the system over time, the greater chance it will be a success.

What type of habits do I want to focus on in myself?  Here’s a start to the list in no particular order:

• Independence
• Principled living
• Justice
• Purpose driven
• Conscientious
• Self-Efficacious
• Productiveness