Friday, May 23, 2003

 

48th Team / Update (FYI)

Mentoring, criminal justice, 48th District Court Project, Oakland Schools ISD, etc. Sounds like a "recipe" for a "National Model" to me.

Best,

Jim

Granholm names husband to head Community Service Commission
May 22, 2003
By Amy Lane
Natalie Lombardo
Michigan first gentleman, Daniel Mulhern, on Tuesday was named chairman of the Michigan Community Service Commission, the state agency that funds and supports programs encouraging Michigan residents to volunteer.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Mulhern’s wife, appointed him to the post. A key focus will be Mentor Michigan, a program that recruits adult mentors to work with children. Mentor Michigan was begun in 1999 by Granholm, then-first lady Michelle Engler and former Detroit Piston Isiah Thomas, in partnership with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association of Michigan.

Mulhern said the commission “has the tools, reputation and networks to establish a strong Mentor Michigan program. This will be a great benefit for children who have had a light brush with the criminal-justice system and need guidance, those who are having trouble focusing in school or those who want to spend time with an adult who can share a talent or job skill with them.”

Mulhern plans to host a series of meetings in the fall to bring together mentoring initiatives, share information and develop a comprehensive, statewide Mentor Michigan program. A Web site is also in the works.

Granholm discussed her personal family commitment and dedication to the Michigan family during the luncheon Tuesday at the Grantmakers-Grantseekers 2003 Nonprofit Conference in Lansing.

Mulhern, introduced to the conference by Granholm, said he intended to make Michigan residents aware of the benefits of mentoring. “This mentor program has the potential to sculpt a child’s life in a profound way,” he said. “There won’t be a child in Michigan who doesn’t have someone intensely aware of them.”

The two-day conference was attended by more than 500 people. Thirty-five workshops during the conference covered fund development, public policy, nonprofit business and management, marketing, media and technology, evaluation trends and ethics.

The Grantmakers-Grantseekers conference was founded in 1989 to bring nonprofit organizations and funders together to create mutual understanding and build working relationships.

posted by James 7:58 AM

Saturday, May 17, 2003

 

Hi Paul:

You know I couldn't agree more!

However, I also think we should be able to take something (learnng) away from every experience. This time (second) we failed to connect the "content provider" (48th District Court) to the "end-customer" (West Bloomfield High School) because we were unable to find the "hardware codec" at West Bloomfield High School. Additionally, we are not sure of the WBHS ISDN connection speed (64kbs to 384kbs) at this time to identify a proper ISDN connection speed for the Oakland Schools ISD supported videoconference. To that end I will be contacting Neal Curry (District Technology Director WBHS) on Monday, May 19, 2003 to determine his needs (find codec and contact their ISDN service provider / bleived to be AMERITECH (SBS) to determine current ISDN connection speed) and/or provide appropriate additional solutions (V-Tel loop-back tests) to ensure the "third time'" experience will be the charm.

As George Bernard Shaw said "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want: and if they can't find them, make them."

Let's us error on the side of "making this happen."

Best, my friend

Jim

posted by James 8:51 AM

Saturday, May 10, 2003

 

I feel that a contact that failed in the process is better than to never have contacted at all....it IS progress...of a sort.

I think I'll go let the dog out!

posted by Paul 3:13 PM

 

48th Team Update:

"It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies....and only lukewarm defenders."

Summary of 48th District Court / Oakalnd Schools ISD Pilot Project "Test Connection" Exercise / Friday, May 9, 2003 2:00PM

Joel Milinsky once said to me "we will fail our way to success." Well I think we have the fail part down pat and in fact it is beginning to become an embarassment. When do we have some simple success?

PROPOSED AGENDA

"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." - Voltaire

Joe Hoover 248-209-2559

Audio Bridge / Conference Call / Joel Milinsky (Conference Call runs the bridge)

PARTICIPANTS
48th District Court / Renee Boggemes
West Bloomfield High School / Neal Curry
Observatory / Jim Ross / Paul Briercheck
Oakland Schools ISD / Joel Milinsky / Joe Hoover
Oakland Schol Technology Center / Southeast / Teachers Cadet Academy?????? / Sheila / Students

OBSERVATORY
Paul Briercheck
Ed Hendry
Tony Galucci
Rick Williams
Jeff Herndon
Marcia Battles

DISCUSSION: "TALKING POINTS"
Connectivity / 48th District Court ISDN Upgrade to 384 tri-bri / Oakland County Oak Net Fiber Optic Network to Oakland Schools One Net Fiber Optic Network
Develop "Memorandum of Understanding" / Whitepaper
Oakland Schools Technology Center / Southeast / Teachers Cadet Academy (inclusion)
Blog-site invitations / Need everyones e-mail address sent to jross2@earthlink.net to receive invitation
Review: West Bloomfield High School Room, Technological Capabilities and Deployment, etc. (Important: Data Projection Display, computer connected to internet, etc.)

NEXT STEPS
Meeting to discuss 48th District Court "asset identification" an corresponding Michigan K-12 benchmarks and curriculum strands (Metaphor: NASA Quilt for Science) Alycia Chase, West Bloomfield High School Teacher, Amy Bloom, Government Curriculum Consultant, Oakland Schools ISD, Judge Kimberly Small, 48th District Court
Story board imagined program exchanges
Determinations on "digital technological support" program utilizing various students from the Oakland Schools Technology Centers / Graphic Arts, Video Production, Web-design & development, Interactive CD deveopment
Develop time-line / (48th District Court / Best times for West Bloomfield High School / Wednesdays and Fridays 9:00AM to 10:30AM)
Program Name: (Suggetions: Freedom is our Future / Future Jurists
Determine Budgetary Considerations / Target Funding Sources (Partners: Civics in Education Through Law / Michigan Supreme Court)

POTENTIAL REPLICATION OUTREACH PARTNERS
Michigan Supreme Court
50th District Court / Pontiac
46th District Court / Southfield

OTHER:
Today: Video Connection to VCR (Ed) / Internet up: Metaphor: NASA Quilt Standards http://quilt.jpl.nasa.gov / Michigan Benchmarks & Curriculum Standards MICLIMB (Paul Briercheck)

CLOSING
The above and everything to follow all depends on acheiving an initial "successful connection" between the "content provider" (48th District Court) and the "content customer" (West Bloomfield High School) as our first priority. Everything else is in a "support role mode" until that is acheived. My current understanding is that getting West Bloomfield High School "successfully connected" will be the "major goal and objective" of next week May 12th, 2003.

Best,

Jim

posted by James 9:19 AM

Monday, May 05, 2003

 

48th TEAM Update:

Summary of 48th District Court / Oakland Schools ISD PILOT Project "Test Connection" Exercise / Friday, May 2, 2003 2:00PM

Thanks to Ed Hendry, GM Telecommunications Engineer Extraordinaire, and Tony Galucci, owner, MetroTel Communications, Inc. for their exceptionally timely (read immediate) and "professional support" efforts on behalf of the 48th District Court which was experiencing some minor "technical difficulties" prior to the test on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. You gentlemen give "new meaning" to the term "professional expertise." Further discussions regarding follow-on support activites on behalf of the 48th District Court have taken place.

Although connections to the observatory, (4) Oakland Schools Technology Centers and the Oakland Schools ISD was established, we were unable to connect to the 48th District Court, West Bloomfield High School and Walton Park Manor simultaneously. A successful direct connection (point to point) was established with the 48th District Court and the Oakland Schools ISD after the "TEST Connection" exercise had ended. Additionally, the observatory who was hosting (20) third-graders from Jayno Adams Elementary School, was successful on a "point to point" connection to the 48th District Court. Our court host, Renee Boggemes, absolutely "captured the imaginations" of the students and attendent parents with her "socratic presentation." It was awesome to witness and added a new dimension to the court project offering in terms of pre-visit preparation possibilities. Thank you Ms. Boggemes on behalf of all of us at the observatory. I think it was certainly self-confiming regarding the potential this forum represents to 21st Century students.

A post-processing discussion with Joel Milinsky, Oakland Schools CFE centered around various issues regarding "next step" network solutions. It was determined that another "Test Connection" exercise would be scheduled for Friday, May 9, 2003 at 2:00PM. Efforts to "troubleshoot" the minor network problems will take place prior to that date and time.

All in all I think it was a "resonable effort" given that this type of "network configuration" had not been attempted before at Oakland Schools. I think patience will be rewarded. Stay tuned!

Best,

Jim

posted by James 10:49 AM