Category: Writing

Header image: KF in Dall-E I did not write for 25 years. All those thoughts churned around inside my head,a host of ideas and inspiration,my very purpose,the song of my soul,  stillborn for want of expression. My companion dis-ease undermined me,Eroding and eating into my sense of self,Until, I came crashing down,And could not recognize any […]

Header image: KF personal pic; view from Blackrock And so, they decided to do it. The pod had considered it for weeks, knowing that it would mean death, even for the young ones. Even so, the refused to teach the young ones that doing nothing was preferable. So they beached themselves, hoping the Takers would finally […]

Header image: KF in Dall-E Commentary in relation to John Fletcher Moulton. (1924). Law and Manners. The Atlantic. ➡ https://www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ362/hallam/NewspaperArticles/LawandManners.pdf I first came across the term “Obedience to the Unenforceable” in an Al-Anon meeting a few years ago and its message has stayed with me since. Written 100 years ago, Moulton’s words seem like they might […]

My Under the Crown piece found support in places I hadn’t expected (from some older Canadians) and ruffled the feathers of some in a way that surprised me (younger Canadians and new Irish-Canadians). I’ve made this page to add my notes/thoughts, as they relate to the goal of Citizens for a Canadian, specifically, “advocating the […]

Receiving my Canadian passport last week and seeing the Canadian Coat of Arms on its cover, I was again struck by seeing the appropriated symbols of my country of birth on another document that embodies what it means to be Canadian. 🍁At the outset, let me be clear: I am grateful that I have been […]

Almost everyone has seen these but it’s unlikely that you’ve given them much thought. I have given them quite a lot of thought, so read on and allow me to do some of the heavy lifting for you. ➡ In short, I believe you should claim your knowledge panel (if/when you get one). ╬ Google […]

Header image: From https://harrypotter.fandom.com/ This post was prompted by my remarking to another teacher that, as in schools in British Columbia, they use a proficiency scale for grading at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.In the end, I worked out my point: “adequate” is the goal. I get the reasoning behind proficiency scales but, in […]

Header image: KF in Dall-E Deep within every life, no matter how dull or ineffectual it may seem from the outside, there is something eternal happening. This is the secret way that change and possibility conspire with growth. John Henry Newman summed this up beautifully when he said, “To grow is to change and to […]

Header image: KF personal image Jan 1, 2024 I just got 2024 off to a great start with my regular 8-9 meeting. One of the readings was about the concept of “home” and I shared that, having recently become a Canadian citizen, I am now “home”. But also, more than that, channeling John O’Donoghue, I feel […]

Header image: KF in Midjourney I made my annual donations this month to: I also made my first donation of blood to the Canadian Blood Services. Ireland had been on the ineligible list on account of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD) but this restriction was lifted Nov 27, 2023. Now a citizen and no longer considered a mudblood, I […]

Header image: KF composite in GIMP I will become a Canadian citizen in about an hour. Much to write and think about. After spending 20+ years living on visas in various countries, it was something of a relief to be able to say that I am “home” again. Chambers (1999) A Topography for Canadian Curriculum Theory

Header image: KF in Dall-E Study Guide – Discover Canada – The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship |https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/discover-canada.html Understanding the Oath Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic, claiming the land for King Francis I of France. Cartier heard two captured guides speak the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning “village.” The […]

Header image: KF composite in GIMP Our move to Canada was a huge decision. We’ve accomplished what we came here to do and, in the process, laid a foundation for a future here. I am close to becoming a Canadian citizen and this has given me much pause for thought. I spent almost all of the […]

Header image: KF in DALL-E & edits in Gimp Until recently, when I saw the abbreviation AI, I thought of “academic integrity”. Now see it more often referring to “artificial intelligence”. For this post, I’m thinking about artificial intelligence as artificial learning (AL), arguing that LLM output often only offers a resemblance of learning: a substitute […]

Header image: KF screenshot from linked videoo Pre-service TechEd teachers and their conceptual metaphors of teaching and learningPresented at 2023 Virtual SoTL Summit, Kennesaw State University, GA, USA. (September 21: SoTL Briefs 4C). See the full program here. See the full session here. PowerPoint slides ⬇

Header image: KF in Dall-E I have been fascinated by Möbius strips for several years now. It began in a Teacher Inquiry class where we were using a textbook called Spirals of Inquiry. At the time, I mentioned to the instructor that the image of a spiral of inquiry didn’t sit right with me as, by […]

Header image: KF in Dalle-E The 2016 RTBF policy brief from @article19org is an excellent overview (Mar 29, 2016) Policy Brief: The Right to be Forgottenhttps://article19.org/resources/policy-brief-the-right-to-be-forgotten/… Another overview can be found here: (Oct 5, 2023) The EU’s right to be forgotten is migrating to other countries https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/the-eus-right-to-be-forgotten-is-migrating-to-other-countries.php ╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬ Considering @article19org’s Requirement 1: The courts or independent […]

Header image: KF personal pic of an old Irish postage stamp “In humility we possess self-esteem, accept ourselves as we are, assets and defects alike, and extend the same acceptance to others. We are learning to recognize humility in others; we are attracted to them and we learn from them.” ― Al-Anon Family Groups, Paths to […]

Header image: KF OCT image I went for an eye test yesterday and they took an Optical coherence tomography image of my corneas. It reminded me of this piece that I wrote a while back. It’s not complete yet, but there’s something in it that draws me back to the ideas quite frequently. ╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬ We know that […]

When I was about 16, I expressed an interest in being on my secondary school Irish (language) debating team. I have no idea what possessed me to do so. My command of the language was, among my classmates, average at best and this was setting a low bar for competency in a language that no […]

Header image: KF in Dalle-E A note sent to the class I TA with (EDUC 500 Research Methodology in Education), many of whom are getting worried as we come to the end of the semester. ╬ Given that many of you are, understandably, worried about your grades I thought it might be helpful to share this […]