I love information. I am an information junkie at best. I am writing this blog post as if LifeHacker invited me to share in their section "This Is How I Work". Enjoy. Location: Omaha, Nebraska Current Position: Executive Director One word that best describes how you work: Current mobile device: iPhone 7 Plus Current Computer: Surface Pro 4 First of all, let me tell you a little about my background and how I got to where I am today.![]() I love what I do. From the moment I understood what goals I wanted to accomplish, it was clear what paths I should take. I didn't always understand technology nor did I grow up with it; it wasn't until I entered the military at age 18 when I was first introduced to networking and computing. At that time, I began building my passion for life long learning; technology is a great vehicle to get there. I have been fortunate enough to have been involved with technology audits for various K-12 institutions through work with GreyED Solutions, Gates Foundation, and BleGroup. These opportunities have broadened my knowledge on how educational organizations change or resist change. What apps, software, tools can't you live without? Why?My daily work is in OneNote; this is where I dump and organize all of my work. I consider myself a creative process engineer (I say "engineer" simply to make it sound better). OneNote houses the articles I snip, using the OneNote Clipper, and also houses my notes from every meeting I encounter. I haven't always used OneNote. Previously, I utilized Evernote religiously; I still love the insights it brings in at the bottom of the note that aligns it to other notes or articles I have clipped. I hope OneNote adds a similar feature as well as top level management of OneNote notebooks. Search has become my friend for organization. Sway has become a favorite as well. Gone are my days of PowerPoint slides exported to JPGs so I can post them to a site for visual artifacts. Now, I can build the entire presentation in Sway, embed into a webpage with all types of devices supported. Another important tool I keep on the desktop is the Microsoft Garage Snip tool to annotate and clip screenshots. Lastly, since I read countless articles, I use Flipboard. Flipboard understands my interests and brings me a set of articles that fit those interests. It saves a ton of time and integrates well with my social media interfaces. What's your workspace setup like?My office has two places I function from:
My home is less complex. It consists of the breakfast nook, cup of coffee, and my Surface Pro 4. I haven't always been a PC guy, though. I sported a Mac since the black Powerbook G3 days. However, in the last 3 years, this has changed. I started to see the importance of digital inking, both in my daily work with OneNote and as Windows 10 was introduced. I now consider digital inking a non-negotiable in my computing device requirement. What's your best time-saving shortcut life hack?I love where location based awareness is going. Siri reminds me of things I need before leaving the house. This keeps me from forgetting items otherwise I would be turning around for. Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without and why?![]() At this time, I would have to say Amazon Echo with Alexa. She plays music, she sets timers for the oven, and most of the time she answers many questions I have added skills for. I see this type of technology in the future bringing efficiency in the home. I have recently purchased an Ecoobee3 thermostat that can be connected to Alexa. The future is going to be cool, like Star Trek cool. What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?I am best at making connections - connections to people, connections between solutions, or a combination of the two. Connections has contributed to us creating solutions for our users and partners like Microsoft. Feeling connected as a team, we are able to bring more to the end user. What do you listen to while you work?This one is hard. I love all kinds of music. But here is a list in order of the genre's I love:
What are you currently reading? What’s something you’d recommend?Just finished UnCommon Learning by Eric Sheninger. This book outlines how to transform a learning culture through sustainable and innovative initiatives. It moves straight to the heart of using innovations such as Makerspaces, Blended Learning and Microcredentials. I would recommend it as well as Launch: Design Thinking. Both of these books introduce different initiatives effecting K-12 education today. I like to go through books with someone else. This introduces accountability but also increases reflection. How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?![]() I love basketball. In March, the madness begins. The NCAA tournament allows me to focus on things that have nothing to do with work yet introduces fun stress. I think you have to have stress, it makes you grow as a person. Risk is important. I got the opportunity recently to hear Joe Maddon, coach of the World Series Champion Cubs speak. I took this video from my iPhone and here is what he said about risk: What did I get out of this? You gotta be a little crazy and definitely fearless. What’s your sleep routine like? Are you a night owl or early-riser?I love my everyday process. I get up at 4:30, workout, then read articles for 15-20 minutes. The workout gets my mind refreshed and ready for my day, and the articles bring reflection to my daily walk. I also get to bed during the week early, 8:30. This daily process keeps my mind clear and ready to tackle the challenges brought to me. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?![]() Don't take work too seriously. I have worked and modeled much of my leadership from Mr. Evans for 12 years. He does a great job of being approachable and consistent. I would give the same advice but with this addition: Don't take life too seriously, and be willing to take some risks. You will feel like life is more fulfilling by taking those risks.
5 Comments
Eileen
2/11/2017 05:32:07 pm
Fun post Rob! One of my favorites, as it really gives a look at you as a person, and what structures you put into your life to make it successful. I might have to do this on one of my blog posts in the future. Great idea!
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Rob Dickson
2/11/2017 06:17:12 pm
Thanks Eileen. It was fun to fill out the questions.
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McKenzie
2/11/2017 07:20:49 pm
Rob,
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Chambers
2/26/2017 02:10:04 pm
Rob! I just found this blog post...how did I miss it? A question I have wanted to ask you- why education? You said you were in the military when you first "found" networking and computing. I'm sure there were a bunch of technology jobs in the military field you could have jumped into...and obviously in many other fields. What led you to K-12 education?
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Rob Dickson
2/26/2017 02:51:41 pm
There was a family that had taken me in while I was stationed at McConnell. Liz and Larry Bentley were like family to me. Liz was the Assistant Superintendent for Andover Schools at the time. When I had turned down my career job reservation, Liz had a position created there for me to move into straight out of the military.
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