First, thank you for taking the time and writing the shell script. It looks awesome. I had to google what a shell script is… this bad is my knowledge about this stuff. I would absolutely love to use scripts all over my Mac but I don’t even know where to begin. Besides some UI editing in lua and writing MS DOS startup menus I don’t know anything about programming.
I already tried it and it works flawless. Thank you!
I would prefer getting it to work in KM, though, because if I want to change stuff or if the system changes and the script breaks I would need the help of a script wizard like you again. I don’t think I can start to figure out how this works on my own.
whew. glad it works! (as you can see it’s really only two lines of code… how much simpler can it get?)
thanks. If it makes you feel any better, I can’t get my head around making KeyBoard Maestro be useful for me, especially doing simple things like copying, renaming etc. I gave up since I found shell scripts and Python easier for simple scripting. I’m learning AppleScript as it works closely with Apple applications (with their “tell” command). Hazel is nice too, but too complicated for even this simple task.
There are many books and web articles for getting started with shell scripts. Many. And as you are using a Mac, AppleScript might be attractive. Apple provides online documentation for how to use, including for beginners along with a small number of books (as AppleScript newer, more specialised, etc.)
That is quite the age range! How many kids at a time do you get? The good thing about being assigned to one classroom is that you can usually close your door and do what you know is best for your students. And try to ignore the administrators many of whom got into administration because they didn’t really like the kids and/ or couldn’t handle them.
I was in one school in which there was a particularly pesky woman in charge of the Reading program. She was coming by when I had a classroom of kids and pestering me for busy work. So I finally got smart. Every time she’d come by I’d give her something to do! It worked for a long time.
Where are most of your students from? I taught little kids bilingual Spanish. It was quite a challenge but I loved it, especially the kids. The adults were another story. What size are your groups?
The kids got me started with the Mac. I didn’t even know how to turn the machine on!
I got very good at paperwork though. I had it down to a science.
You are definitely on the right track, John!
You know, you might want to set up a database if you have the software. One of your schools might have some. Ask the resident nerd. LOL!!. FileMaker Pro is awesome, very costly.
I think databases are kind of fun. Then you just add different fields and you can do all sorts of things. Logistically traveling as you do can get difficult. I suspect it would really help. And you learn as you go.
Let’s say you want the kids to learn each other’s name. You can set up a Bingo card and just import the names in there. Voila! All of a sudden you have individualized Bingo for each group. Then you can make different set of cards with importing a different vocabulary for another day. (I use to make the Bingo by hand!!!)
There is a VERY basic database app free for the iPad called AirTable. It isn’t anything fancy but you might want to try it. It is pretty intuitive, nice UI and you can use it for other stuff.
Also I’d get as much info I could get into one place. Maybe with a computer you may not need to but what I did was use one old lesson plan book and jot down all sorts of information in there. Any which way as it is for you, no one else. Cram it all in there. Then you know that activity you enjoy doing is in there. Write which kid is allergic to peanuts. Or jot down the date a child is to be tested.
In elementary school I have a maximum of 6 children at a time, in middle school 8. A good basis for learning a language because everyone gets to talk a lot.
Oh, I can close the doors and do what’s best for them. The good thing is that with mobile teachers nobody really cares what I’m doing. They often even don’t know who I am. I’m like a ghost.
The students are from almost everywhere. Other EU countries, from Afghanistan, Irak, Iran, China,…
It is a challenge, but then I always feel like I’m responsible for giving them a chance to make something of their life in a country that isn’t always nice to immigrants. It’s rewarding.
I’ll definitively look into data bases now.
Our school personal in our state is just old. If I go to the local nerd there is a chance I’m showing him how to do stuff. I always get stares when they see my Macbook, like I came back from the future in my Delorean time machine. Last year I was at a school where they’ve been working on cheap office PCs from 2011; having 2 GB RAM while using nowadays Chrome. One of the teachers asked me if I could speed up their PCs somehow…
John, I was lucky in that I had a Mac nerd who loved helping me because I turned out to be such an enthusiastic fan and I was pretty much the only teacher in the entire school with that sort of passion. He let me take home software, install it and bring it back the next day!
The free database app I mentioned (Air Table) won’t be able to handle cool stuff like Bingo (I don’t think) but it is terrific practice and a decent intro to databases. I’d love to find a reasonably priced database app, preferably for the Mac.
That IS an ideal class size! I taught English as a Second Language but my groups were huge. Getting the kids to converse in English was like pulling teeth sometimes. (And they loved to gab.) One year I had 42 eight year olds. Twenty nine of them were boys but they were a terrific group. They picked English up well because I stressed it. (If they were living in Mexico, I’d stress the Spanish, right?)
You are so right that you are giving these kids a strong start. They’d be rather lost without it.
Rather nice sometimes when bureaucrats don’t know you are around!!! I went to a huge university and loved that I was on my own.
Templates are rather easy. You just hit “command I” and put an x in the box where it says “stationery pad”. Then it saves your original unmodified. The stationery pads can save you a lot of work.
Is your first language English?
I took one German course in high school for fun. Hard language. Genitive case, dative case! LOL! Actually I never paid much attention in English grammar either.
I have a MB Air too. Just got it this summer. LOVE it!
I’m thinking about database apps now. Your mentioned app is just too pricey for me. And it would be overkill I guess. I know myself. I would tinker with it till I loose my sense of time and space and I would forget the really important stuff. I tend to over-optimize stuff…
But I stumbled over this in the Software section of this forum:
This looks like a database and note taking and mindmapping and… thing. I’ll give it a try.
Obsidian is mentioned often, too. And Devonthink.
My first language is German. It is a very hard language because there are hardly logic rules and the few we have are crushed by all the exceptions. There is absolutely no logic behind it. If you learn it as a kid it’s ok but for foreign people it’s a horror. English grammar is much easier to grasp.
Yea… Apple. I’m 40 years old now. I bought my first PC with 10. A 486 CPU with 4MB RAM running on MS DOS. I used Windows for so long. When I bought a Mac in 2011 everything changed. I stopped thinking about stuff, I was just using it. No malware, easy to use, intuitive. When I have to use Word instead of Pages it always feels like back in the middle ages. I love Apple. even my 68 year old tech hating father uses an iPhone SE and doesn’t need my help. This tells everything.
I’m looking into Applescript right now. I’m still totally lost but I might get it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your help. It’s definitively worth a try.
FileMaker Pro is extremely expensive. It is phenomenal. Yes, I can really get lost in that app. And I didn’t find it hard to learn at all.
There is “AirTable” for the Ipad is free and would be a good intro to databases. Let’s say you wanted to keep track of expenses or books, there are a number of templates already there. I haven’t tried to design my own database with it though. I didn’t think they have it for the Mac. I just checked. They have it!!! Looks like a bit of a learning curve. The iOS app is far more intuitive.
Thank you…
I learned English by talking to people on forums like this and by watching English TV shows and movies. I think the first series was LOST. I was so addicted, I watched everything with subtitle and someday, in season 5 or so, I realized I wasn’t looking at the subs anymore.
Ok, I’m looking into databases right now. I guess I opened Pandora’s box. It’s crazy, all the possibilities. Airtable looks great. I also stumbled upon Notion and Devonthink. I’m not sure what exactly they are doing but I will find out.
That is amazing to pick up a language from watching tv and movies!
I have Notion on my iPad. If I am not mistaken that is free for individuals too. It looks interesting. But I’d have to horse around with it.
Let me know if you start getting a good handle on one of them and I’ll try concentrating for a while.
Wait a minute. In Notion, I found something. On the bottom of the left hand side, select “Add a page”. Then more to the right, scroll down. And keep going. There looks like there are dozens of templates. I suppose you just have to play around with it.
Thanks, John! I probably wouldn’t have run across it if we hadn’t been talking. Most assuredly you could incorporate some of this to your job.
A very tempting feature of Notion is the possibility to publish any of your work as website. I figured that this would proof handy in lockdown or quarantine situation or if you just want to provide the stuff you are teaching digitally without the hassle of uploading files, sending emails etc.
I love apps. I go a wee bit nuts acquiring them. There is a subscription of various apps that I really enjoy called SetApp. It is only $10 per month and there are dozens of apps and a wide array. You might want to check it out. It has Mars Edit which you can use with another app (I forget which) and set up your own blog (website). It has Ulysses, Clean My Mac, Bartender. My favorite is Houdah… it can find anything on your Mac.
I am thinking of Set App. I have some of their apps already though. How does that work if I may ask? It would nearly pay for itself in fact for me if I didn’t have to pay the current independent subs. But how does that work, I can’t see how they would do it. Do they refund you for what you have bought already. Otherwise I don’t see how I can tranfer without a lot of cost.
I agree about Houdah, I did have to fiddle today to get the Mail search back but otherwise, I love it, I use it instead of DEVONthink 3 native search in fact mostly. Though I use their AI a lot.
I highly doubt you could get a refund on the apps you have. You could ask.
I love apps and go a bit nuts with them so it is perfect for me. The only one I had before was Swift Publisher (you can make greeting cards, business cards, address labels).
Anyway, it’s great for trying out apps that may interest you.
So it is $10 per month and you subscribe month to month. I have some of the same apps on my iPad. For each device you have it is an extra $2.50. There are not many apps for the iPads but for $2.50 there is certainly enough.
If I refer someone they get the first month free and I get a month free. You might want to ask them about that.
Really,Tudor, I just love it. When I am bored I go and pick out a new app and I feel much better.
