Category: Blog

Something I’ll definately do with my students — MORE MORE ALFRED and VB Gang! 

Creating a “paint by numbers” puzzle application in a four part series. Useful individually or collectively.

Computer Science Teacher – Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson : How to Do Cool Things in Visual Basic

I’m really sick to death of our local cable company — they have done a slow creep on the pricing and it’s up to $150 a month, and they keep changing the line up. 

Also, I am not in love with our Internet provider.  That is cost just under $100 a month and when you could pick up the phone and talk to a human that understood what was going on, it was worth it.  Since they sold us, the new company takes forever to even answer the phone and they don’t understand what is going on.

SO, I looked into reducing our costs on the cable and got sold ATT U-verse, solving two problems at once.  I’ve order the U-300 and Elite speed, which should cost us just about $110 a month.  That also means I can get rid of the second phone line, and another cost savings.

The install guy came as advertised, and they are currently replacing some of the old equipment so we can have new. He’s also been working on the cabling.  I’m anxious to see how it works out, we’re going to lose some service like two DVR’s, but we’re supposed to have Whole House DVR at some point. 

It was an interesting workshop.  I met Higgy, which was one of the highlights of the week.

I survived parking my car in one spot and walking all over the place.  I also survived sleeping in their dorm room.

Several things I didn’t realize.  First, the workshop was one day longer than most AP workshops.  Second, that a Texan would be presented most of the sessions.  It was good, since she did work on Gridworld, but the point was to see different people.

Don Slater’s presentations, especially on Alice were great, so I am sorry I didn’t have the funds for Alice.  Maybe next year I’ll just go to the Alice workshop.

Mark’s presentations were good too.

However, I wish there had been more concrete teaching examples. 

The free books were great!

 Alfred asks why — well, one of my fellow “new” CS teachers in my district could probably tell you better. 

Yes, Alfred, we do have a young man — in his 20’s, I believe who is going to start his 3rd year of teaching.  He took over a program from an existing teacher, pretty early in the first year. 

I don’t know all of the details, but I do know that his family are teachers.  He did work in technology for a while before he decided to try teaching.  It was also very difficult for him to get his first teaching gig, and he got a really good one.  It’s a 5A school, so he should be able to teach CS full time.

There is seldom a stand alone CS teacher certification. In fact if there is one I am not sure I know where it is. How do you even know what/how to prepare?

Computer Science Teacher – Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson : Why would you want to teach high school computer science?

Alfred also asked is there are any CS teacher certifications.  Texas DOES have one, and does have several programs to prepare.  Texas had one when I got certified, and since I had a BS degree in CS had to go through what they called at the time a defiency plan.  I chose to get secondary certification through Texas Woman’s University and to get both math and computer science.  I had to take all the teacher courses, Texas Political Science, Speech, one computer science course, and enough math courses to meet my defiency in math.  I then had to pass a test.  Of course that was 15 years ago.

We had a period of where we transitioned to a different certification system, and for about 5 years there was not a formal state certification.  However, TEA did approve several programs including an online and summer program through Texas A&M that gave certification.

I don’t know the details, but we do have an certification plan now, and I do know that someone who is already certified can take an test to add the certification. 

I’ve been reading this blog for a while, and he gets it.  Learning how to learn has always been the key to my educational philosophy, and I have to credit Dr. Danny Carter, chairman of the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern Mississippi for it.  The college where I used my B.S.

At first, I was incredulous. But after considering my own high school educational experience, it started to make more sense. And certainly after attending college for a year, I knew exactly what he meant. The value of education isn’t in the specific material you learn– it’s in learning how to learn.

Coding Horror: Learning, or, Learning How To Learn

FINALLY!  I purchased a Gateway convertible notebook computer from Office Depot — through their delivery, rather than in store.  I had not every done one of their rebates that way, since it came with no receipt — just the box.  I did have an email receipt.

I’ve checked about every week since I sent it in and it had not shown up — but finally today it did.  They have everything they need and are waiting for the validation period.

Office Depot rocks!

Seriously, I finally have a computer that has Vista on it. 

Back at Christmas, I bought an Emachines that was cheap but advertised as Vista ready.  Haven’t done much with it, as I knew I wanted to load Vista.

Finally, it was time to order it, did, and took months to arrive.  Then installed Vista — or tried to, because I got a STOP error and blue screen of death as soon as I tried the upgrade.  Called support got an answer that didn’t work, but since it was close to the end of the school year and I was busy, I decided to hold off.

Finally two weeks ago, called support, asked for help and they told me I needed more memory.  Ordered it, waited for it to come in, and installed it.  STILL same error.  Last Thursday, called in, told them what was going on, and they scratched their heads and said it would have to be sent to the lab.

Lab emailed me today, to ask what System board I had, as I needed a BIOS upgrade.  Glad they verified as the BIOS update they wanted to send me was for the wrong mother board.

Installed it, and an hour later I have Vista.  So far, I’m not really impressed but it DOES work.

This whole thing makes me sad.  Of all the departments in the district, the technology department affects me the most.  That is who equips my lab.

I actually met Reuben, he’d called my classroom right after he came in and asked me a bunch of interesting questions.  Periodically he’d call and run ideas by me.  I don’t know how many other classroom teachers he talked to, but it was flattering to realize that someone in his position cared what a classroom teacher thought.  He was certainly the first administrator I knew of, rather than just buying what was out there. 

Two former Dallas public school administrators and the former president of one of its once-largest computer vendors have been indicted on charges of bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Source: 3 indicted in DISD contract investigation | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

Our school had a Math coach last year, and I really miss it.  She would give us lesson plans and assignments for the students to do.  You didn’t have to use her lesson plans, but man, did it make life easier when you did.  Also, if your students had trouble with an assignment, SHE’D do the work to research another way to teach it.  Of course, again, if you wanted to, you could do it too, but it was great.  It let me focus on teaching and I really do believe it helped my students.   

“instructional coach” – an expert teacher in the Dallas Independent School District who mentors and works with educators to improve their lessons and classroom skills.

Source: DISD teachers get classroom coaching | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | News: Education

I’ve been doing some shopping — there are some things I know I want to spend money on.

First, a new cellphone with Windows Mobile 6.0 — the good news, is that there is no such animal on the market yet.

Second, a device that will let me do Lanschool while I am walking around the room.  A laptop is out, though I do have a nice rolling laptop desk at the house.  I want a table (or as Gateway calls it a convertible), or a UMPC device.  My CS AB student says to wait until the Samsung Q2 is out, they announced it on Friday.

For the classroom itself, I want a nice projector — I like the one Glen Martin over at TAG has, and I have used it a few times. 

I also want a network mass storage device of some kind.  I’d love something we could use as a Webserver too, or in addtion.

I’m also trying to decide what I want to do about staff development.  I can afford to go anywhere now, even the AP Workshop in Hawaii….. though I’ve vowed that any one I go to, I want to drive to AND have a dog with me.

I’m doing a lot of research into Carngie Melon’s.