Category: Blog

I will be working a project for TI, so today they took us on two tours to two different places.

The first was Kilby labs where really deep thinking goes on. I am lucky as I have met him and been to talks he gave (remember I am old)

Its quite a place and designed so that workers don't have a lot of privacy but lots of toys. Lots of test equipment, but even some labview equipment.

The second was the Richardson Wafer Fab unit.

We have a tour Friday which will be in my old office building.

Sent from my Windows Phone

I have been reading about Digital Literacy with interest.  While I can’t quite completely define Digital Literacy, I certainly run into it on a daily basis, and at lot of the time, it is students.

I have observed the following which I consider digital illiteracy

• unfamiliar with the keyboard
• unskilled using the mouse
• unfamiliar with common Windows or other OS functions
• cannot perform a simple internet search
• can only use one or two programs fluently
• difficulty following simple instructions

And yes, I see it a lot. 

Our students have are supposed to attend a technology lab during each grade.  Our course there are a lot of pullouts in an attempt to bring students up to grade level, and they do get pulled from the technology lab (common compliant by those teachers).

They are in a required computer literacy course for 1 semester in high school, usually in 7th grade.

Those students who do not have access to technology at home, don’t touch a computer any other time.  Once they get to one of my classes, they have forgotten any skills.

There is definitely a digital divide, and we have to find a way to bridge it.  By the way, this divide hits all income levels and ethnicities.

My first project for the summer is to purge.  It helped that our hot water heater broke and we had to move a bunch of stuff around so that the plumber could fix it.  Well, he moved around, I threw stuff away.

My rule is to go through a space and throw away anything I haven’t used in two years.  Or make sure I use it (thinking of a chair hanging in my garage).

The best part of this purge was to get rid of the old paint cans.  I filled up half of my Escape with paint cans and pool chemicals, and I have to give kudos to the Dallas County Household Chemical Collection center. They rock.  You drive up, show your driver’s license and they take everything out of your vehicle for you.  I swear there were over 20 cans of paint in the garage, which means we have more storage.

I was able to get everything to install on a computer at home, but man is it difficult to set up.  If I wanted to do it with students, I would have to create their projects for them – which isn’t a huge problem, since I do that anyway, for several months.

It’s still easier to do Windows Phone Development, and I don’t know why anyone would want to do android after doing Windows Phone Development, I sure don’t.

SMU has very kindly offered high school teachers in Dallas, a workshop on programming Android devices.

First thing – Android is very painful to install, especially in relation to installing Windows Phone tools. 

Uses XML to layout display (same as Silverlight)

The SMU department sponsoring us provided lunch!  Very nice.

—

So after spending half a day trying to get something to install that won’t – and looking at code, I haven’t been able to get anything to work.

My conclusion on first look:

• Probably for postAP work.
• Very difficult to set up.
• Not that easy to code.

So right now, Microsoft and the Windows Phone wins, as I can have CS I kids write code and PreAP CS kids write code and create something that works.

I really did enjoy the workshop, and hope to be able to install things at home at get them working.  I’d like to try again in peace and see if I really code get PreAP CS kids able to do things.

I installed @Jing by @Techsmith on my student workstations today as I am tired of “delivering instruction” to my PreAP students and feeling I am not being heard.

I feel that by my making them responsible for recording, maybe they might get more out of it.

Several did ask how to get it for their home computers.

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We won.

“Official” Press Release:

The Hillcrest High School Robotics Team competed in their second FIRST FTC event.  It was in Tyler, at the University of Texas at Tyler on April 30.  Hillcrest Panthers were the captains of the Winning Alliance of a statewide qualifier.    Steele Haspel and Nun Cung were drivers, Sydney Pedigo was the Team Captain.  Because of transportation difficulties the rest of the team were not able to attend.  Those members are: Jackson Stein, Danniel Cabrera, Brian Lopez, Meco Mehmeti, Jacok Mock, Micheal Mukasa, Alfonso Escorza, D’Quan Cage, and Casey Jones.

To become part of the Winning Alliance, the team had to compete in an series of qualifying matches.  Hillcrest won 5 of their 6 matches.  The top four teams ranked in the qualifying matches become the team captains of four Alliance teams who then compete in a series of matches.  The Winning Alliance Team must win a series of matches between the four Alliance Teams.

The Hillcrest Panthers Robot team are hoping to compete in Lubbock on May 21st.

We are in the semi-finals.

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We are in Tyler competing.

We came in third in the elimination matches and are the second alliance team. 

We are waiting to compete. Its been a good day so far. End of February, we had 5 boxes of parts.

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Quoted from http://blogs.msdn.com/b/alfredth/archive/2011/04/27/problem-solving-for-all-times.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ComputerScienceTeacher+%28Computer+Science+Teacher+-+Thoughts+and+Information+from+Alfred+Thompson%29&utm_content=Google+Reader:

Problem Solving For All Times – Computer Science Teacher – Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson – Site Home – MSDN Blogs

One is that understanding the problem is the first step towards solving it.

 

Alfred talks about how CS helps him do DYI projects, but I get to go a step further.

I have been participating in Robotics with my students since February.  Now I have no formal training in robotics, but the team I am sponsoring has been successful.

Why? Computer Science gives us the tools to solve any problem.  It also helps that they ask me after they are unsuccessful and I’ve seen them try all the wrong ways.  If I didn’t see, I ask them to show me what they have tried. That leaves only the right way to do things.

The first thing I have been doing is breaking down the problem in small steps for the students — I am hoping NOT to have to do that next year, and that they will be able to do it themselves.

For example, our first problem was taking a bunch of small parts and turning them into a chassis we could drive. Few students were interested until they saw something that ran and did things.  That also brought in a bunch more minds to solve the problem. 

In fact, each stage of solving problems brought more people in help us solve the problem.

Having the proper tools helps also — I need to get them a long handled Phillips Head Screw Driver so they can get the horn off the servo.  Since it isn’t an immediate need, I haven’t done that.