Category: Blog

Mark Dunk, who I know as @unklar did a really good introduction to Google Reader and his notes are at http://is.gd/AQJ8yM

 
 

I’ve used Google reader for years, and I love it, because the websites I like to read come to me, and I don’t have to go looking. However, I am quite convince that Google is the evil empire, since free is never free.

 
 

I still don’t understand how .rss works, just that all my blogs have it, and it’s one of those things I am usually content to be automagic. Google uses rss to gather the webpages you want to read.

 
 

My head did explode for a minute when someone asked if there was a limit and I started to explore what data structures would work best for Google Reader. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be smart.

 
 

He did a great talk, and even I went home (hotel) and played with Google Reader again.

In one of my other lives, I train dogs, and we are trying to come up with an online solution.  In fact, I do a subset of training called clicker training.

So far, we’ve tried ooVoo, which has worked the best.

Today, we have been trying Skype on the laptop, which just like at TCEA today, proved not to be an ideal solution.  Between the laptop and the wifi, Skpe wasn’t happy.

Worst yet, it won’t close!  The only way I could get rid of it, was to close the application in task manager.

We want to be able to watch either and give hints.  We really need video for that – and in fact, what has actually worked the best is the Kinnect.  You can use Kinnect with Live Messager the other person doesn’t have to have the Kinnect.

The nice thing about the Kinnect is that it has a very wide angle view and can be aimed at the floor so people can see the dogs and their behaviors.

Technology and teaching can be so much fun.

BYOB – Programming Graphics

 

Louis gave some really good ideas — I have used Scratch, had briefly heard BYOB mentioned, but haven't seen it in action.  WORTH looking into.

 

BYOB was mentioned again during Thursday CS Principals Talk

BYOB – Programming Graphics

0.0/5 (0 vote)

Students will demonstrate a Mastery of using loops, random numbers, and logo style drawing commands in creating unique screens of graphics.

Submitted By:

Teacher: Louis Fleming

School District: Andrews ISD

Email: Lfleming@andrews.esc18.net

Technology Applications TEKS

Computer Science – 126.22 (7)

(7) Solving problems. The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems. The student is expected to:

• apply problem-solving strategies such as design specifications, modular top-down design, step-wise refinement, or algorithm development;
• use control structures such as conditional statements and iterated, pretest, and posttest loops;

  Objectives

• Students will be able to set control parameters for repeat loops.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of screen coordinates and numbering.
• Student will demonstrate an understanding of creating and using random numbers.
• Student will demonstrate the understanding and use of all the Pen commands.

  Time Required

  1-3 class periods depending on number of students and processing through examples.

  Materials Required

  Computer – Projector – BYOB software (Freeware) – sample output files.

  Procedure

• Day 1- Demonstrate the pen commands and the concepts of drawing involving movement. Explore color commands and setting commands. Run Examples that draw horizontal and vertical lines – a square – rectangle. Let Students change numbers in the examples and test results
• Day 2 – Demonstrate the repeat loop and adding it to the previous examples. Discuss why it appears not to work output wise yet works visually (Drawing the same line more than once does not mean more than 1 line showing.) Discuss the need for additional values.(parameters)Let Students change numbers in the examples and test results. Let students explore color changing.
• Day 3 – Demonstrate the use of random numbers. Show samples running with random numbers. Open Lab 1 and let students start working the labs.

  Closure

  Review the use of pen command, random numbers, and repetitive execution.

  Evaluation

  Student labs will graded based on visual execution. Visual format of output makes it very easy to see if lab was done properly. Also allows teacher to make possible error solutions quickly.

  Extension Activity

• Challenge excelling student to use turn commands and try to create a spirograph type output.
• Weaker students can complete the labs in a single color while higher performing students can work to make multicolored outputs.

     

 
 

 
 

First Session was the TATN Keynote. TATN is the Technology Applications Teacher Network and is NOT part of TCEA.

 
 

The presentations were great that I went to.

 
 

Notes from the actual Meeting:

 
 

Keynote introduction interesting

Website is at http://www.techappsnetwork.org/index.php

 
 

Funding –> afraid will lose it.

 
 

Provide feedback to TEKs

Project share

http://www.projectsharetexas.org/

 
 

This was also mentioned at several TEA session.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

Almost exactly a decade ago, several magazines and newspapers, including The Dallas Morning News, rolled out similar scannable barcodes in their print products. The CueCat scanner was a separate device that you plugged into your PC. Scanning the code attached to an article would take you to the company’s website, for example, or a video related to the story or somesuch.

CueCat 2.0: USA Today launching "Microsoft Tags" barcodes in newspaper you scan with your smart phone to access online content | Technology Blog | dallasnews.com

Go look at the article and the picture.  I kept on for years, cord chopped off and marked with as sharpie – it was my RESTROOM pass.

Free from Radio Shack, as many as you wanted.  Who was behind that?  He was a Dallas guy…

I am taking a forced break from the TCEA conference to get the heat fixed in my hotel room.  I think it was a good idea, as I am going through my notes and papers and organizing things.  That might not happen at all if I had not had to get this blasted thing fixed.

Those of you who know me well, know I hate paper.   In fact, I’ll probably leave every bit of it behind.  I also hate using a pen or pencil.

I carried my iPod and Windows Phone 7 all week.

There were two apps available for the conference (besides, the planner, which by the way has been opened once).  One was an iPhone/iPod App and the other was an web based app ( there was also an Andriod app but I don’t’ do that).

The iPhone app was very buggy and lost my information.  The web based app worked really well.  What I did was to select every session I thought was interesting via the web on a real computer, then removed the ones from the schedule I didn’t go to.  When I got done, there you go, a trail of where I’d been.  — See http://www.kweaver.org/cs/2011/02/i-have-been-at-tcea-since-tuesday-morning-and-alfredtwo-was-a-bit-disappointed-i-havent-blog-if-he-sees-the-schedule.html

I have also been taking notes with One Note.  I loved 2007 and got away from it, because I like to keep OneNote in the cloud and I didn’t have a way of doing that.  NOW, it’s up there.  If you ever want to share a notebook with me, let me know.  I sent one to Alfred and he probably wasn’t pleased with me.

I had the side conference meetings on One Note and could look them up with either the device.

By the way, One Note Mobile is lovely.  There are things to like on each the iPhone Side, and the Windows Phone 7 side.

I haven’t used all the features, but being able to take notes, send them to the cloud and organize them later is fabulous!

Back to loving One Note again.

Supposedly I have a free night, but I get one anyway, for staying here three days.  Oh, well.

Maintenance is in here trying to get the thing to work.  I’ve been here an hour and it is still only around 71 degrees.  Don’t really want to move, but it’s looking more and more like I have to.

It seems warmer.  And it isn’t as noisy.  Temp is at 74.  Looking good.

So Alfred blogged about languages and computer science.  No a programming language is not a language – though my mother loves to brag to people that I have written production code in over 30 computer languages, not that she know what that means.

I did take 4 years of Latin.  I did that because a) it seemed easier to me because we only dealt with the written word, and b) I was told it would help me learn how to spell.

I have also learned enough German to read chess books and to command the average police dog.

Another reason I have heard is so that one can read research and other works in the original language. Perhaps that made a lot of sense when French and German were the principal languages of some areas of study. But today people write in far too many languages to make focusing on one make for a solid argument – well unless that language is English. An awful lot is written first in English even by people whose first language is not English. On the other hand there may be some value in being able to read code in the “original” language. It’s a theory.

Are Programming Languages Really Languages – Computer Science Teacher – Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson – Site Home – MSDN Blogs

So to answer his question.  After 4 years of Latin and translating numerous texts written in Latin, I spell better, I know instantly where a word comes from and what it means, and I have an intimate knowledge of things like the Aenid and the Odessey.  You read the darn thing and write your own translation, you get to know it pretty well.

I know a bunch of cultural references, especially those related to mythology and know them well.   I was also able to very easily read some documentation written by a French programmer once.  I can also read the mass notes that my students pass who are Spanish speakers.

I got to read some chess books and get some ideas from non-English speakers and I do think it made me a better chess player.  I gained rating points during the experience, but I know very little Chess German now.  I do know more dog German, as I trained some police dogs, but it sounds very little like what real German dog trainers say.

All were very fun intellectual activities, but they useful?  I’m not even sure.

So below are the computer science events I found at TCEA and attended – okay, a few aren’t CS, strictly, several are robotics, and one very general post that @unklar did

 

Schedule

Tuesday, Feb 8

8:00AM to 4:30PM — Technology Applications Teacher Network (TATN) (Ballroom D) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

http://www.techappsnetwork.org/

 
 

Attended three computer science sessions in the morning,

Three web mastering sessions in the afternoon.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Wednesday, Feb 9

8:00AM to 9:00AM — From Start to State: Getting Involved in Robotics (Ballroom B) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Mostly for middle school and legos, but very good ideas

 
 

10:30AM to 11:30AM — CTE or Tech Apps: What Should We Teach and How? (Ballroom B) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Excellent session — discovered I can teach CTE

 
 

1:15PM to 2:15PM — TEA Update: What’s New with TEKS, Textbooks, and Technology (Ballroom D) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Mostly on the new tests. Some update on Technology Apps and CS TEKS

 
 

Also update on textbooks, electronic material.

 
 

 

2:00PM to 3:00PM — What’s My TCEA Membership Worth? (ML7) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Again, excellent, mostly covered Website and Webinairs.

 
 

 
 

3:45PM to 4:45PM — XNA Game Development: The Thrill Factor in CS Education (17B) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Brian excellent as always

 
 

5:00PM to 7:00PM — TA/CS-SIG Meeting (18C) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Business meeting

Reinforced that we can teach CTE specific CS courses now.

 
 

Thursday, Feb 10

10:00AM to 11:30AM — What is the Future of AP Computer Science? (19B) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Fun because here is best Computer Science people in the country and they can’t get get it working.

 
 

 
 

12:00PM to 1:00PM — Using Google Reader to Keep up with What’s Happening in the World (13AB) — Rate Session: 1
2
3
4
5

 
 

Personal friend presented. Very good look at Google Reader.

 
 

Spent the afternoon in the exhibit hall, getting ideas from Lanschool, Deep Freeze, Microsoft and Techsmith.

 
 

I am staying at Springhill Suites Marriott South on I35. I am telling you this so you won't stay here.

Why?

The A/C unit keep coming in last night. The desk clerks thought I was nuts because when they got to the room the unit was merrily pumping out warm air. Fortunately it kicked on for the second clerk but the hotel is sold out and apparently no maintenance staff was available.

I didn't sleep well especially since the unit came on when it was shut off and the temp was at 62 when I woke up. I literally was shaking from the cold

Not paying their full rate that's for sure…

And if they can't get me in a warm room, I am out of here.

Not that they care since they have plenty of business.

Sent from my Windows Phone