WEB Quest

With the help of my EME 2040 class I have created a new web site. http://pilchweb.webs.com/index.htm

I currently pay for web site hosting on a site that does not offer nearly as much flexibility or functionality. I can see how I might be able to create a site that will be specific to my business at a price that is equal to or less than what I am currently paying and that will off far superior performance. This is very cool.

On the "test" web site I have created content that will actually be useful for my middle school classes. We have just completed a competition in school that emphasized military drill and physical training. The WEB Quest that I created for the EME 2040 class assignment is specific to the history of military drill. At this time my students will be very interested in learning more about the background and benefits of drill. There are hundreds of web videos about military drill from military units all over the world. There are almost too many to choose from. Our recent competition was between 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th class periods. Each class is set up as a company with platoons and squads. All four classes make up a regiment. The competition was so close that the difference in score between 1st and second place in the Color Guard element was only 1/2 of a point, 245.5 to 245. There were 3 judges. The difference in score for the Rifle Team element was only one point between 1st and 2nd place. This was a well contested event! The web site videos will provide some samples of additional drill moves and routines that may inspire my students. They are already doing things this year that my students have never attempted over the past 7 or 8 years. It is quite rewarding to see 7th and 8th graders develop the work ethic and commitment to make challenging routines. I will try to get some photos of the event to post to the blog and to the web site.

The physical fitness competition was just as competitive. 4 teams fielded 10 contestants each. Each person can obtain a maximum score of 300 points. This is very difficult. This semester so far I have had only a half dozen out of more than 130 students earn a score of 300. The average scores of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams were less than 10 points different. The 1st place team had an avereage score of approximately 231.

It will be fun to create a web site detailing the progress of my classes!

Visit a foreign country

I have decided I want to visit a foreign country this summer but I am not sure where. It has been many years since I have been in South America and I am sure many things have changed but with recent events in Chile I think I would like to consider going there. I have spoken with colleagues at school who have also expressed an interest in looking for volunteer opportunities that may be of help to people affected by the recent earthquakes and tidal waves. The most damage was done in the area south of Santiago, the capitol, in an area near Talca and then further to the south in Concepcion. The coastal city of Constitucion has also suffered huge damage from the quakes and from tidal surges. It is at the mouth of the Maule river.

Chile has done very well over the last few decades economically and educationally. It has transitioned from a dictatorship under Pinochet to a democratic society. Recent elections have resulted in a more socialistic leaning government. There are some indications that a portion of the Chilean society has not fully benefited from the economic and educational advances experienced throughout much of the country. There still exists extensive poverty and need with a percentage of the population living in inadequate housing and even below local standards of living. Average monthly income is approximately $400 per month. Some areas have limited educational opportunities as well. There are many indigenous populations that continue to experience limited progress technologically and educationally. Overall the level of education, industry, world trade and country infrastructure exceeds most other South American countries. This will all be severely affected by the recent geologic events. Basic infrastructure of roads and railroads between Santiago and Los Angeles (town approx 100 miles south of Concepcion, Chile) have been affected to the point that it may take months to fully restore. Major bridges connecting north and south routes have also been destroyed.

Chile is a beautiful country. It has gorgeous coastlines, mountains, deserts, woodlands and natural wonders. I would like to visit in June or July.

Things I have enjoyed most about EME 2040 thus far.

The first half of the class has gone by. It really does not seem to have been almost two months ago that we started. I put together and distributed a newsletter for my class that incorporated one writing assignment for my students. I had fun doing it and it has been something I have wanted to do for some time. I have also learned how to convert standard word documents into PDF documents without scanning. I have used this function several times for my business that frequently requires I send contracts via email. Having the ability to bypass a scanning step has saved loads of time and has been significantly more convenient. I have also enjoyed the process of blogging. It is almost like keeping a journal. It has been fun learning how to link my blog site to You Tube and view a simple video that I created. As a result of the class I was also able to justify purchasing a lap top. I have been delaying for years. Now I have a fairly current machine with some updated technology and software that I am trying to become proficient using. I sort of feel like the old dog learning new tricks and I am enjoying it most of the time. I admit there have been a few frustrations! I am looking forward to creating a web site. I have a web site now that is more of a plug in system with some significant limits. I am hoping we will get a more comprehensive approach to building our own web sites soon.

Inspiration mapping

I have now determined how I got the last few photos uploaded on to my Blog using Picasa!
The diagram is a basic description of generally available operating systems related to certain types of PC platforms. It is obviously a simple chart but reasonably clear.

Christmas 2008

Picture has nothing to do with EME 2040 content but I uploaded it in class and do not remember how except that I did not use the standard Blog method. I do remember that I was supposed to say something about the photo. Obviously we are looking at Christmas morning. Son, his daughter and my youngest grandson are the subjects. Fun was had by all.

Software applications of value to students

Base of student software knowledge for success in the workplace.

There are a few software products that are almost critical to be able use effectively to be successful in the modern workplace. At the top of the list is a word processing capability. Today’s word processing programs are so robust that if learned in depth, you would be able to not just word process but also create and integrate everything from basic web site design to extensive mailing lists and customer oriented products. Most word processing programs incorporate similar user command and key stroke processes. Learning one software suite will lend itself to basic familiarity with other software suites for word processing. I suspect the most common is the Microsoft suite which also can include a database and professional presentation programs. For most students the presentation program will be more useful initially but in time understanding a database program will become important and possibly more used in most business settings.

Determining two additional programs of most worth becomes a bit more difficult. Publishing and web design will benefit the entrepreneur and independent sort. Music or movie editing will challenge the more creative. Programs to actually code and create games and commercial software would give students a jump start on actual employment directly related to computers. I think for any student with an inclination to pursue an interest in computers it would be useful to actually learn how to code. Finally, digital communication in all forms is coming closer to reality. Software that integrates digital streaming media, alerts, news, publishing, voice recognition etc.. with the first three programs would be ideal. It has to be out there somewhere!

EME 2040 Educational Issues

I have always felt that cell phones should be allowed in class subject to defined class rules and etiquette. The issues regarding felonious use or use specifically counter to global good school discipline should be dealt with at that level. Students that facilitate or instigate egregious activities via the use of cell phones on campus probably do not belong on that campus and should be offered an environment more conducive to their level of personal comportment. Serious violations of law and good order should be dealt with seriously and harshly. With the significant expansion of cell phone technology and capability I can see how cell phones would become superb resources within any classroom setting. I hate to be interrupted as does any teacher/professor but any professor who thinks that students hang on every word for a full 45 minute lecture is delusional. I can think of several ways to involve students through the use of cell phones that would be useful and fun, especially if the phone has web capability. It would be much less expensive and take less space than desk tops. You can even have your class outside of the classroom. I could have quizzes texted to me!
My next beef is with censorship. There are several world famous museums that are not accessible (censored) via the SCPS internet. As a Spanish teacher I would like to bring these resources to my class. I have traveled the world and been able to enjoy first hand these works of art. Many of my students have not been more than 200 miles away from home and the prospect of world travel is not yet a dream, but it could be if given opportunity to explore.

EME 2040 Computer history. My perspective.

My first computer experience in college was programming using punch cards or Hollerith cards on an IBM computer that nearly filled a room. You had to schedule appointment time on the computer to test your programs. Within a year the Apple computer was introduced to our curriculum. While in the Navy I had a 486 on my desk that I used for word processing. The entire command got 486's and training so we would come into the computer age. We used an IBM 300 main frame to keep track of all our accounting and inventory. We had two full time programmers to keep up. The cool thing was that we had two Cray supercomputers at our base. It was a spy facility and the Crays were used to sort out the millions of bits of data that were received from electronic intelligence sources (elint). One of the guys I worked with developed the algorithms to determine which of the millions of bits of data collected through elint would be looked at by human analysts. It was very interesting. When we moved back to the US we got our first new desk top computer. We had purchased used Apples and an old 486 and experimented with various types of printers and electronic games but the new computer had a modem and bulletin boards were available to sign up with to get access to the newly forming web. I seem to remember all the old computers weighed so much more than anything out there today. I do not know if it was because of shielding or the weight of the power assemblies. The cabinets were definitely steel and thick. The blue screen of death made everyone hate Microsoft. You constantly had to reboot your computer and even needed to learn some basic programming if you expected to keep up. Eventually systems have become more stable. Most people do not even know what DOS is anymore. Most operating systems on current computers can diagnose themselves. It amazes me how interconnected all of the devices are becoming. It is also a bit scary. Someone can learn more about me than I really know about myself by analyzing my calling habits, texting, browsing, credit, background, purchasing, etc... Almost makes one hesitate. I got my first desktop with dual processors about ten years ago. I could also connect four different CRT screens all controlled by the same mouse and key board. Surfing the web was never so good. It was amazing. Memory became a problem, especially RAM. Dual processors reduced thrashing but web pages and programs were taking so much more processing memory. It is hard to keep up.

EME 2040 Which life skills are most important

Over the past week I have had an opportunity to review a few articles regarding implementing use of computer technology in the K12 environment. I have also had to post end of quarter grades for my 7th and 8th grade students for the end of the semester. I have one computer in my class. Students are not allowed to access it. I do not know the exact percentage of students in my class who have access to computers at home but it appears to be less than 75%. Approximately 25% of my students do not have computers at home.

Socio-demographics for my school include a high number of low income and even semi-transient and homeless students. These students may not have food in the house. We have a clothing exchange locker where students can discretely select jeans or shirts or new socks and underwear. There are even basic food items available and toys.

I sort of get overwhelmed, a bit of overload, when I try to figure out what will be of greatest worth to my students. After eight years teaching 7th and 8th graders I have learned a few things that seem to make a difference. Some of these things are related to 21st century life skills but many are basic life skills from any century. I think that at the top of the list of skills is the concept that students need to become individually responsible for their own actions and deeds. There has to be a system that recognizes and rewards individual performance and reinforces leadership and character building attributes. There also has to be a legitimate way to test performance. Students also need to be challenged and given opportunities to compete. Appropriate competition builds confidence and improves performance on many different personal and team levels.

I regularly incorporate games that require collaborative team skills. We call these games Leadership Reaction Courses or LRCs. These games have a variety of learning purposes. Most common are communication skill exercises. Each game has sets of rules that can be modified to encourage creativity and innovation. All of the games require creative thinking and problem solving. With frequency I find there are students who begin to think "outside the box". This keeps the games interesting to me. With frequency these games elicit the interest of students who are on the fringes academically. They are smart but have never been challenged or at least never accepted the challenge. This combination of creativity and development of leadership seems to lure them in. This is sort of my own ARCS motivational model. Results are at times most satisfying. This is why I teach. I have seen lives changed and students begin to accept personal responsibility for their own course in life. Course changes in 7th and 8th grade can be dramatic but often less painful than even a few years later.

As a matter of perspective computers are only a small part of what is really important in life.

Let us get this Blog started.

My youngest daughter started a blog a few years ago with the start of her first pregnancy. http://www.dnledwards.blogspot.com/

She has just had her second boy and I have had fun watching on her blog site. I do not think I had really considered my own site before this EME 2040 class! Here I am.

My next entry will be about chapter 1. Course directions indicate that we should write 200 words directly related to the chapters discussed in class. I am fairly certain that we mentioned the text and that there are possible differences between the 5th and 6th editions but there was limited substantive discussion regarding the 1st chapter of the text so I may have to fill in the gap a bit. I will try to relate technology aquisition to language aqcuisition (briefly). Everything we do creates memory connections. The more frequently we do something, the more likely we will create memory pathways. Norm (Chomsky) indicates that a language acquisition device exists in all of us that allows us to learn language, sort of a universal grammar. Is there an intuitive grammar to computer technology? Stephen (Krashen) spoke of acquisition vs learning. Is there a predictable order to acquire technology? I can think of about a dozen affective filter issues! His Input Hypothesis sounds like it was made for the computer. Unfortunately we often teach technology using the Audio Lingualism approach. Drill and memorize! Develop habits. Vygotsky thought there was a gap between the current level of a learner and the potential level of a learner and that to be most effective you need to teach in the Gap. I believe he came upon this theory while at a conference in London. He was riding the subway and was intrigued by the constant reminder to "Mind the gap". (You have to have been there!!) Michael (Long) felt that comprehensive input is the result of modified interaction... mime, ask questions, clarify, etc.. I suppose his Interaction Hypothesis could have merit to technology acquisition. I think I will stick with the Input hypothesis, i + 1 Theory, for now. It may cause fewer problems with my affective filter...

Hope to see you in class

jan