PS -- in my last months of k-12 teaching the best (commercial) software i've seen is "kahoot". It surely influenced my idea about a R-Pi Bingo Server ... this would be a great thing to reproduce as an Edu-FLS (FreeLibreSoftware) platform, IMO.
On Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 8:45 AM, Charles <cco...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Kirby, just read your article on Medium. Interesting thoughts, as > always. I read something the other day which pointed out that in Chinese > high school calculators are not allowed … possibly ever? It seems like a > no-brainer to me to eliminate calculators from the K-12 system entirely, > but apparently not to the powers-that-be. I’ve been in several math > classrooms lately while subbing and the button sequences required to do > simple things are just ridiculous, far-outweighing any emphasis on what one > is doing via such sequences. > > One question about code schools that I have is: Are their certificates > recognized? I hate the thought of all the middle-man certification industry > being imposed upon something good like PDX Code Guild, but it seems like > the first potential issue that would come-up, i.e. how transferable and > recognized is that accomplishment? I’m curious because I’d like to start > one here in New Mexico, but I can already hear the skeptics and nay-sayers > that I’ve heard so many times before … and I can see an efficient model > getting bloated with collaborations with corporations which “certify” and > “accredit” etc etc. > > The last couple months have been interesting for me, as an education > software enthusiast substitute-teaching in the k-12 system. Many teachers > purchase their own software and set of licenses because the school system > won’t. Many teachers also pull-up free, online materials during class, and > some of those are spewing flat-out incorrect information. For example, I > was visiting a middle-school science class doing a “block” on renewable > energy and the class began with a visit to a website (projected on the > screen) in which the site defined torque as “a special kind of energy” and > proceeded to build upon that (incorrect) definition over the rest of the > “lesson”, culminating in questions that couldn’t be answered or were > at-odds with the initial definitions provided. > > Another quick story: about 10 yrs ago my daughter was in middle school in > the same public school system as I’m now teaching in. One day she told me > that the sky was blue because the sunlight reflected off the ocean(!!!). > Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, when I was covering science class at a > different school (now 10 years later) and talking about Sun-Earth > interaction and so forth. Out of curiosity I asked the class if they knew > why the sky was blue? Everyone knew! It was because the sun reflects off > the ocean! I asked other classes that day and got the same damn answer from > each class. What do you call that? “Institutionalized mis-information”? > Where is it coming from? These things are set in their minds by the power > of the first impression or first encounter, in this case. This is just one > example, and not the only one. This does not bode well for the future of > our country. > > One last reflection: I’m now a long-term sub as a music teacher in the > same elementary school that both my children attended. Irrelevant except > that I love the school. I’ve never taught music and I’ve got up to nine > classes per day with 20–25 kids per class. That’s 200 students from k-5 > every day. I am regularly scrambling for cool things to do in class. I > developed a music bingo game <https://github.com/ccosse/MusicBingo> > (original to me but not the first) in the first weeks. That went-over very > well and I’ve been thinking of ways to extend and improve upon it. I > borrowed an iPad from the school and I’ve got a Raspberry-Pi3 setup as a > server already. I’m thinking that a good software activity would be to have > the kids sitting in a circle with their iPads and a bingo screen served by > the R-Pi in the middle of the circle (or wherever). In other words, digital > music bingo, whereas it’s currently just printed paper sheets and drawing > notes etc from a hat. This type of setup appeals to me software-wise, as it > would remain an interactive group activity and still make use of > technology. The tech is right there in-their-face, still, but it might as > well be a physical game board made of card stock. The benefit is that the > teacher wouldn’t have to run around checking all the answers, and things > like that. > > Code schools. Once again, it’s gonna come down to the teachers at the code > school. God help us! > > On Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 12:53 AM, kirby urner <kirby.ur...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> >> Useful summary of on-line Python 3 tutorials, starting with the one in >> docs.python.org itself: >> >> https://medium.com/@lockpaddy/10-resources-to-learn-python-3 >> -9a735db7aff9#.mabvr7g8l >> >> Is it just me or am I sensing a strong pull towards Python 3, away from >> 2.x? >> >> My meditation, also on Medium, published today, is a more generic >> meditation on code schools. >> >> https://medium.com/@kirbyurner/is-code-school-the-new-high- >> school-30a8874170b >> >> I mention Python quite a bit, in my appraisal of the looming digital >> divide and how to bridge it. >> >> I've invited more math teachers to comment as what I write concerns them: >> >> http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2845880 >> >> None of these are new themes on edu-sig. >> >> If you check my other Medium writings, you'll find a lot more (also >> blogs). >> >> Kirby >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Edu-sig mailing list >> Edu-sig@python.org >> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig >> >> > > > -- > > Linkedin <https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-cosse> | E-Learning > <http://www.asymptopia.org> > > > -- Linkedin <https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-cosse> | E-Learning <http://www.asymptopia.org>
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