Today was dull ... I've always been able to modularize things and tend to get into trouble for thinking out of the box so todays "turn you ideas upside down" stuff is just some expert telling me to do what I've always done. This is making me a bit nervous though - I'm not used to being mainstream.
I guess, if you sit still long enough, everything does come to you ... to paraphrase Sidartha.
Some cute stuff - jigsaw reading as a way of getting students through a wall of text. I've seen it before, but not so dynamically expressed. Reminds me of the times I jigsawed (thank you for the term) practical classes in biology and chemistry: dividing up a lot of experiments so they could all be done in one day, then having students do presentations on what they find. It's a preferred mode of teaching but I'm reflecting I could make it more dynamic too.
Kahooter - interactive app: are phones the new "calculator"?
The Curriculum work feels like the 90's stuff - explaining levels and years and achievement outcomes etc. To avoid going to sleep I had to engage with the others who were more confused by all this language that was new to them.
One of the vids resonated: it has to be OK to be "wrong".
https://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong
Frustration: it took just over an hour of travelling to get to the course. Surely that's not right!
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Education Blogging
The catalyst for my re-emergence from blogger purgatory (also known as social media - facebook and g+ yes yes I know... but at least I have resisted the pull of twitter) is the start of the TER course ... so I am seriously ditching acting and getting a hair cut and a real job. What can I tell you, I'm getting old.
Anyway - this means I will need someplace to use as an online portfolio. That will be here for the near future ... which means the posts will lose a lot of their more daring dodgy edginess for a few months. Post above this line will be "suitable for a more politically sensitive audience".
People visiting from the Education World should be pretty unshockable: they all work with children after all - however, they should be warned that below is a wide range of topics, some more on edge than others. Most in the name of good fun but some serious. Explore with caution, you may learnm more than would be strictly healthy.
And what have I been doing in the meantime?
Believe it or not, I've been slaying dragons and rescuing damsels in distress (well, helping them rescue themselves). I've also been studying ethics.
Anyway - this means I will need someplace to use as an online portfolio. That will be here for the near future ... which means the posts will lose a lot of their more daring dodgy edginess for a few months. Post above this line will be "suitable for a more politically sensitive audience".
People visiting from the Education World should be pretty unshockable: they all work with children after all - however, they should be warned that below is a wide range of topics, some more on edge than others. Most in the name of good fun but some serious. Explore with caution, you may learnm more than would be strictly healthy.
And what have I been doing in the meantime?
Believe it or not, I've been slaying dragons and rescuing damsels in distress (well, helping them rescue themselves). I've also been studying ethics.
New Computer
Actually a couple ... a wee while ago my beloved hp envy 14 died the final death. This is a shame because the graphite and magnesium case is a work of art I may frame it. What I would love is a laptop form-factor that has exchangeable insides ... I'd be prepared to spend a lot on a very nice case and never mind the razor thin look ppl seem to want. Ahem.
Anyway...
As a quick and dirty replacement I bought a hp probook with Ubuntu pre-installed off Albany Sen College and hated hated hated it: what have they done to Ubuntu?? Then the battery stops charging so now I can only use it on AC ... OK, so, new machine ... luckily for me, Dick Smith decided to go belly up so I grabbed a 1/3rd price whatever was left after the mad stampede. I felt a bit giddy walking out of the store without my usual meticulous research so fingers crossed...
This one is an Acer Aspire E15 - come with Windows 10 and the new UEFI/EFI boot stuff.
The last windows I had any real familiarity with was Win98 ... so I not have no feel for how windows works at all. The new boot system means I have to go through windows to reconfigure the computer for a new OS ... i.e. in order to get out of a deal with the devil I have to make a deal with the devil.
It was a drama - the dozer struggled and screamed and warned but now I am in the process of installing brand new state of the art Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon. The installer is online happily downloading language packs.
I was using the cinnamon desktop to make the Ubuntu installation more palatable - with luck, today will be the last time I need to use this piece of junk.
I have a big paper about the benifit of Open Source to Education someplace, I may link to it.
And yes, I am getting back into education. See next post.
Anyway...
As a quick and dirty replacement I bought a hp probook with Ubuntu pre-installed off Albany Sen College and hated hated hated it: what have they done to Ubuntu?? Then the battery stops charging so now I can only use it on AC ... OK, so, new machine ... luckily for me, Dick Smith decided to go belly up so I grabbed a 1/3rd price whatever was left after the mad stampede. I felt a bit giddy walking out of the store without my usual meticulous research so fingers crossed...
This one is an Acer Aspire E15 - come with Windows 10 and the new UEFI/EFI boot stuff.
The last windows I had any real familiarity with was Win98 ... so I not have no feel for how windows works at all. The new boot system means I have to go through windows to reconfigure the computer for a new OS ... i.e. in order to get out of a deal with the devil I have to make a deal with the devil.
It was a drama - the dozer struggled and screamed and warned but now I am in the process of installing brand new state of the art Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon. The installer is online happily downloading language packs.
I was using the cinnamon desktop to make the Ubuntu installation more palatable - with luck, today will be the last time I need to use this piece of junk.
I have a big paper about the benifit of Open Source to Education someplace, I may link to it.
And yes, I am getting back into education. See next post.
Monday, 6 January 2014
Wondering
Cracks in the pavement
Cracks in the glass
Cracks in the walls
That I walk past
Cracks in my cup
Cracks in my face
Cracks in the dry dry mud
Walking for miles
Looking around me, I see your face;
Your smile and your hair and your tight embrace.
And I ache that you are not here.
Cracks in the Earth
Cracks in the sky
Cracks in my feet
I wonder why.
I wonder why.
SB 6/1/14
Cracks in the glass
Cracks in the walls
That I walk past
Cracks in my cup
Cracks in my face
Cracks in the dry dry mud
Walking for miles
Looking around me, I see your face;
Your smile and your hair and your tight embrace.
And I ache that you are not here.
Cracks in the Earth
Cracks in the sky
Cracks in my feet
I wonder why.
I wonder why.
SB 6/1/14
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Best cat name ...a Russian blue called Kilmouski.
Coo! Opportunity to lecture...
Lots of people think "felix" is latin for cat.
"Felix" is Latin for "lucky".
Further:
"Felis", often applied to cats, means thief.
Makes you wonder about "felis"itations doesn't it?
"Catulus" sounds cat-friendly too, it means "puppy".
Latin for "cat" is "cat". Though, I guess, cattus catulus would be a kitten.
The cat in the pic would be "felis cattus", the kind that are not so into newspapers and dissapproving looks at humans are "felis _silvestrus_ cattus".
Hence: Felix and Sylvester as cat names.
:)
Coo! Opportunity to lecture...
Lots of people think "felix" is latin for cat.
"Felix" is Latin for "lucky".
Further:
"Felis", often applied to cats, means thief.
Makes you wonder about "felis"itations doesn't it?
"Catulus" sounds cat-friendly too, it means "puppy".
Latin for "cat" is
The cat in the pic would be "felis cattus", the kind that are not so into newspapers and dissapproving looks at humans are "felis _silvestrus_ cattus".
Hence: Felix and Sylvester as cat names.
:)
Monday, 19 August 2013
Gosh you are so smart I can barely understand what you say!
I get that sometimes.
I never really know what to do with it though.
For one thing, I don't think I'm all that bright. Sure I know stuff that many people find mysterious and I can do complicated math in my head but I know people who are quicker, more versed, and just plain smarter than me. Of the people I know, I'm in the middle of the lower quartile in terms of smarts.
On the other hand, we all tend to underrate our own abilities.
The other thing is this association of being incomprehensible with being smart. Seriously? I can make utter stupid rubbish sound incomprehensible so what has that got to do with anything? If you don't understand what I'm saying that does not mean I'm smart, or that you are not, but that communication has failed to happen.
If I intended to communicate with you, then it is hard not to see that as a failure on my part. Don't tell me how smart I am - tell me where you lost the thread. Then I can improve how I write.
If you understand what I am saying completely and clearly, then that would mean I'm pretty smart.
I never really know what to do with it though.
For one thing, I don't think I'm all that bright. Sure I know stuff that many people find mysterious and I can do complicated math in my head but I know people who are quicker, more versed, and just plain smarter than me. Of the people I know, I'm in the middle of the lower quartile in terms of smarts.
On the other hand, we all tend to underrate our own abilities.
The other thing is this association of being incomprehensible with being smart. Seriously? I can make utter stupid rubbish sound incomprehensible so what has that got to do with anything? If you don't understand what I'm saying that does not mean I'm smart, or that you are not, but that communication has failed to happen.
If I intended to communicate with you, then it is hard not to see that as a failure on my part. Don't tell me how smart I am - tell me where you lost the thread. Then I can improve how I write.
If you understand what I am saying completely and clearly, then that would mean I'm pretty smart.
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