1-16-08

Exam Link - http://duxtech.pbwiki.com/f/YourName-CourseName-Fall08Exam.doc

 

12-11-08

How can you quickly and effectively solve problems?

Announcements

Discussion

Quick Simple Problems

• How did it go last class?
• Did you get problems solved?
• How could you do it better this time?

Do

Make a QuickSimpleProblemCard

 

Build

Use the Quick Simple Problem process to identify and solve as many problems as you can in one period. Use the card to keep track of the problems, and identify future problems you will need to solve.

 

Reflect

In your online documentation, write about how the process of using Quick Simple Problems is working for you.

 

• How can you be more effective working with Quick Simple Problems?
• How can you break down larger problems into smaller ones using the Quick Simple Problems process?

 

Hand In

At the end of the period, hand in:

1. your QuickSimpleProblemCard
2. Your reflection including two paragraphs answering the questions above

 

 

12-10-08

How can you quickly and effectively solve problems?

Announcements

Discussion

Quick Simple Problems

• How did it go last class?
• Did you get problems solved?
• How could you do it better this time?

Make a QuickSimpleProblemCard

 

Build

Use the Quick Simple Problem process to identify and solve as many problems as you can in one period. Use the card to keep track of the problems, and identify future problems you will need to solve.

 

Reflect

In your online documentation, write about how the process of using Quick Simple Problems is working for you.

 

• What was it like working with Quick Simple Problems?
• What are some other problems you could use this process for?

 

Hand In

At the end of the period, hand in:

1. your QuickSimpleProblemCard
2. Your reflection including two paragraphs answering the questions above

 

12-8-08

Announcements

Writing

What is the simplest thing that you can test that will help you on your project?

Write a description of how you would choose something easy to test, form an idea of what to test, test it and evaluate the results.

 

Projects

Quick Simple Problems

Identify several quick simple problems that you can work on. Cycle through them as quickly as you can. See how many you can solve in one period. If you run out, identify more Quick Simple Problems you can solve on your way towards your larger project goal. Don't get bogged down in complexity.

 

 

12-1-08

Announcements

writing

What are your in class goals/plans for the week?

 

Plans

Follow your plan.

If you have external dependencies or other problems, speak up!

 

 

11-25-08

 

Announcements

 

Projects

 

Plans

 

Work your plan

 

Writing

 

• What have you done on your project?
• What do you need to do on your project?
• What do you need for your project?

 

 

11-21-08

Announcements

Student Union Tinkerers workshop series

Looking for high school mentors

Duxtech Club

Interested in having a workshop on the vinyl cutter next week?

Monday works best.

Need: a plan, possible participants, publicity

 

Projects

Plans

• Each person needs to have a plan of his or her own.
• You need to make adjustments to your plan.
• Add an update on what you are doing on the project during class.
• You should not drag the planning process out for an entire period.
• every person must hav a product they are responsible for creating.
• Timelines need to be adjusted
• Products need to be clarified
• Use the format below to organize your plan
• You need to be able to explain how your actions relate to your plan at all times in class.

 

Plans for Robotics

• What is the overall goal? One sentence should sum it up.
• Describe the goal in greater detail. This should be a paragraph.
• What are the deadlines? A list with descriptions is fine.
• What skills, techniques, materials, sto and tools do you currently have that will be useful on the project? A bulleted list with descriptions should work.
• What skills, techniques, materials and tools do you need or will be useful on the project? A bulleted list with descriptions should work.
• How will you be able to show the progress of your project?
• How will you be able to know if you have met your goal? A paragraph would be good.
• How can we show your work when it is done?

 

 

 

 

 

11-19-08

Announcements

Student Union Tinkering Workshops

Looking for high school mentors

Duxtech Club

Interested in having a workshop on the vinyl cutter next week?

Monday works best.

Need: a plan, possible participants, publicity

 

Project Planning

Working your plan

What is your plan?

 

You should have an online version of your plan. It should be publicly visible by the end of this period. Print a copy of it and hand it in for a grade.

The plan is there to help you focus on doing independent work and getting the assistance you need. The plan helps you work towards a goal, not to move away from things you don't want. The plan helps you work towards YES. If you need help, supplies, advice, you need to ask for it. you should be able to explain how your needs and activities fit in to your overall plan. Our discussions should be centered around getting your goals and plan achieved.

 

Don't have a plan?

If you do not have a plan, we will develop a group plan that a number of people can participate in. There are many possiblities, we will choose a path this period and follow it through. If at some later time, you develop a plan that you would like to work towards, we can negotiate that into your classroom activities.

 

 

 

11-18-08

Announcements

Project Planning

To work most effectively, it is important that you set out a plan early on.

Good project plans take many forms.

The plan is there to help you to focus on the important tasks.

If parts of the plan become unrealistic, then the plan must be modified to relect changes in technique, supplies, time and other advances or setbacks.

Below are some features of the planning that should help you form this document.

Think in terms of by thanksgiving, by christmas and by the end of the term for the calendar.

 

 

The plan must be typewritten and saved online for later use.

Plans evolve, but should be clear enough that they don't have to be thrown out.

Wiki, blog and other online tools are great for this kind of project.

 

Plans for programming

• What is the overall goal? One sentence should sum it up.
• Describe the goal in greater detail. This should be a paragraph.
• What are the deadlines? A list with descriptions is fine.
• What skills, techniques, materials, sto and tools do you currently have that will be useful on the project? A bulleted list with descriptions should work.
• What skills, techniques, materials and tools do you need or will be useful on the project? A bulleted list with descriptions should work.
• How will you be able to show the progress of your project?
• How will you be able to know if you have met your goal? A paragraph would be good.
• How can we show your work when it is done?

 

 

 

11-13-08

Announcements

 

Discussion

Reflections on the term

Looking Forward

Consciousness of time

 

A CommunityOfLearners

Timeline of Fall Semester

 

 

11-12-08

Announcements

Processing is a language that is a lot like java and c/c++ in many ways.

The project listed below encourages people to learn and use processing to make a monster sprite.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/11/processing_monsters_by_lu.html

 

Reflection on the term that was

Write a reflection about the term that has just ended. Print two copies, one to hand in, and one to bring to your parents. Write in positive, affirmative language.

Answer all questions:

1. What was the most useful thing you learned this past term?
2. What could you personally have done to make the class operate more smoothly?
3. What are you excited to learn in class?
4. What community issues are important to you?
5. What grade do you believe you deserve and why?
6. If this were the last meeting of the class, what positive thing would you remember?

 

Some links that relate to the work we have done and will do:

 

A CommunityOfLearners

Timeline of Fall Semester

 

Programming Projects

 

 

 

10-16-08 SubPlan-10-16-08 Printable version

Announcements

Students may run the discussion

Introductions All around

Explain what you have been working on

 

Programming projects

Intro to programming for DHS students

People in class should work in small groups to

Work up a plan for how to show a group of students how to program.

Design a project that can be done by these students next week.

Test the project, and have it ready to demonstrate to high school students next week.

 

Programming

Continue with your personal projects

 

Programming for other subjects

How can you use programming to increase people's awareness of another subject?

Some ideas:

• Math
• English
• Foriegn Language
• Science

 

10-14-08

Announcements

Maker Faire

Mr. Connors will be at Maker Faire in Texas until next Tuesday.

http://makerfaire.com/austin/2008/education/

 

What are the expectations?

• Students
• The substitute
• Mr. Connors

 

Project for this week:

Questions:

What are the most common parts of the computer programs that you have made?

• How can we show this information to the community?
• What physical products will help illustrate these ideas?
• What words, spoken and online will help illustrate these ideas?
• What resources online will help illustrate these ideas?

 

People in class should work in small groups to

Work up a plan for how to show a group of students how to program.

Design a project that can be done by these students next week.

Test the project, and have it ready to demonstrate next week.

 

Programming

Continue with your personal projects

 

Programming for other subjects

How can you use programming to increase people's awareness of another subject?

Some ideas:

• Math
• English
• Foriegn Language
• Science

 

10-8-08

Announcements

Goals

Where can we publicly post our goals for the month and semester?

Scratch game that we all add to?

 

Documentation of ideas in the class

What can we do to record the facts we find?

What is more important, facts or process?

How can we leave a record of what we find and do?

What can we do to measure the information that people have learned in class?

What questions can we provide for the end of course exam?

Make a tutorial?

 

In class projects

Add your work to the gallery of the semester's work

 

Presentation to other people outside of class

Who would be the audience?

What would we do?

When should we do it?

 

10-7-08

Announcements

robo Girl, creepy or incredible? http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1777667.ece

 

Goals

Where can we publicly post our goals for the month and semester?

 

Documentation of ideas in the class

What can we do to record the facts we find?

What is more important, facts or process?

How can we leave a record of what we find and do?

What can we do to measure the information that people have learned in class?

What questions can we provide for the end of course exam?

 

In class projects

Lets set up a presentation system so people can show the work they have done so far

Add your work to the gallery of the semester's work

 

Presentation to other people outside of class

Who would be the audience?

What would we do?

When should we do it?

 

10-6-08

Announcements

 

Goals

Where can we publicly post our goals for the month and semester?

 

Documentation of ideas in the class

What can we do to record the facts we find?

What is more important, facts or process?

How can we leave a record of what we find and do?

What can we do to measure the information that people have learned in class?

What questions can we provide for the end of course exam?

 

In class projects

Lets set up a presentation system so people can show the work they have done so far

 

Presentation to other people outside of class

Who would be the audience?

What would we do?

When should we do it?

 

10-3-08

Announcements

 

Goals

Where can we publicly post our goals for the month and semester?

 

Documentation of ideas in the class

What can we do to record the facts we find?

What is more important, facts or process?

How can we leave a record of what we find and do?

What can we do to measure the information that people have learned in class?

What questions can we provide for the end of course exam?

 

In class projects

As we work on projects, how can we keep each other from Project Hopping?

Project Hopping is when a person gets into a project, then finds it difficult and starts up another project. When this gets out of control, it can lead to lots of busted stuff and not much to show for it.

 

October presentation

How can we present our work for the month of October?

DHS, DMS, Duxbury community?

What would we show?

 

9-29-08

Announcements

Looking for student leaders link

 

Goals - hand in

Timeline of the semester: http://duxtech.pbwiki.com/TimelineOfFallSemester

Personal Goals for semester

What do you want for the semester?

What do you want for the next milestone?

 

Thinking Outside the Class

How can we use online resources for sharing information?

All online resources should be used only for the course subject inside class.

How can this be recognized and evaluated?

 

Program project

Deadlines

Criteria

 

9-25-08

Announcements

 

Thinking Outside the Class

Discussion:

• What can you do outside the class that will add to our knowledge?
• How can this effort be meaningful and recognizable?
• Wiki or other online format?
• Facebook group?
• Youtube channel?
• Flickr group?
• Scratch site

 

Goals

Look at the timeline of the semester: http://duxtech.pbwiki.com/TimelineOfFallSemester

Personal Goals for semester

What do you want for the semester?

What do you want for the next milestone?

 

Open House

What have we done this month?

• Presentation of course work so far
• Subject specific information parents can read/take home.
• Physical products parents can see easily

 

 

9-24-08

Announcements

 

Thinking Outside the Class

Discussion:

• What can you do outside the class that will add to our knowledge?
• How can this effort be meaningful and recognizable?
• Wiki or other online format?
• Facebook group?
• Youtube channel?
• Flickr group?
• Scratch site

 

Open house prep

What can we show of our work so far?

 

Goals for the semester

• What do we need to form our goals?
• How can our goals be publicly visible?

 

9-22-08

Announcements

MoreScholarshipFun

 

Thinking Outside the Class

Discussion:

• What can you do outside the class that will add to our knowledge?
• How can this effort be meaningful and recognizable?

 

Resource Management

Cleanup

What do we need in the room?

What don't we need?

What do we need more of?

How can excess materials be disposed of appropriately?

 

Semester Timeline

 

Survey

Did you do this for homework?

Click Here to take survey

 

9-19-08

Announcements

MIT Swapfest this sunday

Take the survey this weekend for homework

 

Closure on Quick Program

What did you learn?

What was fun?

What was frustrating?

How can we keep everybody in the same ideas?

 

Resources

Cleanup

What do we need in the room?

What don't we need?

What do we need more of?

How can excess materials be disposed of appropriately?

 

Next project:

Ideas

Deadlines

Goals

 

Survey

Do for homework:

Click Here to take survey

 

9-16-08

Announcements

Scholarship opportunity

http://www.aesengineers.com/scholarships.php

 

OnePeriodProgram

How did it go?

What was frustrating? Fun?

What were the facts?

How could we extend the idea by adding more time and requirements?

 

TimeLineOfFallSemester

Check out the possibilities!

 

 

9-11-08

Programming ideas

What do we want to know?

As a group, we pick the items most commonly held

and the other items we could work towards

 

These subjects will be placed visibly in the room so we can refer back to them during the semester.

 

Survey

Have you done the survey yet?

Deadline for getting a grade:

Link to survey: link

 

External Expectations

Who else has a stake in what we learn in this class?

Make a group list

What should we ask them?

Make three questions as a group.

 

Hardware Retrieval

We need to gather some hardware from room 234.

These materials may be what we use this semester.

Cart, elevator key, quiet in the hall, stuff like that.

 

9-8-08

Review of Friday's work

External expectations

How are you expected to behave in class?

 

Individual and group work:

• What are you interested in learning in this course?
• What expectations do you have about this course?

 

Process for this:

Work individually - Written on paper

Share with another individual in pairs - Written on paper

Share with the group

We will need a scribe to record the results of this discussion.

 

Homework:

Do this survey at home:

Here is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3_2f_2bUQ7nwCYoYMcifUhCZkw_3d_3d

 

9-4-08

Safety form hand in.

Questions about Computers

What is a Computer Program?

What are Programmed Qualities?

 

How can we organize and classify the above answers?

Program a Person

 

 

9-2-08

Welcome Back!

Housekeeping stuff

Safety forms, grading policy, rules

Programming

 

ProgramaPerson