March 12, 2010

ALEX



I am actually quite familiar with the Alabama Learning Exchange. I learned about it in Dr. Brenda Juarez's Education class. It's a very helpful tool used by teachers to create and organize their curriculum for the upcoming semester. I am quite looking forward to using this when I become an instructor. It should be make things a TON easier. It provides lesson plans for all grade levels. However, the most interesting part about the site is the search feature. All I did was type in one word, "Algebra." Which brought forth so many results, it crashed my browser. So that means one of two things, either that was quite the amount of results OR I have a disappointingly weak computer, or possibly both, considering I was using my mini. So, I restarted my computer completely in order to delete cookies and whatnot and opened ALEX back up on Firefox. This time, I decided I'd stay away from the Search window. Instead, I clicked on "Lesson Plans." I selected "mathematics" and clicked "9" for high school freshmen. I, then, selected "algebra," "algebra II-trig," and "algebra II." This time, it didn't quite crash the browser but it CERTAINLY slowed me down. I guess there are just so many things that they can provide us with. So many, in fact, that it looks like I will only be able to access it from a full sized laptop or a desktop. Apparently, this mini just isn't going to cut it.

Comments4Teachers

Teachernz

I was assigned to view the blogs of an instructor in New Zealand whose blogs under then pen name "Teachernz." She did not make any posts between March 17th and January 17th, so instead I went back and read some of her older posts and found them to be rather interesting. I saw her post about a 3d printer. I have seen this video before, or at least a video similar to it, and found it quite confusing at the time. I would say it's been at least 3 years since I saw the video at hand and I must say, I am still confused. How does the machine know the dimensions for what you are trying to print? Very impressive piece of machinery though. I would very willingly pay $950 for something like that. I do not think it is over priced at all. I personally think it is under priced. I can't wait to get one. I'm going to make a plastic form of one of my fraternity's symbols. I'll find a spot for it.

Her latest post is called "This One's For You," which was about the internet. She posted a video in her blog that was a trailer for a show called "Superpower," which is about the internet and the information it holds and the people that are apart of it. I was actually pretty disappointed in myself after I read it. I always thought of the internet as a cybernetic artificially intelligent being that shows me what I want when I want it, or at least the next best thing. I keep forgetting that there are people who upload and grant us access to whatever it is we are actually seeing and enjoying. It really is the people, we are watching on Youtube. It is the people whose blogs we read. It is the people who voice their opinions together as a group, for as one they may be nothing, but when there are others that share the same opinions as them, there are limitless possibilities to what they can accomplish.

It also made mention of the possibility of the internet receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. What an odd idea. Doesn't really make the most sense. It's not much different than giving the award to cars, instead of a particular vehicle manufacturer. Though the internet is very beneficial to everyone’s everyday life, you can’t really give a Nobel Peace Prize to something like that. What do you pin the award to? A space satellite? Are we going to give a Peace Prize to Cable as well? Find the people that invented the internet. Give it to them. That would at least make more sense. In fact, give it to Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. That would be more reasonable.

March 7, 2010

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

What an admirable man. I have no idea how I would be able to handle life in any way, shape, or form if I knew that Death had his finger pointed straight at me every moment of the day. I would most likely be too busy sulking to be concerned about the well being of my family, much about the academic standings of my students. What's worse, is that even though I realize what it is like to see someone with such courage handling it like that everyday, I still don't think I could bring myself to be selfless about it. I couldn't possibly imagine the amount of pain he is in everyday.

His own tribulations aside, the respect he has from his students is remarkable. He was the one they went to for help and they seemed to hang onto his every word. If I could get half as much respect and admiration from my students as he did from his, I would be ecstatic.

By the end of my life, I hope to touch half as many of my students' lives as he did. I also imagine I will be in full health when I do it, as opposed to the physical pain that he must have been dealing with. I wonder how he would feel that even after death, a small 33 minute video of him is still teaching future instructors and students all over the US. In one half hour, he has given life lessons that everyone can appreciate and use in life.

Be honest
Be earnest
Be humble
Be selfless

These are Dr. Pausch's last lessons. If more people can apply these to their lives, the world could only become better. R.I.P. Dr. Pausch.