What are we doing after the AP exam

This question pops up every year with my students...we have six weeks after the AP Computer Science exam, are we doing anything?

Nope, Ive decided you can just nap for six weeks of school. That sounds reasonable.

They know me well enough that there is a lot of eye rolling at this point. After fifteen years teaching high school I have learned eye rolling equals success. It is my job to annoy them occasionally.


Usually I pick something new to everyone and we work through that. Sometimes we do advanced data structures like linked lists, java graphics or a new language.

This years group is too eclectic for that to work. I have students that already know VB, C++, Python and just about anything else I could throw at them. They have done NASA summer internships, built robots and held part-time jobs doing web design.

So I tried something new, this year they got to pick their own projects.

The ground rules were:

1. Do something new to you
2. Do something non-trivial (something that will take several weeks to complete)
3. Amaze me

I had them write about what they were going to work on first. So far this has kept them much more engagged then they normally are this time of year. Plus it has been a lot less work for me.

In short, I have been amazed. Plus, anything that cuts down on the amount of nagging I have to do everyday is a total win.

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Are American High Schools working in the Internet Age

(continuation of  Redefining Teachers in the Internet Age)

Before we can redefine teaching we must examine schools themselves.

One of the core issues the Internet in education raises: does this always mean we need to visit a teacher in person? Traditionally the most efficient way for an expert to share knowledge was to collect a large number of people in a room at the same time and talk. Now, the Internet has the potential of bringing this conversation to a much larger group that do not necessarily need to be housed in the same place at the same time.

For the traditional American high school this raises some large questions. A lot of modern educational theory centers around manipulating large numbers of mostly unwilling participants into absorbing information and skills that they do not inherently care about. We train teachers in both delivery and assessment, and spend an inordinate amount of time on behavior management. (* In case youd like to see an example: http://teachlikeachampion.com/the-classroom/ . *)

So what if we took this off the table? Lets say we now face the same questions education faced at the beginning of the last century when moves towards compulsory education first began. At that point there were not large buildings meant to house 2000 or more teenagers in order to teach them. At the time it was a new model centered around the need to be physically present with a teacher.

So, does this model still work? There is a lot of discussion currently around what is wrong and why in education. Perhaps part of it is the buildings themselves. Our underlying assumption that we have to put thousands of 16 year-olds in a building in order to effectively educate them might not be true anymore.

If we were, right now, building a compulsory education system from scratch would that the solution look like? Think about it for a minute. If you had to build an educational system from scratch, right now, with no infrastructure, school districts, buildings...what would you design? Would every student have access to high quality classes? How?

There are advantages to both in person and online teaching. Neither alone holds the solution to the myriad issues of quality and access that plague our educational system.

But it is time to start investigating - Are we doing it this way because it works or because of the infrastructure we already have in place?

And ultimately, what is the best way to introduce our children to collected human knowledge?

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When In Need Of Excel Consulting San Francisco Businesses Are In Luck

By Angel Dudley

Spreadsheet software must surely count as one of the most versatile tools computers users have available to them. Every household, individual and organization needs to keep records, balance the budget and keep track of a host of number related information. Spreadsheets are versatile and can be used for both basic and very complex calculations. Most businesses will only truly realize its potential once they employ software specialists. For professional Excel consulting San Francisco business can pick and choose from the very best in the field.

Spreadsheet programs are normally part of general office software tools. Using integrated office computing packages are advantageous because the various programs in the suite, such as word processors, presentation software and even database systems all share certain features and they have the same look and feel. They can share information between each other and they are relatively easy to learn to use. This compatibility saves both time and money.

Some people view spreadsheets as simple tools where number scan be stored and basic calculations, similar to that found in an ordinary calculator can be done. This is most certainly not the case. Modern spreadsheet programs are extremely powerful tools. They can perform complicated calculations and they can be used to produce forecasts, graphs and pivot tables, for example, quickly and easily.

In order to make full use of the many functions offered by spreadsheet programs it may be wise to hire the services of a consultant. Consultants can help businesses to set up systems that are easy to use but that nevertheless make full use of the power of the software. End users are thus able to simply interact with a user interface without having to master the complex formulas and functions.

Another important advantage of using spreadsheet consultants is the fact that advanced training is expensive and time consuming. Simply learning the capabilities of the spreadsheet software is simply not enough. A high level of analytical skill is also required in order to translate the capabilities of the spreadsheet into real business solutions. A consultant can therefore design coherent systems rather than numerous small applications.

Choosing a consultant should be undertaken with some care. It is generally better to look for somebody that boasts high levels of skill in both the computing and business environments. Reputable professionals should be able to provide valid references and they must demonstrate that they will be able to provide the level of services that would be necessary to effectively implement spreadsheet solutions.

One of the very best ways in which to make sure that a business thrives is to make intelligent decisions in time. However, such decisions need to be based upon accurate information. A spreadsheet program that is used to its full potential can be an important tool with which such information can be generated and used in producing forecasts and a host of other potential business outcomes.

For the most proficient and expert Excel consulting San Francisco businesses certainly are lucky to be able to call upon the services of reputable firms and individuals. Spreadsheets are extremely valuable business tools and no organization can hope to thrive if it does not pay careful attention to record keeping and the bottom line. Some businesses admit that they find spreadsheets the single most versatile computing tool in their arsenals.

About the Author:

You can visit the website www.msexcelsolutions.com for more helpful information about In The Field Of Excel Consulting San Francisco Professionals Are Rated Tops

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Signs you are using autocad too much

For those of us who spend far too much time on autocad:

Signs your using AutoCAD too much:

1. you find yourself pushing the space bar instead of the enter bar at the end of sending a message on gmail

2. you know exactly where the tr and ex buttons are

3. you know what OSNAP is

4. YOUR FRIENDS HAVE ACCEPTED THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPITALS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE YELLING AT THEM

5. You know what each of the F button on top of the keyboard do without even thinking about it

6. You start using AutoCAD hot key commands in other programs 10 times then realize its not AutoCAD your working in.

7. You try to zoom in and out with you roller ball with every other program you use.

8. Instead of doing simple math of a right triangle, you use AutoCAD to do the work for you.

9) When you keep pressing the middle button hoping to drag the page around.

10) When you qsave your word document by accident.

11) When you have used the saveall then exit command to shut down autocad rather than file..save..

12) When you start to press ESC ESC in every other program to undo what you just done

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