This past Friday I noticed just how much paper shuffling teaching takes. When I was in private industry, there were papers to shuffle, but they were not in the same realm as the ones I deal with now. I have papers to grade, both homework and tests/quizzes. I have papers to write: homework, tests/quizzes, lesson plans, and student recommendations. I have other grading to record: programs and projects from computer science classes and online work for math classes. Then, I have to put all this on the online grading system ... plus I have to put assignments, etc. on the internet ... plus I have to create a certain amount of online work so that my math students get more practice. Also, in the modern American way, I have to send out either by email or the post office progress reports in case a student is failing or close to failing. Aaaagh!
I am working on moving our school to an LMS (Learning Management System). I personally like Moodle, partly for its free software and constant upgrades, etc. from the international Moodle community, but our school would need to have it hosted by someone else ... and that is where the problem lies for Moodle. Or for any other LMS around. Any suggestions, anyone? I could certainly use them.
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thanks, Dad.
This is a story of something I learned from my father that still has value.
When I was in college, my husband John and I owned a Hoover apartment washing machine and dryer set. The washer had 2 main parts: the washing section with the side rotator for agitating the clothes, and the smaller bucket that rinsed and spun out the water from the clothes. The user did have to stand by the washer while it worked, but it was better than taking the clothes to a laundry since we had no car for 2 years.
At some point, the turn-switch for the washing side no longer moved. We had to time the wash cycle which was a hassle. I determined that since it was a mechanical tool, there had to be a logical fix to it. Hence, I took the washer apart by removing its back and looked at everything there was to see. I could not see anything that looked broken, so I called my father and explained my dilemma. He said that it sounded like the timer needed oil and told me how to do that. In the meantime, John who had been at work returned home to see the washer in pieces. They were big pieces, but they were still pieces to his eye. He was shocked and asked me what happened. I told him that I was determined to fix the problem and put it back together. He went to take a nap with serious doubts about my ability to put together that which I tore apart. Following my dad's instructions, I oiled the timer, tested it to discover that it now worked, and returned the washer to its complete state, i.e. I undid what I had done. John awoke to no more problem and was very pleased and relieved.
It has been more than 30 years since that experience and 14 years since my father's death. We now have a portable dishwasher that the turn-switch suddenly quit working on the drying cycle. John woke me up at night to lament that it was broken, and in the back of my mind was the thought that the timer might need oiled. He said that he turned it off and would try it out with a new load just in case it was a glitch in the system. Okay. Back to sleep. When he tried it out 2 days later (we rarely have a full load in 1 day), it turned on but did not move. With the memory of my father's help so many years ago, I pulled out the turn-switch knob and oiled the timer. It has worked well since then. Thanks, Dad.
When I was in college, my husband John and I owned a Hoover apartment washing machine and dryer set. The washer had 2 main parts: the washing section with the side rotator for agitating the clothes, and the smaller bucket that rinsed and spun out the water from the clothes. The user did have to stand by the washer while it worked, but it was better than taking the clothes to a laundry since we had no car for 2 years.
At some point, the turn-switch for the washing side no longer moved. We had to time the wash cycle which was a hassle. I determined that since it was a mechanical tool, there had to be a logical fix to it. Hence, I took the washer apart by removing its back and looked at everything there was to see. I could not see anything that looked broken, so I called my father and explained my dilemma. He said that it sounded like the timer needed oil and told me how to do that. In the meantime, John who had been at work returned home to see the washer in pieces. They were big pieces, but they were still pieces to his eye. He was shocked and asked me what happened. I told him that I was determined to fix the problem and put it back together. He went to take a nap with serious doubts about my ability to put together that which I tore apart. Following my dad's instructions, I oiled the timer, tested it to discover that it now worked, and returned the washer to its complete state, i.e. I undid what I had done. John awoke to no more problem and was very pleased and relieved.
It has been more than 30 years since that experience and 14 years since my father's death. We now have a portable dishwasher that the turn-switch suddenly quit working on the drying cycle. John woke me up at night to lament that it was broken, and in the back of my mind was the thought that the timer might need oiled. He said that he turned it off and would try it out with a new load just in case it was a glitch in the system. Okay. Back to sleep. When he tried it out 2 days later (we rarely have a full load in 1 day), it turned on but did not move. With the memory of my father's help so many years ago, I pulled out the turn-switch knob and oiled the timer. It has worked well since then. Thanks, Dad.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The King Effect
In 1975, while I was a college student, a friend named King brought a color TV to our house to try it out on our outdoor antenna. (Yes, there was a time when most people had black-and-white TVs because color TVs were too expensive. It was rather like the HD and 3-D TV situation now.) After spending an afternoon watching color TV in our living room, my husband and I went out and bought our first color TV the next weekend.
It is 36 years since then. When we were camping in West Virginia over the past 2 weeks, we visited our friend King, his wife, and daughter at their home. They had an air conditioning unit that we liked. Well, the "King effect" happened again. Upon returning home to 95+ degrees Fahrenheit with very high humidity, we went out and bought an AC unit similar to the one that King and his family had. My made-up excuse: my husband being 68 deserved air conditioning at home before he got older.
It is 36 years since then. When we were camping in West Virginia over the past 2 weeks, we visited our friend King, his wife, and daughter at their home. They had an air conditioning unit that we liked. Well, the "King effect" happened again. Upon returning home to 95+ degrees Fahrenheit with very high humidity, we went out and bought an AC unit similar to the one that King and his family had. My made-up excuse: my husband being 68 deserved air conditioning at home before he got older.
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