Dissertation
From Js
|
Geoff St. Pierre ; prove it.
Thesis
Techonology education is good.
I would further break this into two pieces;
(i) Education of technology producers, i.e. computer scientists, engineers, etc.
and
(ii) Education of lays who are users and consumers of technology.
Rant
There are no less than 10 software tools available on the internet. It is not about how many tools are available; it is about what the wielder does with the tool. Ask any carpenter how many hammers there are and how many she needs. Of course the best hammer is no good when you need a chain saw.
Analysis of the Problem
The term technology integration is ambiguous. I teach computer science and I do not think about the integration of technology; the core of the course is for students to learn how to program, build a network, or a server. So, for a time, I did not understand this technology integration stuff, and why people cared or thought is was an issue. Now I get it. I also teach math classes like Algebra II. In a class like Algebra II I certainly do not use technology everyday, sometimes not even every week. This is not a fault and my mission is not to make every teacher use technology everyday, but rather when effective and exciting.
I believe that the written word and lecture are the most efficient methods of instruction; in that order. Without these formats human beings left to rediscover what was learned by past generations would be no better than ducks. You know give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
What to do?
Perhaps the best advice is something; in the words of Bertrand Russell, perhaps the best thing modern philosophy has taught us is to not be paralized ...
Free Software ~ CopyLeft
This is software I use for personal learning, digital production, and in the classroom.
FreeBSD
~FreeBSD is the operating system that runs this server. I love FreeBSD.
The technology stack is:
* FreeBSD - 6.2-RELEASE * Apache - Apache/2.2.6 * PHP - PHP 5.2.6 * MySQL - 5.0 * WordPress - 2.5.1 * MediaWiki - 1.12.0
Ubuntu GNU/Linux
~Ubuntu GNU/Linux is the operating system I run on my desktop system. It does everything I want; video editing, photo editing, desktop publishing, C,C++, and Java compilers; you know everything.
OpenOffice
~OpenOffice.org is an open source software suite - it has a word processor, presentation, spreadsheet and database capabillities. (written in and requires Java).
LaTeX
~ LaTeX is a mathematical typesetting language. It allows for creation of beautiful publishable quality mathematics materials. I use it for lots of things; here is a non-exhaustive list: Math Book ~ Everything I know about maths., Dissertation (this article).
Example typeset in LaTeX: 
; in case you were certain.
Audacity
Audacity is a multitrack recording software. At its simplest basic use one can simply record a voice, instrument, or group on one track by hitting one button; but, it can also help you produce complex sound arrangements and edits. For example I recently converted a friends cassette of some rare Beatles recordings into digital format (aiff) for personal consumption of course.
Exemplar:LilyPond
~LilyPond is musical typsetting software. You can make everything from chord charts, etudes, to entire scores. It beautifully typesets your piece or transcription. I love it.
The piece on the right, Yes Indeed, is typeset with LilyPond.
Gimp
~ I love The Gimp. I make digital art, mathematical sketches, and logos to nowhere with it.
On the right is my "Duck in a Box" created with the Gimp, it is a play on Schrödinger’s cat.
Manhattan Virtual Classroom
~ Manhattan Virtual Classroom is a content mangagement system (CMS) that I use as an extensions of the classroom and sometimes the entire classroom.
MediaWiki
~ MediaWiki is a wiki engine that powers this site, Wikipedia, and many others.
Some examples of how I use MediaWiki include
- Math
- Dissertation
- Computer Science
- How to Right Click!
- Fictionary
WordPress
~ WordPress is the blog engine that powers many blogs the world over; I use wordpress as my blog : js bloggified.
Implementations
We have seen some simple implementations of the above mentioned software tools. Where do we go with this information? How can we train teachers to effectively use these tools to enhance student learning and mastery of content?
