Well, I am a liberal, and I *do* read the NYT...my university has newspaper bins with free copies thereof, so why not? Honestly, it's not as flamingly-liberal as it could be, and while ti does swing to the left, it just seems so damn liberal because of GOP News (er, Fox News)...
It does seem well-written & of good length (especially compared to the local rag)
Sure, the local newspaper isn't all that great, but it's dirt cheap. Though, our local paper tries to focus on local stuff, they cover a large quantity of (often-stupid) local stuff and in low depth. Alternative newsweekly - yeah, it's small, but it picks a few local issues that it actually cover sin reasonable depth.
And sometimes, I just like reading a dead-tree object rather than a computer screen (even if it's syndicated content that I could probably find online)
Yeah, most of the time I watch TV (which is rare, with all I do on the 'Net), it's stuff that's DVR'ed
I often find myself pausing the show for the express purpose of having lead time to skip commercials, even if I'm *able* to sit down and watch the show right then and there.
DVRs are also useful for sporting events: skip through the dead time inbetween plays; the game goes faster and you still get to see the general course of events. (American football generally has 30 sec. between plays, so the commercial-skipping button is also quite useful here)
In my senior year of high school, my senior project was essentially an independent-study intro to programming. My advisor suggested Python (version 2.4 at the time), and thought that C/C++ was a bad idea for an intro language (C++ had been my initial suggestion)
I was pleased with the result; I felt that Python's straightforward English-like syntax, lack of funky punctuation as a structural construct, as well as not having to start scripts with declarations or somesuch, meant that I didn't get bogged down in arcane language features as I was trying to practice basic concepts.
(I came into that with no code-writing experience beyond simple HTML/CSS/JavaScript)
The LEGO company was founded by a Danish carpenter who changed a lot of his product mix to wooden children's toys during the Great Depression, later (post-WWII) diversifying into plastic toys.
The point is the same: (relatively) cheap entertainment will still sell.
Seems logical, that people would develop strengths in one or more of the other senses in response to losing one of the others. (subconsciously, I'd guess)
As Mateo_LeFou says below, it's somewhat of a false dichotomy - even the pragmatists have certain bedrock principles; his example being "No Murdering".
Idealism has its place, but idealists run into the problem of sometimes having pie-in-the-sky visions: ideas that won't come about today, and may not even come about in the future. So, by refusing to budge, they sometimes get no "payoff" rather than a delayed payoff.
You know what? So what if firefox is not completely free?
It is a superior piece of software - I would use it in preference of IE even if it were completely proprietary.
I would give Opera a more serious consideration if that were the case though.
Hear hear. I'm more pragmatic about this stuff, not a zealot (cough) like Stallman (cough). FF and IE are both free-as-in-beer, FF is the better product, case closed. And it happens to be OSS.
I'm hooked on that site, have been since October 2002.
Response (hit) rate of only a few percent is kind of to be expected.
New people often don't mark their bills as efficiently.
Clearly the first and one of the best, but not really a singleton anymore. There were a few bad knockoffs for USD that never really reached a critical-mass userbase. Also, there are a bunch of sites now for tracking foreign currency in a similar manner: www.whereswilly.com (CAD; established by the Wheresgeorge founder), www.eurobilltracker.com, etc.
Should add:
Patience is key. (This general teaching advice, IMHO)
Programming/computer history sounds like a good way to lose your students' interest.
Try and get into the programming assignments and examples
Demonstrate some of your scripts. (Even if they're relatively simple to you, students might think "Hey cool! I could make the computer do that too!)
[Hook your computer up to a projector to do this]
I myself have only done introductory programming-language work.
I did this as an independent study during my senior year of HS, admittedly a different structure of learning than what you're trying to do. (Also, I came in with solid knowledge of basic computer topics)
* One language only. [Differences between languages probably aren't what you want to get bogged down in.]
* We used Python. (I feel it worked well as a beginner language: like-English syntax didn't hurt) Also, using a real language that fits the bill seems to be more useful than using a teaching-only "baby" language. [Students could continue using it successfully if they wish, and would help them learn other production-use languages] Granted, other languages might also have these features, but:
Python *is* cross-platform. Code, especially the relatively basic code you'll be working with, should run on whatever computers you and your students have access to.
The IDE included in the Python package (IDLE) allows you to execute code in a controlled environment, so you don't have to get into compiling yet.
* Start with basic assignments and move on up. With each assignment layer, work in a few more features. (Assignment 1 needs only print statements, Assignment 2 adds a need for prompts and loops, etc.)
* Assignment: "Accomplish X". Then explain you how one might go about doing X. [Once you get a little farther on, don' t give the hints quite so quickly.] If different students take different approaches to X, use the differences as a teaching tool.
* Later and final projects: the student chooses the topic of their work, and/or the program which applies concept Y.
* Throughout the class, weave in commentary about general good program-design principles
Slashdot Mirror
I live in a larger city than that (Rochester, NY), but I notice the same situation.
Well, I am a liberal, and I *do* read the NYT...my university has newspaper bins with free copies thereof, so why not?
Honestly, it's not as flamingly-liberal as it could be, and while ti does swing to the left, it just seems so damn liberal because of GOP News (er, Fox News)...
It does seem well-written & of good length (especially compared to the local rag)
Sure, the local newspaper isn't all that great, but it's dirt cheap.
Though, our local paper tries to focus on local stuff, they cover a large quantity of (often-stupid) local stuff and in low depth.
Alternative newsweekly - yeah, it's small, but it picks a few local issues that it actually cover sin reasonable depth.
And sometimes, I just like reading a dead-tree object rather than a computer screen (even if it's syndicated content that I could probably find online)
Yeah, most of the time I watch TV (which is rare, with all I do on the 'Net), it's stuff that's DVR'ed
I often find myself pausing the show for the express purpose of having lead time to skip commercials, even if I'm *able* to sit down and watch the show right then and there.
DVRs are also useful for sporting events: skip through the dead time inbetween plays; the game goes faster and you still get to see the general course of events.
(American football generally has 30 sec. between plays, so the commercial-skipping button is also quite useful here)
don;t know what to mod this...funny or flamebait?
Oh well, I just posted in the discussion. :)
In my senior year of high school, my senior project was essentially an independent-study intro to programming.
My advisor suggested Python (version 2.4 at the time), and thought that C/C++ was a bad idea for an intro language (C++ had been my initial suggestion)
I was pleased with the result; I felt that Python's straightforward English-like syntax, lack of funky punctuation as a structural construct, as well as not having to start scripts with declarations or somesuch, meant that I didn't get bogged down in arcane language features as I was trying to practice basic concepts.
(I came into that with no code-writing experience beyond simple HTML/CSS/JavaScript)
Try http://www.freecycle.org/ for that, maybe. Haven't used it much myself; have simply heard of it
The LEGO company was founded by a Danish carpenter who changed a lot of his product mix to wooden children's toys during the Great Depression, later (post-WWII) diversifying into plastic toys.
The point is the same: (relatively) cheap entertainment will still sell.
"(Score:5, Insightful)" :)
Evidently, mods can follow instructions.
Mod this "+6 Funny"...:D
Seems logical, that people would develop strengths in one or more of the other senses in response to losing one of the others. (subconsciously, I'd guess)
IANADR (I am not a disability researcher)
Reference to the lyrics of "Pinball Wizard" by The Who, for those of you who don't get the comment above...
...Stallman definitely sure that water, soap and razors are not free. Thus, he holds to his principles, and refuses to use them.
As Mateo_LeFou says below, it's somewhat of a false dichotomy - even the pragmatists have certain bedrock principles; his example being "No Murdering".
Idealism has its place, but idealists run into the problem of sometimes having pie-in-the-sky visions: ideas that won't come about today, and may not even come about in the future. So, by refusing to budge, they sometimes get no "payoff" rather than a delayed payoff.
You know what? So what if firefox is not completely free?
It is a superior piece of software - I would use it in preference of IE even if it were completely proprietary.
I would give Opera a more serious consideration if that were the case though.
Hear hear. I'm more pragmatic about this stuff, not a zealot (cough) like Stallman (cough).
FF and IE are both free-as-in-beer, FF is the better product, case closed. And it happens to be OSS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_and_Linkable_Format
Let's bypass the disambiguation page, shall we? :)
The Sesame Street-themed post and your sig fit together well. :)
seems there have been a lot of LEGO stories lately. It's a wonderful toy product (won the poll with good reason)
A refreshing change from (Useful) Stupid $TECH_PRODUCT Tricks. :P
P.S. Thanks for the Bricklink mentions
"from the no-419-jokes-please dept."
Okay then, how about some (bad) 420 jokes then.
Marijuana has thus been proven to be an order of magnitude more perfect that perfection...
" View as a Single Page" :)
Congrats, no depending on a convoluted "Print This Article" button.
In all seriousness, nice article.
Yes, I RTFA'ed...it helps when the article was of reasonable length, rather than being a blurb.
I do come around to /. to read comments; it's gotten to the point where a great article is proverbial icing-on-the-cake
Now, I wonder what *leads* to the gamer stereotypes: I'd guess *that* has something to do with the common herd's disdain for intellectuals
I'm hooked on that site, have been since October 2002. Response (hit) rate of only a few percent is kind of to be expected. New people often don't mark their bills as efficiently. Clearly the first and one of the best, but not really a singleton anymore. There were a few bad knockoffs for USD that never really reached a critical-mass userbase. Also, there are a bunch of sites now for tracking foreign currency in a similar manner: www.whereswilly.com (CAD; established by the Wheresgeorge founder), www.eurobilltracker.com, etc.
My kingdom, my kingdom for a mod point!
"Sorry but you, on your own, will find a cure for AIDS which involves duct tape and a toothbrush" Cool, MacGyver's gonna cure AIDS!
Should add: Patience is key. (This general teaching advice, IMHO) Programming/computer history sounds like a good way to lose your students' interest. Try and get into the programming assignments and examples Demonstrate some of your scripts. (Even if they're relatively simple to you, students might think "Hey cool! I could make the computer do that too!) [Hook your computer up to a projector to do this]
I myself have only done introductory programming-language work. I did this as an independent study during my senior year of HS, admittedly a different structure of learning than what you're trying to do. (Also, I came in with solid knowledge of basic computer topics) * One language only. [Differences between languages probably aren't what you want to get bogged down in.] * We used Python. (I feel it worked well as a beginner language: like-English syntax didn't hurt) Also, using a real language that fits the bill seems to be more useful than using a teaching-only "baby" language. [Students could continue using it successfully if they wish, and would help them learn other production-use languages] Granted, other languages might also have these features, but: Python *is* cross-platform. Code, especially the relatively basic code you'll be working with, should run on whatever computers you and your students have access to. The IDE included in the Python package (IDLE) allows you to execute code in a controlled environment, so you don't have to get into compiling yet. * Start with basic assignments and move on up. With each assignment layer, work in a few more features. (Assignment 1 needs only print statements, Assignment 2 adds a need for prompts and loops, etc.) * Assignment: "Accomplish X". Then explain you how one might go about doing X. [Once you get a little farther on, don' t give the hints quite so quickly.] If different students take different approaches to X, use the differences as a teaching tool. * Later and final projects: the student chooses the topic of their work, and/or the program which applies concept Y. * Throughout the class, weave in commentary about general good program-design principles