You're at U of Utah, right? Ask the folks in your English, Communication, and Computer Science departments if they have students or classes that need "real world" problems to solve. It could be independent studies, senior projects, whatever. You could benefit from a database, a well-designed templating system (server side includes plus style sheets), and some batch processing of images to decrease file size.
BTW, Nielsen's usability ideas are geared for e-commerce; take them with a grain of salt, since that's not what you're doing.
Nerds gotta eat, too. Might as well eat good. Growing herbs and a few other things can make for much improved, yet still simple, marinades and other things. And it'll impress the heck out of your mom.
It's true that attendance and excitement don't *necessarily* mean students learn more. But it's a heck of a lot less difficult to teach excited students in the classroom than bored students who stay at home.
As far as salaries are concerned, $37 million would be a drop in the bucket. If another poster's figures are correct, and Maine has 691 public schools, that would equate to about $54K for each school. That would probably fund one full time position -- for one year. (Don't forget that teacher cost includes not only salary but other costs like insurance, workers comp, etc.)
I agree that more money needs to be spent on teacher salaries, training, and recruitment. And "throwing technology at the problem" happens too often. But in this case, the budget is modest, and the committment from the state generated additional revenue (donations from Gates foundation, EDS, etc).
All in all, I think you could do a lot worse with $37 million.
Everything has a cost of ownership -- dead-tree books, buildings, employees. And I'd argue that employees have the highest "keep running" cost of all, since they have to be recruited, retained, etc.
That $37 million could pay for quite a few teacher salaries -- for one year. But think on a multi-year scale and that money doesn't go quite as far as one might think at first.
Kudos to you for giving a darn about the quality of your tutoring, and doing some work on this project.
Do some Googling and see what is happening at writing centers, which provide the same services you will be doing, but for writing instead of math. There are already several centers (like Colorado State and Auburn) who are using chat for writing help online. You might be able to find some general suggestions for tutoring practices which can help you out.
You might also see what folks in electronic library reference are doing, such as the RefeXpress service here at Florida.
If you have a minute, I'd appreciate an email regarding what you find out, how it helps you out, etc. (speaking not only of these suggestions but your research in general).
That stuff was great. I used to spend hours trying to integrate it with Legos and other stuff, and excavating trenches in my yard in which to run Capsela boats.
Most prepaid plans are just as bad as month-to-month -- minutes expire after a certain length of time, and the phone deactivates if you don't use a certain amount per month. So it's just like a monthly plan, except more expensive per minute. You don't have to make committments, but you don't get any, either.
I'd love to hear of exceptions to this (perhaps due to changes since I researched this a few months back), but I doubt that it's as simple as you imply.
Google is your friend. Do a search for "futurist manifesto" (it's by Martinetti) and compare the style of the first section of the paper. It's obviously an attempt at emulation, and a pretty good one at that, I think.
The authors are clearly willing to make a joke or two and poke fun at themselves. You might do well to follow their example (if, that is, you've read the article yet).
How the heck does a post which begins by admitting complete ignorance of the subject at hand get moderated up?
This paper is anything but high level. And that's one of its strengths, IMO. Although I'm not sure the authors would consider it publishable in a journal -- seems more like a conference presentation to me.
The beginning is a skillful emulation of manifesti such as that of the futurists. For that alone, it's worth reading.
Too many Americans are content with the status quo, because they figure the NEA and the national political parties know best. They're afraid of changing the system for fear of ruining American K-12 education.
Americans are content with status quo, but not because of the NEA or national political parties. They like status quo because it's cheap and easy.
I don't think the MLA would take a position which encouraged "do the work and don't worry about getting credit for it." None of the position statements the MLA has published regarding part-time instructors, working conditions for graduate students, or more general tenure and promotion issues reflect that sort of thinking.
If anything, it seems to me that the gist of the MLA's position is nearly the opposite of what you suggest: rather than stressing cross-disciplinary work, the MLA advocates consideration of work in digital media in the disciplinary structures of English. Thus, the organization encourages scholars and administrators to address the subject of digital media tenure and promotion guidelines and in hiring and contract negotiation, so there won't be ugly surprises come review time.
I agree with your optimism about inter/cross-disciplinary work. But institutions are slow to change.
After the plane is guided by remote control to a cruising altitude of 500 feet, it will be put on autopilot, to be steered by GPS signals and an onboard microprocessor.
I learned this by reading the National Geographic News article referenced in the post. Ah, the magic of reading before posting!
I have some old EULAs from software that's been lying around for years... the kind where you had to tear through a sticker to get to the diskettes. But I don't have the spare time to key them in for email. Would you like photocopies snail-mailed somewhere?
The clock thing may also be skewed because some states include analog clock reading in mathematics curricula.
"Easier is better" doesn't always work. For example, we aren't using the metric system, and it certainly facilitates simple calculations (six feet seven inches minus fourteen inches) as well as complex conversions between units (mass, volume, etc).
I don't think he's an idiot, but I'm frustrated by his consistent preference for convention over innovation. For example, from the article:
Many academics disdain research topics that are closely connected to real-world needs. For proof, look no further than the appalling lack of Web usability research. There are more papers on unworkable, esoteric 3-D browsers than on how hundreds of millions of people use the biggest real-time collaborative system ever built.
If Tim Berners-Lee had followed this model -- don't try the unworkable or esoteric, stick with what is popular -- would there be a Web as we know it today?
I also agree with other posters to this story who note that HCI laboratories and other programs (informatics, library sciences, etc) are popping up all over. Nielsen may be uncomfortable with the slow pace of some university research, but I question the assumption that because universities aren't studying his favorite frontier of usability, not enough research is underway.
I think the removal of the "desktop" is the biggest difference between StarOffice 5.2 and the OpenOffice builds I have used. The import filters in OpenOffice also seem to work better in some cases.
Thanks for posting that -- it was a good article. It sounds like Adobe is actually doing some additions which amount to more than bells and whistles. And here's something else:
With Photoshop you can customize commonly used tools and save your preferred settings as a new tool for easy recall. You can also customize and save your workspace for the different types of projects you are doing in Photoshop. "With the increased customization, you can setup your workspace so it is more efficient for the work you are doing," Weisberg said.
Hopefully, this means that I'll be able to make the interface actually usable again.
I've been using Photoshop 3 for years because of the featuritis and clutter of the newer versions. Maybe I'll upgrade. I wonder if they'll give me a discount since I already have a (seven year old) license?:)
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You're at U of Utah, right? Ask the folks in your English, Communication, and Computer Science departments if they have students or classes that need "real world" problems to solve. It could be independent studies, senior projects, whatever. You could benefit from a database, a well-designed templating system (server side includes plus style sheets), and some batch processing of images to decrease file size.
BTW, Nielsen's usability ideas are geared for e-commerce; take them with a grain of salt, since that's not what you're doing.
cbd.
Nerds gotta eat, too. Might as well eat good. Growing herbs and a few other things can make for much improved, yet still simple, marinades and other things. And it'll impress the heck out of your mom.
cbd.
Edventure
Moodle
cbd.
It's true that attendance and excitement don't *necessarily* mean students learn more. But it's a heck of a lot less difficult to teach excited students in the classroom than bored students who stay at home.
As far as salaries are concerned, $37 million would be a drop in the bucket. If another poster's figures are correct, and Maine has 691 public schools, that would equate to about $54K for each school. That would probably fund one full time position -- for one year. (Don't forget that teacher cost includes not only salary but other costs like insurance, workers comp, etc.)
I agree that more money needs to be spent on teacher salaries, training, and recruitment. And "throwing technology at the problem" happens too often. But in this case, the budget is modest, and the committment from the state generated additional revenue (donations from Gates foundation, EDS, etc).
All in all, I think you could do a lot worse with $37 million.
cbd.
Everything has a cost of ownership -- dead-tree books, buildings, employees. And I'd argue that employees have the highest "keep running" cost of all, since they have to be recruited, retained, etc.
That $37 million could pay for quite a few teacher salaries -- for one year. But think on a multi-year scale and that money doesn't go quite as far as one might think at first.
cbd.
Disney's market cap is $34 billion.
I'll buy 'em tomorrow. Anyone got change for a trillion?
grins,
cbd.
Kudos to you for giving a darn about the quality of your tutoring, and doing some work on this project.
Do some Googling and see what is happening at writing centers, which provide the same services you will be doing, but for writing instead of math. There are already several centers (like Colorado State and Auburn) who are using chat for writing help online. You might be able to find some general suggestions for tutoring practices which can help you out.
You might also see what folks in electronic library reference are doing, such as the RefeXpress service here at Florida.
If you have a minute, I'd appreciate an email regarding what you find out, how it helps you out, etc. (speaking not only of these suggestions but your research in general).
good luck,
cbd.
That stuff was great. I used to spend hours trying to integrate it with Legos and other stuff, and excavating trenches in my yard in which to run Capsela boats.
(For googlers, btw, it's Capsela -- one L.)
cbd.
Absolutely! And that's why I think it's a great name.
phooey, gooey,
cbd.
Thanks. Who is your provider?
cbd.
Most prepaid plans are just as bad as month-to-month -- minutes expire after a certain length of time, and the phone deactivates if you don't use a certain amount per month. So it's just like a monthly plan, except more expensive per minute. You don't have to make committments, but you don't get any, either.
I'd love to hear of exceptions to this (perhaps due to changes since I researched this a few months back), but I doubt that it's as simple as you imply.
cbd.
Hrm, we're a bit agonistic today, aren't we?
Google is your friend. Do a search for "futurist manifesto" (it's by Martinetti) and compare the style of the first section of the paper. It's obviously an attempt at emulation, and a pretty good one at that, I think.
The authors are clearly willing to make a joke or two and poke fun at themselves. You might do well to follow their example (if, that is, you've read the article yet).
cbd.
How the heck does a post which begins by admitting complete ignorance of the subject at hand get moderated up?
This paper is anything but high level. And that's one of its strengths, IMO. Although I'm not sure the authors would consider it publishable in a journal -- seems more like a conference presentation to me.
The beginning is a skillful emulation of manifesti such as that of the futurists. For that alone, it's worth reading.
cbd.
And a screenshot of the support page opened when clicking "More info"...
:)
cbd.
Too many Americans are content with the status quo, because they figure the NEA and the national political parties know best. They're afraid of changing the system for fear of ruining American K-12 education.
Americans are content with status quo, but not because of the NEA or national political parties. They like status quo because it's cheap and easy.
cbd.
I don't think the MLA would take a position which encouraged "do the work and don't worry about getting credit for it." None of the position statements the MLA has published regarding part-time instructors, working conditions for graduate students, or more general tenure and promotion issues reflect that sort of thinking.
If anything, it seems to me that the gist of the MLA's position is nearly the opposite of what you suggest: rather than stressing cross-disciplinary work, the MLA advocates consideration of work in digital media in the disciplinary structures of English. Thus, the organization encourages scholars and administrators to address the subject of digital media tenure and promotion guidelines and in hiring and contract negotiation, so there won't be ugly surprises come review time.
I agree with your optimism about inter/cross-disciplinary work. But institutions are slow to change.
thanks, cbd.
Human reaction times don't matter much:
I learned this by reading the National Geographic News article referenced in the post. Ah, the magic of reading before posting!
cbd.
I have some old EULAs from software that's been lying around for years ... the kind where you had to tear through a sticker to get to the diskettes. But I don't have the spare time to key them in for email. Would you like photocopies snail-mailed somewhere?
cbd.
On what grounds do you assert that LSU professors initiated this lawsuit? I don't see anything about professors in any of these articles.
And who mentioned copyright? I thought this was a trademark suit -- again, I don't see any mention of copyright in any of the articles.
cbd.
18 inch footprint? Just dead wrong. The smallest Segway has a 16 x 21 footprint. The largest is 19 x 25.
p ec ifications.pdf
http://www.segway.com/downloads/pdfs/SegwayHT_S
Show me a jogging stroller that weighs 70 lbs, carries a person, and moves at 10+ mph, and we can be talk about being comprable (sic).
Sorry to complicate the issue by actually reading the article.
cbd.
The clock thing may also be skewed because some states include analog clock reading in mathematics curricula.
"Easier is better" doesn't always work. For example, we aren't using the metric system, and it certainly facilitates simple calculations (six feet seven inches minus fourteen inches) as well as complex conversions between units (mass, volume, etc).
thanks,
cbd.
I don't think he's an idiot, but I'm frustrated by his consistent preference for convention over innovation. For example, from the article:
If Tim Berners-Lee had followed this model -- don't try the unworkable or esoteric, stick with what is popular -- would there be a Web as we know it today?
I also agree with other posters to this story who note that HCI laboratories and other programs (informatics, library sciences, etc) are popping up all over. Nielsen may be uncomfortable with the slow pace of some university research, but I question the assumption that because universities aren't studying his favorite frontier of usability, not enough research is underway.
best,
cbd.
grins,
cbd.
Read the FAQ entry. :)
I think the removal of the "desktop" is the biggest difference between StarOffice 5.2 and the OpenOffice builds I have used. The import filters in OpenOffice also seem to work better in some cases.
cbd.
Thanks for posting that -- it was a good article. It sounds like Adobe is actually doing some additions which amount to more than bells and whistles. And here's something else:
Hopefully, this means that I'll be able to make the interface actually usable again. I've been using Photoshop 3 for years because of the featuritis and clutter of the newer versions. Maybe I'll upgrade. I wonder if they'll give me a discount since I already have a (seven year old) license? :)
cbd.