Re:The teacher passes responsiblity to student
on
Professors vs. WiFi
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· Score: 2, Insightful
The classroom environment requires the participation of BOTH the instuctor and the student.
Shhhhh. What's the matter with you? Let them think that the student doesn't have any responsibility. It's OK. It just means less competition for those of us who realize that you only get out of an education what you put into it.
Seriously though -- for those of you that think you shouldn't have to listen to a boring professor, grow up! You're going to encounter lots of people in life. Only a small percentage of them will be interesting to you. However, many of the most boring will have information that you need to know. Consider part of your college education as learning how to pick up good information from difficult sources. In my mind, the only professors you should complain about that are those that read the book verbatim to you in class and those whose pronunciation is so horrible that you can't understand them. If you have a professor like this, a visit to the dean of the college for a friendly discussion is probably a good idea.
With computer modeling tools, one can observe many such changes (that would take days to do by hand), thus generalizing rules easier.
This thread is probably dead now, but I thought I'd answer anyway. I agree with your assessment that computers can be used as a tool for mathematical education. I did not feel that the post to which I was originally responding intended this kind of use, but instead would have students programming equations into the code without fully understanding how to solve them themselves. You advocate using a computer to help students visualize what they are learning. I completely agree with this approach, and I recall the hours I spent exploring equations with my first graphing calculator. I wish such devices had existed when I learned algebra and trig. However, I still feel that the use of computers needs to be a supplement to the learning process rather than the focus of the learning experience. BTW, are you a teacher?
I programmed in logo and that was totally useless.
Have you considered that although the language is largely useless for building applications, it's a pretty useful tool for teaching children about how computers work? Logo is good at encouraging modular programming concepts, and is reasonably interactive -- perfect for 3rd graders. And it sounds like they did some stuff that a 3rd grader would find interesting, like creating shapes on the screen.
I'd teach someone at that age Basic not Logo. In Middle School I'd move on to Visual Basic and or C.
This plan isn't going to work for the masses. Yes, there are kids that can learn to program effectively in C during the Middle School years. But many of them cannot grasp it. Of those that are capable, many of them wouldn't be interested in programming -- they'd rather play games. There's a reason why advanced mathematical logic and proofs isn't usually taught until high school. It's because there are some significant changes during adolescence in the prefrontal cortex, frontal lobes and parietal lobes of the brain. The result of these changes is sharper focus and attentiveness, improved executive function and planning, and better spatial processing. Therefore, schools tend to avoid teaching subjects that require these skills until after most of the students are ready.
This would be computer science and they'd learn a few concepts which might help them in understanding algebra
While this is true, I believe it might be better for them to learn the concepts of algebra without the aid of a computer. I've found that among high school students, those that struggled the most to learn how to program had a weak background in algebra. However, let me point out that my evidence in this area is merely anecdotal. IANAEBIKMOT (I am not an educator, but I know many of them).:-)
Computers should be used as a tool to teach math, not as a tool to teach Computers.
I cannot disagree more. Students should be learning the foundations of math without interference from devices that help them perform the math. For the same reason, calculators were normally banned during my school years until students started doing trigonometry and calculus. This was intended to force them to learn the concepts of the math rather than relying on a machine. Want to see what happens when students start using calculators? Take a look at today's teenagers working a cash register who can't even count change back to you properly. I don't see computers as improving this situation at all.
Teachers today treat Computers like they are mysterious
I agree with you here. I think that perhaps the single biggest problem is that the teachers themselves are not familiar enough with computers.
A web connected Tablet connected to everyones desk would be far more efficient than notebooks and the current tools, and a smartboard is far more efficient than a chalk board
I agree with you here. This would be a tremendous advance in classrooms.
you can learn math just fine with just a calculator, you can learn math with a computer
As I said before, I disagree with this. Today's teens are evidence enough. Most of the teenagers I know are using calculators in their math classes and couldn't do math properly to save their lives.
And before some fool comes and says "You dont know math if you use a calculator, you dont know math is you use a computer"
The danger isn't in using a calculator or computer. The danger is in using one before you've developed efficient skills at doing it yourself. The best way to improve your math skills is to practice.
Theres a difference between knowing math, and knowing how to work with numbers, number crunching is not knowing math.
Although this is somewhat true, exercising your brain on some number crunching greatly improves your understanding and efficiency in mathematics. When I was in college, I received a dramatic lesson in this. One of my professors put up a problem that required calculus to solve. The specifics of the problem were dictated by the students, but we were left as a class to solve the problem. All of us had calculators except the professor, who was using a slide rule. He was able to solve the problem accurately on his slide rule before any of us could even finish typing in the numbers to the first part on our calculators. Even those of us with calculators that performed integration were no match for him. Why? Because he did large portions of the math in his head, only employing the slide rule where necessary. After witnessing that demonstration, I stopped using my calculator for all but the most difficult tasks. When I go to a grocery store, I make it a point to add up the prices of what I'm buying in my head -- just to keep my brain working.
So, where do I think we need to see computers? We're already seeing them in use as a library of information. This is a good start. Being connected with people all over the world helps to break down cultural barriers, but I believe this kind of use happens best outside of school. Learning to program is an excellent idea, as most people will use it in one form or another in the business world. How about taking and grading tests? Also, computers are great for self-paced learning, and as such could be the key for allowing students with a wide range of capabilities to learn to the best of their ability.
Many people figure that once the deposited funds are made available in their account - typically one or two business days, that the money is theirs...
Although I've never assumed this with personal checks, I've usually assumed it to be true with a cashier's check. In this case, the issuing institution has already checked the availability of funds and deducted them from the account. In fact, my own bank treats the checks as though they are guaranteed. When I deposit a personal check, the money doesn't show up in my account until it clears. When I deposit a cashier's check, it always shows up pretty much immediately.
Obviously, we are dealing with forgeries here, so all bets are off. But I would have thought that outside of forgeries, cashier's checks should always be good. Please tell me that I'm not wrong or I won't be able to sleep at night anymore.:-)
I read them, and I feel somewhat guilty about not subscribing
I don't feel guilty about not paying subscriptions for online publications. I wish I had some figures to back it up, but I'm reasonably certain that the cost of online publishing is lower than paper publishing. My reasoning is that there's a one-time expense for the infrastructure that surely must be less than the cost of setting up printing facilities. Then, the ongoing maintenance should be significantly below the cost of resources for printing facilities.
At any rate, advertising *should* be sufficient to pay for the service. The real problem is in the expectation that have been set for those paying for the adverts. They've been conditioned to think that an advertisement is only successful if they get a click-through. They need to be made to realize that merely having their advertisement seen by a surfer is just as good as what happens with advertisements in newspapers and magazine.
Publishers should instead be going out of their way to transition from print into digital. As less paper copies are sold, advertisers will be forced to turn to web advertising to get their message out. Once that happens, the rates should start to go up and it'll be simple to get to profitability.
Re:Didn't these things have selectable word sizes?
on
Bringing Back the PDP8
·
· Score: 1
I think you may have been the unwitting victim of a fairly common joke that occasionally was pulled on the innocent visitors when I was working in a university computer lab in the early 70s
Good joke, but I don't think this was the case. I never saw the machine in operation, and I distinctly remember one knob that was either labeled "word-size" or "byte-size", with a few numbers around it. I remember thinking how odd this feature was. Also, the only machine's I had been exposed to at the time had 8-bit bytes, so I really thought it was wierd. However, I'm thinking now that maybe this knob was part of some peripheral device that was configurable.
Re:Didn't these things have selectable word sizes?
on
Bringing Back the PDP8
·
· Score: 1
It's a strange dream.
Please tell me that it could have been some piece of equipment connected to the machine that had the adjustable word size. If I were to have a dream *that* real, it had better not have anything to do with computers.;)
Didn't these things have selectable word sizes?
on
Bringing Back the PDP8
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I remember seeing one of these puppies when I was in high school. It was no longer in service, but still had most of its internal components. In fact, I still have one of the "flip chips" that I took from inside it. Anyway, I believe I recall a dial on the front of the main panel that allowed you to choose the word size. I can't remember whether 12 bits was the minimum or the maximum, though. Can anybody verify that this existed, or am I just remembering some strange dream?
But.... in the end, someone has to pay for the bandwidth
I really wish people would stop confusing bandwidth with data capping. Bandwidth is related to your downstream / upstream speed, whereas data capping puts a limit on the total number of bytes you may transfer within a given time period. It SHOULDN'T cost the provider any more to transfer 10G during a month than it does to transfer 5G, unless they too are paying their upstream providers by the byte (a mistake on their part). The REAL problem is that providers are overselling their network. Several people performing one massive download per day during prime time would cause nearly as much damage as those same people performing massive downloads all day long.
If the issue is truly bandwidth, then that's what should be addressed. Providers shouldn't so drastically oversell their network, and they should provide a graduated product offering that allows people to choose what they need at a cost reasonable for them. If all you do is read news on the web, 200Kbps is probably more than adequate, and shouldn't cost more than $25/mo. If you are a heavy user, you should go for 3Mbps, but should probably be paying $90/mo for it.
they're in a price war with the cable modem company down the road.
Who's the cable modem company down the road? I don't know where you live, but here it is RARE for anybody to have a choice of cable service. The best they can hope for is a choice between DSL from one of the baby bells, or cable modem from their cable provider.
As a matter of fact, I've NEVER lived anywhere in the US where I had a choice between cable providers. The closest I ever came to that was when an upstart company tried to come in and compete with one of the big boys. They promised significantly lower prices. Guess what happened. The incumbent cable company pulled some legal crap to get them shut down before they even got up and running.
Face it. For most of us there is no real choice. The only way we can vote with our $$$ is to go back to dialup.
In the US, that starts to look a tad illegal. Given the current climate, a letter to the FTC with copies to the FCC and SEC would probably trigger an investigation.
Where the *hell* do you work, and why do you have that many?
I can't answer the first question, as these days everybody is looking for an excuse to layoff. But the answer to the second question is that there have been layoffs. Right now, I don't see anything that pays enough for me to change jobs. I'm just hoping things will get better as the economic environment changes.
I suppose I could have avoided this situation by performing poorly for the last couple years, but that's just not my motto. Needless to say, I don't get much sleep lately.
The ability to wave it in front of a computer that has your Enterprise CRM schedule for auto-updating would be nice.
One way to accomplish this is to replicate CRM schedules into Outlook tasks / appointments, and then synchronize through infrared with the handheld. I know we did some experimental stuff in synchronizing our CRM system with Outlook contacts and then on to the handheld, but we never got around to scheduling.
Most of us can remember 'meeting at 4' without a little beeping mini-computer in our pocket.
If all you've got is one meeting per day, I want your job. Most of the time I have to juggle six or seven meetings per day on completely different topics, and I still have to manage to get 8 hours of programming in per day. While I don't take my iPaq with me (because I don't trust it), I frequently carry my laptop because I need to refer to information on it during the meeting. A Palm or any other PDA serves the same purpose. My manager probably has twice the meeting load that I do, and I honestly don't think he could live without his. The only executives in our company who don't use one have permanent staff members assigned to assist them.
Ummm, actually I think he figured out that it was a wrist device. He was just giving a blanket reason for not wanting ANY pda regardless of form factor -- he doesn't want to be held responsible for missing appointments. You see that bulge in his cheek? That's his tongue.
From what I've heard, you can expect it to cost between 5.95 and 9.95 a month
If this is accurate, people will pay it. It's less than subscribing to a premium channel package for cable. And for gamers, it's probably infinitely more satisfying.
Well, at the layoffs I went through, they dumped a lot of wheat, and kept a LOT of chaffe. But chaffe that kissed ass, and that explains much.
Don't worry. Chances are, the people who made those decisions will pay for it in the end. If things remain "bad" in the economy long enough, the consequences of their actions will eventually come back to bite them. Look for the "decision makers" to change jobs within the next six months, as that's probably going to be the only way to keep stockholders and board members from figuring out who the real culprit is. Typically, whoever replaces them will play a little game of "chop shop" with the remaining employees.
I'd have MUCH rather given out.xxx or.adult and lock kids out, than give them their own section and lock them in.
Clearly, this would never happen. It would be just as impossible to bring this about as it is to stop spammers in Korea. Yes, all of the big porno sites wouldn't balk at a.xxx or.adult domain. In fact, they'd probably like it because they'll be easier to find. But there's gonna be somebody in some other country somewhere that still wants to put their stuff under a fully accessible.com domain. Plus, there's no control over what noncommercial entities put on their web sites (nor should there be). Since it's impossible to lock kids out without blocking them from acceptable sites (with controversial internet filters), they had to provide a way to lock them in.
Not everybody is going to agree with what things are deemed "safe." In that case, somebody needs to take on the task of providing other alternatives. My assumption is that this will happen eventually anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
Shhhhh. What's the matter with you? Let them think that the student doesn't have any responsibility. It's OK. It just means less competition for those of us who realize that you only get out of an education what you put into it.
Seriously though -- for those of you that think you shouldn't have to listen to a boring professor, grow up! You're going to encounter lots of people in life. Only a small percentage of them will be interesting to you. However, many of the most boring will have information that you need to know. Consider part of your college education as learning how to pick up good information from difficult sources. In my mind, the only professors you should complain about that are those that read the book verbatim to you in class and those whose pronunciation is so horrible that you can't understand them. If you have a professor like this, a visit to the dean of the college for a friendly discussion is probably a good idea.
This thread is probably dead now, but I thought I'd answer anyway. I agree with your assessment that computers can be used as a tool for mathematical education. I did not feel that the post to which I was originally responding intended this kind of use, but instead would have students programming equations into the code without fully understanding how to solve them themselves. You advocate using a computer to help students visualize what they are learning. I completely agree with this approach, and I recall the hours I spent exploring equations with my first graphing calculator. I wish such devices had existed when I learned algebra and trig. However, I still feel that the use of computers needs to be a supplement to the learning process rather than the focus of the learning experience. BTW, are you a teacher?
Have you considered that although the language is largely useless for building applications, it's a pretty useful tool for teaching children about how computers work? Logo is good at encouraging modular programming concepts, and is reasonably interactive -- perfect for 3rd graders. And it sounds like they did some stuff that a 3rd grader would find interesting, like creating shapes on the screen.
I'd teach someone at that age Basic not Logo. In Middle School I'd move on to Visual Basic and or C.
This plan isn't going to work for the masses. Yes, there are kids that can learn to program effectively in C during the Middle School years. But many of them cannot grasp it. Of those that are capable, many of them wouldn't be interested in programming -- they'd rather play games. There's a reason why advanced mathematical logic and proofs isn't usually taught until high school. It's because there are some significant changes during adolescence in the prefrontal cortex, frontal lobes and parietal lobes of the brain. The result of these changes is sharper focus and attentiveness, improved executive function and planning, and better spatial processing. Therefore, schools tend to avoid teaching subjects that require these skills until after most of the students are ready.
This would be computer science and they'd learn a few concepts which might help them in understanding algebra
While this is true, I believe it might be better for them to learn the concepts of algebra without the aid of a computer. I've found that among high school students, those that struggled the most to learn how to program had a weak background in algebra. However, let me point out that my evidence in this area is merely anecdotal. IANAEBIKMOT (I am not an educator, but I know many of them). :-)
Computers should be used as a tool to teach math, not as a tool to teach Computers.
I cannot disagree more. Students should be learning the foundations of math without interference from devices that help them perform the math. For the same reason, calculators were normally banned during my school years until students started doing trigonometry and calculus. This was intended to force them to learn the concepts of the math rather than relying on a machine. Want to see what happens when students start using calculators? Take a look at today's teenagers working a cash register who can't even count change back to you properly. I don't see computers as improving this situation at all.
Teachers today treat Computers like they are mysterious
I agree with you here. I think that perhaps the single biggest problem is that the teachers themselves are not familiar enough with computers.
A web connected Tablet connected to everyones desk would be far more efficient than notebooks and the current tools, and a smartboard is far more efficient than a chalk board
I agree with you here. This would be a tremendous advance in classrooms.
you can learn math just fine with just a calculator, you can learn math with a computer
As I said before, I disagree with this. Today's teens are evidence enough. Most of the teenagers I know are using calculators in their math classes and couldn't do math properly to save their lives.
And before some fool comes and says "You dont know math if you use a calculator, you dont know math is you use a computer"
The danger isn't in using a calculator or computer. The danger is in using one before you've developed efficient skills at doing it yourself. The best way to improve your math skills is to practice.
Theres a difference between knowing math, and knowing how to work with numbers, number crunching is not knowing math.
Although this is somewhat true, exercising your brain on some number crunching greatly improves your understanding and efficiency in mathematics. When I was in college, I received a dramatic lesson in this. One of my professors put up a problem that required calculus to solve. The specifics of the problem were dictated by the students, but we were left as a class to solve the problem. All of us had calculators except the professor, who was using a slide rule. He was able to solve the problem accurately on his slide rule before any of us could even finish typing in the numbers to the first part on our calculators. Even those of us with calculators that performed integration were no match for him. Why? Because he did large portions of the math in his head, only employing the slide rule where necessary. After witnessing that demonstration, I stopped using my calculator for all but the most difficult tasks. When I go to a grocery store, I make it a point to add up the prices of what I'm buying in my head -- just to keep my brain working.
So, where do I think we need to see computers? We're already seeing them in use as a library of information. This is a good start. Being connected with people all over the world helps to break down cultural barriers, but I believe this kind of use happens best outside of school. Learning to program is an excellent idea, as most people will use it in one form or another in the business world. How about taking and grading tests? Also, computers are great for self-paced learning, and as such could be the key for allowing students with a wide range of capabilities to learn to the best of their ability.
7. ?
8. Profit
* Please note that this is not intended as any form of discrimination against anyone with the name of "Bubba."
Although I've never assumed this with personal checks, I've usually assumed it to be true with a cashier's check. In this case, the issuing institution has already checked the availability of funds and deducted them from the account. In fact, my own bank treats the checks as though they are guaranteed. When I deposit a personal check, the money doesn't show up in my account until it clears. When I deposit a cashier's check, it always shows up pretty much immediately.
Obviously, we are dealing with forgeries here, so all bets are off. But I would have thought that outside of forgeries, cashier's checks should always be good. Please tell me that I'm not wrong or I won't be able to sleep at night anymore. :-)
I don't feel guilty about not paying subscriptions for online publications. I wish I had some figures to back it up, but I'm reasonably certain that the cost of online publishing is lower than paper publishing. My reasoning is that there's a one-time expense for the infrastructure that surely must be less than the cost of setting up printing facilities. Then, the ongoing maintenance should be significantly below the cost of resources for printing facilities.
At any rate, advertising *should* be sufficient to pay for the service. The real problem is in the expectation that have been set for those paying for the adverts. They've been conditioned to think that an advertisement is only successful if they get a click-through. They need to be made to realize that merely having their advertisement seen by a surfer is just as good as what happens with advertisements in newspapers and magazine.
Publishers should instead be going out of their way to transition from print into digital. As less paper copies are sold, advertisers will be forced to turn to web advertising to get their message out. Once that happens, the rates should start to go up and it'll be simple to get to profitability.
Good joke, but I don't think this was the case. I never saw the machine in operation, and I distinctly remember one knob that was either labeled "word-size" or "byte-size", with a few numbers around it. I remember thinking how odd this feature was. Also, the only machine's I had been exposed to at the time had 8-bit bytes, so I really thought it was wierd. However, I'm thinking now that maybe this knob was part of some peripheral device that was configurable.
Please tell me that it could have been some piece of equipment connected to the machine that had the adjustable word size. If I were to have a dream *that* real, it had better not have anything to do with computers. ;)
I remember seeing one of these puppies when I was in high school. It was no longer in service, but still had most of its internal components. In fact, I still have one of the "flip chips" that I took from inside it. Anyway, I believe I recall a dial on the front of the main panel that allowed you to choose the word size. I can't remember whether 12 bits was the minimum or the maximum, though. Can anybody verify that this existed, or am I just remembering some strange dream?
Thank you. That was exactly the point I was trying to make. I guess I should have been more explicit instead of relying on implication.
Any good jobs available for software developers?
Wouldn't a poor sense of balance also cause problems controlling a Segway?
Somebody also needs to find a way to lower the thing and add hydraulics to the suspension. A low-rider Segway anybody?
I really wish people would stop confusing bandwidth with data capping. Bandwidth is related to your downstream / upstream speed, whereas data capping puts a limit on the total number of bytes you may transfer within a given time period. It SHOULDN'T cost the provider any more to transfer 10G during a month than it does to transfer 5G, unless they too are paying their upstream providers by the byte (a mistake on their part). The REAL problem is that providers are overselling their network. Several people performing one massive download per day during prime time would cause nearly as much damage as those same people performing massive downloads all day long.
If the issue is truly bandwidth, then that's what should be addressed. Providers shouldn't so drastically oversell their network, and they should provide a graduated product offering that allows people to choose what they need at a cost reasonable for them. If all you do is read news on the web, 200Kbps is probably more than adequate, and shouldn't cost more than $25/mo. If you are a heavy user, you should go for 3Mbps, but should probably be paying $90/mo for it.
Who's the cable modem company down the road? I don't know where you live, but here it is RARE for anybody to have a choice of cable service. The best they can hope for is a choice between DSL from one of the baby bells, or cable modem from their cable provider.
As a matter of fact, I've NEVER lived anywhere in the US where I had a choice between cable providers. The closest I ever came to that was when an upstart company tried to come in and compete with one of the big boys. They promised significantly lower prices. Guess what happened. The incumbent cable company pulled some legal crap to get them shut down before they even got up and running.
Face it. For most of us there is no real choice. The only way we can vote with our $$$ is to go back to dialup.
In the US, that starts to look a tad illegal. Given the current climate, a letter to the FTC with copies to the FCC and SEC would probably trigger an investigation.
I can't answer the first question, as these days everybody is looking for an excuse to layoff. But the answer to the second question is that there have been layoffs. Right now, I don't see anything that pays enough for me to change jobs. I'm just hoping things will get better as the economic environment changes.
I suppose I could have avoided this situation by performing poorly for the last couple years, but that's just not my motto. Needless to say, I don't get much sleep lately.
One way to accomplish this is to replicate CRM schedules into Outlook tasks / appointments, and then synchronize through infrared with the handheld. I know we did some experimental stuff in synchronizing our CRM system with Outlook contacts and then on to the handheld, but we never got around to scheduling.
If all you've got is one meeting per day, I want your job. Most of the time I have to juggle six or seven meetings per day on completely different topics, and I still have to manage to get 8 hours of programming in per day. While I don't take my iPaq with me (because I don't trust it), I frequently carry my laptop because I need to refer to information on it during the meeting. A Palm or any other PDA serves the same purpose. My manager probably has twice the meeting load that I do, and I honestly don't think he could live without his. The only executives in our company who don't use one have permanent staff members assigned to assist them.
Ummm, actually I think he figured out that it was a wrist device. He was just giving a blanket reason for not wanting ANY pda regardless of form factor -- he doesn't want to be held responsible for missing appointments. You see that bulge in his cheek? That's his tongue.
If this is accurate, people will pay it. It's less than subscribing to a premium channel package for cable. And for gamers, it's probably infinitely more satisfying.
Don't worry. Chances are, the people who made those decisions will pay for it in the end. If things remain "bad" in the economy long enough, the consequences of their actions will eventually come back to bite them. Look for the "decision makers" to change jobs within the next six months, as that's probably going to be the only way to keep stockholders and board members from figuring out who the real culprit is. Typically, whoever replaces them will play a little game of "chop shop" with the remaining employees.
Would *you* trust your kid to have a conversation with a slashdot geek? I didn't think so. :-)
Clearly, this would never happen. It would be just as impossible to bring this about as it is to stop spammers in Korea. Yes, all of the big porno sites wouldn't balk at a .xxx or .adult domain. In fact, they'd probably like it because they'll be easier to find. But there's gonna be somebody in some other country somewhere that still wants to put their stuff under a fully accessible .com domain. Plus, there's no control over what noncommercial entities put on their web sites (nor should there be). Since it's impossible to lock kids out without blocking them from acceptable sites (with controversial internet filters), they had to provide a way to lock them in.
Not everybody is going to agree with what things are deemed "safe." In that case, somebody needs to take on the task of providing other alternatives. My assumption is that this will happen eventually anyway.