Teaching CS in Dallas

Lost my Tilt 2

Actually NOT a big deal.  I actually usually keep my last phone around – just in case.  However, a few weeks ago (and I blogged about this), I picked up a ATT Pure at less than $40 plus a new sim card.

Had them laying around.

Worked out just fine.  Called ATT, and they turned off the old SIM.  Called Assurance Insurance, and for $50.00 they are sending me a new Tilt (hey, I have been paying for insurance FOR years, and have had two claims, not bad).

So sometime next week, I’ll have a new Tilt 2, will have to set up everything yet again the way I like it, and I’ll be good.

By the way, the Pure isn’t bad, especially if I am traveling light, but man or man, do I miss the keyboard on the Tilt2!

New Horizons - Instructor Led

Good news -- he didn't drone, he hasn't talked about Vietnam, his wife, his children, or his accent.

It is very hands on.

I'm taking Photoshop CS4: Web Design.

So far, pretty good course.  I really like the fact that we have a beginner in class and next to me, because she's doing stuff the kids would do.

I am stuck here all day though.....

Ran into another old student

Sort of literally.  This time it was at the park across the street when I was walking the dogs.  He graduated in 1997, and is doing HVAC and managing some properties.  He lives a few blocks away, and apparently got an award from the mayor because someone broke into his house.  Trust me, the guy picked the wrong house.

Very cool.

Love to run into old students and especially like to hear they are doing well.

New Horizons is Awesome

Just came home from one of the best classes I’ve ever taken.  Come to find out, my instructor was out sick, so they let me take the course as a “mentored” learning course.

Really enjoyed it – it was Webdesign with XHTML, CSS, and other stuff, Level 2, and it filled in a lot of holes.  Everyone at New Horizons was very nice.

That’s hopeful, since I have another class this week, and several more coming up.

Apple Store

So I was between appointments and near an Apple Store.

Looked at an iPhone and can upgrade for the regular price.  It’s pretty, but I’m still not sure it’s something I want.  If I decide I want to give it a try, I’ll buy one at an ATT store, closer to the house so it’s easier to return.

I also looked at an iTouch.  They are really behind the Zune HD hardware/software wise.  Price is the same as the iPhone.   Not sure why anyone would want it.

Also looked at the iPad.  Yes, it’s pretty but since it doesn’t work with Flash, I think I’ll stick with the netbook, which I am using now. 

Here’s my issues with Mac products:

Expensive.

Don’t work with Flash – a big deal for me, being someone who writes stuff in Flash on rare occasion and since I like the Screencast/etc. over the other products.  Odd that they have YTube though, isn’t it?  Because isn’t that Flash driven?

Cost of development is hiring, face it, you can write software for the current devices for free, when you are talking Microsoft.

Interesting side trip.

Endomondo

When I exercise, I like to measure it.  That’s one reason I like my treadmill, even though we live in front of a big park.  However, one of my dogs is very overweight, and is out of shape, so I have been walking her.  My solution for walking her is a Windows App/Mobile website called Endomondo at http://www.endomondo.com/ 

It’s a very cool app.  You tell it what kind of exercise you want from the options – I’ll admit it took me a while to figure it out, and it posts your workouts on their website.  It was a free app, available through Microsoft Marketplace.

It works with Blackberry, iPhone, and Android along with Windows Mobile phone.

And as always these days, you can share with Facebook and Twitter.

Zune–Love things that just work

It’s summer, and part of computer science for me is enjoying technology and how it works.  Example, my Zune player and purchasing music.  Sadly, an album I wanted isn’t available yet on the Zune.  But it’s an artist I really like (Bret MIchaels), don’t always like his music, but like how he handled himself on Celebrity Apprentice and he is raising money for Type 1 Diabetes, and doing that well.

Anyway, here’s the tech part.  I’ve got my Amazon MP3 downloader files linked directly to my Zune files, so when I buy music on Amazon, in about two minutes it downloads and is on my Zune, with a pretty much no-brainer.  I did click on the Sync Now button, so that it would get loaded faster.

On the other hand, downloading Audible books isn’t quite that easy and I wish it was.  I have to manually tell the Audible Download to download stuff and manually since it to the Zune, and have to get out of the Zune software and into the Audible software to do it.  Awkward.  Especially since I like to download the NY times audible digest daily.

Blogging

Today must be blog day <smile>

I’ve been blogging for a long time, my diabetes blog is the longest living diabetes blog.  It’s at http://www.kweaver.org/blog

I use Typepad for all my blogs.  Yeah, I have this one, one on the dogs, the one on diabetes, and set up a microblog when I want to write about something that doesn’t fit the others.  Especially with the 140 character limit of Twitter.

Typepad is awesome and I’ve blogged about it in the past.  Right now, I want to talk about blogging tools.  My original blogging platform was Movable Type but it was a pain to maintain.  Typepad does all the work, I just have to post.

My favorite mobile phone blogging app is Typepad’s that runs on the mobile phone.  Don’t use it a lot, but it’s great when I’m out and about and want to write a short blog post.

Lately I’ve been using the Window Live Writer Beta the most, and I’m using it right now.  It’s simple and easy to use and has lots of plug-ins.  It’s really great when you are blogging about code.

I also like the online blogging tool that is provided with TypePad.  Again, simple and easy to use, just login to the site.

I’ve blogged with Word 2010 and it is also awesome.  Again, easy to set up and easy to use.  Adobe Contribute isn’t bad either.

Some things I wish worked better:

Just make a movie with Windows Movie Maker Beta, and while it was super easy to put the video on Facebook, I couldn’t figure out how to make it a blog post automatically.  I also wish that Camtasia 7 and / or Screencast did a better job of that.

I think SnagIt works pretty well with blogging – have to play with that again.

Yes, I like to blog, not sure why.  Which is real interesting as I ran into the person I consider to be my opposite in the school district – we’re both computer science teachers but look at it from opposite point of views.  I mentioned I read a blog post by an mutual acquaintance that mentioned her, and she made a comment that indicated she thought blogging was distasteful.  Oh well.

Customer Service

I’m ALL about customer service.

Today’s a really good example.  Went to the McDonald’s down the street, and when I got to the first window, the gal there recited my normal morning order.  “GOOD JOB!”  or as we would say in dog training, “CLICK!”.  I jokingly told her, finally got you trained.

If I can go through a drive through or go into a restaurant and get good service, you can bet I’ll be back.  Lousy service, and you will never see me again.  Greet me, it doesn’t have to be my name, and remember what I usually order, and you’ll get a good tip, a smile in return etc.

I feel the same way about my classroom.  When I have a group of students, I’m all about them.  I get irritated at interruptions, because I want to focus on my students, and what they are doing.  I’m project based, so I get my kiddos in, give them instructions, then cut them loose to do their thing.  I’m all about helping them achieve that' days’s goal.  I’m also all about grading and returning work promptly.

I was even about customer service long before I taught – my high school jobs were all customer service jobs – Krystal’s, McDonald’s, a grocery story.  My college part time job was also about customer service – I worked for Kelly Girl and was a tutor.

So what brings this on? 

Of course, a lousy customer service experience.  I have a membership at a customer oriented business.  They did something almost unforgivable and if they had a competitor, I would be completely out of there.  When I complained, they said, “it’s not all about you”.  Well, sorry, for the time frame I am at your business, it is.  Especially when I am I paying for your time.

I still say customer service is extremely important for teaching, not matter what subject you teach.  As a teacher, you need to stay focused on your student’s learning, and their needs both in and out of the classroom.

But it’s summer, and for a few weeks, it’s ALL about me.

Children of Illegal Immigrants

It’s a tough issue.  The Dallas Morning News has been talking about it here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/062810dnmetnuundocgrads.1c4739b.html and own of my favorite diabetes bloggers here:  http://lifeafterdx.blogspot.com/2010/06/illegal-aliens.html

I’ve actually dealt with it.  I’ve had students who were brought in to the country for our education.  One in particular, actually called me “Mom”.  Here’s the deal:

One day in class, he accidently called me “mom”, instead of Miss.  Wasn’t sure why at the time, probably one of those slips, but he needed helped.  One of the other kids started teasing him about it, and so I sent along with him and said, “sure I’m his mom”.  We had a really good student/teacher relationship, and he started calling me mom all the time.

Well, come to find out, he’d been snuck in with his cousins, I didn’t learn about this until he was a senior and was about to be deported as he had been caught.

This is on aspect of the illegal immigration issue that is tough the way things are.  I honestly do believe the children of illegal immigrants who have been here all of their lives, and the ones that have been snuck in, should be given a free pass.  We should capitalize in what we’ve invested – we’ve educated these kids, and many of them can and could be great contributors to our society. 

Yes, the parents should be sent back, but if the kids have gone through our education system, they should be granted legal status.  We should take advantage of that education we paid for.  However, if and when they break the law, the legal status should be rescinded, and they should be deported.