Crossing the finish line

Well, I made it. Another class done. Now, it is time to head down to the beach.


This has been a great class. I have learned about some new topics and this class has given me some great ideas for projects in my own class. I am going to have all of my classes do a blog. Their assignment will be to express in their own words what they have learned for the week. Also I plan to use a wiki for a group project. Working as teams is an important skill to have in the workplace today. I for one did not like teamwork but our project in this class went very well. I am going to try and get my students to appreciate teamwork as I now do.

Les,
You did a great job. Thank you. I hope that I will get to take another of your classes.

I hope everybody has an enjoyable ending to their summer and good luck to all

This teacher is signing out and headed for the beach.

Session 13 - There is a light at the end of the tunnel

This week we discussed outsourcing. I am not a fan of offshore outsourcing but many companies find that it is beneficial. Two of their reasons are lower cost employees and time zone overlap as shown in the graphs.












P.S.
Les, has the job at Wiki Icky Inc. been filled yet?

Session 12 - Heading Down The Home Stretch

This week we talked about programming and the System Development Life Cycle. These are topics that I am very familiar with. I have a BS in computer science and a certificate in software development. I never became a programmer, rather I teach high school students how to do problem solving using computer programming.

I find it fun to sit down and start tapping out code, but as we discussed this week the programmers need to know what is going on. The best way to keep everyone on task is to use the SDLC.

Yes I am a computer geek. This cartoon could be me!!!



I am not saying that I am a genius, just that I would take my laptop to a formal function.

I've had enough, No more doubles!!!

Well, this week we talked with a bot. It was interesting but limited. Soon, I feel that talking with a bot will be like talking to your best friend.







GPS technology is becoming more prevalent in our everyday lives. Some day soon every person may have a transmitter attached or embedded on their person. This would help with all of the missing persons cases. Of course there will be privacy issues with that. For now, I want to use GPS to help my golf game.

Another Double Please

Well, this week had me do a difficult task. Come up with an idea for an e-business that has not been done already. I got lucky and my first idea, Transcript Clearinghouse, was approved. Other students had to come up with different ideas as their first ones had already been done. I guess as new technology is invented, there will be new businesses on the web.


Our work with Wikis this week has given me some ideas for group projects when I change hats and become a teacher again. I had a talk with one of my fellow teachers and he liked the idea and is going to use a wiki in his class. This will also work great for interdisciplinary classes.

Here is a funny I found at http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/rte0235l.jpg



I thought it was appropriate.

Sessions 6 & 7 NEW STUFF

Other than the discussion on identity theft, most of the topics this week were new to me. Being that I have not worked out in the business sector, all of this alphabet soup (ERP, CRM, and BPM) was interesting to learn about.

I am still going to push our administration to adopt PowerSchool or a similar ERP for school districts to replace our antiquated systems. The only hurdle is money!!


I try to warn my students about the serious risks of identity theft and the discussions we had this past week will go into my lessons

Here are two images of the best tools to help protect you against identity theft:

Session 5 and still alive

user name:
password:

If you are willing to give me your user name and password go right ahead.

This was an interesting week discussing security and privacy. I think we are in agreement that we need some stronger security measures but are on different ends regarding how much privacy we are willing to give up for that security.




I found this chart at http://www.acuity-mi.com/Authentication%20Alternatives.jpg that shows some of the alternatives to passwords. It lists some of the advantages and disadvantages.

Make mine a double

Well, I made it though the first double session. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. This class is very interesting and it is nice to get the technology perspectives from other than jest the education industry.

I was assigned "Robotics" as my individual research topic. This will work well as I was a mentor for two years with the FIRST Robotics team (Team 1629)in Garrett County. Our first robot (pictured here with me)made it to the regional semi-finals. Not to bad for our first year.

With our second robot, we did a little better. We won the Chesapeake Regional Tournament which gave us the opportunity to Go to Atlanta for the International Competition.

At times I feel like throwing my cell phone out the window, but it was interesting reading what people feel will be the next feature added to or telecommunication devices. My phone is a phone, not a camera, not a PDA, and not a web enabled device. I do not think that in the future you will be able to get a phone that is only a phone. If I can find an extra $500 dollars lying around, fat chance, I would like to get one of the new Iphones.

Week Two: Teacher becomes the student (The rolls have reversed Grasshopper)

Well, the students are now gone for the summer. It was a good year, but I am ready for the summer. I will be leading a workshop the last week of June to help some of the teachers at my school how to create, upload, and maintain a Web site. Some will pick it up right away but I know I will have a few who are just not technologically savvy. Les, I will be like you, teaching the teachers.

This past week in class was interesting. It is neat to see everyone’s ideas on what the future of technology holds for us. Some things will be go while others could cause some problems.

It is interesting to think how the wild ideas of science fiction writers of years ago have now become reality today. In turn, some of the ideas in these diary entries could very well be common place in ten years

One Week Down...

This has been a hectic week. I had to finish up with senior finals. Graduation ceremonies were held on Sunday. Now I need to get all of my underclassmen finals ready. Last day of school for the students is June 12 and the last day for teachers is June 13. We should have been done by now but we had 10 snow days this year.

The first week of my grad class went well. It looks like the class will be very informative and interesting. Things will go a bit smoother next week when I no longer have to teach and I can concentrate on being a student again.



I think I will need to watch "The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" so that I can fully appreciate our groups name.

Here we go again!!!

Hello, my name is Rich. As with a lot of you, this is my first blog. I hope you find it interesting.

I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA but I now live in McHenry MD. McHenry’s claim to fame is Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Mountain Resort. It is located in western Maryland. Yes, Maryland does extend beyond Hagerstown and Cumberland. I have lived here for the past 15 years. Boy has the lake area changed in those 15 years.





I am currently a high school teacher, as you may have guessed from the name of my blog. I teach at Northern Garrett High School, home of the Huskies. Our baseball team just played for the state championship last weekend at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD. Unfortunately, we came up a few runs short in the last inning. I am the computer science teacher and I am finishing up my fourth year. My classes include Computer Applications 1 and 2, Programming 1 and 2, Web Design and next year I will be teaching Desktop Publishing. Along with teaching, I am also the local system administrator, Webmaster (http://www.nh.ga.k12.md.us), and a Technology Resource Teacher.

Before teaching, I have done a myriad of other jobs. I have been a carpenter, a tractor-trailer driver, commercial kitchen equipment installer, doorman at a bar, and a vinyl replacement window installer. Yes, I know these jobs do not seem related at all and everybody asks me how in the world they led me to become a computer teacher. Well, I first went to college (IUP) right out of high school in 1984. I was a computer science major but was not sure if that is really what I waned to do with my life, so after a couple of years I decided to take a year off from college. That year turned into 15 years but I finally made it back to school. I graduated from Frostburg State in 2002 with a degree in computer science and lucked into getting a job teaching at the local high school. It is the best job I have ever had. I actually look forward to work. I hope I do not lose that feeling a lot of my colleagues have done.






I married my wife Joy in February 1998 so we will be celebrating our ten-year anniversary very soon. My stepson and his girlfriend made my wife and me grandparents last September. I am too young to be a grandparent. I am only 41.












This is going to be a hectic week. I have to grade senior finals and get the grades submitted to the server by Thursday afternoon. I then need to get all of my underclass finals ready. Not to mention all of the assignments for this graduate class. Because of all of the snow days we had this past winter, I will not be done for the summer until June 13th. Please bear with me as I wrap up the school year.