Final Project Reflections

While working on the final project, I really came to appreciate how well the class progressed. What I mean is, just about everything I wanted to do, I had already done, and just had to bring it together. The instruction and assignments progressed beautifully. I appreciate the clarity of the final project. Then again, it's probably just the math part of my brain talking.

Random Thoughts

This course has really caused me to think about teaching a programming course. I have really enjoyed challenge. One thing that I am looking forward to discussing is whether all of this html stuff has been worthwhile. What I mean is this. Is learning this really useful, or is it like learning how to figure square roots to the hundredths place without a calculator? In other words, what can I do with this new knowledge. I hope that our discussion yields some good ideas. I have my doubts though. In any event, maybe learning the language is enough to spark interest in the whole process like it has been with me.

That's good enough for me.

Enjoying the Class

Maybe it's because we have clear goals, and we know when we are finished with them, or maybe it's just because there is a good "end of the year" vibe, but I am really enjoying the class. Maybe it's just because this stuff appeals to the math part of my brain. Anyway, this is good stuff.

So far, so good

So far I find this class to be a nice change of pace. I feel like we are using the other side of our brain. (Don't ask me which side, I always forget.) I found our study group's discussion of Assignment 3 to be interesting. I would really like to learn enough in this course so that I can perhaps create my own websites for the teams that I coach and the courses that I teach. A wiki is an option, but if I want to branch out a bit, I hope that this class might get me started.

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What can I say? So far so good--a nice change of pace! I would love to create websites for my teaching and coaching.

My Digital Story

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Digital Movie Making in Engineering

My engineering students are responsible for a portfolio at the completion of each course. I am interested in supplementing their binders with some type of online portfolio. One way that I could use a digital movie is with our "Marble Sorter" project. My students build some pretty neat things with these really expensive lego-like parts. The problem is that at some point, their projects need to be dismantled and the parts stored away for later use. Currently, I have the students take digital photos of their projects and create Word documents that include a picture of their creation, a narrative description, and a print screen of the program that runs their creation. Having them create a movie would not only be fun, but it would also allow them to better document their progress. Right now, my students basically take a picture of the final product and describe what they did. With a digital movie, they could describe and show their progress and make a much more interesting presentation.