Bingo!

Congratulations to Meyyappan, who figured out that the lab’s welcome sign (which is duplicated on the electrical panel inside the lab) has finally been updated to reflect the current class lists.

Something’s different

Something in Lab 218 is different as of today, but the period C class couldn't it out.

Can you?

Dubstep

Thanks to Shrumit’s initiative, we had an interesting Studio 218 this week. While not to everyone’s taste, I enjoyed the electronic dance music. It was heavy on the drums and bass, with a real emphasis on rhythm.

Normally Studio 218 contributions are playlists, not audio streams, but I’m glad we made an exception for Digitally Imported’s Dubstep. It made for an energetic studio session—and may have inspired some of the lazier members of my classes to produce their own playlists for next week, if only to avoid another Dubstep session!

Thanks, Shrumit, for helping us meet one of the Studio 218 goals: exposure to new and different music! 

Spring has sprung!

Not outside, perhaps, but Spring has sprung in my classes. There’s a new energy and drive in my students’ approach to their work—and I’m enjoying the change in the “weather!”

The lab has been buzzing, of late, with students helping one another, significant personal gains, and good—good!—questions asked by students who are taking more and more responsibility for their learning. How great is that!?!

Spring has sprung in Lab 218, and I couldn’t be prouder of my students’ accomplishments!

The Day After the Night Before

It’s the day after the night before, and Canada’s a different country. I’m confident that Mr. Layton will make a positive contribution on the national stage—and if not, that Ms. May will give him and Mr. Harper the hook and help us start again.

We’ve interesting times ahead, and my students and I are looking forward to the show!

First Friendster, then Studio 218?

With news of the imminent death of Friendster, I’m left wondering whether Studio 218 might soon face its demise.

Despite the enthusiasm students express for our weekly musical exploration, there’s been a dearth of student playlists all semester. Maybe I should convert Studio 218 into a gaming site!

The votes are tallied!

The votes are in, and next year’s Student Leadership Council has been elected!

Congratulations go to all of the candidates who presented themselves in this election—it’s no shabby accomplishment to have stood for election and campaigned for the support of one’s peers. It takes strength of character and discipline to run in an election, and all of the candidates can justly feel pride in their efforts.

A special shout-out goes to my many past and present students (and Lab Management Team Supervisors!) who ran for an SLC position this year. I’m very proud of them!

Canada votes—but first, Vic Park votes!

Today, my homeform students had the chance to vote for next year’s Student Leadership Council and to participate in Student Vote. At a time of sometimes violent rebellion in parts of the world where citizens don’t have the franchise, it was gratifying to see how eager to exercise their right—and responsibility—were my students. As always, they did me proud!

Code Green

The grass isn’t the only thing turning green this spring: my students are tackling problems of increasing complexity and writing code with increasing sophistication.

I really appreciate their hard word and focus—it’s gratifying to see how they’ve progressed from Code Red to Code Green in just a few short months!

Holiday returns

Passover and Easter constitute an interesting time of year: the intersection of Jewish and Christian calendars and the genesis of the bifurcation of Judaism. For adherents it’s a happy time of year, celebrating liberation and resurrection respectively. For students (and teachers!) of all persuasions, the intersection results in an enjoyable long weekend.

Everyone appeared to have returned to school in good spirits today, and I was delighted to see my students again after what seemed a long separation. It’s good to get back to doing what we enjoy so much: learning together in Lab 218!

Today Mr. Jack Gao, VPCI class of 2010, current co-op double-major CS Waterloo / Business Wilfred Laurier, kindly took questions in my senior classes about his experience of the IB program, university-level computer science, his upcoming software-development co-op placement in California, the university application process, and university life.

Students and teacher alike appreciated both his experience and candour, and his generosity in sharing his time with us. Perhaps next year he’ll visit again and share some of his Silicon Valley advertures!

Exodus

Passover is the epic story of a people’s liberation from bondage and their acceptance of the laws defining ethical behaviour.

Liberation is a personal matter, but one which speaks to the relationship between an individual and others. Education, too, is a personal matter, but one which is fostered in a community of learners.

In today’s daily logs, I asked the students of my senior classes to consider their responsibility for their own education and to devise a plan, to be effected by them in cooperation with their peers and teacher, for advancing that education to the level that best meets their needs and aspirations.

In some way, I’m asking for an exodus from the self-imposed restrictions of juvenile behaviour and the acceptance of the power and authority of adult behaviour. I’m asking students, as the Passover story has it, to consider an exodus not of others, but of them, themselves.

The anxious GPS

Tests are hard on both students and teachers. Students are anxious to present themselves in the best possible light, and often they are anxious about inadequacies they think should be kept hidden. Teachers are anxious to set tests which accurately evaluate students’ knowledge, understanding, and skill; and are anxious again about accurate and timely marking.

Despite the anxiety which they provoke, tests focus everyone’s mind on what’s happened and what should come next. Students are plainly shown where they’re strong and where they’re weak; teachers are shown which lessons went well and which failed to engender the necessary learning. Students learn which of their academic behaviours are successful and which need revision or replacement; teachers learn where remediation is required and which lessons should come next.

Since students and teachers are partners dedicated to student success, tests serve them both: it’s hard to progress on your journey when you don’t know where you are. Tests are hard on both students and teachers, but they’re a GPS without which both would be lost.

U of T opens house!

There’s much activity in Lab 218 these days: the grade-11 and grade-12 classes are preparing for tomorrow’s test, and the grade-10 class is making increasing progress against the Repetition assignments. I’m quite pleased with everyone’s progress and looking forward to tomorrow.

Nota bene: It’s short notice, but students are encouraged to attend the University of Toronto Department of Computer Science Open House this Saturday.

Day of Pink

As gratifying as it was to see so many students, teachers, and other staff members wearing pink today, I must confess to disappointment in my homeroom students. After daily reminders in the morning announcements, a poster campaign, a request that students mark the date in their agendas, the feature-of-the-week in the Daily Log, and yesterday’s blog posting, I had confidence in my students—and they let me down.

In the room just across the hall, every single student in Ms. T.’s class wore pink—as did Ms. T. herself. Now that’s spirit, camaraderie, and support!

Anticipating the Day of Pink

Day of Pink is the International Day against Bullying, Discrimination, and Homophobia in schools and communities. Day of Pink organizers invite everyone to celebrate diversity by wearing a pink shirt and by organizing activities in their workplaces, organizations, communities, and schools.


Have you ever seen a friend hurt because of discrimination? Have you been hurt yourself? Discrimination comes in many forms including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, agism, and anti-Semitism—just to name a few. These social diseases create barriers, bullying, harassment, hate, and violence. No one should have to experience the negativity created by discrimination. Day of Pink is more than just a symbol of a shared belief in celebrating diversity—it’s also a commitment to being open-minded, accepting differences, and learning to respect each other.

The Toronto District School Board supports anti-bullying through a Board-wide call to action, urging every school and every staff member and student to join the anti-bullying campaign by wearing pink on Wednesday, April 13, to show our support against bullying and for tolerance. (Image and abridged text from Day of Pink; additional abridged text from TDSB. All retrieved 2011-04-11.)

Taking a snapshot of progress

My Java-writing classes will sit tests towards the end of the week. These tests will allow me to take a snapshot of each student’s progress, now that we’re almost at the half-way mark of the semester.

I’m confident that those students who have been keeping up with their work will breeze through the test. Regardless of the results, I’m looking forward to seeing exactly where everyone one is this week.

Fits to a T!

Today saw enormous productivity in all of my classes: some students are bumping up against the limits of current course work and reaching beyond to learn even greater things, and some students are bumping up against the limits of their knowledge and stretching to catch up with their peers.

Everyone is engaged and determined to learn, a situation which fits me—and the classroom, thanks to some heavy lifting by the grade-12s—to a T!

Tired, but in good spirits!

I wasn’t feeling good, today, but the enthusiasm and energy of my students sustained me all throughout the day. Thanks to their hard work and good humour, I ended the day tired but in good spirits!

Go Panthers!

This morning we were treated to a rousing spectacle: our Student Leadership Council, Athletic Council, and theatrical players all strutted their stuff before an appreciate crowd in the main gymnasium.

It’s always a delight to see my students in their other school roles! Who knew that AB was a drummer, that LG was a tennis player, or that FR was a thespian?

Go Panthers!

Kick it up!

Today was pretty hectic! Across my four courses, students are working on a wide range of material and with varying degrees of success.

I appreciate the good humour with which students approach their work—and I’m especially appreciative of the students who “volunteered” their lunch hour to start the catch-up process which they’ve neglected until now.

If these students kick it up, they can yet demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary for a good mid-term report!

It takes a village to raise a programmer

As we near the middle of the term, the differences in students’ abilities, motivation, and aptitude become more pronounced. Some students are picking up speed, encouraged by their progress and driven by their love of learning. Others are facing the sometimes unpleasant reality that more work will be required to achieve the desired level of success.

Perhaps additional work is necessary because other courses have earlier consumed much of a student’s time. Perhaps the simple truth is that the student—at this point of her/his academic career—doesn’t yet have a natural “feel” for the material under study.

Regardless of the situation in which students find themselves, the die is not cast: there’s still plenty of time for every student to learn—and to enjoy learning—the material in her/his course.

But just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village (read: a community of learners) to raise a programmer. And that’s why I’m so grateful for the wonderful support that classmates offer one another in class, at home, and through our wiki and discussion forum.

With hard work on each student’s part, generous support from classmates, and instruction and guidance from the front of the lab, Lab 218 is a village raising fine programmers!

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party

The successful completion of the OSSLT by my grade-10 students was a great excuse to have a party—and the taking of the Oath of Citizenship by one of the grade-11s certainly warranted a celebration!

With the aid of our class wiki, two of my classes managed to organize themselves. Alas, one did not.

I guess it’s true that the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!

Photo: R. Saravanabavan

p.s.: Special thanks to Kati for her assistance with the cake!

Tomorrow—and every day—literacy rocks!

Good luck to all the grade-10 students writing the OSSLT tomorrow!

Late + short = hectic!

I know that students like our late starts, but they do make for a hectic day: while students start late, teachers start early (for school-wide or departmental meetings), and then all of us have to rush through shortened periods—and a shortened lunch!

I appreciate the goodwill of my students: they deal with the time crunch with equanimity, and their good humour makes a difficult day less frantic.

Thanks, folks!

Flash!

One of my favourite activities is supervising the thrice-weekly meetings of the Flash Programming Club in Lab 218 at lunch time. The enthusiasm of the club leaders in sharing their love of Flash programming and the excitement of club members as they develop their skills are a real delight to behold!

I encourage everyone who’s an interest in learning about Flash programming, developing existing skills, or sharing her/his expertise, to check-out the club one Monday, Wednesday, or Friday!

Half a dozen weeks

We’ve been at it for only six weeks, but already we’ve covered so much ground and made so much progress!

I encourage all of my students to consider what they’ve accomplished so far, what academic practices have worked well this semester, and what changes or improvements they’d like to make to ensure even greater success in the next half-dozen weeks to come.

SPTN Live!

The database to allow students to book appointments for themselves and their parents/guardians to meet with me next week is now live at touque.ca.

I look forward to meeting with as many parents/guardians as possible!

Is responsibility dead?

Absolutely not!

Everyday in my classroom, I see grade-10, grade-11, and grade-12 students rising to the challenge of young adulthood posed by my expectations of civility, maturity, and responsibility. My teaching philosophy is to treat students like the young adults they aspire to be, believing as I do that their character and intelligence will prevail.

Not every student has yet reached the level of responsibility that I expect—and require!—but I have great faith in the capacity of even the least mature to make choices which bring them closer, day by day, to becoming productive and effective members of our learning community.

Responsibility is alive and thriving in Lab 218!

Is the phone dead?

No, not the pocket computer with which you send text messages, read e-mail, listen to music, play games, and check the time. I mean the device with which you hold a synchronous conversation with another person.

In a recent New York Times article, Pamela Paul observed that few people make telephone calls anymore. And I note that, increasingly, my students think I’ve lost my grip on reality when I suggest that they could have dealt with their my-dog-ate-my-Internet problem (which precluded them from doing homework, studying, completing the assignment…) by telephoning a classmate for assistance.

Perhaps in a world in which people Big Brother themselves with social media, the notion of actually talking to someone who’s not physically present is culturally abnormal. In Isaac Asimov’s classic The Robots of Dawn, the denizens of planet Aurora, the innermost planet orbiting Tau Ceti, have refined their dislike of physical presence to the extreme: they interact exclusively through technology, finding sickening the idea of being in the same room—breathing the same air!—as another person.

Is the phone dead? For many of my students, the answer is yes!

Happy 5th Anniversary, Twitter!

Can a lot be said in 140 characters?

Perhaps it depends on the character who speaks, since it’s said that actions speak louder than words.

March Reboot

Even though our March Break starts tomorrow, today was a regular sort of day: students worked hard on the current assignments, helped one another over the rough spots, and increased their understanding of the complicated, rewarding, and captivating world of computer studies. Alas, there were no student playlists for Studio 218, so we had to fall back on some of mine. (This disappointed me, because I look forward to hearing new music and discovering new bands.)

My policy is not to assign homework over holidays, but I encouraged students who need catching-up to take advantage of our class website, wiki, discussion forum, and e-mail to do just that. And catching-up or not, I prescribed for all (including me!) sleeping much and eating well!

I look forward to seeing my refreshed students in a week's time.

Make mistakes now!

If you’re going to make mistakes, high school is a good place to do it: You’re surrounded by people who want you to succeed and are concerned with teaching you what’s required to be a good human being and a successful citizen. In high school, it’s expected that there’ll be errors in judgement and reasoning—and that you’ll learn from those errors as you develop into a mensch.

And in high school, you get to start fresh every day: Your teachers, having instructed, guided, corrected, or admonished you the day before, look forward to your fresh opportunity to demonstrate to them—and to yourself—that you have what it takes to be that good human being and successful citizen.

So if you’re planning on making lots of mistakes, make them now—you’re in the right place!

Respect

Kudos to class A for their good work during my absence today. And thanks, again, to Andrea and Muhammed for serving as Student Hosts. They and their classmates did me proud!

Congratulations to class C for their significant progress towards a difficult goal: mastering the concepts of Classes and Objects. They continue to have my admiration.

As for class B: what is the proper response to their disrespect?

All quiet on the southern front

Many students were away from class today, enjoying the benefits of field trips offered by various courses. Meanwhile, in Lab 218, significant progress was made by those present, perhaps benefiting from the relative calm which descends on a class when its population falls below a certain level.

Steady progress was made on understanding the fundamentals of variables and procedures (the regular and advanced students of class A), the structure of methods and the utility of return values (the grade-11s of class B), and the importance of rigorous testing of classes (class C and the grade-12s of class B).

Tomorrow, students will have another chance to demonstrate their best behaviour: classes A & B will host Guest Teachers in the morning. I look forward to an excellent report, anticipating that all will remain quiet on the southern front.

Budding Journos Uncovered!

A previously unknown supply of budding journalists has been found in an unexpected location: the grade-10 computer-studies class at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute (VPCI) in Toronto, Canada. More than half a dozen student reporters were uncovered by their unsuspecting teacher at the school, which is located in that country’s largest and most diverse city.

“I was taken completely unawares,” said Michael Arkin, the only full-time computer-studies educator currently teaching at the secondary school, which serves a range of academic programs to more than 1400 teenagers. “I’ve a long-time interest in newspapers in particular, and writing and editing in general, but I never thought I’d find such talent in a CS class,” he said.

The fledgling journos were discovered quite by accident, during a routine assignment meant to boost the school’s OSSLT results, which have been less than stellar in the past. Successful completion of the OSSLT, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, is a provincial high-school graduation requirement.

At the end of last Friday’s class, Mr. Arkin assigned students the task of writing a news report on the class’s discussion of ways to select a representative to the newly created VPCI Senate. He uncovered the unheralded scribes only today, while marking those assignments.

Getting with the program

Programming is a non-trivial skill, so of course it takes time, effort, and concentration to acquire.

But because much schooling is about the continuation of earlier study, students are often taken aback when they’re confronted with material about which they have no prior knowledge. And because modern life often allows students to shirk their responsibilities to read dense text for comprehension and to write with care and precision (think flashy websites designed to elicit clicks, not contemplation, and near-illiterate “texts” and “tweets”), is it any wonder that students are surprised by the sophistication of thought required in order to program?

The programming learning curve is shallow, in part because old habits of imprecise thought and composition have to be abandoned. But as was shown this week by the hard work of my students, the curve does point upwards as new ideas and ways of thinking are assimilated.

I am encouraged by the productive struggles of my students learning programming for the first time, or learning a new programming paradigm like OOP, and look forward to their continuing success!

A rising tide raises all Boats

Kudos to class C for the yeoman service they provided one another today. Working in a large group, they tackled with energy and enthusiasm a from-the-beginning review of the concepts crucial for an understanding of classes (no pun intended!) and objects, and I marvelled at the intensity of their intellectual effort. My only regret was that I didn’t think to video the session for the benefit of others!

Truly a rising tide raises all Boats!

Literacy Rocks!

Check out Frontier College!

Completely Challenging Contest

It was a privilege this afternoon to supervise the Canadian Computing Competition in Lab 218.

About a dozen students worked furiously for three hours to complete the Junior Division competition: five tough problems which put brains into overdrive!

How inspiring to see the grace of these fine contestants!

Music delayed is music denied?

Okay, it doesn’t rank with William Gladstone’s “Justice delayed is justice denied,” but I’m keenly aware that class B’s Studio 218 has now been delayed twice—a fact for which I am in equal parts responsible and sorry.

It’s been hard to find the rhythm for our combined grade-11/grade-12 class which will allow for the playing of music—that is, a work period which doesn’t require a lesson.

The “Irish Question” was eventually settled to (most) everyone’s satisfaction. I hope that the “Studio 218 Question” will eventually be settled, too.

Making your surgeon a better carpenter

“The hope is that computer assistance makes your surgeon a better carpenter.” So said Dr. Burton Ma, of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at York University, as he gave my senior students—and several hundred more from other GTA schools—a lucid, well-organized, and sometimes gory look at the marvels made possible by the fusion of contemporary computer science and cutting-edge (pun!) medicine.

Thanks to the kindness of Faculty of Science and Engineering Liaison Officer Katrina Angel, nearly 40 of my students and I were treated to presentations by Dr. Ma, the York University Rover Team—three podium finishes in the last three years!—a demonstration of computer (in)security by a team of graduate students led by Dr. Bill Tzerpos—who’s worked with one of the designers of Turing, our great introductory programming language—and a rather generous snack which easily became lunch!

Of course, my students were the most polite and engaged: they asked many thoughtful questions and conducted themselves with maturity and poise. It was an exciting day for all, not least because many had never before been on a university campus, nor taken such a complicated trip on The Better Way!

I was proud and pleased that our school was represented at Links to Computing Day by such a fine contingent of future “carpenters,” security experts, and Martian explorers!

The best students!

I really think I have the best students!

My grade-10s are taking seriously the challenge I set them earlier this week: If you want the privilege of using computers when I’m absent and there’s a Guest Teacher in class, you must demonstrate exemplary behaviour. Today, without exception, everyone was working hard in our review lesson and in independent study. And I’m confident that everyone will give the Guest Teacher and the Student Hosts her full cooperation tomorrow. In fact, I’m looking forward to a glowing report!

My grade-11s and -12s are taking seriously the challenges of thinking differently about programming—shifting from the procedural to the object-oriented paradigm—and learning in a split-grade classroom. There’s much uncertainty in the room, but much confidence in their abilities to meet the challenges over time. I also like to think that their quiet cooperation and patience reflects their confidence in me, but I might just be imagining that!

My IB grade-11s wrote the Cayley Contest today, and their aplomb was inspiring: The contest administration was smooth, quiet, efficient, and calm. Really, I think I needn’t have been in the room! (But don’t worry, University of Waterloo, I was there!) As I observed my students concentrated effort, I marvelled at their maturity and composure.

Really, I think I have the best students!

The 411 on 911

I’m always delighted to give extra help to students who were not able to get their questions answered during class or who encountered homework troubles that couldn’t be answered via our wiki’s Discussion forum and e-mail. I ask only that these students allow themselves enough time to benefit from that extra help.

Extra help is available every morning in our lab—and most lunch periods, too—but it benefits students little if they arrive just a few minutes before the start of class. This makes sense, doesn’t it?

The 911 on 411

Special thanks are due Class C, today! Their lesson was a bit muddled, but they took it in their stead with their usual patience and good will. I’ll try to do better next period!

Java has changed our world

Since 1995, Java has changed our world—and our expectations.

Today, with technology such a part of our daily lives, we take it for granted that we can be connected and access applications and content anywhere, anytime. Because of Java, we expect digital devices to be smarter, more functional, and way more entertaining.

In the early ’90s, extending the power of network computing to the activities of everyday life was a radical vision. In 1991, a small group of Sun engineers called the “Green Team” believed that the next wave in computing was the union of digital consumer devices and computers. Led by James Gosling, a Canadian, the team worked around the clock and created the programming language that would revolutionize our world: Java.

The Green Team demonstrated their new language with an interactive, handheld home-entertainment controller that was originally targeted at the digital cable-television industry. Unfortunately, the concept was much too advanced for them. But it was just right for the Internet, which was just starting to take off. In 1995, the team announced that the Netscape Navigator Internet browser would incorporate Java technology.

Today, Java not only permeates the Internet, but also is the invisible force behind many of the applications and devices that power our day-to-day lives. From mobile phones to handheld devices, games and navigation systems to e-business solutions, Java is everywhere!

This posting is taken from The History of Java Technology. You might also like to read the Java History Timeline. The image of Duke, the cartoon character associated with Java, is from Duke: Java Glossary.

Joyful noise!

The last classes of the week are often my favourite—not because the work week is ending, but because Lab 218 is transformed into Studio 218 on the last day of each week. Students prepare, in advance, a playlist of legal, non-pirated music for the enjoyment of the entire class, and the lab—I mean, studio—is filled with a joyful noise!

I’ve never been disappointed with my students’ musical selections, and I’m often exposed to new artists whose albums I can buy and enjoy at home.

Today’s playlist was produced through the collaboration of Doggy Dog Dog, and everyone was appreciative of their efforts.

I look forward to next week’s “noise!”

Links to computing

The good folks at the Department of Computer Science & Engineering of York University have offered my senior students a great opportunity to learn about links to computing at a special orientation day. We’re pretty excited about that!

Computer science is about so much more than programming—though programming is major neat! Computer Science (CS) spans the range from theory to practice to cutting-edge inventions. CS makes graduates aware of new technologies and new ideas and is a foundation for many different computing careers. Computer scientists do varied work. They design and build software and create efficient solutions to real-world problems in fields such as robotics, computer-enhanced vision, and digital forensics. Individual computer science programs allow students to specialize in one or more of these fields.

Computer science is computer engineering (CE): CE students study the design of digital hardware and software including communications systems, computers, and devices such as phones, MP3 players, DVRs, alarm systems, x-ray machines, and even laser surgical tools. Increasingly, CE specialists integrate customized hardware and embedded software, to improve existing technologies and invent new ones.

And computer science is Information Systems (IS): IS specialists design computing solutions that provide companies, non-profit organizations, and governments with the information they need to achieve their goals. IS employs computer systems to implement and improve the way organizations work. IS professionals combine their knowledge of computing and organizations to bridge the gap between technical and business specialists. Most IS programs are found in business schools, and may go by such names as management information systems, computer information systems, or business information systems. All IS degrees combine business and computing topics, but the emphasis between technical and organizational subjects varies.

Of course, computer science is even more: Information Technology, Software Engineering, Informatics, …

What are your links to computing? How will computing science star in your future?

Thanks to the CSTA for the information used here.

How can we know what we don’t know?

When every one of your students was born in the microcomputer age, and none knows a time without computers, how much should you assume that they know about the basic operation of a desktop computer? What basic vocabulary can you be certain will be understood? Can you take for granted that they can use the standard features of an operating system and of applications? Do the fundamentals of the interface need to be explained? What about the shortcuts that enhance productivity?

And if students don’t know what they don’t know, how can you ask them to tell you?

I quite like my students: they’re personable, friendly, polite, respectful, energetic, engaged, enthusiastic, intelligent, diligent, and committed. But I’m sometimes surprised by the gaps in their knowledge. They’ve spent their whole lives with and around computers, yet to them much of a computer’s operation is a black box.

I always worry about spending too much time on fundamentals at the risk of boring the more knowledgeable students, and about spending too little time at the risk of losing students to whom the funda­mentals have never been taught.

My job in both cases is to turn a black box into a glass box; but in a community of learners, how can my students take responsibility for what they don’t know they don’t know?

Can a blogger blog about blogs?

I guess he can, if the blogs in question are those of his students!

This past weekend, I read with great interest the blogs of my students. They are informative, honest, optimistic, and energetic—and they offer significant insight into students’ progress.

In class today, I talked about the importance of putting one’s best face on public pages on the Web: these pages reflect on their authors, and they will be judged (only in part, of course) by the quality of the work they put on public display.

For most of my students, this is the first experience with blogging—and with publishing live on the Web. I know that as the semester progresses, these blogs will show students’ evolving awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and actions, and the effect of these on their skills, accomplishments, and satisfaction.

I’m certain that this blogger will be blogging about blogs again!

Ask 1,000 questions

Asking questions: that’s the key to mastering our new web-design skills. I’m delighted by the quality and volume of the questions I’ve received and by the good progress all are making on their websites!

It’s gratifying to see this progress, the help students are offering their classmates, and the effective independent research so many are conducting on the Web.

Of course, the Discussion Forum of our class wiki is another great resource—as are questions. Everyone is encouraged to ask 1,000 questions—and then ask 1,000 more!

Can a leopard change its spots?

Can a leopard change its spots? Perhaps not. But a website’s spots—that is, its format—can be changed with a few keystrokes.

Today we had an introduction to cascading style sheets, the simple but powerful tool that allows us to change all of a website’s pages—even if they number in the hundreds or thousands—with a change to a single file: a stylesheet.

Stylesheets can be as simple or as complicated at the website’s designer wants and can be changed as frequently as s/he desires.

In my experience, students are often more interested in the formatting of their pages than they are interested in the content. Of course, I’m more interested in the content, and I look for formats which enhance the reading experience by providing non-ostentatious support for the text.

A leopard can’t change its spots, but a website can change its format—just as I changed this blog’s format today, to illustrate my point!

Validation Man!

Today we explored the differences between absolute and relative links using the example of representative student Victoria Windsor and the autobiography of Validation Man: able to validate a page with a single click!

I'm so proud of the work of my students: many have their pages validated and live on the Web. In a day or two we’ll tackle cascading style sheets and then students can wrap up their first assignment.

I know that Validation Man would be impressed by how much they’ve learnt in such a short time!

A gallery of choices

What a hectic—but useful—day!

This morning we hosted the Gallery of Choices so that students could see what courses are available to them next year. In the Computer Studies department, we have a great selection available: computer studies and computer science for grades 10, 11 & 12; and computer engineering for grades 10 & 11.

Tremendous thanks are due to Tasfia, Prashanth, Zarin, Grace & Pearl for their hard work in setting up our wall displays and their enthusiastic discussion of CS with prospective students. I couldn’t have done it without them!

Thanks, too, to my classroom students for their hard work in a much-shortened teaching day. Things should be much calmer tomorrow!

From ON to BC without leaving TO

How can you travel to Parksville, BC without leaving Toronto? Easy! Just FTP there!

Today students saw a quick demonstration of moving files via an FTP client to our webserver on Vancouver Island. How neat is that?

I was impressed by the energy and good will of my classes as students worked hard to create their first validated websites.

I’m looking forward to seeing their work live on the Web—without having to leave Toronto!

High School Musical

Today we held our first Studio 218 of the semester, and I think it was a success. At least, no one's ears bled!

I'm so impressed by the hard work and good spirits of my students! Today we covered a lot of material about creating a webpage from scratch: understanding that webpages consist of HTML code which describes the structure and content of the page, and CSS code which describes the page's format; creating HTML code in a plain-text file; identifying HTML elements with tags; and distinguishing between elements which are containers and which are empty, and between start and end tags. Not to mention special character entities!

It was a lot to take in, and I know that there’ll be lots of questions on Monday. But that’s okay: lots of questions means lot of effort, and anything worth learning is worth a struggle!

I'm also pleased that students have started using the Discussion Forum of our class wiki. It’s great seeing students help one another advance their computer-studies knowledge and skills!

Today my students—and Studio 218—rocked!

Happy new year—and classes!

It was a real treat to meet my new classes, today. Everyone seemed sharp and eager to learn, and I’ve the feeling that this is going to be a great semester!

There’s lots of hard work ahead of my students, but they look ready for the challenge and I know that they’ll be proud of their accomplishments at semester’s end.

Happy new year—and classes!