Chit Chat

Animated Google Doodle

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Google

Check out the Google Doodle today. In honor of Martha Graham, the doodle is animated.

Can Learning Really Be Fun and Games? | MindShift

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Can Learning Really Be Fun and Games? | MindShift

I can imagine it took a lot of time and organizational skills for this teacher, Ananth Pai, to create the curriculum for his class, but it sounds like it is paying off. Is it the novelty that makes the pay off possible, or is he just really good at choosing games that provide the exact learning his students need?

Are You a Games Geek?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:02:00 +0000

ARIS Games is hosting a Game Jam. They are calling on people to create Augmented Reality games. You can join them in person in Madison, WI or stay and home and be an armchair game designer.

I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but they have an open source programming tool that is supposed to make the creation of an Augmented Reality game simple enough for a novice to do. They are so sure people can do this, the Game Jam is being held over a weekend (50 hours) and they expect people to create at least 50 games during that time.

Serious Games Helping To Push Cereal Boxes Off The Shelves | SERIOUS GAMES MARKET

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:29:00 +0000

If you haven't already viewed the video I posted about in my previous entry...go watch it now! Then take a look at the link below. It describes an Augmented Reality game currently available on cereal boxes in 50 countries (and you thought the U.S. was the most technologically advanced country!). It is scheduled to hit our supermarket shelves in 2015. (and why will it take 4 more years to be available here???)

Serious Games Helping To Push Cereal Boxes Off The Shelves | SERIOUS GAMES MARKET

The Future of Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:26:00 +0000

Click on the title of this entry and you'll be taken to a video about the future of gaming. I admit, the first part isn't all that interesting, unless you are curious about the amount of money Facebook games are bringing in. But hang in there. About halfway through, Professor Jesse Schell starts describing an average day in the future and how gaming has infiltrating every part of our lives.

I have to admit that some of what he suggests seems over the top, while other aspects seem down-right scary. But, there are some cool aspects, too. And, after seeing this video, I've begun to see the seeds in our current world that could easily take root and grow into the types of gaming Schell describes. After watching the video, you'll understand why I nearly jumped out of my seat when I noticed a waitress at 99 Restaurant last night with a V8 tattoo!

Games for Effective Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Today I posed a few questions to teachers who are members of edWeb. I have been researching educational games and would like to know what teachers think about educational games. What I have found so far in digital games seem to boil down to these three categories:

Electronic Flash Cards -- Even though they may not look like flashcards in the digital environment, that's all they really are. Students make their way through a game answering questions.
Real-world window dressing -- These games appear to be set in the "real world." Students take on the role of spy or investigator. Along the way they have to complete "missions" which often involve lessons not dissimilar from what they would see in a textbook. These "missions" have nothing to do with the storyline. Students complete the "mission" by answering a few questions correctly. The receive tokens or some sort of reward, and then they move ahead in the story.
Virtual reality -- Students often participate in virtual reality games as themselves, rather than as a character. They encounter problems or situations that could truly happen in the real world. Students learn by doing. Tutorials are provided if students need help doing something that is happening in this virtual world.

I'm anxious to see how teachers respond to my query. I believe there is a time and place for electronic flashcards. I see them as a way to become fluent in a new skill. I don't know of any other way to remember the meanings of German words. But when it comes to learning a new skill, I'm more of a learn-by-doing sort of gal. I never learn how to drive to a new location by sitting the in the passenger seat. I have to drive their myself to really learn the route. (And, now that I have a GPS telling me where to go, I'm not learning the route even when I'm driving.)

Education vs. Banking

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Jon Stewart is so good about making obvious points that the folks yammering rhetoric fail to see. Why do many people in our country expect teachers to make concessions with their meager pay, yet don't bat an eye at the salaries bankers are making -- with OUR TAX DOLLARS?

I hope the teacher's unions take a page from the NFL playbook and start suing state governments.

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Conspiracy Code

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:39:00 +0000

Check this out! Students who "attend" the Florida Virtual School can take an American History class that is disguised as an online game. I hated history, but I think I'd love this game. Can I go back to virtual school???

Florida Virtual School - Conspiracy Code

Is the Internet Destroying Your Productivity? | MonsterThinking

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:04:00 +0000

This article on the benefits and distractions of using the internet made me think about my internet life in a new way. Coates, and editor at The Atlantic, is quoted as saying that it was fear, rather than procrastination, that was the root cause of his distraction.

I find when I have total confidence in what I’m doing, I spend little time online. I may view a few sites to get specific information I need, but then I’m off. When I’m not certain, I spend time surfing the web hoping to find that bit of information that will give me the confidence I lack.

This happens not only in relation to my work life, but in my personal life as well. The article pointed out that we can become driven to check sites, especially those where people can leave comments about you or something you wrote, because you get instant feedback about yourself. It's all about you. When I think about the times I would check a site several times a day to see if anyone left a comment, I realize now I was looking for someone to tell me that I'm ok, or, even better, that I'm a brilliant genius, the best thing since sliced bread, and the 8th wonder of the world!

I’ve convinced myself that wandering the internet soaking up information is like a plant soaking up fertilizer. It’s a good thing to do while I wait for an idea or project to take shape. But there is such a thing as too much fertilizer, and the plant dies. I need to find the balancing point between using the internet to help boost my creativity and productivity and the point where I’m so over saturated I can barely move.

Is the Internet Destroying Your Productivity? | MonsterThinking

Wiki--What?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Today I discovered the non-profit organization that makes Wikipedia possible. I didn't realize they have other "products" including Wiktionary, Wikiquote, and even Wikinews where you can submit or read news articles from all around the globe.

The division I am most excited about is Wikimedia Commons. Here you can find images, sounds, and video free to use. Yippee!!! This will provide a lot of content for a website I'm working on.

One interesting video that I can see generating a lot of math problems is shows a mechanical clock created in 1509 in Nuremberg. By today's standards, it's no Timex, but it is still very cool.

Let the Voting Begin!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:37:00 +0000

Today is the first day of voting for the Instructables Pi Day Contest. Get out and vote early...and often! ;-) You have to log into Instructables to vote, but you can do so using your Facebook account name and password.

While I hope I get a ton of votes, I'm also glad that this contest is not just a popularity contest. The Instructable judges will choose half of the finalist based on votes. They will choose the other half based on their own criteria. The winner will be the one the judges choose after rating them all on a 10-point scale. So, even though I don't have a ton of contacts online who can get out an vote for me, I think I still have a pretty good chance of winning.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't go vote for me. Please....go vote!

Quick and Easy Pie Chart Pi Day Fruit Pizza Pie

Pi Day is a big deal for Raytheon

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Students within a 3.14 mile radius of Raytheon (in Waltham, MA) were surprised with a delivery of apple pies today.

See, I'm not the only math-geek-nut-job on the planet! ;-)

Pi Day is a big deal for Raytheon

Muse: Poe, E.: Near a Raven

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:04:00 +0000

Those of you who are poets at heart or who have a fondness for Poe may enjoy this poem. The number of letters in the words, starting with the title, coincide with the numbers in the digits for pi.

Us math geeks are quite the creative bunch!

Muse: Poe, E.: Near a Raven

Math Becomes Music: What Pi Sounds Like - Culture - GOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:31:00 +0000

Happy Pi Day Everyone!

I highly recommend watching this video in which a brilliant musician translated the first 37 digits of Pi into musical notes and chords. It is amazing!

Math Becomes Music: What Pi Sounds Like - Culture - GOOD

Show Your Work

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:43:00 +0000

Ok, so I recreated my Pie Chart Pie Day Fruit Pizza. I took a ton of pictures to "show my work" and created my Instructable. It wasn't nearly as fun as the first time around. But now I have two fruit pizzas to take to work tomorrow and share with my co-workers who are non-math geeks. They will probably think I'm nuts....and they'd be right.

Pie Chart Pi Day Pizza Pie (PCPDP2)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Only moments ago, the geek in me was excited as a kid on Christmas Eve. I didn't know how I would sleep between now and the momentous day when Instructables.com declares a winner for their Pi Day contest. I think I have a serious contender for winning the iPad2, engraved with 314 digits of Pi. What could be more exciting for a true math geek?!

What a difference a few minutes make. Now this geek is feeling strangled by the noose that can plague all geeks -- non-math related details. (Anything non-numbers related is superficial fluff, right?) When I first looked at the contest, I thought it was by a site called "Serious Eats". I thought all I had to do was make something that at least looked edible on camera that is related to Pi. What? There's more?

My creative and geek sides worked together in the most harmonious way to create an amazing entry. I took a photo of the finished pie that looks damn good, if I do say so myself. I just went to the contest site to submit my entry, and there were the details laughing at me. I can't submit just ONE photo and have it considered an Instructable! I have to include SEVERAL photos -- Here are the ingredients you'll need, here's Carol Merrall cutting the pie crust, here's what it looks like before it goes into the oven...and so on. Details!

Since I can't deconstruct my beautiful entry, I have to decide if it is worth it to go to the store, buy the ingredients again, and bring them home for an all-out photo shoot documenting every step. It's not that it takes a lot of time and effort...it's more that it's like asking someone to do a long division problem just to watch them do it. It was fun and exciting the first time around because it was problem solving at it's best. Now it isn't a problem to be solved. It's a rote process.

Making that comparison, now I understand why students get so bored with math. We often ask them to recreate the pie over and over again just so we can watch them do it. We need to offer them more opportunities to solve a problem they find fun and engaging.

Pi Day -- Almost Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:22:00 +0000

I am SO looking forward to Pi Day! This weekend I plan on making some Pi Day goodies for my co-workers. I'm hoping to make something worthy of entry into the Serious Eats Pi Day Pie Contest. I'm trying to think of something really creative and keep shooting down all of my ideas. It's a occupational hazard to over think something. Hopefully I can get into my creative mojo and whip up something fun.

Red Box Online

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:39:00 +0000

I've never used Red Box before. I've always found NetFlix more convenient. Now it seems Red Box is trying to compete with NetFlix. I'll give them a shot. It's worth a buck. I hope they have some different titles. It's getting harder to find things I like on NetFlix.

Budget repair bill passes Senate, Thursday vote set in Assembly

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Who knew there were such loopholes in our political system? (Obviously, you can see this Numbers Queen never did well in history and politics courses.) I can't imagine the legislature in WI being able to move forward after this.

Budget repair bill passes Senate, Thursday vote set in Assembly

Pi Day Challenge 2011 | Pi Day Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Are you up to the challenge? Take the Pi Day Challenge--a series of puzzles involving logic and math. The Challenge is open now and sounds like it will be running for the next several weeks.

When I logged in, before I completed any of the puzzles, I was ranked 543 in the world. It'll be interesting how far I can make that rank improve. I'll post updates as I complete puzzles. Let me know how you do by posting a comment. Have fun!

Pi Day Challenge 2011 | Pi Day Challenge

Education Week: Wis. Labor Bill Could Vex District-Union Relations

noreply@blogger.com (Ashleyshea) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:44:00 +0000

I like seeing an article that gets to the "real" level of the issues in Wisconsin. Some news sources lead you to believe it's all about health care and pensions, even though the teacher's union have said they would make changes to accommodate the budgetary issues.

This article talks about what would happen at the district level if teachers lose collective bargaining rights. Even some districts are not interested in teachers losing these rights. There are benefits for both the district and the teachers.

Education Week: Wis. Labor Bill Could Vex District-Union Relations