thomsen.

How to use Screencastify Lite using tabs.

2015-07-22T17:02:00.001-07:00

Don't know how to use screencastify? Lost? Check out how to use screencastify lite and see how it looks like. Screencastify Lite is for Chromebook lovers and doesn't work on any other platform. Here you will learn how to use screencastify for tabs.

I went bowling today and it was awesome!

2015-06-05T17:54:00.001-07:00

End of the year for the school year working for Stanbridge Academy. Some of us decided to go bowling and it was tons of fun! I did pretty good, got over 95 in both of my games. Here a picture and yes, I get to check this off of my bucket list for the year 2015! May summer finally begin! Yes, one of my co-workers photobombed the picture and didn't realize it! ;-)

Summer Plans. Yes, I need your input.

2015-06-02T21:01:00.001-07:00

With five days of work left, what should be my summer plans? Maybe it might be best to come up with a bucket list that I would love to do for the Summer of 2015? Excellent idea.

Make this story about you (my fans)
2-50 are your suggestions! Please leave a comment below!
Skydive
Meet Marlee Matlin
Write a top10 post about dead related apps
Go camping
Write a political post
Make new friends.
Go bowling.
Read a book.
Watch a new show.
Visit a new place in Cali.
Swim again.
Workout and lose another 20 pounds.
Put a secret in a balloon.
Try a semi extreme sport.
Be proud of your work.
Write a letter to a politician.
Write a letter to a family member.
Learn something new.
Try something new everyday.
Take an underwater picture.
Lay in a hammock and enjoy the moment.
Do something out of your comfort level.
Show off something you're proud of!
Go to the beach.

Yearbook.

2015-06-02T17:47:00.001-07:00

CVS and Old Men's Glasses

2015-05-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm having trouble seeing with my blurry eyes. The problem is not as bad as before. Some days, my eyes are blurry. Some days, my eyes are just fine. Funny though.

Today, I decided to do something that I have never thought of doing. While at CVS, I decided, well, why the hell not to try on some reading glasses. So, I go to the pharmacy area and find the section that has reading glasses. The first, +2.50, was too strong for me. So, I try on the +1.00 and those were too light. Just like the three bears, the third one was perfect. +1.50. Yet, when I turned over the glasses to see the price. Well, I immediately put them back on the rack! $24.99 for a lame pair of reading glasses! Holy smokes! Good thing I'm still very young! I think I'm gonna wing it out until my next vision check or until I"m 98 years old!

Blurry Eyes

2015-05-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Lately, my eyes have been bothering me. It's been three years since I last had my eyes checked, so I think it's about time to get my eyes checked soon. It's weird. Before I could read just fine using my glasses and see far. Now, I can still see far, but when I try to read, it's alittle blurry. It might just be the glasses. They're all scratched up and loose. But the weird thing again is that I tried my contacts on as well the other day and I had the same problem again. I couldn't read well and the words were blurry when I tried to read.

I would really love to get my eyes fixed using lasers technology. I remember ten years ago that to get it done it was quite expensive. So, I'm thinking now, the prices should be cheaper. I don't know much about this kind of technology, but if you know of anything or have any advice on where to get your eyes done, feel free to leave a comment!

And the season ended...

2015-05-10T03:58:00.002-07:00

And the season is just getting started!

2014-09-24T23:33:00.004-07:00

Long Beach Sunset Canel

2014-09-12T23:44:00.001-07:00

What is Skytyper?

2014-09-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

Dormant Six Flags

2014-09-12T23:38:00.001-07:00

SF Giants Clouds

2014-09-12T23:33:00.001-07:00

I love Star Trek: The Next Generation!

2014-09-12T23:27:00.001-07:00

3-D Printing and Clay Modeling

2014-09-06T17:56:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous two post, History of 3-D Printing and Teaching 3-D Printing with Learning Disabilities, that I will be teaching 3-D printing. Yesterday, we completed the last day of the City X Project where the students had to make 3-D models of their prototypes with clay. After that, they used the rest of their time to research websites that had 3-D models examples that they can use when deciding on what to make. The students love this since it was hands on and they got to compare their ideas with the ideas of their classmates. They were also able to suggest better ideas on how to make each other prototypes better!

Here are the prototypes that they made!

How about 200,000 hits?!! Totally awesome!

2014-09-06T17:40:00.001-07:00

How I'm going to react to the alarm when I wake up tomorrow to coach waterpolo dryland training...

2014-09-04T22:40:00.001-07:00

Yes...at 5:00 am.

Teaching 3-D Printing with Learning Disabilities

2014-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Being new to teaching 3-D Printing is quite the journey. With little experience, coming up with a new curriculum to teach 3-D Printing is a daunting task. To add more on top of that, teaching 3-D printing to kids with learning disabilities is even more daunting. When you teach at a private K-12 school, while the classroom ratio is extremely small, the task of individualizing a student class work is still challenging when you have several student who are outliers within the classroom. Here’s an example, you have a student who has low functioning skills, a student with high functioning skills, a student who is on the Autism Spectrum, how do you explain on every level what the “The Design Process” is before start making 3-D prototypes?

You realize that everyone has a different learning style. That’s the answer. You use visual. You have handouts. You write things on the board. You have it up as a powerpoint. You let them draw. You let them talk it out.

You also have to do your research. You have to look into a curriculum that’s not too advanced, but not too low for the advanced students. That’s where City X Project comes in.

City X Project is making teaching the first two weeks of 3-D Printing easy for me and for my students. The first day, we completely focused on “The Design Process” and incorporated fun workshops where they learned the tools to adapt, empathize, collaborate, and innovate. They saw videos that demonstrated how 3-D is applying to real-world challenges and how modern thinkers and inventors are helping citizens deal with real-world challenges.

The workshop has an engaging story that helps give the students content into 3-D.

City X Project has a great curriculum guide to help you guide through the process with ease. However, if you’re new to 3-D Printing, it is highly recommend that you read the guide afew times to know when you might have to go back to something if the students get confused or if you get confused yourself. Even myself, I missed some minor details, but after double checking, I was still able to answer all of my students questions.

What is also terrific about this curriculum is that it is also aligned with STEM, 3D Technology and Common Core Standards requirements. This is excellent since many school are adapting Common Core Standards into their curriculum and since they already have it, you don’t have to go through the entire Common Core Standards to find it.

City X Project has some great outside resources that you can use for 3-D Modeling such as mentioning Tinkercad, 123D Designs, Cubify.com and others! They also have a great FAQ section in their workshop guide and additional resources for you to add on your 3-D curriculum.

City X Project can be integrated into other subject(s) such as History, Language Arts, Science, and even Math!

If you have already used City X Project, I would love to hear back from you on what worked, what didn’t worked, and what you think City X Project could build on to make this curriculum even better :-)

History of 3-D Printing

2014-08-28T22:22:00.003-07:00

One of the new courses that I'm teaching this year is 3-D printing. I am extremely excited about this since I think this will be a great opportunities for our students to learn a course that has every thing needed for STEM requirements! I'm not sure how this class will go, but what I plan on doing is documenting this class as much as I can and share my experience with you and you can use what I've learned educate yourself and/or share with others! Feel free to check out this presentation and if you have any questions or want to leave a suggestion, just leave a comment!

Okay, you're burned out, I understand, but...

2014-08-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

The pistols are coming out from all angles. The question marks are looming upon you. The dreams, each night, gives you headaches. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times is starting to second guess you by using satire by using Abraham Lincoln speech and do a lazy DJ mixology of your shortcomings. Do I really care? Yes and no.

The problem that I'm having right now is that the concept of you being a loner in the Oval Office is, well, not what expected. What I expected for was someone to bring this nation together. What I expected for was for someone to give the United States, one of the greatest countries in the world, the confidence its needs to be great again. Yet, ISIS happened. Then, Ferguson. Then Ebola. Then, Putin. Then Chinese fighter pilot decided to be the next Top Gun.

Yes, this is your second term. But you need to understand that some of the greatest presidents did some of their most iconic stands during their second terms. I don't have to remind you who they are. Can I safely assume that to become President of the United States that you have studied some of the best POTUS and what they did in their second terms to be successful? You need to remember that Congress is your best friend. You need to remember that the Supreme Court is your best friend. As a professor of the Constitution, you need to remember that going the Founding Father "worked together" to find a common ground.

So help me help you to Golf better. For Maureen Dowd forgot to understand that Golf is a game of patience. Something that she has long forgotten to tame herself to understand.

Yes, I am disappointed that you didn't do better to save an American journalist from being beheaded by ISIL. Yes, I am disappointed that you sent Eric Holder to save face for Ferguson. But, that doesn't prevent me from believing that you can do better. Actually, I'll be more personal, I was piss off that you let ISIL behead an American journalist. And I know that hundreds of thousands of American like me feel that way. I also know that you have the great might of the American militarily who are equally piss-off as I am about ISIS. These great American men and women want a leader to lead them to show ISIS that they don't know who they are messing with.

Why isn't it that now the Islamic State is painted as a greater threat to the United States than al-Qaeda? Why has it come to the question now?? The answer seems to be that you are starting to turn your back against your most senior foreign policy and military advisers. Why?

Are you being cautious? Are you trying to kill two birds with a stone? Or are you just burned out?

The New York Times Editorial Board has called out on you about ISIS. In fact, they believe that defeating ISIS will require a military operation. Well, they didn't say that in those own words, they actually said, "organized, longer-term response". Lame, they should call it as it is. A military operation. Yes, you are being cautious, since, laying out a coherent vision of how to stop "this cancer so that it does not spread", will have double edge sword. Why? Because if Saudi Arbia's highest religious authority, the grand mufti, calls ISIS and Al Qaeda the "enemy No. 1 of Islam" then something needs to be done.

Doing nothing is not an option and being burned out, is not an option either.

Earthquake in Napa Vally, CA: What early warning system would be beneficial for deaf/hard of hearing population?

2014-08-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's kinda weird, but I didn't feel the earthquake. I actually slept through it. I guess being deaf and being a deep sleeper, that's a benefit of missing out on a 6.0 earthquake that about 50-60 miles away from you. People are talking about an early warning system, but if that happened, how would it work for someone who's deaf/hard of hearing like me? Besides, the early warning system that we have is only good for the first 10-20 seconds before an earthquake starts.

My question is: if you could build an early warning system for earthquakes for people who are deaf/hard of hearing, what would it look like? What would it do?

Best Quote Ever.

2014-08-22T22:41:00.001-07:00

1. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” The Empire Strikes Back

Summer Fun Rolling in the Beach

2014-08-22T22:27:00.002-07:00

Well, this is it. In less than a week, my summer vacation will be completely over. I'm not sure how I feel about it. For once, it felt long. Now it's time to get started on getting ready for school. Dang. And to remember what day of the week it is!

All copycats.

2014-07-25T00:22:00.002-07:00

If I decided to tell a story, would you sue me? It's not like any story that you ever heard of, but it might be a story that you might as well understood why I might be sued for it. Blah. Sued? I'll tell you what? This story is by far and large, it's own story. The problem is, nobody likes a real story. Seriously, look at all the stories written by the latest writers of the 21st century. All copycats.

The window of time did not show...

2014-07-25T00:17:00.001-07:00

The window of time does not show the purpose of life. If we were given the ability to not only foresee the future, would we still understand the purpose of the life that we were suppose to live? Or even, understand the purpose of the life that we are suppose to live. This, only you can understand and answer this question. Some believe that the window of life is small (very little) while others believe that the window of time is timeless. The window of time can be defined as the numbers of opportunities that is/are experienced in an individual lifetime. What and how you define your window of time will define how you choose how you want to live your life.

What is in your window of time?

It seem like the time takes more than...

2014-07-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

It seem like the time takes more than what it should have been. My mind seems to wonder, as if, dazed by the trees that have been passing by. Trees after trees. When does a time come when time does not seem fazed by the blurriness of trees? The nimblest of my fingertips touch the glass, deep in thought. As I pull each fingertip from the cold glass, you can faintly see outlines of my fingertips. First goes my thumb, then my index finger, then the rest fazed into the window of time, spurred by the speed of a bus moving quickly through the mountains. My thought quickly faded as a slight bump into my seat by the young girl who is slightly dazed from her sleep. My dark blue eyes, straight ahead on the road, yet, as the road curves road approaches, it remains to be unforeseen to what lies ahead.