sferik/t · GitHub A command-line power tool for Twitter. The CLI takes syntactic cues from the Twitter SMS commands, however it offers vastly more commands and capabilities than are available via SMS. I have been using TTYtter: an interactive console text-based command-line Twitter client and Perl platform (whew!) but t looks like it could be a pretty powerful tool in… Read more →
Beware of pretty charts
Study: Prettier Charts Can Be Harder for Students to Read Graphics are often intended to engage children in learning otherwise dry material, such as data on a chart. Yet new research from Ohio State University suggests increasing charts’ artistic appeal can interfere with students’ ability to comprehend the information they represent. What do you think? Read more →
How young is too young to learn to code
Forget Foreign Languages and Music. Teach Our Kids to Code With the help of a custom Java applet, he was able to get kindergartners to write a tic-tac-toe program, based on step-by-step rules the students formulated as a group. And using colored balls and string, he taught the kids how to create graph algorithms, an essential component of computer science.… Read more →
Progress breeds complexity
Upon reflection of my post from yesterday, I started thinking that I was being too harsh. The problems with technology becoming too difficult to use stems more from us wanting to do more with them than the year before. Look at the evolution of the iPhone. When it was released, there was no App Store, no cut and paste, no… Read more →
Computers are to difficult to use and I’m proud of my digital illiteracy
Computers are too difficult and people are computer illiterate Adults have worn their computer illiteracy as a badge of pride for many years now so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that their children share their digital inadequacies. Moreover, neither group is even willing to try to solve a problem when they encounter it. As recent privacy and malware issues have demonstrated,… Read more →
Using Google Sheets for a new hire workflow
Apparently, there is some interest in a workflow for new hires. At the beginning of the year I worked with our superintendent’s secretary and others in the administration offices to create a workflow for new hires. This way we know exactly what has been and hasn’t been done for new hires. Here is the worksheet. Getting started Open the document… Read more →
Why are you integrating technology?
From School plus I have a new favorite quote for today: “When Gutenberg invented the printing press, we didn’t have Europe plus books. Instead we had a whole new Europe.” When adding technology, you want a whole new school, not just school plus technology. Go over and read George Coursos’ full post, he’s hit it out of the park yet… Read more →
#tlah Pancake hacking
Last night we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express which offers a continental breakfast. My 9 year old daughter was fascinated with the automatic pancake maker. Simple as can be, press OK and less than a minute later a pancake pops out. I was curious. What if I wanted more than one? As the maker worked its magic, I noticed… Read more →
Which iPhone should you buy?
TLDR; The 5S. If you didn’t know, two new iPhones were released on the 20th to join the 4S. Since Apple has three iPhones, you may be wondering what’s the difference, which one should I get. Here’s what I think of the three models. The iPhone 4S This phone isn’t worth it even when given away for free with a… Read more →
History teacher and class discover Boston’s own Forest Gump
The Briefcase …they slowly uncovered the life of a man who not only oversaw the liberated Dachau but also found himself a participant in an uncommon number of consequential events throughout Massachusetts and U.S. history. In a way Delaney couldn’t have imagined when he first popped open the suitcase that day, Joyce would turn out to be something akin to… Read more →