Reinventing the Wheel

Finally, the end of the summer session is here. Actually, I shouldn’t say finally because it’s gone pretty fast. I think I might be the only one who is a little disappointed that we’ve had half our classes cancelled (mostly in the last week). Not having taken a formal stats course, I was looking forward to the Chi-squared statistic lecture in 695. /math nerd/ Also, the discussions we’ve had in 649 and [(402+490)/2 == 446???] have been really interesting. Especially the discussion about ID and evolution. Every time that discussion comes up, my eyes roll to the back of my skull and I get this vision of me being fired for making fun of creationists==ID-ists. I guess I haven’t learned as much from our diversity class as I thought, because I still don’t have much tolerance for even engaging in that ‘debate.’ Just the fact that teachers have to qualify their units on evolution with statements about belief/religion/faith is ridiculous. Does one need to ‘qualify’ one’s unit on gravity incase some people have faith that little magic invisible pixies pull all objects to the ground? I don’t see the need. Obviously, the magic pixie theory is possible. Obviously, the magic pixie theory is impossible to verify by the scientific method and in fact there is no scientific evidence that supports it. This might be why it’s not discussed in a science classroom. Ok, enough…

One thing I was hoping for out of the summer session was this: how do we actually use this stuff in our content area classrooms? Socratic seminars and substantive conversations are great, but how do I use them in a physics or math classroom? I have to believe there is a way and I can’t believe I’m the first one to think about this. Is there some resource from which we can get ideas or will we have to reinvent the wheel? This applies to the 504 Tech class too. It’s great that we’re learning how to start a blog and use RSS feeds and make podcasts. But I could have done all this stuff myself in like an hour instead of two or three 3-hour sessions on Friday afternoons. And if I had one-on-one help from experts like Jeff and Liz, it might have taken less than 45mins. Then I could concentrate on how to apply this new stuff to a physics or math class. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to do this stuff in the content area class.

Overall though, it’s been an all around amazing six weeks. Amazing instructors, amazing classmates, and an amazing amount of work. Also, amazing. Meow.

The future: We're going to Leelanau in NoLo, Mich the week of Aug 10. Yes, I did just coin the term "NoLo." There's a lot of baseball to be played in the next 2 weeks: 3 regular season games, one more that isn't rescheduled yet and then the tourney. 31 days until football season + I saw The Dark Night last weekend == me am happy.

So it’s been four weeks in the Sec MAC program at Michigan. Within those four weeks, I have completed a ‘Leadership’ topic for ED649 and taken the MTTC basic skills, physics and math tests. Both more than what most had to do thus far. The Leadership topic was easy enough and the MTTC basic skills test was laughable. But, taking the math and physics exams within the same 4.5hr time block was pretty brutal. The content of the exams wasn’t that difficult, but taking both at the same time really makes time a factor. I can’t recommend taking both in the same session, or taking all three the same day. The tests are all individually easy enough to not stress about, so why create the stress of inserting a time constraint on your self? Believe me, it’s not worth it. In short, Risk ≥ Reward.

Now, after the first few weeks, I decided to make sure that my life wasn’t totally dominated by the MAC program. Playing in the Ann Arbor men’s hardball league is a great distraction. And Tuesday I caught the first 6 innings of the All Star game after hitting the batting cages. Thursday was game night and Saturday was another game day (2-5, 2 BB, 2 1B, 1RoE, 1R, 2E* over 2 games). Now, I’m camping with Jennifer (my wife), Abby (my daughter) and Becca (sister in law). Unfortunately, it’s raining. However, we were still able to go swimming and get a fire going for smores. Camping never seems to work out for us in terms of weather, but we have a cabin with A/C instead of a tent. So we have that going for us. Abby is swimming better than I could have imagined at this early age. Especially since we don’t have a permanent pool at home. Club Wolverine, here she comes!

You may have noticed the NPH linkage above this post. I was listening to NPR the other day on the way back from class and they mentioned the latest intra-web sensation. Naturally, NPH is the star of the show. But really, when was the last time NPH wasn’t a sensation? Probably 1991-2004. Sometime around then. Anyway, NPR rocks in this superhero musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Brief synopsis: Dr. Horrible (NPH) is trying to join the Evil League of Evil. He chronicles his attempts via video blog. Moderate hilarity ensues. Honestly, there are few LOL moments, but it’s worth a peek. I caught it for free, but now I think it’s only available via ipod download for $X.99.

Other news: We’re having a boy in Nov. My old roommate Tony is on his way back to the States. Meeeechigan football starts in 6 short weeks. The week 4 Sec MAC to-do list actually seems manageable if I can get started on Sunday (wooooo only 4 major projects!). I still haven’t seen Dark Night == frowns.


* @($#*($^#^&#^@*^#@*@#*!)!&!&!@&! in a cheese grater with sugar on top.

What is this?

This is what those who surf this here intraweb call a weblog. But you already knew that. The purpose of this blog is what you want to know. Well, there are several. The catalyst is school. I'm currently enrolled at the Univeristy of Michigan's School of Education. The Teaching with Technology course (Educ 504), requires that all students start a blog. So one aspect of this blog will focus on reflecting on my experiences in this unique education program. A short description of the program:

I'm pursuing what is called a SMAC: Secondary Master's (of Education) And Certification. This is SMAC in a nutshell: Masters degree + Teaching certification in 11 months. It's intense, but I'm three weeks into it and so far it's manageable. There’s lots of reading and soon lots of writing.

The other focuses of the blog are evident from the title: my teaching content area (physics, astronomy and maybe a little math). The rest will be filled with family related posts. My beautiful wife and daughter support me in everything I do. And soon my family will expand to include a baby boy, due to arrive the week before Thanksgiving.

Anymore you want to know? Leave a comment!

The Intrawebs Are Now Full

This is the first post of my blogging career. If my wife knew that this program would require us to create a blog of our own, she would have never let me apply. Here's the link to the reason why: MGoBlog.com.

Here's some video of my daughter:




Let's end the 1st post right about..........now.