New Puppy

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We are getting a new puppy this week.

Arrow & the Turkeys

Arrow & the Turkeys

In the spring of 1997 we got our first Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD). A  Great Pyrenees. Scanner. She changed my life. My birds were safe from local predators – all day long AND all night. You see, LGDs work 24/7. They like it. It’s what they do.

They protect the critters in their territory in whatever way is necessary. Now, before you go thinking that this is some sort of macho, kill the nasty coyotes deal, understand that LGDs are among the most natural canines there are. They are VERY intelligent, but they are also VERY independent. They have been selected and bred, for centuries (at least), to live with and protect the flocks and possessions of the human shepherds who depend on them. This means a number of things:

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It’s all a matter of point of view…

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  • for a computer scientist, everything is an algorithm.
  • to a musician, everything is a song.
  • to a writer, everything is a story.
  • to thespians, everything is a play.
  • to a film-maker, everything is a movie.
  • to an educator, everything is a lesson.
  • to a set designer, everything is a set.
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Refereeing as an Art

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I like this explanation.

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What’s the Difference Between a College and University?

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OR: Growing Pains: How to Evolve from a College into a University

And, in particular, how to become a university of which everyone can be proud.

I’ve been pondering this question as I am now at an institution (which I believe has great promise) that is poised to change from being a college with a very good reputation for student satisfaction, to being a undergraduate university with a reputation it must build.

Then there are many faculty who have been at the college a long time. Many of those have chosen to stay at the college because it is what it is. What will it mean to become a university?

There are (primarily) new faculty who have come to the college expressly because it is going to become a university. They have personal research agendas. If they are not given the time, space, and access to the necessary infrastructure to actually do their research, they will not stay. This means that the only people who will stay, are those not interested in doing real research. No amount of branding will be able to change the fact that the institution will retain the culture of a college.

I am one of the new guys on the block, but one who has literally grown up in a university environment (a university that has gone from first-rate, one-to-be-proud-of to third-rate, and one that brings shame to anyone left who still has integrity). This gives me a perspective that may be unique.

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How to avoid the 70-hour work week.

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Warning: what follows is another rant.

So here I am working at a new job.

I really like the institution (for the most part).

I really like the faculty (for the most part).

I really like the job (for the most part).

BUT (there’s always one of those when a post starts off like this)….

I have been at it for 2 months now and I am becoming more and more (and MORE) frustrated. Wanna know why? If you do, keep reading. Continue reading →

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Why Should Students Come to Class if They Already Have My Notes?

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Once again, there is an article where some professor (or group of professors) laments that people won’t come to his(her) class if they have prior access to their notes.

Students profit from diligent note-taking Knetwit.com offers cash, gifts for students who submit lecture notes online, but some faculty members fume

If your concern that students won’t come if they already have notes is legitimate, IT MEANS YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. Students SHOULD have access to your notes, slides, and any other resources you use. They should be coming to class because you ADD something. If you can’t add anything, then maybe you don’t deserve to be in the classroom.

Do you read your notes? Do you read your slides? I hereby invite you into the 21st century.

Do you really believe that the path to knowledge should go only through you? How arrogant is that?

Coming to class is typically (even with a merely average teacher)  the most efficient way to get the information one needs for that course. Trying to make up the difference by NOT coming to class and then “studying” on one’s own takes at least three times as long. Class = 1 hr VS self-study = >= 3hr. If, on the other hand, as an instructor, all you do is read your notes, shame on you.

The scary part is that HALF of everything is below average – including teachers and professors.

Maybe there should be student tuition options….. – Pay 25% more tuition to get the Premium Education – get taught only by our GOOD instructors! (not those economy instructors)

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When will Tech Companies figure out that it’s actually GOOD business to have a DRM that isn’t draconian?

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There’s a big todo about EA’s DRM – and rightly so. It’s  no wonder Spore is being pirated at amazing rates. You know – many people would be willing to pay for it (and NOT try to steal it) if EA would only permit you to actually own what you bought.

The Penny Arcade provides a lovely analogy:

“Imagine, though, an unsuspecting bibliophile returning home with their copy of The True-Born Englishman
only to discover that once they’ve read it, the pages turn to ash. Or maybe they can read it and let a couple of friends borrow it, but that’s it. No more reads, thank you very much. What if they find that there is someone lurking outside their library window, watching them, making sure no one else catches a glance of page 32? Or, god forbid, they try to go and sell the book back?”

Be reasonable and you’ll find thefts go down.

Really, Will, I know you’re a reasonable man, can’t you do anything about this?

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Kids These Days (sheesh)….

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Net Gen kids cheat, they say….

OK, this annoys me.  Apparently, we learn very little through the millennia.

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” ( Attributed to SOCRATES by Plato ~400BC)

The Net Generation Cheating Challenge
Valerie Milliron and Kent Sandoe, Innovate, Vol.4 No 6
“ABSTRACT:
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the best we have to offer in higher education. Integrity flourishes in an environment that encourages mutual respect, fairness, trust, responsibility, and a love of learning and that is maintained by safeguards like clear expectations, fair and relevant assessments, and vigilant course management (McCabe and Pavela 2004). Compelling evidence of widespread academic dishonesty among Net-Generation students threatens to undermine both the environment of trust that nourishes integrity and the safeguards that ensure it.

Net-Generation students’ disregard of societal norms regarding academic honesty coupled with their nearly constant connectivity to each other can severely undermine assessment, whether it is done online or via more traditional methods (Exhibit 1). Our experience with unauthorized online quiz collaboration demonstrates how students can subvert the quality of online grading and how initial infractions can spread to pollute the learning environment, raising the question of whether the grades assigned are valid measures of what the enrolled student has learned. The results of our study reinforce the importance of using the latest technology to design a more secure learning environment and foster an appreciation for academic integrity.”

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