Monday, June 11, 2018

Calculus 2017-2018: AP Final Projects! (June)

Calculus 2017-2018:
AP Final Projects!
(June)

BYE, BYE AP Calc BC Period07

I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT YEAR IN MY CLASS, 
I HOPE YOU LEARNED A LOT THIS YEAR WITH ME, 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT YEAR NEXT YEAR, AND 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Review All Of Calculus AB In 20 Minutes?


Every Monday we have a MCQ Monday Mock exam and review it during the week. Every Friday we have a FRQ Friday Mock exam and go over it the following week. We've been doing this forever and we're going a little cuckoo! Don't worry, the AP exam will be here before you know it!


1st YouTube Wednesday: Symphony?


March YouTube Wednesdays

RECOMMENDED AP CALCULUS BC REVIEW:
CRIB SHEET (not given during exam) 
REVIEW BARRONS BOOK 
REVIEW BARRONS ONLINE 

REVIEW DELTAMATH AB CALC FLASH CARDS
REVIEW APCENTRAL (lastest BC FRQs)

REVIEW APCENTRAL (older AB FRQs)
REVIEW APCENTRAL (older BC FRQs)
REVIEW EDX MOOC01 
REVIEW EDX MOOC02 
REVIEW COURSERA MOOC03 

XTRA CREDIT FILKS RUBRIC:
1) Use a recognizable tune.
2) Karaoke the whole song, 
2) changing up the words (STEM).
3) You are in the whole video,
3) Singing, Dancing or Playing an instrument.
4) You upload your video to YouTube,
4) providing me with the url.
5) YouTube Description includes the lyrics.

XTRA CREDIT ARTICLES RUBRIC:
1) Cover Sheet is a Summary of the article.
2) Full Page, 12 pt Font, 
2) Double Spaced, 1" Margins.
3) Article has to be STEM related
4) Article has to be a current event.
5) Copy of entire article is attached.

Well, that's all folks!
Teaching with Technology, 

Computer Science 2017-2018: Final Project! (June)

Computer Science 2017-2018:
Final Project!
(June)

BYE, BYE AP CompSci Period06!

I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT YEAR IN MY CLASS, 
I HOPE YOU LEARNED A LOT THIS YEAR WITH ME, 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT YEAR NEXT YEAR, AND 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Review All Of APCS In 60 Minutes!


Every Monday we have a MCQ Monday Mock exam and review it during the week. Every Friday we have a FRQ Friday Mock exam and go over it the following week. We've been doing this forever and we're going a little cuckoo! Don't worry, the AP exam will be here before you know it!


1st YouTube Wednesday: Symphony?


March YouTube Wednesdays

RECOMMENDED AP COMPSCI REVIEW:

CRIB SHEET (given during exam)
REVIEW BARRONS BOOK 
REVIEW BARRONS ONLINE 
REVIEW APCENTRAL (past FRQs)
REVIEW EDX REVIEW MOOC01 
REVIEW UDEMY REVIEW MOOC02 
REVIEW CODING_BAT 
REVIEW PRACTICE_IT 
REVIEW DELTAMATH 

XTRA CREDIT FILKS RUBRIC:
1) Use a recognizable tune.
2) Karaoke the entire song changing up the words (STEM).
3) You are Singing, Dancing or Playing an instrument.
4) You upload your video to YouTube and provide me with the url.
5) YouTube Description includes the lyrics.

XTRA CREDIT ARTICLES RUBRIC:
1) Cover Sheet is a Summary of the article.
2) Full Page, 12 pt Font, Double Spaced, 1" Margins.
3) Article has to be STEM related
4) Article has to be a current event.
5) Copy of entire article is attached.

Well, that's all folks!
Teaching with Technology, 

preCalculus 2017-2018: Final Review & Finals! (June)

preCalculus 2017-2018:
Final Review & Finals! 
(June)

BYE, BYE PRECALC PERIOD01!
BYE, BYE PRECALC PERIOD03!
BYE, BYE PRECALC PERIOD09!


I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT YEAR IN MY CLASS, 
I HOPE YOU LEARNED A LOT THIS YEAR WITH ME, 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT YEAR NEXT YEAR, AND 
I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!


Intro Calculus Units 2-3-5 ScreenCasts





1st YouTube Wednesday: Symphony?



March YouTube Wednesdays


XTRA CREDIT FILKS RUBRIC:
1) Use a recognizable tune.
2) Karaoke the entire song changing up the words (STEM).
3) You are Singing, Dancing or Playing an instrument.
4) You upload your video to YouTube and provide the url.
5) YouTube Description includes the lyrics.

XTRA CREDIT ARTICLES RUBRIC:
1) Cover Sheet is a Summary of the article.
2) Full Page, 12 pt Font, Double Spaced, 1" Margins.
3) Article has to be STEM related
4) Article has to be a current event.
5) Copy of entire article is attached.

Well, that's all folks!
Teaching with Technology, 

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

CIS(theta), 2017-2018 June Meeting: Maker Space?

CIS(theta), 2017-2018 
June MeetingMaker Space?
June Update
We're still is a bit of a holding pattern, I'm afraid. We did everything we can do without any new hardware (see below). So, let's see if next month we finally get a delivery from BOCES? If not, our last meeting will be just for handing out binary graduation cords to my Seniors for the National Computer Science Honor Society! 


March Post
Before we can continue with our openMPI project, we need a Linux Cluster! We used to have a classroom full of quad-core Linux boxes where we could setup a 100-core 50 GFLOP/s cluster for free! Now we only have Windows boxes, what to do? So, instead of going with Big Iron, maybe we should switch gears and try building our very own Little Fe Linux Cluster out of Raspberry PI 3.0 single board computers? As I type, we are looking into funding for a project similar to the one you see in the YouTube clip above. Maker Space, here we come!

March CIS(theta) Update: 
We are still waiting for funding from BOCES for our RPI project. So, this month we just burned 25 Fedora Game Spin 27 DVDs and had a BZFlag Game Day right before Easter Break!

Donorschoose Update: 
We got 4 codrones funded in just 27 days! Thanx to all my generous donors! Our latest Donorschoose campaign raised money for 2 codrones in just 7 days! Our first Donorschoose campaign took 20 days. These codrones will be used in our final project in AP CompSci after AP Exams. 

March Homework!
In the meantime, you can download the BCCD ISO file and burn your own bootable CD. BCCD stands for Bootable Cluster CD. Don't worry if your first burn doesn't boot. You can use that CD as a "Linux Coaster" for your favorite beverage the next time you play on SteamOS. If you can make this work at home, try to run GalaxSee HPC Module from the BCCD documentation page.


Also, here's our fourth reading assignment. BTW, I was an editor on this book. That's why I recommend it. It's all about setting up and programming a Linux Cluster aka Super Computer with COWS (Commodity Off-the-shelf Work Stations = ordinary PCs). What's unique about this book is that it uses Java for all its coding samples making it an easy read for anyone who has taken AP CompSci!

NEW DECOR (Display Case):
Featuring ChromeCast & Processing!


NEW DECOR (Room 429):
Featuring Tapestry from RedBubble!

So, what's all this good for aside from making Fractal Zoom or Shrek Movies?
SETI Search
Econometrics
Bioinformatics
Protein Folding
Beal Conjecture
Scientific Computing
Computational Physics
Mersenne Prime Search
Computational Chemistry
Computational Astronomy
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Computer Algebra Systems (CAS)

These are but a few examples of using Computer Science to solve problems in Mathematics and the Sciences (STEAM). In fact, many of these applications fall under the heading of Cluster Programming or Super Computing. These problems typically take too long to process on a single PC, so we need a lot more horse power. Next time, maybe we'll just use Titan!

====================

Membership (alphabetic by first name):
CIS(theta) 2017-2018:
BrandonB(12), JoehanA(12)

CIS(theta) 2016-2017: 
DanielD(12), JevanyI(12), JuliaL(12), MichaelS(12), YaminiN(12)

CIS(theta) 2015-2016: 
BenR(11), BrandonL(12), DavidZ(12), GabeT(12), HarrisonD(11), HunterS(12), JacksonC(11), SafirT(12), TimL(12)

CIS(theta) 2014-2015: 
BryceB(12), CheyenneC(12), CliffordD(12), DanielP(12), DavidZ(12), GabeT(11), KeyhanV(11), NoelS(12), SafirT(11)

CIS(theta) 2013-2014: 
BryanS(12), CheyenneC(11), DanielG(12), HarineeN(12), RichardH(12), RyanW(12), TatianaR(12), TylerK(12)

CIS(theta) 2012-2013: 
Kyle Seipp(12)

CIS(theta) 2011-2012: 
Graham Smith(12), George Abreu(12), Kenny Krug(12), LucasEager-Leavitt(12)

CIS(theta) 2010-2011: 
David Gonzalez(12), Herbert Kwok(12), Jay Wong(12), Josh Granoff(12), Ryan Hothan(12)

CIS(theta) 2009-2010: 
Arthur Dysart(12), Devin Bramble(12), Jeremy Agostino(12), Steve Beller(12)

CIS(theta) 2008-2009: 
Marc Aldorasi(12), Mitchel Wong(12)

CIS(theta) 2007-2008: 
Chris Rai(12), Frank Kotarski(12), Nathaniel Roman(12)

CIS(theta) 1988-2007: 
A. Jorge Garcia, Gabriel Garcia, James McLurkin, Joe Bernstein, ... too many to mention here!
====================

Well, that's all folks!
Happy Linux Clustering, 
AJG

Friday, June 1, 2018

ScreenCasting 2.0

ScreenCasting 2.0 
Recently, there was a discussion on how best to make ScreenCasts for our students on the AP Calculus forum. I'm no expert, but I've been playing with tech in the classroom forever, so here's my 2 cents anyway:

I've been ScreenCasting and "SmartBoarding" for my students for 10 years now, way before Kahn Academy was a household name and long before we had actual SmartBoards at my school! So, I guess I'll say I'm self taught and have learned a thing or two from my mistakes along the way. 

I've used several different solutions, aka hardware and software combinations, over the years and everyone has their own style and preference. So, please feel free to take from this blogpost what you think you can use and leave behind rest. It's your call!

BTW, above you will see one of my first CompSci ScreenCasts ever from 2009! Also, for comparison's sake, here's a blogpost from 2011 entitled ScreenCasting 101. Here's another related blogpost also from 2011 about SmartBoards and Linux!

Please note: I have used Linux, not Windows or Mac, since it came out in 1995. However, I'll try to describe OS neutral solutions. 

BACKGROUND
I started with a BlueTooth tablet and a PC projector both attached to my desktop PC. If I recall correctly, the tablet was a Wacom Graphire 6x8 (10" diagonal) which was nice since it connected easily over BlueTooth using a BlueTooth dongle in a USB port. 

Actually, we got this tablet from a SmartTech rep rebranded as the Smart Airliner Slate. That's how I got a copy of SmartNotebook before anyone else at school! This tablet also had a capacitive surface and the stylus had a magnetic tip which made it easy to hover over the tablet as a pointer without writing. 

The problem with this tablet was that you had to crane your neck to see what was displayed on the PC Projection Screen. Unlike a modern Android Tablet or iPad, you could not see anything on the tablet itself! I also had a cheap lapel Mic (FM 75MHz) from Radio Shack! In addition, I had a nice PC Projector from Donorschoose

Finally, I made my recordings "Live" during class so they were about 40 minutes each at my High School and 1 or 2 hours each at my Community College Summer Session. See above my first AP Calculus BC ScreenCast ever at the High School from 2009!

TODAY
Now I'm trying to make what I call "Shorts" whereby I record only 10-20 minutes after the lesson in question has been taught in class summarizing just the most important points (see preCalculus sample above from 2017). As far as my hardware and software solutions go, I have primarily settled on 2 different styles, one for Math and another for CompSci.

MATH-VERSION-01
When I'm recording a Math lesson I like the freedom I have to draw all over the SmartBoard (see sample preCalculus Midterm Review above from 2017). So I attached a nice USB Mic by Blue Yeti right next to the SmartBoard up in the front of my class. 

Everything I write and say is recorded from the SmartBoard. I know some people use SmartNotebook Recorder but that program makes really huge video files. So, I use SimpleScreenRecorder for Linux. A similar program you can use in Windows, running right off your Chrome browser, is ScreenCast-o-matic (I was a beta tester when they had Linux support) which I use whenever I'm on the road (conferences, summer school, etc). I then upload an MP4 file directly to my YouTube channel and link the video to Edmodo or Blogspot for sharing with my students. 

COMPSCI-VERSION-01
When I record for Computer Science class, I am not usually at the SmartBoard writing equations and drawing diagrams all over the place like a mad scientist (my kids think I'm like Sheldon, as in the mad scientist in TBBT: The Big Bang Theory sitcom on CBS). More often than not, I'm typing code and explaining what I'm doing as I'm typing away (see sample CompSci lesson above from 2014). To accomplish this I add a keyboard and mouse to my SmartBoard, on the PC in the back of the room, and record as above. My room is setup (see masthead) with the Teacher PC that's connected to the SmartBoard in the rear of the room so that I can see everyone is on task as I'm teaching CompSci since all the Student PC monitors face the rear.

MATH-VERSION-02
COMPSCI-VERSION-02
However, lately I've ditched the SmartBoard, PC, Projector, Keyboard and Mouse entirely. Please see the Math (2016 post AP Exam review) and CompSci (recent 2017 classwork) samples above.

BTW, I don't like SmartNotebook much either. Any Pen App that saves your work to pdf to share with students will do. I like to use Xournal, for example. I don't need all the bells and whistles in SmartNotebook. I've said this many times before, but here we go again: Don't drink the Kool Aid!

Anyway, lately I've found that working with a more modern tablet (ie: not the Wacom) to be a much better solution. A modern tabIet, weather it be Andriod or iOS based, has a lot more horsepower under the hood and a high resolution, high contrast color display showing everything you write as you write it. Imagine the luxury! 

I would strongly recommend a high-end tablet if you go this route. I hear a 3-in-1 (with tablet, laptop and tepee modes) like the Lenovo Yoga is very nice. However, the Yoga is a Windows based device. Sorry, I'm not a fan. I like to use FOSS: Free Open Source Software. Technically, I prefer to use FLOSS everyday (Free Linux Open Source Software). BTW, I won't touch iOS either (too proprietary). 

I'm using the Samsung Galaxy NotePro 12.2" Android Tablet (Android is based on Linux). What's nice about this solution is that the S-Pen is very easy to use if you want to do Math Lessons and everything you need to ScreenCast is built into this one device. You don't even need a SmartBoard, projector or mic! The tablet stands in for all those devices in one! However, if you want to type, as in a coding class, you may want to add a BlueTooth Keyboard and a BlueTooth Mouse (the virtual keyboard is hard to use and covers half the screen when in use). 

A high quality mic is built in and there's tons of free apps in the Google PlayStore you can use for writing or typing and saving your notes or code as well as ScreenCasting apps. Right now, for example, I'm using the Autodesk Sketcher app for writing notes that I save to my Dropbox app and link to my Edmodo app. 

Lately, I've been using Repl.it in the Chrome app to type code. I've found the AZ Screen Recorder app very easy to use and I post my ScreenCasts directly to my YouTube channel via the Youtube app. 

I also have emulator apps for the TI-84C (Wabbitemu) as well as the TI-89 (Andie's Graph), TI-92 and even the TI-59 (for us old timers)! If I want the TI-nSpire, I have to use my SmartBoard as I have an emulator that is a Windows program called KARMTI running under WINE on my Ubuntu Linux 64bit Desktop.

HYBRID-SOLUTION
Sometimes I find myself in a situation where I don't have access to a SmartBoard. So, I use my tablet as a "Portable SmartBoard!" With a mirroring app such as TeamViewer or SplashTop (free to use only if all devices are on the same WiFi router) you can mirror your desktop to your tablet while your desktop is displayed on a PC Projector. Then you can control the whole shebang from your tablet using the S-Pen or BlueTooth Keyboard and Mouse!

WHAT-THE-FUTURE-HOLDS
Some classrooms at my school were recently "upgraded" to Epson BrightLink Interactive WhiteBoards which are larger and brighter than our SmartBoards (even bigger and brighter than my extra wide 78" SmartBoard with 885xi projector). 

The Epson whiteboards compete with SmartTech by addressing SmartBoard's shortcomings. For example, you can write on the board and share your notes without even connecting a PC. You don't need any software but there is a software package with extra features that's free! Everything you need is built right into the projector's hardware! Also, the projector can cast an image on any surface, even a table top for group work, so you don't need any special hardware in the board itself, any marker board will do. 

I think I'm going to have to stop referring to all this as ScreenCasting or SmartBoarding, how about Interactive WhiteBoarding?

IDK if I want this "upgrade." I do like the bigger and brighter image. Unfortunately, there's two problems with this hardware solution:

1) Epson's hardware and software are not compatible with SmartNotebook. So, if you drank the SmartTech rep's Kool Aid and wrote tons of notes over the years with SmartNotebook using all it's proprietary bells and whistles.... I'm afraid that you're up a creek without a paddle all on your own, sorry!

2) Also, one writes with an ink layer over a ppt or pdf or just a blank screen and nothing you write on the board shows up on the PC even if it is installed! So, how do you ScreenCast anything? 

Stay tuned for ScreenCasting 3.0 next year, I'll figure it out!

Generally Speaking,