Comments for The Third Bit http://third-bit.com/blog Data is ones and zeroes | Software is ones and zeroes and hard work. Thu, 24 May 2012 15:30:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on She Can Ride Her Bike! by SZ http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4484.html#comment-9381 SZ Thu, 24 May 2012 15:30:31 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4484#comment-9381 Great age! Enjoy it (until she discovers Facebook :) Great age! Enjoy it (until she discovers Facebook :)

]]> Comment on She Can Ride Her Bike! by Goofy http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4484.html#comment-9374 Goofy Tue, 22 May 2012 16:23:22 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4484#comment-9374 wow rapid development cycle I presume wow rapid development cycle I presume

]]> Comment on Teach Teachers What They Use, Teach Kids Where They Are by DB http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4481.html#comment-9348 DB Sat, 12 May 2012 01:31:51 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4481#comment-9348 > "They don’t use Logo (or Scratch, or Python, or whatever) in their own work, so teaching it requires more effort." I can't think of to many uses for Logo outside of entertainment or as an introduction to programming, but I have used Python, HTML and JavaScript to help me do my job, both as a school music teacher and as a school librarian. Anytime a teacher needs to perform a repetitive action or analyze data there is a good chance that knowing a programming language will help. I've since moving from teaching to sheet music industry, and I use programming more than ever to help with proofing, create book indexes, etc. The point I'm trying to make is programming is a really useful skill even for those who don't plan to work full time as a computer programmer. I learned JavaScript in High School and Python in college and haven't learned any new languages since then, so I think it is especially important to teach programming in schools. > “They don’t use Logo (or Scratch, or Python, or whatever) in their own work, so teaching it requires more effort.”

I can’t think of to many uses for Logo outside of entertainment or as an introduction to programming, but I have used Python, HTML and JavaScript to help me do my job, both as a school music teacher and as a school librarian. Anytime a teacher needs to perform a repetitive action or analyze data there is a good chance that knowing a programming language will help. I’ve since moving from teaching to sheet music industry, and I use programming more than ever to help with proofing, create book indexes, etc.

The point I’m trying to make is programming is a really useful skill even for those who don’t plan to work full time as a computer programmer. I learned JavaScript in High School and Python in college and haven’t learned any new languages since then, so I think it is especially important to teach programming in schools.

]]> Comment on Architecture of Open Source Applications: Volume 2 by The Architecture of Open Source Applications, Volume II: FreeRTOS… released! | Said Svec http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4476.html#comment-9340 The Architecture of Open Source Applications, Volume II: FreeRTOS… released! | Said Svec Tue, 08 May 2012 21:45:01 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4476#comment-9340 [...] very happy how it turned out; it was a lot more work than I expected, but it was worth it. Greg Wilson and Amy Brown edited the heck out of it, I would love to work with either (or both) of them again. [...] [...] very happy how it turned out; it was a lot more work than I expected, but it was worth it. Greg Wilson and Amy Brown edited the heck out of it, I would love to work with either (or both) of them again. [...]

]]> Comment on …Which Is Wrong by Greg Wilson http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4471.html#comment-9305 Greg Wilson Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:42:10 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4471#comment-9305 Hi James, You will learn a lot more from working through the exercises yourself, but if you would like to get your professor to mail me from his or her university account, I'd be happy to discuss it with them directly. Thanks, Greg Wilson Hi James,
You will learn a lot more from working through the exercises yourself, but if you would like to get your professor to mail me from his or her university account, I’d be happy to discuss it with them directly.
Thanks,
Greg Wilson

]]> Comment on …Which Is Wrong by James http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4471.html#comment-9304 James Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:30:32 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4471#comment-9304 Hi, my name is James I'm a student at university in south korea Would you do me a favor? I bought a book the book is following Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python) It is very useful and interesting for me to study about python but, exercsises is very difficult for me so, i want a solutions of exercises If you are possible to help me please send a E-mail to me I want to hear good news thank you Hi, my name is James
I’m a student at university in south korea
Would you do me a favor?

I bought a book
the book is following

Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python)

It is very useful and interesting for me to study about python
but, exercsises is very difficult for me
so, i want a solutions of exercises

If you are possible to help me
please send a E-mail to me
I want to hear good news
thank you

]]> Comment on …Which Is Wrong by Greg Wilson http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4471.html#comment-9264 Greg Wilson Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:54:43 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4471#comment-9264 I agree that most teachers, most of the time, will do the right thing. I've also made all the same complaints about bureaucracy that Howard makes. However, I know people who have been victims of individual failures: of teachers who didn't care about/were uncomfortable around kids with special needs, who excused bullying by saying, "Boys will be boys" (I'd guess, but can't prove, that some were probably bullies themselves at that age), who refused to teach evolution (or the germ theory of disease---c'mon, have you ever actually <em>seen</em>a germ?), and so on. The more we trust teachers, the more <em>those</em> teachers will have a free hand. I'd like discussion of how to improve education to start with "how do we balance these requirements", rather than with Howard's simple-minded scapegoating. I agree that most teachers, most of the time, will do the right thing. I’ve also made all the same complaints about bureaucracy that Howard makes. However, I know people who have been victims of individual failures: of teachers who didn’t care about/were uncomfortable around kids with special needs, who excused bullying by saying, “Boys will be boys” (I’d guess, but can’t prove, that some were probably bullies themselves at that age), who refused to teach evolution (or the germ theory of disease—c’mon, have you ever actually seena germ?), and so on. The more we trust teachers, the more those teachers will have a free hand. I’d like discussion of how to improve education to start with “how do we balance these requirements”, rather than with Howard’s simple-minded scapegoating.

]]> Comment on …Which Is Wrong by Benoit Jacob http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4471.html#comment-9263 Benoit Jacob Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:42:59 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4471#comment-9263 I haven't read the article, but as someone who lives with a middle-school teacher, I believe that the education system should trust teachers to do the right thing. The way things currently go in many countries (at least, for sure, Canada and France), every decade or so there is a new fashionable ideology about how education should work and teachers are asked to reorganize their courses to accomodate it. So while I haven't read Mr. Howard's article, if it's just saying that schools should trust teachers, then I prefer that over then current statu quo where the school system is coercing teachers into fitting in their ideology du jour, and disempowering them along the way, turning them into interchangeable workforce. I haven’t read the article, but as someone who lives with a middle-school teacher, I believe that the education system should trust teachers to do the right thing. The way things currently go in many countries (at least, for sure, Canada and France), every decade or so there is a new fashionable ideology about how education should work and teachers are asked to reorganize their courses to accomodate it. So while I haven’t read Mr. Howard’s article, if it’s just saying that schools should trust teachers, then I prefer that over then current statu quo where the school system is coercing teachers into fitting in their ideology du jour, and disempowering them along the way, turning them into interchangeable workforce.

]]> Comment on Greener Grass by Lorin Hochstein http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4469.html#comment-9258 Lorin Hochstein Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:08:04 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4469#comment-9258 In this vein, Chabon's "Gentlemen of the Road" is a fun read (swashbuckling Jews!). He also has some interesting things to say about the whole genre-fiction-as-low-art thing in "Maps & Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands". In this vein, Chabon’s “Gentlemen of the Road” is a fun read (swashbuckling Jews!).

He also has some interesting things to say about the whole genre-fiction-as-low-art thing in “Maps & Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands”.

]]> Comment on The Audrey Test by Should Howard County Board of Education candidates take the “Audrey Test”? « Frank Hecker http://third-bit.com/blog/archives/4455.html#comment-9197 Should Howard County Board of Education candidates take the “Audrey Test”? « Frank Hecker Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:55:13 +0000 http://third-bit.com/blog/?p=4455#comment-9197 [...] more about technology and business than they do about education. For those folks Audrey Watters, spurred on by Greg Wilson (whom I know from my Mozilla days), has created the “Audrey Test”, or [...] [...] more about technology and business than they do about education. For those folks Audrey Watters, spurred on by Greg Wilson (whom I know from my Mozilla days), has created the “Audrey Test”, or [...]

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