Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
OMGosh it's December!
In preparation of switching topics, this week let's look at sparkly new technology again. Yall already know my favorite sites for this:
http://www.yankodesign.com/
AND
http://www.productdose.com/
Please don't stop on Page 1. Dig back a few pages and pick something cool. Preferably something that has something to do with technology.
Talk to me . . .
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Blog 12 - 11/23/09
Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
So once more let's talk alternative energy, except this time let's specifically talk about our panel.
Thanks to Katie M. for the following pics:
Better yet, let's just walk out there and look at it . . .
Here is a link to the TXU site where they calculate how much energy that panel is capturing:
http://www.txu.com/residential/Solar_Academy4.htm
Click on TRACK YOUR SCHOOL.
Click on NACOGDOCHES ISD
Explore the site.
How much energy are we generating? How much have we generated this week? For the lifetime of the unit? How much stuff would it power right now? How many pounds of greenhouse gases have we avoided?
Answer any of these questions for credit for this blog.
And spend some time reading the comments from David C (our TXU expert) from the last two blogs. I've pasted them into our comment section.
Talk to me . . .
Oh, and P.S. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and be SAFE!
So once more let's talk alternative energy, except this time let's specifically talk about our panel.
Thanks to Katie M. for the following pics:
Better yet, let's just walk out there and look at it . . .
Here is a link to the TXU site where they calculate how much energy that panel is capturing:
http://www.txu.com/residential/Solar_Academy4.htm
Click on TRACK YOUR SCHOOL.
Click on NACOGDOCHES ISD
Explore the site.
How much energy are we generating? How much have we generated this week? For the lifetime of the unit? How much stuff would it power right now? How many pounds of greenhouse gases have we avoided?
Answer any of these questions for credit for this blog.
And spend some time reading the comments from David C (our TXU expert) from the last two blogs. I've pasted them into our comment section.
Talk to me . . .
Oh, and P.S. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and be SAFE!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Blog 11 - 11/15/09
Hola Internets! Good to see you again!
So this week let's look a little deeper into the solar technology, since that seems to be the topic of the most questions last week.
Here is a site that tells how solar panels are made. Go take a look:
http://www.solarpanelinfo.com/solar-panels/how-are-solar-panels-made.php
and here is a page on the same site that tell about inverters, which is the spiffy technological thingamajiggy that turns the sun into electricity:
http://www.solarpanelinfo.com/solar-panels/inverters/
and here's a link to the Department of Energy page on photovoltaics:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/photovoltaics.html
Spend some time on these sites, particularly the Department of Energy site (I thought it was really thorough). Come back and give me an opinion about how this stuff is made, about how it could change our lives, about how power is converted, etc. Any answer relating to solar energy will get credit. "That's cool" OR "I really don't care" as always, will not gain you credit.
Talk to me . . .
So this week let's look a little deeper into the solar technology, since that seems to be the topic of the most questions last week.
Here is a site that tells how solar panels are made. Go take a look:
http://www.solarpanelinfo.com/solar-panels/how-are-solar-panels-made.php
and here is a page on the same site that tell about inverters, which is the spiffy technological thingamajiggy that turns the sun into electricity:
http://www.solarpanelinfo.com/solar-panels/inverters/
and here's a link to the Department of Energy page on photovoltaics:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/photovoltaics.html
Spend some time on these sites, particularly the Department of Energy site (I thought it was really thorough). Come back and give me an opinion about how this stuff is made, about how it could change our lives, about how power is converted, etc. Any answer relating to solar energy will get credit. "That's cool" OR "I really don't care" as always, will not gain you credit.
Talk to me . . .
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Blog 10 - 11/9/09
Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
This week I would like to open up a discussion about alternative energy power. This is something that has been on my mind since I saw the solar panel that TXU placed out behind our school this summer. And we'll be getting to that in the coming weeks.
Now, I'm not a tree-hugging, fossil-fuel shunning, paper-recycling environmentalist. I do, however, have a lot of respect for those who support the ecology cause and can do that in a non-contradictory manner. For instance, don't be yelling at me about not having a paper recycling bin in my room that is in the school that you drove to in your fossil-fuel burning SUV. Just don't go there. Kinda like being vegan and wearing leather shoes, ya know?
But I do believe we need to be exploring alternative energy for many reasons, and not just those reasons based on ecology. Do I think we'll run out of oil and gas soon? Not in our lifetime. Do I think we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil? You bet, so that we can stop sending my students to war over it. But that's another blog for another time.
This week I want you to look at some alternative energy sites. There's some cool stuff coming in the energy arena. In West Texas they already have windmill farms with these HUGE windmills that we occasionally pass while they are being trucked down I-20. They take up an entire 18-wheeler bed and look like something from outer space.
And how about the guys who invented cold fusion in the 80's only to have all the other energy scientists say they basically must have been lying about it because it couldn't be duplicated?
So here are some sites relating to alternative energy. Go explore these websites, don't just go to the page my links point to. Come back and speak intelligently about one of the alternative energies that are available.
By the way, I hope to have a couple of guest bloggers during the next few weeks. One will be our very own Mr. Johnson and hopefully the other will be a representative from TXU. Please feel free to ask them any questions and let's have some real discussion. Check back in often.
Talk to me . . .
http://home.utah.edu/~ptt25660/tran.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/new_energy.html
http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/geothermal.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/cold_fusion.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/magnetics_and_gravitics.html
http://www.infinitepower.org/projects.htm
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_how.html
http://www.txu.com/residential/Solar_Academy4.htm
http://www.dailysentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/10/15/solar_panel_101509.html
This week I would like to open up a discussion about alternative energy power. This is something that has been on my mind since I saw the solar panel that TXU placed out behind our school this summer. And we'll be getting to that in the coming weeks.
Now, I'm not a tree-hugging, fossil-fuel shunning, paper-recycling environmentalist. I do, however, have a lot of respect for those who support the ecology cause and can do that in a non-contradictory manner. For instance, don't be yelling at me about not having a paper recycling bin in my room that is in the school that you drove to in your fossil-fuel burning SUV. Just don't go there. Kinda like being vegan and wearing leather shoes, ya know?
But I do believe we need to be exploring alternative energy for many reasons, and not just those reasons based on ecology. Do I think we'll run out of oil and gas soon? Not in our lifetime. Do I think we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil? You bet, so that we can stop sending my students to war over it. But that's another blog for another time.
This week I want you to look at some alternative energy sites. There's some cool stuff coming in the energy arena. In West Texas they already have windmill farms with these HUGE windmills that we occasionally pass while they are being trucked down I-20. They take up an entire 18-wheeler bed and look like something from outer space.
And how about the guys who invented cold fusion in the 80's only to have all the other energy scientists say they basically must have been lying about it because it couldn't be duplicated?
So here are some sites relating to alternative energy. Go explore these websites, don't just go to the page my links point to. Come back and speak intelligently about one of the alternative energies that are available.
By the way, I hope to have a couple of guest bloggers during the next few weeks. One will be our very own Mr. Johnson and hopefully the other will be a representative from TXU. Please feel free to ask them any questions and let's have some real discussion. Check back in often.
Talk to me . . .
http://home.utah.edu/~ptt25660/tran.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/new_energy.html
http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/geothermal.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/cold_fusion.html
http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/magnetics_and_gravitics.html
http://www.infinitepower.org/projects.htm
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_how.html
http://www.txu.com/residential/Solar_Academy4.htm
http://www.dailysentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/10/15/solar_panel_101509.html
Monday, November 2, 2009
Blog 9 - 11/2/09
Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
Man . . . I cannot believe it's November already! Can you?
I want to thank yall for the discussion on cell phone technology in the classroom. Many of you found some sites I haven't seen before. I will be compiling a list and sending it on to Dr. Hutto, along with a link to the blog, later in the week.
Many of you also asked some great questions that I wish I knew the answer to. Why IS it that private schools have a tendency to integrate cell phone technology use before public schools? What IF we allow the use of the cell phone in classrooms and some people can't afford them? What do we do then? Provide them for those people? As school teachers and administrators we are having these discussions all the time. We will get it figured out, that much I can guarantee. I can also pretty well bet most of you will be gone from here when we do. Decisions here have to be made on data, and that data is just now beginning to become available.
In preparation of switching topics, this week let's look at sparkly new technology again. Yall already know my favorite sites for this:
http://www.yankodesign.com/
Please don't stop on Page 1. Dig back a few pages and pick something cool. Preferably something that has something to do with technology.
Talk to me . . .
Man . . . I cannot believe it's November already! Can you?
I want to thank yall for the discussion on cell phone technology in the classroom. Many of you found some sites I haven't seen before. I will be compiling a list and sending it on to Dr. Hutto, along with a link to the blog, later in the week.
Many of you also asked some great questions that I wish I knew the answer to. Why IS it that private schools have a tendency to integrate cell phone technology use before public schools? What IF we allow the use of the cell phone in classrooms and some people can't afford them? What do we do then? Provide them for those people? As school teachers and administrators we are having these discussions all the time. We will get it figured out, that much I can guarantee. I can also pretty well bet most of you will be gone from here when we do. Decisions here have to be made on data, and that data is just now beginning to become available.
In preparation of switching topics, this week let's look at sparkly new technology again. Yall already know my favorite sites for this:
http://www.yankodesign.com/
AND
Please don't stop on Page 1. Dig back a few pages and pick something cool. Preferably something that has something to do with technology.
Talk to me . . .
Monday, October 26, 2009
Blog 8 - 10/26/09
Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
So let's get down to the nitty gritty with this cell phone thing.
How can we REALLY make these things useful in a school setting? REALLY useful?
Dr. Hutto has made it clear that if we could prove the cell phone's value in the scholarly setting he would ask the board to take a look at the policy.
Me? I don't care much one way or the other. So why am I such a cell phone nazi?
Here's the thing . . . If I let one person slide by with pulling their cell phone out of their pocket to check messages every 5 minutes, I'm pretty much giving everybody in the room the same permission. And before you know it there's an epidemic of Illegal Cell Phone Usage. It's like the plague.
Not to mention the fact that if you have time to be distracted by your cell phone then I am OBVIOUSLY not working you hard enough and I need to assign more stuff to do.
So let's really talk about it this week. Go out on the internet and do some research and see if you can find instances of schools using cell phones as part of the curriculum. You will need to post the link that YOU find so that I can check it out. OR you can give me some suggestions about how we can seriously use these things for good in a scholarly setting. These are the only two things that will earn you a grade this week.
Talk to me . . .
So let's get down to the nitty gritty with this cell phone thing.
How can we REALLY make these things useful in a school setting? REALLY useful?
Dr. Hutto has made it clear that if we could prove the cell phone's value in the scholarly setting he would ask the board to take a look at the policy.
Me? I don't care much one way or the other. So why am I such a cell phone nazi?
Here's the thing . . . If I let one person slide by with pulling their cell phone out of their pocket to check messages every 5 minutes, I'm pretty much giving everybody in the room the same permission. And before you know it there's an epidemic of Illegal Cell Phone Usage. It's like the plague.
Not to mention the fact that if you have time to be distracted by your cell phone then I am OBVIOUSLY not working you hard enough and I need to assign more stuff to do.
So let's really talk about it this week. Go out on the internet and do some research and see if you can find instances of schools using cell phones as part of the curriculum. You will need to post the link that YOU find so that I can check it out. OR you can give me some suggestions about how we can seriously use these things for good in a scholarly setting. These are the only two things that will earn you a grade this week.
PLEASE NOTE: Once a link has been listed twice you may no longer list it as your own.
Talk to me . . .
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Blog 7 - 10/18/09
Hola Peeps! Thanks for logging in!
This week is a video blog. On Tuesday we will watch a video from David Pogue, who is the technology reviewer for the New York Times. He spoke at this past year's TED convention (and yall know how I love me some TED videos . . .). In this video he tells us about several really cool cell phone things that I didn't know we could do. I'm betting some of yall don't know either.
As always, we will not be whipping out our cell phones in class to try these tricks!
On Thursday you can tell me what you think about his cell phone tricks. Will you use any of them? OR you can tell me about your own cell phone tricks that some of the rest of us might not know about.
Talk to me . . .
This week is a video blog. On Tuesday we will watch a video from David Pogue, who is the technology reviewer for the New York Times. He spoke at this past year's TED convention (and yall know how I love me some TED videos . . .). In this video he tells us about several really cool cell phone things that I didn't know we could do. I'm betting some of yall don't know either.
As always, we will not be whipping out our cell phones in class to try these tricks!
On Thursday you can tell me what you think about his cell phone tricks. Will you use any of them? OR you can tell me about your own cell phone tricks that some of the rest of us might not know about.
Talk to me . . .
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