This Made My Day/Improved My Day Thread!

[Surf314]

I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

Wow congrats! That's what my mom did for a while and now she is a materials coordinator or some shit. Basically she works with people like you to make better programs, or something.

[KarthXLR]

I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

What will you have the children engineer?

[kaese]

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

What will you have the children engineer?
[/quote]
Airplanes, roller coasters, all that fun robotics stuff. And my boss mentioned something about designing video games as well during the interview.

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

Wow congrats! That's what my mom did for a while and now she is a materials coordinator or some shit. Basically she works with people like you to make better programs, or something.
[/quote]
Thanks, yea the company's focus is basically to encourage children to get them interested and learn about more hard science-y fields.

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

There's hope for the future, one mind at a time. Congratz!
[/quote]
Thanks!  Certainly beats what I used to do. Sitting in my underwear playing video games and watching gay tennis.

[Dtrain323i]

Kase will be teaching Intelligent Design and the finer points of kerbal space program

[rumbot]

congrats.

just think, one of the kids you inspire might make the next breakthrough in advanced dildonics.

[Evil Cheese]

[quote author=Karth link=topic=3603.msg271359#msg271359 date=1378601360]
[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

What will you have the children engineer?
[/quote]
Airplanes, roller coasters, all that fun robotics stuff. And my boss mentioned something about designing video games as well during the interview.

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

Wow congrats! That's what my mom did for a while and now she is a materials coordinator or some shit. Basically she works with people like you to make better programs, or something.
[/quote]
Thanks, yea the company's focus is basically to encourage children to get them interested and learn about more hard science-y fields.

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271321#msg271321 date=1378508409]
I got a job teaching children science & engineering!

There's hope for the future, one mind at a time. Congratz!
[/quote]
Thanks!  Certainly beats what I used to do. Sitting in my underwear playing video games and watching gay tennis.
[/quote]

Nice! Sounds like it will be fun. Or interesting at the very least.

[FlyingMongoose]

Don't forget about minecraftedu, also the kerbal space program wouldn't be bad, there is also a planetary simulator on steam, as well as an open source one not on steam. There is also an educational programming initiative from Google.

In fact there are a lot of children programming software to help teach kids about that stuff
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/05/...g-to-kids/
https://code.google.com/p/blockly/
I think Google even has a kid code camp
http://Google.com/edu - they use their plus page for current events

My cousin basically does the same stuff for a children's museum, and for fun don't forget the dish soap and secret ingredient (butane) trick (on your hand )

Sent from my wireless communicator.

Anyway. Congrats.

[StolenToast]

Don't forget about minecraftedu, also the kerbal space program wouldn't be bad, there is also a planetary simulator on steam, as well as an open source one not on steam. There is also an educational programming initiative from Google.

In fact there are a lot of children programming software to help teach kids about that stuff
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/05/...g-to-kids/
https://code.google.com/p/blockly/
I think Google even has a kid code camp
http://Google.com/edu - they use their plus page for current events

My cousin basically does the same stuff for a children's museum, and for fun don't forget the dish soap and secret ingredient (butane) trick (on your hand )

Sent from my wireless communicator.

Anyway. Congrats.

My sister has a masters degree in technology in education.  I assume that means she does this kind of stuff.

[FlyingMongoose]

My sister has a masters degree in technology in education.  I assume that means she does this kind of stuff.

More than likely, Technology in Education is a very huge topic and definitely an important one. Teaching proper technological interaction in children also helps exercise their brains in critical thinking and problem solving (better than any traditional teaching methods ever did).

Think about it, I'll even use kerbal space program as an example:
Within that we have numerous principals of physics, thrust, lift, gravity, etc. Through that we can have the kids learn to problem solve. What is the minimum amount of thrust to allow your craft to reach a safe distance so that it can be positioned into a non-decaying orbit?

The kids will basically consider it a game, but they are problem solving, coming up with a solution, critically thinking.

With the planetary simulators you also have some of those same principals, however in this case the principals of mass to gravity are a more important item to teach. You can ask them to create a solar system in which the planets do, or do not have a decaying orbit, and include a periodic meteor on an elliptical orbit that would not hit the planet (at least for a millennia or two).

Creating an application, software, is logical thinking, algebraic expression (math), and problem solving in that as well. How do you get your application (or even game) to output the result you want to have it output?

The dish soap and butane thing is just kind of fun to do though. You can teach basic principals of, well, exothermic reactions.


I will advise you all to be careful as I describe these steps and urge to "not try this at home". Only do when monitored, should have safety goggles and someone nearby with a towel, or water, or fire extinguisher if something goes wrong. You will most likely lose hair on your hand or arm doing this. There is a chance of burning yourself.
Obligatory safety precautions out of the way, now to teach you how to set yourself on fire.

Take a large bowl (not a soup bowl, like a large salad bowl) fill it about 3/4 full of water (maybe a little less) and put dish soap into it mix it up some (try not to create too many bubbles you'll have plenty later)
Use a compressed butane refiller and press it to the bottom of the bowl. It will (obviously) bubble, as the liquid turns to a gaseous state within your soap/water you now have butane bubbles in the soap bowl.
Dip your hand in the water (submerge it, you'll thank me later)
Let it drip a little and grab a scoop full of bubbles (remember these are butane bubbles)
Scrape the back of your hand off on the edge of the bowl (you really don't want any large bubbles on the back side of your hand)
You now have a handful of butane bubbles and a soaked hand.
Hold hand away from cloth, body, face, anything flammable, etc
Use a lighter, and light the bubbles.
Butane ignites momentarily (you may have to close your hand to extinguish the flame so as not to burn yourself)
Overall the water covering your hand should protect you from most of the heat and it does not last long (a few seconds)

Congratulations you've set your hand on fire, this is one of the presentations my cousin does at the Mobius Science Center for Kids in Spokane, WA of course, they put electrical tape around the butane bottle and call it "the secret ingredient" and tell people not to try to do it at home.
That's one of his presentations he does... and so he uses it to teach about how the water protects his hand from burning.

[Vlambo]

A friend of mine just wrote his Masters Thesis for his M.Ed (He's got a B.SC and M.Sc in Math) on the topic of "Technology Tools and Teaching Math" The gist of it was that it's a crap-shoot. While all these tools are available, he said until there is wide-spread adoption, and they make the tools better, It will always be pen, paper and calculator.

[Elder]

A friend of mine just wrote his Masters Thesis for his M.Ed (He's got a B.SC and M.Sc in Math) on the topic of "Technology Tools and Teaching Math" The gist of it was that it's a crap-shoot. While all these tools are available, he said until there is wide-spread adoption, and they make the tools better, It will always be pen, paper and calculator.

thats how i learned it and thats how i like it.

there are few things more irritating than trying to use an already complex formula on a platform that is unintuitive

[FlyingMongoose]

A friend of mine just wrote his Masters Thesis for his M.Ed (He's got a B.SC and M.Sc in Math) on the topic of "Technology Tools and Teaching Math" The gist of it was that it's a crap-shoot. While all these tools are available, he said until there is wide-spread adoption, and they make the tools better, It will always be pen, paper and calculator.

I agree with the sentiment here, however my examples (primarily) provided critical thinking and problem solving. I consider pen, paper, and a calculator typically to be busy work, not as applicable to the real world. Last time I remember doing 150 math problems to turn into my boss was... wait no... I'm building applications and upgrading software... I'm not saying that math and this isn't important for education. I'm just saying critical thinking is and proper problem solving education (not busy work versions) are more important to real world application.

[Didzo]

I was planning on buying used, but then this happened.

[Didzo]

[quote author=Vlambo link=topic=3603.msg271383#msg271383 date=1378732700]
A friend of mine just wrote his Masters Thesis for his M.Ed (He's got a B.SC and M.Sc in Math) on the topic of "Technology Tools and Teaching Math" The gist of it was that it's a crap-shoot. While all these tools are available, he said until there is wide-spread adoption, and they make the tools better, It will always be pen, paper and calculator.

I agree with the sentiment here, however my examples (primarily) provided critical thinking and problem solving. I consider pen, paper, and a calculator typically to be busy work, not as applicable to the real world. Last time I remember doing 150 math problems to turn into my boss was... wait no... I'm building applications and upgrading software... I'm not saying that math and this isn't important for education. I'm just saying critical thinking is and proper problem solving education (not busy work versions) are more important to real world application.
[/quote]

The point of pen and paper goes far beyond just solving trig or calc problems. It forces you to look through a problem in a stepwise fashion, select the best way to proceed, and be able to fully understand how the solution is reached. If the answer is incorrect, you should be able to trace back and pinpoint exactly where a mistake was made. You might not use pen and paper to solve math problems all day, but in order to think critically and fully understand a solution or argument you make, you borrow from the methodology of pen and paper work. Repetition is what hammers a process into you. It's not fun, but it works for most people.

What I'm saying is that pen and paper work builds a solid foundation for critical thinking and it remains a necessity for scientific thought. It helps set a broad foundation that is necessary for complex problem solving and articulation of solutions.

That being said, I would like to see a greater emphasis in education on creativity and functional knowledge that requires applying your mind to solving problems that aren't formulaic or based on rote memorization.

[kaese]

I was planning on buying used, but then this happened.

Can you name it Tofu?

[Vlambo]

[quote author=Didzo link=topic=3603.msg271394#msg271394 date=1378781418]


I was planning on buying used, but then this happened.

Can you name it Tofu?
[/quote]

Doesn't the new redesigned model come out next year?

[at0m]

Maybe he doesn't like how the new one's going to look?

Nice choice!

[Elder]

Maybe he doesn't like how the new one's going to look?

Nice choice!

Wait didzo knows how to drive something thats not a sunderer?

[Didzo]

[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271398#msg271398 date=1378815356]
[quote author=Didzo link=topic=3603.msg271394#msg271394 date=1378781418]


I was planning on buying used, but then this happened.

Can you name it Tofu?
[/quote]

Doesn't the new redesigned model come out next year?
[/quote]

I need a car now and the price on this one was way below what the redesigns will go for. For the price diffference between what I paid and what I would pay for the redesign, I can almost double the horsepower. I also got some nice cosmetic touches and premium features at no extra cost due to it being at the end of its production cycle.

[at0m]

[quote author=Vlambo link=topic=3603.msg271400#msg271400 date=1378816865]
[quote author=Käse link=topic=3603.msg271398#msg271398 date=1378815356]
[quote author=Didzo link=topic=3603.msg271394#msg271394 date=1378781418]


I was planning on buying used, but then this happened.

Can you name it Tofu?
[/quote]

Doesn't the new redesigned model come out next year?
[/quote]

I need a car now and the price on this one was way bellow what the redesigns would look like. For the price diffference between what I paid and what I would pay for the redesign, I can almost double the horsepower. I also got some nice cosmetic touches and premium features at no extra cost due to it being at the end of its production cycle.
[/quote]^dis. I saw dem foglamps and figured you went for all the bells & whistles