Get Software: one

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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Its been one month Yeah! Now Share your Secrets with me!

Secrets One Month Anniversary!

It has been one month today since I first sent the email out to my friends to "launch" my new blog.

So I thought it would be fun to ask you to share your secrets with me. Here is my problem:

My baby just turned 2 and he still has that binky!! I know I could "cold turkey" take it away but I really want to know some Super Mommy ways to take it away. Something fun and cute, of course. I need some help! Please give me your suggesstions, ideas, things you have heard of that is creative or has worked well!

Come On Super Mommies, I need some secrets this time!

I want to post a big thanks for all of the amazing support from everyone out there! And a special thanks to the fellow bloggers out there who have linked, tweeted, or "featured" me! I love blogging all of the fun Super Mommy things we do around here. I have lots of fun secrets and collaborations that I am really excited to post soon, and I am thankful to all of you for your creativity and inspiration!

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Is There Only One Right Answer A Challenge to the Teaching of Math and Science in Higher Ed

Many current promoters of MOOCs and other distance education models argue that higher education can be taught in a much more efficient way in fields like computer science, math, biology, and chemistry. According to high-tech educators, the main reason why these important disciplines can be streamlined is that there is only one right answer to questions and tests, and so a computer can easily grade these courses. On a most basic level, they claim that 2+2 will always equal 4, and thus, there is no need for creativity, critical thinking, or interactive discussions.

The problem with this logic is that it removes the STEM disciplines from any social, personal, or ethical context. In other words, students learn that math and science are impersonal, value-free fields founded on established, unchallengeable truths. While it is clear that students do need to learn basic formulas and concepts, all knowledge needs to be seen in its social and historical contexts. In fact, not only do we want students to think critically about the information they learn inside and outside of their classes, but we also need to train scientists and engineers to be innovative and creative. Moreover, with the increasing importance of issues like alternative energy, cloning, stem cell therapy, and climate change, science and math should be approached with ethical concerns front and center.

Purveyors of MOOCs like to say that online classes will not be any worse than the large lecture classes that dominate the undergraduate curriculum, and they have a point when they make this argument; however, we do not need a race to the bottom: what we need is to re-commit universities and colleges to spending resources on undergraduate instruction. Whether our goal is to compete in the global high-tech economy or train future citizens and responsible adults, higher education cannot be focused on simply transmitting and testing simplified facts and calculations. In fact, it is surprising that many of the most ardent promoters of MOOCs are themselves innovative computer scientists who think outside of the established box.

While China sends its students to American universities in order to build a creative class, it is ironic that the U.S. is seeking to dumb down its own curriculum. As I often tell my students, it is rare in life that you are confronted with one right answer or a simple multiple-choice test. Reality is far too complex for the reductive model of education that is often tied to MOOCs and a reductive vision of the STEM disciplines.

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Jane Skinner knows a cock when she sees one

Theres nothing better than 24-hour live news and the resulting flubs like this recent one by Fox News Channels Jane Skinner...Note Shepard Smiths laughter...He shouldnt think its so funny as his flubbed call of a Jennifer Lopez story still makes UB laugh:

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Just One Day

When will I be able to escape office drudgery?

Its a question I pose to myself every hour of every day. In weary tones, I roll out my usual self-consolations. I am building a sustainable career. I am singing more now. I am writing and rehearsing a lot. I shouldnt be ashamed of needing to earn money while I do it.

Sometimes this works. Some days I can just accept the inevitability of menial office work because I have such a clear understanding of why Im doing it.

Other days (like today) it does not.

I can feel my resilience ebb away as I am patronised and condescended to. The loss of self-esteem is not irrevocable, I know that, but it is enough to make hot tears of self-loathing bubble up and temporarily blur my ability to visualise a time when life will not be like this.

Yesterday I was wearing a red dress and I was singing. The sun shone as we played and then, in our breaks, lounged on the grass under the azure skies. In my capacity as a singer, as a musician, I felt happy. Natural.

Today, once again, I am sombre in black. I grudgingly do work I hate and feel the thrill of yesterday fade away. I am not natural here. I do not belong. I try to cajole myself out of my stupor by mentally compiling the set list for the gig on Wednesday, then focusing on what I would like to achieve from the rehearsal tomorrow night. Tonight I must finish off some lyrics and record some songs in preparation. I trudge through the repetitive, vacuous work and try think of places to sing, people to contact.

It doesnt help today. I am sucked back to the monotonous, grey world I inhabit against my will and the ache in my stomach returns. The ache grows from whatever passion it is that will not allow me to give up. It is a passion that can also turn sour and angry.

I resent my introspection, knowing it has no value. London is an expensive city, and I do not yet earn enough through music to properly be able to take part in its splendours. I can and do reason it out all the time, both to myself and to others.

Today, though, it doesnt work. I dont want to have to endure the sombre anymore. I hate it, and it hates me.

My energy ebbs, and I wait for my self-esteem to return.

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