geekitarian

After 8 years of teaching business and technology courses, I've learned a few things about teaching computer science.  I've tried a lot of different approaches and there are a few things I've found to be effective and important in the classroom: respect, enthusiasm, practice, evaluation, and regular feedback.  This is no means a prescription for a perfect classroom, but I've found that a lot of this really works for me and the students I've worked with. Respect Try to learn the students' names as quickly as you can.  Remembering someone's name is a show of respect.  If a student is going to listen to somebody talk for 3 hours a week for 15 weeks, the least an instructor can do is remember his or her name (besides, saying, "Hey... guy" doesn't really work past the first week or so).  Obviously this may not be practical all the time - lecture halls with hundreds of students make it just a little harder - but it really helps an instructor to c

I've been wanting to check out this Smartwatch trend that everyone (read: some tech bloggers, and Samsung... oh, and those tens of thousands of people on Kickstarter ) has been talking about.  I was in Best Buy the other day and I picked up a Fitbit Force ($129.99) and a Pebble ($149.99) with the intent of keeping whichever one seemed to be more useful / practical. Pebble Smartwatch Fitbit Force I decided to open and try the Force first.  Full disclosure: I've had a Fitbit Flex for a few months and I really love the Fitbit system.  They do a great job of tracking and visualizing data without going overboard or making the system too complicated.  Overall I think the Fitbit apps and devices are simple and easy to use - the Flex just sits in a wristband (or your pocket) and tracks your movement throughout the day, and tracks your sleep at night.  It's mostly passive.  I've found the information they provide is a great way to sense when I've been lazy (us