So I haven’t posted in ages + New blog

Published on August 2, 2010

Yeah, I’ve been busy. Very.

I’ve been involved in a lot the past few months. Between finishing a degree, starting a new one, working two jobs, EDSOC and the Education and Social Work Revue, I haven’t had a lot of free time.

I’m excited about a number of things coming up. First, we’re very close to the performance of the first ever Education and Social Work Revue, which should be a lot of fun. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still so much to do, so there’s a lot of stress flying around.

Second, I’ve just finished my Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Mathematics), and I’m a week into a new degree, the Master of Learning Science and Technology.  I’m looking forward to the fact that I get to complete a research dissertation next semester, and I’m eager to get started on it. I’ll be doing research into some aspect of learning technology, although what exactly I am researching I do not yet know. To that end, for anyone who is interested, I have a second blog over at http://research.cjbrowne.net, where I will discuss my readings and progress towards my research project. This is both a requirement of the course, and something that I think will be personally beneficial along the way. If you have any comments on my progress or particular areas of interest within the area of ICT in education, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Maybe building a robot teacher is aiming a little high...

Filed in Uncategorized | One reply

Unintelligent design and your inner fish

Published on March 16, 2010

Darwin FishThere is something that troubles me deeply — fortunately it does not seem to have hit Australia yet. In more and more American communities (to take a well-known example), schools are being pressured from both outside and within to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution within the science classroom. Proponents of intelligent design would contest evolution’s status, suggesting it is only a “theory” — which is incorrect — or that it has plenty of holes and doesn’t explain everything. Some would go so far as to equate intelligent design and evolution as simply two different views that should be given equal time and treatment. While we don’t have nearly the same push in Australia, the strength of these views in some communities worries me.

I don’t want to spend time pushing the many arguments for evolution since there are many great resources on it, and I’m sure many would have heard these arguments before. I will say though that many of the arguments against evolution stem from a complete ignorance about the science behind it, and it’s hard to debate with someone who understands nothing about a concept. If you are interested in reading about evolution, there is a list of good books at the end of this post.

Instead, I want to talk about intelligent design itself. For many proponents of the concept, they would look at the world around us — it’s beauty, majesty, and intricacy — and declare the only possible way it could have come about is by design, in whatever form that may entail given personal or religious beliefs. This implies a conscious process, guided by some omnipotent being.

The ironic part of this is that if we were indeed designed, the designer did a terrible job. There are countless examples of terrible design in nature, beneath the seemingly well thought-out and planned feeling the world around us invokes for so many people. It’s unintelligent design.

To keep this short, let’s look at a few examples in our own bodies. When males are in the uterus, the testes develop within the abdomen. They later move down through the abdominal wall into the scrotum — leaving behind two weak points in the abdominal wall, where hernias can form. In females, the birth canal passes through the pelvis, resulting in an impossible natural birth for babies with large heads. The face is also particularly poorly designed, and our flatter structure compared to other primates leads to poor sinus draining and crowded teeth — the dramas caused by incoming wisdom teeth are a testament to this.

The pharynx — a passage we use for both eating and breathing, also an important component of our ability to talk — greatly increases our risk of choking. The structure of our eyes — along with other mammals — gives rise to a blind spot that is not present in other animals. This occurs due to the fact that our retina is effectively backwards — the nerves and blood vessels lie on the surface of the retina  rather than behind. Also, the eyes have three more muscles than are required to move. Lastly, there are many nerves and arteries in animals that are simply wired poorly, twisting around strange places throughout the body — in the case of the giraffe, the recurrent laryngeal nerve is six metres longer than it needs to be.

Your Inner FishNeil Shubin is the author of Your Inner Fish, which describes the evolutionary history of our bodies, and goes so far as to explain the fishy origins of many of our current health issues — hernias, hiccups, snoring, and haemorrhoids to name a few. I haven’t had a chance to read it, but a summary article written by Neil was published in COSMOS Magazine, and a similar article was published online by the University of Chicago Magazine – I’d highly recommend having a look.

The notion that our bodies represent some sort of pinnacle, or were in any way planned, seems outdated to me — I also find it narcissistic. If we really were created in His image, then there are high chances that God at some point in his lifetime has suffered from chronic back pain, weak knees, haemorrhoids, snoring, and who knows what else.

Books on Evolution

Filed in Teaching | 9 replies

So you suck at mathematics — Good on you!

Published on March 8, 2010

Does thinking about mathematics terrify you? Evoke images of board after board filled with a seething mass of meaningless scrawlings? Or does it simply not pique even the tiniest morsel of interest for you in your busy life, which is devoid of any necessity for mathematics?

Mathematics

Many people would answer yes to some of these questions — a trend that I find worrying. Perhaps more disturbing is the increasing propensity for people to consider a lack of respect for or knowledge of mathematics to be some kind of badge of honour — it’s cool to be bad at maths, and who really needs it anyway?

Mathematics seems to have trouble establishing itself as a respected field of knowledge for the average person, with many considering it less important knowing our history or how to read and write, especially after one has learnt to perform basic arithmetic. Mathematics though is the one universal language — its myriad laws, formulae and concepts transcend geographical and political borders. Pi is Pi wherever you may be, and 1 + 1 will be the same in India as it is in Scotland. Mathematics is a language which describes, magnificently, the world around us and how its various components interact with each other — it allows us to make observations, comparisons, and predictions. It is the underlying structure of our world, and is far more than numbers and funny symbols — it is patterns, shapes, sizes, quantities, areas, probabilities, rates, trends and more. As we go through our daily routines, we are constantly — conciously and unconciously — engaging in mathematics.

If mathematics is so important, then why do so many people feel that they are bad at it? And, why do so many just not care if they are?

There are plenty of possible reasons — I had a bad teacher, it’s too hard, it’s boring, it’s not relevant. Some of these may be true for certain people in some cases, but overall they are myths or fears brought about by bad experiences with mathematics. As a teacher, I want to change this — I want to alter the pre-conceptions that mathematics is difficult, boring and irrelevant. I want to move beyond the realm of numbers and rules and laws and right and wrong, and get into the real stuff — solving problems, independent thought and exploration, and the fostering of an appreciation for the beauty of mathematics and its relation to the word around us. I want my students to engage in the discourse of mathematics, rather than simply doing sums. Knowing how to follow a process is one thing, knowing how and why the process exists is another concept entirely. For the research Master’s degree that I plan on doing next semester, one of the ideas I have had is the impact of blogging on the learning and teaching of mathematics — having students actively engage in the conceptual process of mathematics and reflect on their learning, rather than simply fulfilling tasks that a computer could do.

A lot would argue — I recall HSC subject selections at my secondary school — that we just don’t need all the ‘complicated’ mathematics after we have an understanding of the basic arithmetic needed for daily life. To those people,  I ask why we read great works of literature after we have learnt to read and write, or why we study the complex relationships between countries that caused the World Wars, after we have learnt that a couple of big battles happened a while ago and that’s why there’s a big march with old guys every year. Like english, history, or any area of knowledge, we study it for the sake of studying — in appreciation of the areas beauty and worth for its own sake. We also study for the process of studying — by engaging in as much mathematics as we can, we grow as humans. The process of doing mathematics of any kind builds skills in thinking logically and analytically, and problem solving techniques. Like learning about the Roman Empire, or the names of each part in a plant cell, perhaps we will never use that knowledge ever again. We will however, be better off for having learnt it.

What about those of us who are out of school? Who have already severed their ties with mathematics? Is there no hope of salvation?

Luckily, there is. It is never too late to re-engage with mathematics. Steven Strogatz, of the New York Times, writes a regular column aiming to re-introduce people to the world of mathematics, from the beginning. His first article, From Fish to Infinity, starts from the basics — explaining exactly what numbers are, and why we need them. Steven goes on in each article to explain more mathematical concepts, in plain english and in a much deeper way than you probably would have experienced at school. They’re a great read, and I highly recommend them. Here is a full listing of his articles, in order, so far:

So, what do you think — is there a place for mathematics in your life?

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Don’t ask, don’t teach: Gay teachers in schools

Published on February 20, 2010

Homosexual teachers and supporters are promoting dangerous ideals in classrooms today, telling students that it’s okay to be gay. They are ruining the innocence of our children, who shouldn’t be exposed to such disgusting and wrong behaviour. Some even suggest amending sex education to be relevant to gay children! More so, homosexual teachers are ostentatious enough to be open about their sexuality within the school environment – they plan to recruit more young people into their decrepit lifestyle.

This attitude – expressed above – is the kind of shit that some people actually think, believe, and preach. I think it is abhorrent.

Homophobia and heterosexism in schools is rampant, making it hardly the best environment for the growth and development of a student that identifies as being same-sex attracted. For gay teachers, many fear the day that they are outed and harassed by the more conservative or ignorant students, parents and other staff. Herein lies the issue – how can we create a safe and accepting environment for gay students, when the people trying to create this environment don’t have one of their own?

A woman from Washington is discussed in a US newspaper for the view that her seven-year-old child’s “sense of innocence” has been taken from her because the child read a book in school about two gay guinea pigs, and because the child’s female teacher mentioned an impending marriage to – gasp – another woman. There is this general consensus among those who do not agree with homosexuality that a teacher’s sexuality has no place being expressed in a classroom. This view is fine, as long as it applies to heterosexual teachers also. Often, it doesn’t – the hegemonic sexuality can be freely expressed, but not any alternatives.

In Australia, these issues are even more prevalent in religious schools, where such organisations are given the legal right to discriminate based on sexuality. Despite the supposed separation of church and state in this country – something I’m sure many of us are cynical about – religious organisations receive special treatment under government laws. Do you think this is fair?

School experiences shape our lives, and until we get it right by our students, homophobia and heterosexism will continue to be entrenched in our society. Before teachers can make a difference though, homophobia and ignorance from other staff and parents needs to be addressed. If a heterosexual teacher can mention their husband or wife, a homosexual teacher should be able to do the same. If the latter isn’t appropriate in a particular school setting, than the former should not be either. Sex education needs to be relevant to all students, not just those who are heterosexual. I also do not believe for a second that there is some minimum age that children need to reach before they can be ‘exposed’ to the idea of homosexuality. If you’re talking sex with the kids, they’re old enough for all of it. To treat it any other way is simply another expression of the heterosexism already present in schools.

I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, but Teachers TV has a video which follows the lives of five gay teachers, and how they cope with the pressures of the school environment. On that page, there are also links to a number of other relevant resources.

Filed in Teaching | 9 replies

Why I am a gamer, and would be proud if my kids were too

Published on February 12, 2010

Video games – and the people that play them – get a lot of bad publicity. They are forever being linked by many to increases in violence, attitudes of apathy and laziness, and lower academic performance. Those of you who follow such things would remember Jack Thompson’s tirade against video games, denouncing them as nothing less than the devil – leading some to question exactly what it is that fuels his passion.

Bathing Suit Area

Bathing Suit Area - http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20050808

More recently, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione made comments about the rising death tolls on our roads – linking them directly to the prevalence of video games that simulate car racing. Also, Ron Jeremy – a man known only for his prominence in the adult film industry – claims that video games have a more negative influence on children than pornography. These views are typical of those expressed by many parents and the media, who claim that video games are rotting our minds and turning us into killers.

But are these views true? I think not.

As well as being entertaining, video games are good for your mental development. One particular study attests to the fact that research into video games has consistently demonstrated in gamers faster reaction times, improved hand-eye coordination and an increase of self-esteem. As an example, research from the American Psychological Association found that surgeons who were gamers were faster at advanced surgical procedures, and made less errors. Gamers that are at risk of developing health issues (physically or mentally) at those who play in excess – which is not the norm.

Video games are complex, and present a large amount of cognitive load to gamers – well designed games require far more problem solving, thinking and reasoning skills than other media, or traditional board games. Given the choice between watching TV and playing a game, I’m pretty sure it’s clear which is the most mentally stimulating.

Another issue with the media coverage of gaming is ignorance. Games aren’t necessarily designed for children, despite much of the media attention focusing in that area. A number of surveys show that the average age of gamers in countries like Australia and the US is in the 30s. Games are also rated just like movies and television, based on their content and the activities users are required to partake in. Children often play at a younger age than is appropriate for a particular game – to me this is a parenting issue, not one of the game itself. Parents need to be active participants in the lives of their children, rather than not caring and complaining later when they think that games have ruined their child’s’ social skills.

R18+ Rating for Games

R18+ Rating for Games

The topic of classifications brings us to an issue closer to home. In Australia, there currently is no R18+ rating for games, like there is with movies and television. This means that there are games designed and marketed to adult markets – let’s remember here that our average gamer age is over 30 – that are banned outright in Australia due to there being no appropriate classification level.

This causes a few issues. First, it’s outright nonsense, and I find it offensive that as an adult I am restricted in my gaming purchases. Second, it contributes to piracy, because people just download the games that are banned anyway. Last, it actually makes things more dangerous for children, in terms of the content they are exposed to. Often, if a gamed is banned because it would otherwise be R18+, the developer will modify portions of the game so they meet the criteria for M15+. This means that you have a game which should be R18+ being available for purchase by younger teenagers – despite the fact that the game has been modified to meet the M15+ rating, the core mechanics and gameplay would be very similar, and often only very superficial changes are needed to meet the lower classification level.

If you believe that adults should be able to do adult things, then please consider making a submission to the Attorney-General’s Department – there is currently a public consultation process, where people can submit their views on the issue. All you need to do is download one of the documents provided on the right (Submission Template), fill it out and email it to classificationreview@ag.gov.au, no later than February 28.

Aside (and preemptive apologies for blatant advertising): For those out there who are gamers, I’ve recently come across an awesome online site for buying games – www.play-asia.com. I just got Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) for around $70 including postage – it’s normally $120 in stores, and the delivery only took a few days. They have games for all platforms, and the prices are amazing. The games are legit copies, they’re not pirated and the manuals aren’t in Chinese or anything; they’re the exact same as on the shelves in stores. If you’re interested, have a look, and please consider placing your order through my referral link, which rewards me for passing the word around :)

Filed in Technology | One reply

Technical Updates

Published on February 8, 2010

Just a brief update on some technical aspects of the blog.

First, you’ll probably notice the new theme. In the long run I still want to make my own from scratch, but for now I’m liking this cleaner theme. Don’t be surprised if you see things change widely while I sort myself out.

Second, anyone accessing this from an iPhone will have noticed a theme optimised for the iPhone’s screen, which you should find useful for mobile browsing.

Last, there’s some shiny new icons in the sidebar to the right, with a few different ways of keeping in touch. The first is an RSS icon, for those familiar with the technology (you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for an individual post’s comments, by using the same icon at the bottom of the post). Next is a way to sign up to new posts via email, and the last two are links to my Twitter and Facebook profiles.

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Living in the cloud, and three ways to get there

Published on February 7, 2010

Cloud computing is a term that has seen a lot of attention lately. It refers to an increasing trend where technology users move away from the traditional notion of storing data on their own devices, preferring instead to store their data in the ‘cloud’ – that is, online.


Cloud Computing

Some immediately obvious advantages of this are the savings on personal disk usage, along with the  much wider availability of data – the ability to access your personal files from any computer in the world is an enticing idea. Disadvantages of this model of computing often relate to privacy concerns, along with the necessity of an always-on internet connection. The availability of and costs associated with internet access are a limiting factor in the widespread adoption of cloud computing services.

I imagine this term might be new to some of my readers, and for those whom it isn’t, you might be interested in some of the services out there. Here I’ll be having a look at a few favourite applications of cloud computing.

Webmail

Perhaps the most well known form of cloud computing for casual internet users, webmail has been around for a long time. You’re probably familiar with mail and services provided by companies such as Yahoo!, AOL, Microsoft, and more recently, Google.

Out of all the free options, I can’t recommend Google’s Gmail enough. I’ve been using it since August 2004, after their beta launch in April. They really started the trend of massive amounts of storage space, and all the other services such as Windows Live Mail have struggled to keep up. I haven’t deleted an email or attachment since I opened the account, and I’ve still only used 20% of my total storage space, which increases daily. Gmail has a whole bunch of other features that just make it a more enjoyable and efficient email experience all around. If you’re not using it already, have a look at Google’s Getting Started page, or their 10 reasons for using Gmail. For those already using it, Lifehacker has a bunch of tips on getting the most out of Gmail.

Google also offers Google Apps for your Domain – a way of having your own private version of Gmail, Google Calendar etc. This means your club or organisation can have all the features of a customised and professional email service, without hiring an IT team to manage it for you. I’m currently using Google Apps for a project I’m involved in – the Sydney University Education and Social Work Revue. This allows us to use the Gmail interface for our email, with everything hosted on Google’s servers and set up for us, but customised with our own branding and @edswrevue.com email addresses.

Photo Storage

Flickr and Picasa Web Albums are two more great applications of the cloud computing notion. These services allow you to upload your digital photos and store them online, in either private or public albums accessible anywhere you have internet access. This is great both for storage and backup of your photos, along with easy sharing with friends and family. I’m not a big photographer, so don’t really use these services as much as others might.

Both services have free and paid options – for free, Picasa Web Albums will give you 1GB of photo storage, whilst Flickr gives you 100MB of photo uploads per month.

Dropbox

My newest favourite is Dropbox, a file storage and syncronisation service. Dropbox has been around for a while, but I’ve only recently jumped on board. It allows you to syncronise a local folder on your computer with their servers, meaning that you can access your files from any computer with internet access. You can do this by either installing the Dropbox software on multiple computers, which places your Dropbox as a normal folder on your computer like any other. You can also visit their website to download you files, or even access them from your iPhone using the Dropbox app.

You can also share folders with other users, creating an easy way to collaborate on projects. The free version of Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage space. This can be upgraded to a total of 5.25GB by referring friends (250MB at a time). Also, if you refer a friend, both yourself and the friend that signs up gets the extra space – so please consider using my referral link if you’re thinking about signing up.

There are also a range of non-standard uses of the Dropbox service, and plenty of add-on features.

This is just a brief introduction, and there are plenty of other opportunities for getting into the cloud out there – browser bookmark synchronisation, online calendars, online music libraries, the list goes on. Are you living in the cloud, and how are you finding the experience? If not, what are your concerns?

Filed in Technology | 5 replies

Why the iPad iSucks

Published on February 1, 2010

I wasn’t sure whether to write this post. Today, someone accused me – as representative of a larger group of people – of hating everything Apple just because it’s popular. I took offence to this somewhat, as I’d like to believe that any dislike I have for an Apple product is based solely on its shortcomings, along with Apple’s general holier-than-thou attitude that is reflected through so many of its products. So I chose to go ahead with it.

As most people would have heard by now, Apple has finally announced its long-awaited entry into the tablet computing market. Unless of course you count the prototype they developed with the help of another company in the early 1980s:

Apple Bashful

The Apple Bashful - 1983

So here it is, the Apple iPad. Around 24cm high, 19cm wide, and 1.5cm deep. It weighs less than 700g, and will come with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity built in (for some models).

Apple iPad

Apple iPad

Apple is touting the device as the best way to experience the web, email, photos and video – “Hands down.”

I think there’s a few issues with that. For one, it has no support for Flash. My own views on the usefulness and rampant abuse of Flash aside, many websites rely on Flash to deliver large proportions of their content – content that iPad users will be completely unable to access.

Users wanting to view or display photos can enjoy a beautiful screen and a number of slideshow and photo viewing features. But how to get those photos on to the iPad? You have three options: download them, sync through iTunes, import them directly from your camera (with expensive Camera Connection Kit). No option for plugging in a USB drive full of your photos, or using your camera’s existing USB cable. No chance either of inserting your camera’s memory card into the iPad. Why not include at least one USB port?

Another area of the market that some claim Apple is targeting are readers of eBooks – users of devices such as the Amazon Kindle. At first glance this seems like a good use of the iPad, however it has one significant issue – the design of the screen. A device like the Kindle uses ‘electronic paper’ – a type of display that mimics natural ink on paper. Once it has displayed text and images, it can continue to display them without consuming power. The displays are also widely regarded to be much more comfortable to read than conventional screens. The iPad however uses its same vibrant  LED display whilst reading, which consumes far more power and is much harsher on the eyes during long periods of reading – hardly useful for eBooks.

My biggest gripe is that of the complete lack of control on part of the owner of the iPad. Like the iPhone, you can’t just install applications as you see fit. Any applications installed to the iPad will come from the Apple Store – limiting your choices to only those that Apple deems fit for you. I can put up with this on the iPhone, as it’s just a mobile and before then the mobile application market was quite small. On a larger device though, that claims to be so much more, it is a scary indicator of things to come if people keep supporting devices and business practices like this.

Others would argue that it’s exactly what we need. A nice, functional and attractive device that is easy and simple to use for those who would otherwise avoid such technology. Something to lie around in the kitchen or lounge room, ready to be picked up a moment’s notice for some quick web browsing, photo viewing or light reading. That said, given the US prices start from $500, and in Australia we could expect prices of $800 or more, what casual user is going to be buying it?

Don’t take my word for it though. If you’re interested, here’s some links for further reading:

If you’ve got a different opinion, let me know what you think.

Filed in Technology | 5 replies

Hello world!

Published on January 31, 2010

So here it is – my blog.

I’ve wanted to start one for ages – since early high school in fact – but haven’t for a few reasons. First were privacy concerns, wanting a public space to write and vent but at the same time craving control over who could view my posts. Whilst I could have made a password protected blog, I believe that would have greatly discouraged people from bothering to read it for the first time, or coming back for more. I’ve largely sorted myself out in that regard – my public Twitter account being a testament to this.

Second, I just couldn’t get into the act of writing often enough to justify a blog. During high school I dabbled in some posts on Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft’s meagre attempt at entering the social networking circle. The choice of platform was solely because of the notification integration with Windows Live Messenger, and it didn’t last too long anyways. Since then, I’ve tried Facebook notes every now and then to satisify my blogging urges. Again, this never developed into a regular affair.

Now I’ve decided to give it another go, properly.

But why bother at all?

I’ve got a few reasons for wanting to write like this. Like my earlier forays into the blogging world, 99% of it is pure vanity, and the desire to have my voice heard. The other 1% is comprised of my (rather hidden thus far) love for the written word – something which often surprises those people who seem to be convinced that my mind is filled with nothing but numbers and integral signs. I’m not exactly sure where I’ll end up in life, but I know that no matter where I am and what I’m doing, I want writing to be a part of it. So between now and then, I need all the practice I can get. I’m almost finished with my current degree, and I have a Master’s and Doctorate (wishful thinking perhaps) lined up in my mind – I’m going to be spending a lot of hours in front of a keyboard for those. I also hope to write school textbooks, and with enough time and the right inspiration, a novel.

So what should you expect here? Who knows. Perhaps this will fizzle and die, perhaps it will go on to become something so much more for me. Until we find that out, expect to see a range of things on here, from short postings about things I find amusing to essay-length posts ranting about the state of public education. I’ll be writing about my teaching experiences and sharing educational resources, and ranting about technology and gadgets. To be honest, most of the latter will probably be about my perceived shortcomings with Apple – apologies in advance to the fans. That said, I do own an iPhone and love shiny things as much as the next guy, so look out for some Microsoft bashing as well. Also, I’ll probably throw up any 3D animations and images I’ve been working on – I’m always looking for advice and a critique.

If you’d like to stay in touch, please do think about subscribing to my RSS feed – that way you’ll have any new posts delivered to you, without needing to check back here all the time. If you don’t know what RSS means, you should! It’s a great way to follow the websites you like to read.

Also, I’m not too sure about this theme. It’ll do for now, but in the long run I think I’ll have a go at designing my own from the ground up.

Filed in General | 8 replies