Mr. Higgins’ Blog

Happy Higgy Holidays…A Perspective

Dec 23rd, 2007 by Mr. Higgins

I am publishing this using the new version of Windows Live Writer. It was really difficult to install and I’m not convinced it is installed correctly at this point. With that being said, I really like the interface; therefore, I’m giving it a chance. Here are the issues I have been having with the installation…

It continues to give me grief about downloading the stylesheet correctly.
The only way I was able to configure the blog was to fool the editor into thinking it was editing another blog of mine. Then I went into the properties and directed it to my xmlrpc.php file.
It doesn’t seem nearly as stable as the previous versions. This is the experience on both my XP and VISTA machines.

What have I learned this year?

Obviously, I cannot sum everything I have learned into one blog entry; however, I have been brainstorming for a couple of days on this topic.

No matter how much politicians try to twist their words, it is obvious when they support or do not support the war. How would that make me feel if I was a solider? I cannot fathom the reaction.
Students know if you care about them; however, there are always those few students who are willing to turn on you to “save face” with their peers. That is the type of student, not the behavior problems, that bothers me the most.
I apologize to any “traveling teacher” (teachers that change rooms) for which I thought was unprepared on a daily basis. I now realize that this is a tough task and that you can never have every single detail worked out.

Students know if you attend their sporting events. All you have to do is make an effort to see their eyes once, and they always seem to notice.
ClustrMaps are the coolest Web 2.0 technology ever (besides blogs).
At first, I thought the writer’s strike would not really effect me at all. I am now in withdrawal from several of my favorite shows being pushed into the new year.
Google is more relevant to the public than the President of the United States.
I am glad that I once had the perspective of pre-word processing. I was one of the last in my class to get a computer along with a printer. I was handwriting many of my papers up through 3rd grade. I think about society today, what would go on without the ability to edit?
I think that programming IDE’s need to have some sort of option for the display/non-display of compile errors. In my two years, I have seen too many students that simply type in code and then hit the compile button. I really hammer them on paper tests (because of the AP Test).
I am a complete graduate credit hog. Every time a conference, institute, clinic, breathing human, or any school mentions “Graduate Credit”, I listen for the cost and university offering the credit. It is kind of a complete habit. There are many schools that have me down as a student.
My ability to involve Web 2.0 in the mathematics classroom is really not well developed. I had the great inspiration of Darren K; however, I just couldn’t take the next step in a high school mathematics classroom.
Blogging is an outlet for information, frustration, collaboration, or any other word that ends in -tion. I am not sure what I would do without with this educational practice.
There are many other learning experiences; however, this is a list of the main topics that came together during my brainstorming.

Question for the new year: To PhD or not to PhD?

I have been flirting with the idea of continuing my education via distance learning. I currently have a BA in Mathematics, BE in Adolescent Education, and MS in Education, with emphasis in Educational Technology. This would not be for professional gain at this point, just for my own prestige. I feel that I have the abilities and motivation to complete a PhD program in topics such as Teaching & Learning, Educational Technology, or other education related topic. If there is a Computer Science Education or Mathematics Education PhD out there, those would be perfect for my situation. If anyone has any information or opinions, I would appreciate a response.