Ok, I admit it, participant placement in Zoom meetings is becoming a bit of a personal obsession. What started as a puzzle (May 2 Day 55: Start Small) with a cute solution was tested in a slightly larger setting (May 5 Day 58: First Approximation) and found wanting. From observations made while teaching to theContinue reading “May 11 Day 64: Scientific Method”
Monthly Archives: May 2020
May 10 Day 63: A Grading Travelogue
It’s the weekend and that means serious grading. Today’s task: the Matrix Theory midterm that I gave on Thursday. Twenty four students, six pages each. I vowed to grade each page in a different location. Before I begin, a kudos to my technology. I downloaded the exams to a folder in my iCloud and canContinue reading “May 10 Day 63: A Grading Travelogue”
May 9 Day 62: Into the Weeds
Corona virus cannot stop spring. Skies are blue, birds are migrating north, and everything is growing. In my neighborhood, quarantine life is filled with the sound of lawn mowers and weed whackers. I must admit while other yards are looking mighty fine, mine is a little shaggy. I have yet to find time to fireContinue reading “May 9 Day 62: Into the Weeds”
May 8 Day 61: Leadership
Look around you. Who is leading? Who gets to lead? And how are they doing at it? The COVID-19 crisis has elevated some leaders to new heights while exposing serious flaws in others. So what makes someone an effective leader? In my opinion, they need to have: a clear and well-articulated vision; the ability toContinue reading “May 8 Day 61: Leadership”
May 7 Day 60: Are you my student?
Imagine with me, the best possible scenario for Fall 2020. There are face-to-face classes and no worries about “the curve,” a second wave, or financial repercussions. Faculty and students have adapted new skills learned in isolation to increase access and inclusion in the classroom. We appreciate the opportunities and acknowledge the privilege of our involvementContinue reading “May 7 Day 60: Are you my student?”
May 6 Day 59: Interaction Achievement Unlocked
Online remote teaching days that feel the most successful have lots of positive interaction between me and my students. Today was perhaps one of the best in a long while. My students are agile and moved with me as I switch between technologies. Here is today’s inventory: Google slide where students indicated standards they mostContinue reading “May 6 Day 59: Interaction Achievement Unlocked”
May 5 Day 58: First Approximation
The puzzle presented on May 2, Day 55: Small Start gives a first approximation to the participant placement algorithm in a Zoom meeting room. Provided all participants use their cameras, placement seems dependent on the order in which we signed into the meeting except that each person appears in the “second” position of their ownContinue reading “May 5 Day 58: First Approximation”
May 4 Day 57: A Golden Moment
For one perfect moment, the number of visitors and the number of views to this blog were consecutive Fibonacci numbers, making the views per visitor a rational approximation to the golden ratio.
May 3 Day 56: Not Even Close To Normal
This year, I am giving myself a pass. I deem everyone that is alive, breathing, and teaching under these stressful conditions is meritorious.
May 2 Day 55: Start Small
Who hasn’t attended a virtual meetings lately? I have wondered what the zoom algorithm is for placing faces in the photo grid. I know I could probably look it up but that would take all the fun out of the question. As a first principle of puzzle solving, if you can’t see the general answer,Continue reading “May 2 Day 55: Start Small”
Math Belongs to All of Us 