[Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels

Wed Sep 19 14:52:33 EST 2007

Thanks Kent, now I dont feel so bad about having cut my teeth with punched
cards on a PDP11 with Fortran and Pascal and on a cassette tape with Apple
Basic and some machine code on my Apple ][e at home.

I have a year 9 typing teacher to thank for teaching me how to touch-type
(two periods a week for 6 months). As the only boy in the class, I was
relegated to ye olde manual typewriter at the front of the room. Now I can
talk and look around whilst I am typing in a classroom and not glance at the
screen or keyboard. Very handy. :-)

Regards Roland

On 18/09/2007, Kent Beveridge <kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au> wrote:
>
> Having just read about Kevork's 'how I got started', its like a trip down
> memory lane for me. I cut my teeth in this business on a good ol'  PDP11's,
> VAX/VMS and Data General AOS/VS systems - all of the 'super mini' class. My
> first computer experience was the CYBER at RMIT with punched cards in
> 1982...boy, what a shock if you dropped the punched cards going to the
> computer centre to compile your job! Graveyard shifts, Winchester drives and
> lots of noisy impact printers going for it!
> Seems my background is not entirely dissimilar to Kevork!
> This is an intrigueing thread and, I feel, can indicate perhaps how some
> of us are attempting to involve our students in this industry.
>
>
> Kent Beveridge,
> I.T. co-ordinator
> St. Brigids Catholic Sec. College
> Horsham
> email.. kbeveridge at stbc.vic.edu.au
>
> |<3|\|7  b3\/3r1D93 ?  ;-)
>
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> ________________________________
>
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Kevork Krozian
> Sent: Tue 9/18/2007 7:58 AM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels
>
>
>
> Hi Folks,
>
>     There were no computers at school and I picked up Computer Science in
> 1980 at Monash Uni with punch cards programming in Fortran. I continued
> with
> formal programming wiht the VAX mini system, majoring in Comp Sci having
> covered C, Pascal, Assembly, Ada and a few other variations.
>    The course was more than programming. It was numerical computations,
> data
> structures and a lot of mathematical analysis such as depth of binary
> trees,
> searching and sorting algorithms etc.
>    I had a few years in industry ( Oil rigs, CSIRO ) and when I did start
> teaching standalones ( Apple II ) were the order of the day until a few
> years later when LANs made inroads. From there, scripting and other needs
> could be satisfied with programming solutions of all kinds.
>   Some examples of in house custom built programming solutions implemented
> at my school include :
>
>     1. A full roll marking system with swipe cards and readers in each
> room.
>     2. A lateness module with a barcode reader for library cards.
>     3. Online subject selections for students
>     4. Resource bookings on line ( rooms, hardware, etc )
>     5. Web based Password changing modules for teachers ( a teacher
> anywhere
> can change any student's password(s) anywhere )
>     6. Internet traffic and surfing historiy monitoring
>     7. LDAP authentication scripts to allow access to resources
> ... and many more
>
> Programming is a means to an end and not an end in itself. Solutions are
> demonstrated to students for inspiration/motivation.
>
>   So now, the idea is here is a problem, what is the best way to solve it
> ?
> Should we use a web based solution ?  The answer is almost always yes.
> Should we use PHP , VBScript or something else ?
> Can we use existing databases to access data rather than produce a new
> database ? Eg. Can we extract timetabling data from the SQL server to use
> for room bookings rather than importing these to a new database ?  Almost
> always YES.
> We are now working on a Moodle/Intranet combination individualised for
> each
> teacher and student to allow logging on to access personal timetable,
> class
> content as well as attendance, work due, and reporting. We might call it
> our
> ultranet ..... :)))
>
> Take Care
> Kevork Krozian
> Edulists Creator and Administrator
> www.edulists.com.au
> kevork at edulists.com.au
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Forster" <forster at ozonline.com.au>
> To: "Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List"
> <yr7-10it at edulists.com.au>
> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Re : .. Programming for all levels
>
>
> >> Anyway
> >> How did you all learn programming?
> >
> > Fortran, mainframe, punched card with paperclip, undergraduate 1972
> > Data General Nova assembler, 8k core memory, postgraduate, paper tape,
> > self taught 1975
> > Varicomposer, word processor for printing industry, 8"floppy, self
> taught
> > assembler 1980
> > Fortran, PC, research project, 1986, self taught
> > MS Quick C, self taught, hobby, 1990
> > Gamemaker, 2002, self taught, saw educational potential :-)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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