I can't believe it is the final week of classes. Exams start on Thursday and Friday is a holiday. I have a few presentations still to happen, but the next 3 days are mainly review. The students are asking about a year end party so I had best research what that means.
Steve, if you are reading this and would like some samples of great computer games that can be done with Flex, drop me an email and I will send you some archived projects.
My exam is on Monday of next week and I hope to have it marked by the Wednesday. After that I have a few exams to invigilate and some open house days to welcome parents and students who are thinking about attending Taylors. It all very low key as far as I can tell.
I have accepted a coordinator's position for next semester. A coordinator here is about the same role role as a vice-principal back home. I was of two minds about the position but the principal really needs my IT skills and experience with OnSIS to complete the OnSIS reporting that is now required of private schools overseas.
It's my guess I may be a Larry Brown by the end of the semester :-)
TTYL,
Jim
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday Night
The weekend certainly did zoom by. Jaime went out with the girls on Friday night and arrived home at 3 am so she must have had fun. Mom and Dad hit the sack early. Saturday was a programming work day for me from 7 am to 4 pm. Shelley and I then headed out to Sunway Pyramid for supper and then back to the Boulevard for a card game at the Leonard's. As usual, we played wizards and I lost. There is something about that card game that causes me to lose.
We were up late Sunday and decided to catch a taxi to our favourite book store. I had told Jaime I would take her if she did some marking for me and of course, being the book lover that she is, she jumped at the chance. She did hit me up for $150 ringgits worth of books but that's all good.
After the Petronas towers we caught a cab back to Sunway and purchased a combo microwave - convection - grill appliance for cooking at home. It will be interesting to see if we actually do some cooking in it. Shelley is keen to do some Christmas cooking and now we have the means to do it.
Jaime is adamant about getting a real Christmas tree and Christmas lights. It's probably off to Ikea we go in a weekend or two.
TTYL,
Jim
We were up late Sunday and decided to catch a taxi to our favourite book store. I had told Jaime I would take her if she did some marking for me and of course, being the book lover that she is, she jumped at the chance. She did hit me up for $150 ringgits worth of books but that's all good.
After the Petronas towers we caught a cab back to Sunway and purchased a combo microwave - convection - grill appliance for cooking at home. It will be interesting to see if we actually do some cooking in it. Shelley is keen to do some Christmas cooking and now we have the means to do it.
Jaime is adamant about getting a real Christmas tree and Christmas lights. It's probably off to Ikea we go in a weekend or two.
TTYL,
Jim
Thursday, November 19, 2009
TGIF
It's been a long week of presentations and today will be a long day. Shelley and I have a presentation to give for the IB (International Baccalaureate) program teachers. Taylors has a satellite school in KL and the school is just getting started and it attracts mainly expat students who are typical North American/European students. The teachers are all Malaysian and need some strategies to deal with this type of student (Why do I have to learn this?)
The workshop is the usual 3 hour workshop compressed into 60 minutes. There are no quick fixes in education. I don't know why we try to compress a half day into 60 minutes. I kind of feel like Don Quixote.
Today is my last full day of student game presentations. I am actively recruiting judges for the programming contest to be held in January, the second week back. I have been emailing software development companies in KL. There are quite a few of them. I think I had mentioned there is $1000 ringgits in prizes.
This is a relatively free weekend in that there is nothing planned, except for the regular lesson planning and marking. Jaime has expressed the need to visit our favourite bookstore in KL and we shall do that.
I have some more pictures to put up as well.
TTYL,
Jim
The workshop is the usual 3 hour workshop compressed into 60 minutes. There are no quick fixes in education. I don't know why we try to compress a half day into 60 minutes. I kind of feel like Don Quixote.
Today is my last full day of student game presentations. I am actively recruiting judges for the programming contest to be held in January, the second week back. I have been emailing software development companies in KL. There are quite a few of them. I think I had mentioned there is $1000 ringgits in prizes.
This is a relatively free weekend in that there is nothing planned, except for the regular lesson planning and marking. Jaime has expressed the need to visit our favourite bookstore in KL and we shall do that.
I have some more pictures to put up as well.
TTYL,
Jim
Thursday - 27 Game Presentations Later
The games are awesome, for the most part. Some of the struggling students are scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) and could be categorized as 'too little, too late', for all of the usual reasons.
The school donated $1,000 ringgits to be awarded to the top 3 games. I plan on having a contest, the first week back in January where the top 12 games will be presented in a 2 hour marathon. I hope to get some university Computer Science professors to come and judge the programs. Perhaps a judge or 2 from industry would be good as well.
I have learned a lot about game programming this semester and I am now a better programmer for it. They say game programmers are the best and I tend to believe them.
I am waiting around for Shelley who seems to have disappeared. As usual, when I call her cell, it rings right beside me in her bag.
TTYL,
Jim
The school donated $1,000 ringgits to be awarded to the top 3 games. I plan on having a contest, the first week back in January where the top 12 games will be presented in a 2 hour marathon. I hope to get some university Computer Science professors to come and judge the programs. Perhaps a judge or 2 from industry would be good as well.
I have learned a lot about game programming this semester and I am now a better programmer for it. They say game programmers are the best and I tend to believe them.
I am waiting around for Shelley who seems to have disappeared. As usual, when I call her cell, it rings right beside me in her bag.
TTYL,
Jim
Monday, November 16, 2009
Presentations Begin :-)
The students are all excited today as they begin their final preparations to demonstrate their games and field questions on how they programmed their game. For the first time, I am actually looking forward to the presentations. I usually find presentations tedious but these presentations should hold the students interest as well as mine :-)
Today is a shortened day as the graduating students have an information session over period 4. My period 3 students have asked if they can stay and watch the period 4 game presentations as well. There seems to be lots of interest.
Last night we closed up the lab at 9 pm and headed home. The students would have stayed later but the computers shut themselves down at 9 pm.
I will let you know how the presentations went.
TTYL,
Jim
Today is a shortened day as the graduating students have an information session over period 4. My period 3 students have asked if they can stay and watch the period 4 game presentations as well. There seems to be lots of interest.
Last night we closed up the lab at 9 pm and headed home. The students would have stayed later but the computers shut themselves down at 9 pm.
I will let you know how the presentations went.
TTYL,
Jim
Where Did the Weekend Go?
It's 5 pm on Monday and here I am in the lab with 25 students working on their CPT (game project). Friday night was movie night at home. Saturday day, was a programming day and Saturday night was the Taylor's Carnival Night with about 1200 employees in attendance. The event was terrific with lots of prizes. Taylors put on a bus for us and drove us there and back. There was a huge equestrian indoor stadium.
Shelley won a $500 camcorder. Amy won 2nd prize for her carnival costume which was $800 ringgits. The libations and food were all you could eat and drink. This was the second all expenses paid celebration by Taylors for its staff this year. The first time they put us up in a great hotel in Langkawi for the week. Just like back home :-)
Sunday was a programming research day for me in the morning and I accompanied Shelley for a mall visit in the afternoon. It was then dinner out at TGIFridays and then a cab home to bed after an hour recreational reading.
I also did some planning for my classes and input some marks into the MarkBook program.
Today is the last day for the students' game programming and the presentations start tomorrow.
TTYL,
Jim
Shelley won a $500 camcorder. Amy won 2nd prize for her carnival costume which was $800 ringgits. The libations and food were all you could eat and drink. This was the second all expenses paid celebration by Taylors for its staff this year. The first time they put us up in a great hotel in Langkawi for the week. Just like back home :-)
Sunday was a programming research day for me in the morning and I accompanied Shelley for a mall visit in the afternoon. It was then dinner out at TGIFridays and then a cab home to bed after an hour recreational reading.
I also did some planning for my classes and input some marks into the MarkBook program.
Today is the last day for the students' game programming and the presentations start tomorrow.
TTYL,
Jim
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Where Did the Week Go?
It has been a very busy week and hence, the shortage of posts. This was the last full week of in class preparation for the student's CPT which is due on Monday. The students start presenting on Tuesday. This is the infamous game project. The games are terrific. Malaysian students are quite creative.
I kept the lab open until 6 pm on both Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, Jaime presented the OUA (Ontario University Application) web site to my 'mentee' (I know it is not a word, but they use it here) students on Wednesday. The three late nights have been rather tiring.
During the classes, I solve problem code in 37 different game projects, some of which are very complex. It's kind of like writing 34 exams at once!
I headed off to Starbucks at 7:30 and arrived at my classroom door at 8 pm to find 5 students waiting to get in :-) It should be an interesting day as they begin to panic as the deadline zooms. The cardinal rule is the game must work! This is no time to be adding features.
TTYL,
Jim
I kept the lab open until 6 pm on both Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, Jaime presented the OUA (Ontario University Application) web site to my 'mentee' (I know it is not a word, but they use it here) students on Wednesday. The three late nights have been rather tiring.
During the classes, I solve problem code in 37 different game projects, some of which are very complex. It's kind of like writing 34 exams at once!
I headed off to Starbucks at 7:30 and arrived at my classroom door at 8 pm to find 5 students waiting to get in :-) It should be an interesting day as they begin to panic as the deadline zooms. The cardinal rule is the game must work! This is no time to be adding features.
TTYL,
Jim
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