QuickClips

I have translated one of my plans into something concrete. I know of some people in the College who have a similar idea but, as usual, have failed to move beyond plans and chatter. Well, it is a bit understandable considering that an effort like this requires time, hard work and perseverance, especially if one will work on it almost single-handedly.

I am talking about my project aimed at producing video clips showing Math problems being solved. Although this is not something new (a lot of similar clips can be found in the Internet), I believe that a well-produced collection of such clips specifically targeting a particular set of students would help a lot in a teacher's task of facilitating learning. I have produced more than 20 clips for ALGEB-X and BMAT2-X and am targeting to produce more. Producing this initial batch is very important for me because I will now have something to show my colleagues in order to convince them that it can be done.

What do I have to show? Well, I already have a prototype of a CD which I can distribute to my students. They can have the CD copied, bring the copy home, insert it in their CD drive, and start watching clips of their teacher demonstrating solutions to problems which they discussed earlier or will discuss later.

If I can convince other teachers to create more clips, the collection will expand and might even afford the student the luxury of choosing which teacher he or she wants to see and hear explain a particular solution. Now, if no teacher signs up, I can always ask my students to produce the clips given my guidance. Let's do the Math: 5 clips per group and 8 groups of 5 students in a class of 40 is 40 clips per class. Since I have 6 different classes this coming term, wouldn't that translate to 240 clips (or at least 120 good ones)?

That is why this effort of producing an initial batch is so important because I have the chance to convince teachers and students alike that it is something beneficial to them. If they find it useful, I will have an easier time convincing them to produce more for sharing with others.

Aside from the CD as a distribution medium, here's another possibility (again, I just I have to show that something like this works and I will probably be able to convince one or two others; "Doc Zaldi, how did you do it?"):



I will talk to Odie and Caloi about sharing my experiences regarding this and other similar efforts with my Math co-teachers. Yan muna.

Will Hit The Ground Running

This is the last weekend of my service leave. Classes for Term 2 will start on Wednesday and I will hit the ground running. In fact, I was not really inactive during my service leave. I am happy I was able to accomplish a lot. I was able to do what I set to do and a lot more.

Since my last post, I did the following:

• Install Windows XP in our MacBook via Boot Camp. I was already running a Windows XP virtual machine via VMWare Fusion. But I needed something that runs natively and not virtualized. I need Windows XP to fully utilize the power of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the 1 GB RAM. Anyway, Fusion detects the Boot Camp partition and I can still run Windows XP via Fusion on Mac. But when I need to do, for example, heavy video editing, I run Windows XP via Boot Camp.
• Work on my video clips project. This consisted of the following subtasks:
• Setting up our EGI outer room as a "studio" for the video shoot, which means buying and installing a whiteboard, buying markers and eraser and buying and installing additional lighting fixtures;
• Shooting clips using our Sony Handycam;
• Transferring the clips to the computer;
• Doing video editing, which includes assembling the clips, reducing the noise, adding captions and transitions; and
  
• Encoding the "movie" in SWF and WMV formats
• Wrapping up my work on my instructional materials. I did a lot of work on this area. Here are what I have completed:
  
• Handouts for 5 Math subjects: ALGEB-X, BMAT2-X, ELEMSTA, DS-MATH and TRIGONO
• Problem sets (about 7-9 per subject)
• Pair quizzes (about 4 per subject)
• Online quizzes (about 4 per subject; 15-25 items in each quiz; 1 hour and 1.5 hour setups are available; offline versions were also prepared, in case no computer laboratory is available)
  
• Slide presentations (for 3 out of the 5 subjects)

It was a lot of work and I learned some new things. I will share these with my fellow Math teachers if they are interested. Offhand, I can think of three topics for sharing already:

• Preparing instructional materials with Math elements using OpenOffice.org (main focus is on the use of OpenOffice.org Math constructs; probably branding also)
  
• Creating Math quizzes in Moodle (main focus is on LaTeX constructs; showing also how to reuse what were typed in OpenOffice.org)
• Producing video clips for use in Math subjects (will give a walkthrough from shooting to packaging)

As I said, I will likely hit the ground running. I just hope some people will run with me.

Custom Animation In OpenOffice.org Impress

I was adding a Custom Animation effect in my OpenOffice.org Impress slides and I came across something which could be bug (or a poorly implemented feature) in the software.

First, here is a description of what I want:

1. From the current slide, I want to reach a new slide containing bullets simply by leaving the current one.
2. The first bullet item is displayed upon entry of the slide.
3. When I click the mouse, the first item is dimmed and the next one is displayed.
4. A second click of the mouse also dims the second item and displays the third item.
5. And so on, until I leave the slide for another.

No. 1 is implemented without a problem. I select the whole text box containing the bulleted items, add an effect, and choose "After previous" in the Start dropdown list under Effect Appear section. Details of the desired effect is then displayed in a list.

When I double-click on the effect detail, I can set No. 2 (under Text Animation) and, supposedly, Nos. 3-5 (under Effect). Why supposedly? Because if I do so, and click OK, my indicated settings under Effect are wiped out. They do not register.

So, I had to do it this way:

1. Set options for Text Animation.
2. Click OK.
3. Double-click on the effect detail again.
4. Set options for the Effect.
5. Click OK.

I have a feeling that something is wrong..

Our Broadband Internet Connections

About a month ago, I applied for a basic PLDT subscription (PhP750 per month) for our communications needs and Eveth's once-in-a-while Internet browsing at EGI Taft Tower. I reckoned that dial-up access would be enough for her needs. Unfortunately, the connection is less than satisfactory, maxing out at 52kbps and drops every so often.

Anyway, I still thought that the setup would suffice since she can still use our Internet connection at Treelane. We have a SMART Bro subscription here priced at PhP988 per month with speed of up to 384kbps. A router (Linksys BEFSR41), which I bought more than a year ago, "splits" the Internet connection for sharing between two PCs.

Here is a photo of our two PCs here at Treelane, with the router on top:



Last Saturday, however, I took a longer look at the currently running PLDT DSL ads, particularly the PhP999 1mbps Xperience plan. We called 171 and learned that PhP999 is exclusive of the payment for the phone services. Too expensive. In the course of the conversation, we were offered instead the PhP990 plan (phone+DSL). That is not too far away from the PhP750 phone-only plan. The speed is up to 384kbps. So we applied. That was Saturday. The installation was performed on Monday. Fast eh?

The "DSL Installer" (as he calls himself) had the DSL modem with him. Following his instructions, I did the configuring with the laptop (OS is Windows XP). We were done in about 7 minutes. When he left, I did the configuration for the MacBook. It took me sometime. I learned later that you cannot "hot plug" the ethernet cable from one PC to another. You have to restart the modem. I also learned that unlike dial-up, you can use the phone while you are connected to the Internet. From Wikipedia:

Some variants of DSL connections, like ADSL and VDSL, typically work by dividing the frequencies used in a single phone line into two primary "bands". The ISP data is carried over the high frequency band (25Khz and above) whereas the voice is carried over the lower frequency band (4Khz and below). Thus the DSL modem and the phone can simultaneously use the same phone line without interfering with each other.

Now, do we buy a router to again split the Internet connection for sharing between the laptop and the MacBook? The Linksys BEFSR41 is cheaper now than one year ago. But the cheapest I saw is still PhP1995. How about another brand (and therefore another tweaking)? In the end, we settled for an Edimax BR-6104K, PhP1350 from Rising Sun. I did not have a hard time configuring it, although, initially, I got confused not seeing an option similar to the "Obtain an IP Address Automatically" found in the Linksys router setup. I later found out that I had to choose the "Cable Modem" option. Not intuitive for me. I am thinking all along that cable and DSL modems are different. Anyway, it is now running.

Here's the photo of the setup at EGI.



It feels good to dabble with things like these. You somehow feel, well, connected :-)

TeX And GIFT In Moodle

As I pointed out earlier, Moodle uses a TeX filter to convert TeX code to GIF images. Moodle can use a binary program on the server to render the images. The binary program can be MimeTeX or a full LaTeX implementation. This is configured by the system administrator.

The quadratic formula, for example, is rendered by typing

$$x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$$.

Here is a rather concise Moodle TeX reference.

Take note, however, that when you save your questions containing TeX codes in the GIFT format, additional symbols appear.

For example, the following code in TeX

Find the discount interest if $$F=\text{PhP}5,000$$, $$d=.09$$ and $$t=9$$ months.

becomes

Find the discount interest if $$F\=\text\{PhP\}5,000$$, $$d\=.09$$ and $$t\=9$$ months.

in GIFT. Notice the extra backslashes (\).

Here is another pair:

TeX:

What are the factors of $$4c^{2}-a^{2}+2{ab}-b^{2}$$?

GIFT:

What are the factors of $$4c^\{2\}-a^\{2\}+2\{ab\}-b^\{2\}$$?

So here are my recommendations:

• You can use GIFT for editing, but not for creating the items with a lot of math. Why? There are extra characters that need to be encoded.
• Suggested work flow: From ODF to TeX to Moodle to GIFT. For editing, you can simply work with the GIFT version. Just synchronize the ODF copy with it. The TeX and Moodle versions are intermediate and need not be maintained. To update the Moodle version, for example, you can just import the GIFT back into Moodle.
  

Happenings This Week (July 9 - July 15)

Let me narrate some happenings since Monday of this week.

• Lynne arrived on July 9, Monday. We packed... the goodies for the kids, dropped by Robinson's Place Imus to exchange her yens for pesos, and headed for home. Of course, the kids were ecstatic.
  
• On Tuesday, we started sorting her things. And I started dabbling with our new MacBook. I installed VMWare Fusion, along with two virtual machines: Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. I am impressed seeing three operating systems running in one hardware. Three-in-one. A very efficient use of resources.
• I was also able to configure and use our Apple USB Modem, successfully connecting to DLS-CSB's dial-up service. Bluetooth must be running for this to work. I suspect that this is because there is a Bluetooth internal modem which then connects to the external one.
• In the afternoon, we pre-ordered the final version of VMWare Fusion via the Internet. The price is $39.99, a 50% savings over the suggested retail price of $79.99.
  
• On Wednesday, she started working on the required revisions for her SIBS book. Eveth caught up with us before we went to SM Mall of Asia. There, we bought a Keyboard Shield at the Power Mac Center. And let me warn you about that store. The Keyboard Shield item is being sold in that store at PhP1,800 even as that same product costs just PhP1,200 in a store at SM Southmall. Gee, I don't know of a worse example of how a store takes advantage of customers. I will never buy anything from that store or any of its branches again.
• They also bought new pair of glasses and Converse shoes for Eveth. They made me wait a long time.
  
• On Thursday, she continued working on her book and I on my course materials.
  
• On Friday, we issued a check to Woodridge Properties, Inc., had a meeting with HomeCredit in relation to our mortgage, and bought a smaller bag for the MacBook (I got a 10% discount because I had an SM Advantage Card, but had to pay in cash).
• On Saturday (Elmer's 14th birthday), Lynne finished her SIBS work! Yehey!!! And we did the grocery shopping.

Next week, I will make sure her environment is fit for her continuing research work. I will go with her and help her clean her J205 cubicle. :-)

What About Me?

So aside from my single parenting chores, what have I accomplished so far during this service leave of mine? Well, here are some impressive statistics:

• I have been working on course materials for 5 Math subjects - College Algebra, Business Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics, Elementary Statistics and Trigonometry.
• I am done with the handouts for these subjects - 21 modules = 60 sections = 227 pages.
• I have prepared 21 sets of Quizzes and 35 sets of Problem Sets.
• I am ready with 16 sets of Online Quizzes, configured for 1- and 1.5-hour setups. The pool has 504 items. This is quite a lot! Three hundred nine (309) of these items have been checked and are now in GIFT format, ready for loading into Moodle.
  

Yes, I made good use of my time too. In addition to the above list, SIBS also asked me to make revisions on the high school textbook I am writing for them. That I was able to accomplish too, working intensely for about a week.

Here are some more things I hope to finish before my service leave ends:

• Check the remaining 195 test items and make them Moodle-ready
• Prepare print versions of these online quizzes (if my class cannot use a computer lab)
• Prepare a plan for conducting item validation on these questions (using Moodle's tools)
• Prepare overviews and concept maps for each module
• Create screen movies on the use of the Analysis ToolPak