danaleeling

The following is a small sample survey with data from August 2024. Although the sample size is small at 19 respondents, the patterns are perhaps the only insight available at present into where the students are in social media and the technologies that they are using. The data is a part of a larger set of responses going back to August 2023. For context, some of the charts pull from the larger sample.  Social media August 2024 data For the August 2024 responses, Facebook remains the social media platform on which students spend the most time. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are in a three way tie for second place. August 2023 to August 2024 data By way of context, the larger data going back a year supports the ongoing popularity of Facebook. Instagram is in second place, followed by Instagram and then TikTok. The August 2024 data is well aligned with the data since August 2023. Facebook remains a viable place in which to reach out to students and to communicate with them. August 202...

Monday began with my asking the students what shape the line of a constant velocity would make on time versus distance graph. A student suggested a triangle pointing up. Another student disagreed, using their figure to trace a smooth curve in the air. I then added the eyes and eyebrows. Then I went out and rode the RipStik for 30 meters, timing every three meters. The data was extremely linear this term. A velocity of two meters per second was achieved.  The smiley face with the upward triangle nose would prove useful during the week. Here I demonstrated that the shape could be generated by mathematics. Math can make that shape.  Wednesday was used to introduce the stopwatches and measure walking speed. Sonya walking while using a smart phone to record split times. Fumie-Kate successfully tried the blue RipStik. The blue RipStik was revived using wipes and WD-40. ...

Measures of middle and spread started with heart rates, marbles, and bolts .  Wednesday covered quartiles including boxplots using BoxPlotR and Statisty . The introduction used student height as in the past. Friday moves on to standard deviation and z-scores. 

 Thursday I did a brief introduction Canvas in order to show the students the textbook in Canvas and some of the flora resources in modules. Then I went through the iNaturalist presentation .  After this I assisted students with downloading and login to iNaturalist. With construction occurring in all of the usual observation locations, I opted to take the class down to the corner. Eugene followed by others in the course Sonya at the left has encountered iNaturalist before in botany class The class is 17 females and 9 males with 16 females and 8 females present for this exercise. This reflects a broader gender differential seen in many courses. Factors underneath this are many and unresearched but probably include high graduation rate differentials and outmigration differentials. I first gathered the class together to explain which of the plants were ones either I or the ethnobotany class had planted. Scaevola taccada is a...

 Monday was add/drop so the class opened with an introduction to statistics, Canvas, and the distribution of MMs.  Wednesday the radar gun was working, so we gathered speed, manufacturer, and occupants data up at the road.  Friday wrapped up with a working of the homework from Wednesday and then test one. My being able to assist students one-on-one proved valuable. Forgotten: to show how to make a chart for data exploration one.

On Monday I introduced the course learning outcomes and some of the themes of the course.  Forgotten this term: to pick up a kilo of sugar for the class to experience a kilogram. On Wednesday I covered space, time, matter, energy, variables, and metric units of measure. This was followed by density calculations for the usual variety of objects.  Calculations included the density of water Measuring soap and making calculations. The morning session had sinking Ivory soap, only the Jergens soap had an actual density less than one. The Ivory soap was known to be old, and research done a decade ago showed that soap loses mass even when not being used. The loss in some soaps might be volatile oils, but Ivory is pure soap. Whatever did occur with the Ivory, the soap sank.  More soap will be needed for spring term, but soap should be purchased on as needed basis to avoid the issue of the soap becoming older and harder to...