On-line Classrooms and the Shimano 200E7 Baitcasting Reel

So, spring is finally here, which means that I have been spending my weekend mornings watching fishing shows on cable. I’ve noticed that all the fishing pros talk with a southern accent and fish lakes that are in the SE. I noticed this same trend when I watched fishing shows in Illinois (frustrating while in Illinois, inspiring now that I’m in GA). This excitement has branched off recently to fishing magazines that my neighbor and I share back and forth. A recent magazine highlighted the latest in baitcasting reels. I haven’t purchased a baitcaster in probably 15 years most likely due to the fact that they are difficult to use. Anyone that fishes knows what I’m talking about. The main difficultly is the finesses one needs to pitch a lure accurately without the line winding up into a ball in the reel (backlash). This requires some thumb-eye coordination that I just didn’t have with my old reels 15 years ago. Despite my experience with this form of tackle, I have a renewed interest as a result of the fishing shows and magazines.

I recently came into some free money in the form of a graduate school stipend for participation in the Future Faculty Program at UGA. My brain considers this free money because it is above and beyond my TA stipend (the measuring stick I use to assess the status of money in my pocket). This extra moola possessed me to purchase a new baitcasting rod and reel while visiting Dick’s Sporting Goods. In good form, I purchased the most highly rated reel in a recent magazine article: Shimano 200E7. Technology has advanced in the past 15 years since my last purchase of a baitcasting reel. The reel has a Cast Control knob that adds friction to the spool so that backlash is minimized when the lure hits the water. However, this isn’t anything new, my old reel from 15 years ago had this, and I still had problems. The reel also has a variable brake system that is adjusted from inside the reel (one opens the reel and fine-tunes the reel by moving small weights up or down). The variable brake spins like a centrifuge and minimizes backlash at the beginning of the cast….this is new. It also has a 7:1 gear ratio (my old reels had a 5:1 ratio) which means you can crank the fish in faster (or weeds). I also purchased a 7 ft. St. Croix graphite rod (the most expensive one in the store). The whole thing is light as a feather, a feature baitcasting outfits didn’t have 15 years ago.

Fishing line has advanced in technology as well. Fishing line strength is based on how much weight it can hold prior to breaking. I’m not sure of the exact test; however, all I know is that 15 lb. test line is much stronger than 4 lb. test line. The main problem with 15 lb. test line is the thickness increases, stiffness increases and this becomes more difficult to cast with a baitcasting reel (more backlash). I purchased some 15 lb. test braided line: fibers woven into strands that are then woven together. Interestingly, the diameter of this line is the same as 4 lb test of 15 years ago. Amazing!

I just tried out the whole combo this weekend in my backyard. I was flipping side-armed 40 foot casts within 1 ft. of where I wanted the bait to go (actually, about 3 ft on a bad cast and dead center on a good one). I was pitching the (hookless) bait right under the nose of my dog, to the cat in the bushes, in front of the patio chair, corner edge of the bushes, back to the cat …wow, he took the bait, back to the dog…dog is now running into the house….I have finally become my heroes on the cable TV fishing shows. Interestingly, I haven’t backlashed the reel yet. My point, technology advancement in the fishing industry in the last 15 years can make a novice baitcaster in today’s world a superstar. This prompted me to think of my experience with remote classrooms and on-line class technology.

15 years ago I substituted for a guy teaching a class at a local JC. The class was being offered to a remote location as well: students could take the class at the main campus or at the remote location. I remember remote classroom technology at the time was extremely confining. The cameras contained you to a 4ft x 4ft space. I wasn’t able to use the chalk board, overhead or walk around. However, there was a video projector of sorts that allowed you to display pages of a book, rock samples or textbook pages. I could switch back and forth between the projector and a camera facing me. I had a visual of the remote location and the ability to hear them. I could also move the camera around at the remote location to view students (that looked like faceless blobs in chairs). Movement of the camera obviously made noise based upon the reaction of the blobs whenever I chose to move the camera. I had to teach a test review section and administer an exam. The whole experience was difficult and awkward. A student would ask a question at the remote location, and I would move the camera around to see which blob made the question. Monitoring the exam at the remote location was even more difficult. Every time I scanned across the room, the blobs would look up from their exam to see what I was doing. At one point I scanned across the room and realized that a student was sitting off to the side unnoticed. He could easily been cheating with his textbook-notes out and I wouldn’t have seen anything.

What’s my point? Our introduction to on-line courses was enlightening. It made me face my prejudices concerning remote classrooms in the same way I faced issues with fishing reels. It smacked me in the face as if to say, “hey %$^&@3 (dumb-ass), technology has changed in the last 15 years and things (remote classrooms/on-line classrooms) aren’t as bad as they were then…embrace the technology…%$^&@3! I have realized that past experiences can really hold you back in the most unrecognizable and subtle way. Embrace the technology %$^&@3 and you will be able to pitch pedagogy right in front of the noses of your students from 40 ft (miles) away…side-armed!

Technology Embarrassment

I was hoping that someone could explain to me "EMMA". I know we had a presentation on the subject during our last class meeting; however, all I remember is ....."Hi, today we are going to talk about EMMA. EMMA is....." click, click....opening email.....click,click....wimba classroom....click, click.....downloading pdf....click, click....ebay, you are the highest bidder...click, click......click, click.....click,click......click, click........click, click... If someone could fill in the facts in between the "clicks", I would appreciate it very much. I have now experienced a new level of off-task behavior related to lap-top use in the classroom: embarrassment associated with a fellow student's off-task behavior on a lap-top. I was so fixated upon the clicking sound made by the student on his lap-top, the embarrassment associated with the off-task behavior and the knowledge that everyone in the room was aware of the situation that I couldn't focus on the EMMA presentation. It was almost like there was a huge elephant sitting in the room and everyone pretended like it didn't exist. I realize that I am writing another blog that will go unanswered....just like the previous blog that addressed lap-tops and off-task behavior.

Beware of Technology-

Anyone close to something of substance in their graduate program needs to be aware of the fact that the Karma-gods in charge of technology are well aware of your progress. So, anyone close to a defense, comps., thesis completion take notice. Bad things associated with technology WILL happen...three examples...

Example 1: Thesis Completion

I was a day or two away from finishing my thesis when my girlfriend at the time decided to play a game that came on CD off a cereal box. The game caused havic on my computer. I turned on the computer only to discover that it was functioning in some surreal mode: "Safe Mode".
Not knowing what the H was going on, I started removing files associated with the thesis. I was not able to get all the images, however. The computer died. One image was so gone and so important that I drove 8 hours to retake the photo. Worst case senario, I had hard copy of the thesis and could have retyped all 100 pages.

Example 2: Comps.

Last spring I was scheduled to take my comps. I was TAing 2 classes at the time. I remember being very scrambled the whole semester. I was not backing up my stuff as usual or at least some of my stuff. I had my grades on a memory stick that I thought was more robust than it was (I have a fellow grade student that has one without the outer cover and has put it through the wash). I bumped the memory stick with my knee when it was in the computer and that's all it took to completely kill the thing. Fortunately, I didn't have anything crucial to my comps stored on it. Anyway, I lost 3/4 of the grades in one of the classes that I was a TA. I had to make the students bring in all their labs and re-enter all the grades. This cost me some donuts and orange juice.

Example 3: Comps 2.

We have a PhD going through his comps. He has been writing his proposal since the summer. His computer died a few days before he was supposed to submit the proposal to the committee. HE DIDN'T HAVE A HARD COPY! Also, he didn't back up the file on any other source. He was able to somehow get the file off the computer. He admits that if he hadn't been able to get the file, he was going to just walk from the program.

So, if you are getting close, it's heading your way.

Interesting conversation last week: laptops in the classroom. Concerning laptop use by secondary ed. students, Tony was quick to note that students in his math class on the laptops were off-task. UGA Prof. Dr Holschuh, as an experiment, took a full load of undergraduate classes and noted that 50 % of the students in her intro economics that were on the laptop were off-task. After the first exam, laptop use dropped significantly. Towards the end of the semester, every student still on a laptop was off-task. In our graduate level technology class, the laptop that I can view (1) is off-task 100% of the time. Also, if the classroom discussion is covering mid-term review comments, the lecture discussion is PowerPoint and "clicker" systems and your on e-portfolios, your off-task as well. So, the idea there isn't a common thread that ties secondary ed. students with undergraduates with grad. students concerning off-task behavior and laptop use isn't based upon a firm foundation. I also wonder if we are focusing on the wrong group of students. What about the surrounding students being distracted by the laptop even if the person using it is on task? Clearly, one person in our class made the comment that laptop use bothered them; however, I didn't see anyone putting their laptop away...not for a second.

I see learning communities as one end of a spectrum that encompasses the "Sage on the Stage" at one end and "Student directed learning" on the other. My 17 years teaching experienc ( 13 years secondary ed. and 4 years UGA) tells me that being on the ends of a teaching spectrum is not a good place to be all the time. Do learning communities fall into the same pitfall as teacher directed techniques? Will educators, 10 years down the road, look at learning communities as a solution or a big mistake?

I'm interested in how the recent budget cuts have impacted your use of technology. In my Department we are moving to a pay-to-print with the computers. We are also scheduled to run out of Xerox paper in March. Once the supply is gone....that's it for making copies. Recently, the IT guy in our Department disconnected the printers with IT magic; however, he didn't bother to tell anyone. He later sent out an email stating the reasons for the change and placed student abuse of printing privileges as the number one factor. This prompted me to write an email that eventually got me in trouble but resulted in some of the printers being reconnected....sometimes in life if you want something good (like a scrambled egg...pottery...a baby) you need to make a mess of things. Anyways, what is the policy in your respective departments: 1) Do you pay-to-print to get a hold of something off the computer; 2) Do you pay to print for xerox; 3) when is your paper going to run out and if it is later than March, can I have some; 4) what impacts will this have on your teaching?

Technology use within your Department

I am curious, what technology do you see being used in your Department? Outside of the VCR, I don't see much being done in the Geology Department at UGA.