tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65389990363861837612024-03-13T21:18:34.353-07:00Circuits and Electronics, 6.002x.This blog will comment the results achieved by the students from the University of El Salvador. MIT 6.002x is running, free of charge, for students worldwide from September 5, 2012 through December 20, 2012.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-32041876923364683752013-03-17T17:09:00.002-07:002013-03-18T00:38:53.279-07:00Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been studying 8.02x during the whole weekend. I have been preparing myself to take this week first exam. Sunday afternoon, around 5 o'clock, I decided it was time to rest. I came down stairs to the living room and turned on the TV. My wife had been very busy preparing a party and helping a friend of us. So, I guess, She could ignore my self exclusion of society.</div>
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On TV they were playing South Park. South Park debuted in August 1997 but I know of its existence two years ago. I can not say I really like it but I can say that there is something in its crude language and dark, surreal humor that make me laugh. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPuYXmDRexA/UUZR9tsWG3I/AAAAAAAAA0s/rlcRB2UHc14/s1600/24-321south-park-posteres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPuYXmDRexA/UUZR9tsWG3I/AAAAAAAAA0s/rlcRB2UHc14/s1600/24-321south-park-posteres.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>MOOC and MMORPG</b></div>
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This South Park's episode was called: "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Love,_Not_Warcraft">Make Love, Not Warcraft</a>". It is the eighth episode of the tenth season, the 147th episode overall. In the episode, Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny enjoy playing the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. They got so obsessed with the game that they end up in isolation from society.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYBaoncwGow/UUZSMEUL9NI/AAAAAAAAA00/r9L5-9K2MBE/s1600/southpark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYBaoncwGow/UUZSMEUL9NI/AAAAAAAAA00/r9L5-9K2MBE/s1600/southpark.JPG" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Got a Computer? Get a Degree.</b> </div>
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I wonder how my wife sees me. Isolated
in my room, auto excluded, what is all this? Is this the new way of
learning? What about our college youths? </div>
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Last year, The new york times opened a discussion about web-based distance online education. Is only needed a computer and an Internet connection to get a college degree?<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/05/06/got-a-computer-get-a-degree/with-online-courses-what-about-the-lab-work"> Professor Walter Lewin was one of the debaters</a>. He wrote something very important: "Campus culture with the discussions with faculty and peers is a key part of becoming an academic of the caliber worthy of an M.I.T. or Harvard degree."</div>
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MOOC is not the end of campus life. It is only going to improve it. College education has many things that can not be done in isolation. Like the lab work, as it was pointed out by professor Walter Lewin. We need to interact face to face with other human beings.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-63463751378507312332013-03-12T03:09:00.001-07:002013-03-12T05:00:45.152-07:00edX's impact in developing countries' universities<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>What is the impact edX has had in the university of El Salvador?</b><br />
In the electrical engineering department, at the University of El Salvador, I encouraged to study online courses given by edX. We focused on one single course: Circuits and Electronics. This proved to be successful. Below I am going to speak out some of my own personal reflections.<br />
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<b>1/ Knowledge updating.</b> Professors in developing countries do not have the same academic pressure their peers in developed countries have. The saying: "publish or perish" do not apply here. In general, there is no tenure track. Professors have a very limited scope on their fields. edX has helped professors to improve electrical engineering basic background. In our department four out twelve full-time professors took 6.002x (2 spring + 2 fall). Right now, at least, four of us are taking 8.02x. So, in my opinion, professors are improving their basic knowledge (Basic circuits and electronics and basic electricity and magnetism).<br />
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<b>2/ Baccalaureate.</b> Our department was born in 1966. Since then the bachelor degree program has suffered very little change. MITx has given us ideas about how electrical degree programs have evolved in the last four decades. This will be important to renew our baccalaureate.<br />
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<b>3/ Professors are learning how to schedule a course.</b> edX has made us to reflect on the questions about how students learn? how to organize academic material? how to schedule a course work load?<br />
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<b>4/ Professors feel challenged.</b> I would like to comment something that happened to me: A colleague came to my laboratory. He saw me doing a 8.02x homework. He could not help to tell me how much he was upset for the way Walter Lewin advertised 8.02x. In his two minutes video, Walter Lewin said: "If you are one of those students who hate physics, it is not your fault. It was just bad luck that you had a poor teacher." This pressure could lead to have improvements in teaching.<br />
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<b>5/ Students are realizing what is to be a student of a high quality professor.</b> Students are starting to understand how elite universities work. They are finding out how much those universities care about students. Professors don't improvise their lectures. Lectures are the product of a very carefully planning.<br />
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<b>6/ Students are realizing that failure is not only their fault.</b> Failure is not just a student fault. It is a shared responsibility among students, professors, administration, K-12 education and the state. To identify each one is key to help improve students' performance.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-84096074081482035532013-03-09T18:56:00.002-08:002013-03-11T18:21:44.740-07:00Barge Haulers on the Volga<b>Art of Russia</b><br />
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Yesterday night my wife and I watched on TV the second episode of a BBC documentary. It was about Russian art. And was presented by the well known English art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon. In the first episode, He explores the origins of the Russian art from its <a href="http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-art-of-russia/">roots in Byzantium</a>. Last night episode, Roads to Revolution, was about how Russia changed from a feudal nation to a country on the verge of revolution.</div>
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<i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge_Haulers_on_the_Volga">Barge Haulers on the Volga (source: wikipedia)</a></i></div>
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<b>Barge Haulers on the Volga</b><br />
In the second episode, Andrew presented the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilya_Repin">Ilya Repin</a>, a late nineteenth century and early twentieth century artist. Many of his paint showed tensions within the nineteenth century Russian society. But it was the paint <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge_Haulers_on_the_Volga">Barge Haulers on the Volga</a> the one that struck my mind. Far away, deep into the Volga river, a steam boat was portrayed. That meant technology to replace manpower was ready. However, It was cheaper and easier to use men in hard labor.<br />
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MOOC could help to easy the hard work involved within earning a degree. Right now, at our department, graduation rate is around five percent. Completion is above nine years. That is a heavy load for students, for parents, for the state and, in general, for Salvadorean society. It is a lose-lose game.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-15992169479345745882013-02-28T19:06:00.000-08:002013-02-28T19:06:07.174-08:00India-El Salvador: sharing experiencesNormally I do not like to attend seminars, workshops and congresses. In my opinion, it is a waste of time. Only the ones with high social skills can take advantage of that. But I was invited to give a talk. And I decided to talk about electronics.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.eluniversitario.ues.edu.sv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2488:ues-participa-en-congreso-internacional-colaboracion-en-tics-compartiendo-experiencias&catid=41:acontecer&Itemid=30">El Universitario, Universidad de El Salvador.</a></i></div>
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The Salvadoran Ministry of Education organized a workshop between a high bureaucrat Indian government delegation and Salvadoran academic representatives. The idea was to put India as a country to imitate. The whole workshop lasted two days. I had to endure many boring government official presentations.</div>
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After my presentation a highschool teacher came to me. He teaches in my former high school. I met him the next day and he and his group invited me to have a lunch with them. It was a very happy moment. I ate with three highschool teachers and about a dozen highschool students.</div>
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<b>Educational Robotic in my former High School.</b></div>
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Those teachers were passionate educators. They are doing a tremendous effort to motivate students. To keep their enthusiasm alive they use educational robotic. This team made of three teachers and a dozen students were the sensation of the expositions.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-34054145531472994282013-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:002013-02-28T17:55:54.004-08:00Is the glass half empty or half full?<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is a group of young Salvadoreans who run a website called <a href="http://mediolleno.com.sv/"><i>Medio Lleno</i></a>. It is a news web program for young people. In general they give priority to local politic news. But to keep youth entertained they introduce issues for young people. The name plays with the rethoric question: Is the glass half empty or half full? The expression could be interpreted as a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty). <a href="http://mediolleno.com.sv/"><i>Medio Lleno</i></a> tries to put things in a positive perspective.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azCtw80FJzw/UTACVSRLayI/AAAAAAAAAz8/WbZkSTU69pQ/s1600/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azCtw80FJzw/UTACVSRLayI/AAAAAAAAAz8/WbZkSTU69pQ/s1600/logo.jpg" height="111" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Sharing MOOC experiences.</b><br />
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<a href="http://mediolleno.com.sv/oportunidades/aprovecha-innova-y-aprende-en-linea">Last week we visited them.</a> We came to promote the study of online courses under MOOC framework. We share our experience with them. It was a very nice experience. The young journalist that interviewed us decided to join one Edx MOOC. She registered in Michael Sandel's course on Justice.</div>
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Medio Lleno's president sent me an email. He was so pleased with our story. He told us that he himself is an alumni of Penn State. And he felt pleased to see his former alma mater being part of this MOOC initiative.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-3037532999384751502013-02-23T18:21:00.001-08:002013-02-23T18:21:31.833-08:00Conversations at a Supermarket<div style="text-align: justify;">
As almost every weekend my wife and I went to the supermarket. We are very lucky. We have one very close to our house. So we can keep with our not-having-a-car life style. To keep our plastic consumption low, We take a backpack with us. So we do not need to use the supermarket's plastic bags.</div>
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The supermarket is inside of a small mall, called <i>Centro Comercial San Luis</i>. Today was a crazy day. It was as if half of the city decided to come here for shopping. In the mall, We decided not to cash money from the ATM. The long line scared us. We decided to use our plastic money. And there We were at the supermarket, not knowing what to take for lunch.</div>
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<i>Centro Comercial San Luis</i>, San Salvador, El Salvador (Panoramio).</div>
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<b>Electricity and Magnetism in the supermarket</b> </div>
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As we were in the line, I watched toward my back and there I saw a colleague from a neighbor department. As we were waiting our turn we had a small conversation about 8.02x and professor Walter Lewin's lectures.</div>
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It was a small conversation. I told him that before coming to the supermarket I had been studying 8.02x first week lectures. He told me he was also a 8.02x student. In his face I could see how much he had been enjoying this first week material. It was a natural conversation as if we had been talking about tomato's high price or meat low quality.</div>
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At home I started to reflect about how EdX--and all this MOOC dynamic---is affecting people's daily life. It is very astonishing to have a conversation on physics in a supermarket line.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-71231794895655358752013-02-13T18:14:00.001-08:002013-02-13T18:14:04.188-08:00What's next ? (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Two weeks ago, I sent an email to my colleagues. I told them about our new challenge: Electricity and Magnetism (8.02x) by Professor Walter Lewin. 8.02x is an experimental online adaptation of MIT's second semester of introductory physics sequence. The course is about Electricity and Magnetism.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lfKLp-ncfVM/URw_oXWCQjI/AAAAAAAAAy8/XAkFg5YuRgk/s1600/lewin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lfKLp-ncfVM/URw_oXWCQjI/AAAAAAAAAy8/XAkFg5YuRgk/s1600/lewin.jpg" height="108" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Walter Lewin's message</b></div>
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Professor Walter Lewin's<a href="https://www.edx.org/courses/MITx/8.02x/2013_Spring/about"> two-minutes video</a> is very impressive. I was so touched by his message that I decided to translate it to spanish and share it with my colleagues:</div>
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"<i>Si tomas este curso tu vida ya no será la misma. Haré que veas el
mundo de una manera diferente, nunca antes visto. Ampliaré tus
horizontes y enriqueceré tu vida. Sin la electricidad no existirían las
estrellas ni los planetas. Tú mismo no existirías: tu corazón no latiría
y no serías capaz de pensar. Si eres uno de esos estudiantes que odian
la Física no es tu culpa, fue muy mala suerte que en tu vida te
encontraras con un pobre profesor. Te guste o no, haré que ames la
física</i>."</div>
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My email has been well received. The electrical engineering department chairman will support our initiative to get students enrolled. Also, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ieee.ues">IEEE students branch</a> has started campaigning for registration. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-53284328497436859002013-02-03T03:46:00.001-08:002013-02-04T03:01:05.526-08:00Waiting for superman.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last week a student sent me an email. He wanted to share his views with me. I quote him in spanish:</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"<i>Hace unos años escuche que MIT era la universidad
que producía los mejor ingenieros del planeta yo no estaba conforme con [esa]
idea; pero al llevar el curso 6.002x me pude dar cuenta que todo se
basa en su sistema de enseñanza y la motivación para aprender.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What the student told me was that he heard MIT graduates were the best of the world. He said he did not like the idea of consigning MIT that honor. But after taking 6.002x he has realized what make MIT one of the best<span style="font-size: small;">: "It is about its education system and the passion they put on learning."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span dir="auto">Waiting for "Superman"</span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think It was last year that while reading the newspaper I found a critique on the documentary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_%22Superman%22">Waiting for "Superman"</a>. I have to say in my favor that I do not like pirating movies, books or anything from the Internet. But I was so curious about that work that I did not care about violating the documentary's copy right. I watched the documentary and it was a very shocking experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There is something universal in the film, however the documentary analyze the failures of the American public education, that touches deep in the heart. As an educator, I think, It has to do with a hidden guilt of not doing enough to help our youth. Waiting for superman touched me very deeply. And my student email has made me recall my debt with my job.<br /> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-27031904258962487702013-01-31T13:21:00.000-08:002013-02-01T05:55:47.775-08:00Internet-based Talk radio<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today we visited La <a href="http://www.laprensagrafica.com/Inicio" target="_blank">Prensa Gráfica</a>, a national newspaper which has started to run a <a href="http://mediacenter.laprensagrafica.com/audios/a/campus-cursos-universitarios-a-distancia-31012013" target="_blank">internet-base radio service</a>. Every Thursday they have a <a href="http://mediacenter.laprensagrafica.com/audios/a/campus-cursos-universitarios-a-distancia-31012013">college section</a>. We came to talk about our experience with 6.002x and Edx. Talk radio shows have been associated with AM/FM. Internet-based
talk-radio shows have become a low-cost solution. La Prensa Gráfica is
trying to make his way through this technology. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From left to right, Lester, Jaime, Roosemberth, Fredy, Carlos, Flori, Jorge and Gabriel.</i></span></div>
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By chance, The Honduran students IEEE branch's president came with us. To have her with us was very important because she is going to back MOOC initiatives in Honduras. Flori is a nice girl who has highly social skills. I have no doubts She can achieve similar ideas in Honduras.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mauricio, Flori, Gabirel, Roosemberth, Lester and Fredy</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://mediacenter.laprensagrafica.com/audios/a/campus-cursos-universitarios-a-distancia-31012013" target="_blank">The program has been recorded as a podcast</a>. I don't know how big our audience was. However, I have no doubt we are going to work for trying a bigger audience.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-48628064579545980122013-01-29T06:58:00.000-08:002013-01-29T06:58:24.886-08:00Revolution Hits the Universities (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have earned a little bit of knowledge regarding college unrest. I have carried out a little research regarding <a href="http://www.ues.edu.sv/content/revista-la-universidad-10-11" target="_blank">students revolts at the University of El Salvador</a>. I have also submitted a book on that issue. That is why I found Thomas Friedman's headline very provocative: "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/friedman-revolution-hits-the-universities.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Revolution Hits the Universities</a>"</div>
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But fortunately this time, revolution is of another kind.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObmrxInOkmE/UQfi2phSjwI/AAAAAAAAAw8/uwVC0Exa1D8/s1600/27FRIEDMAN-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObmrxInOkmE/UQfi2phSjwI/AAAAAAAAAw8/uwVC0Exa1D8/s1600/27FRIEDMAN-articleLarge.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/friedman-revolution-hits-the-universities.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><i>Revolution Hits the Universities, Thomas Friedman, The New York Times</i></a></div>
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<b>MOOC as a kind of foreign aid?</b><br />Thomas Friedman gives a hint of how to focus American foreign aid: "Imagine how this might change U.S. foreign aid. For relatively little money, the U.S. could rent space in an Egyptian village, install two dozen computers and high-speed satellite Internet access, hire a local teacher as a facilitator, and invite in any Egyptian who wanted to take online courses with the best professors in the world, subtitled in Arabic." </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-17890825755119660762013-01-29T06:25:00.000-08:002013-01-29T06:32:56.423-08:00Revolution Hits the Universities (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luis Alberto Sanchez, president of Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru, wrote one of his experiences, lived in one of his many trips around the world: "In April 22, 1968, I arrived in Paris from Dakar. I tried to meet with my friends Jean Roche, president of Sorbonne, and Monbeing Pierre, chairman of Institute of Latin American Studies. With Roche I could not even communicate by phone; Monbeig explained that he was subjected to an unavoidable schedule visits, discussions and negotiations."</div>
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Alberto Sanchez could not meet his friends. Paris was in the midst of a rebellion. The multiple epicentres were in college, in high school and in French unions. Having nothing to do in Paris, He decided to continue with his world trip schedule and flew to New York. He arrived on April 26th. He had to meet Grayson Kirk, University of Columbia's president. To his amazement, Columbia University was in the middle of a student revolt. He did not even dare to contact Columbia officials. The press put him abreast of what was happening.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7tRo8V2LEw/UQfYM3Q8D2I/AAAAAAAAAwc/uS6SSuN6DZI/s1600/shapiro-cigar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7tRo8V2LEw/UQfYM3Q8D2I/AAAAAAAAAwc/uS6SSuN6DZI/s1600/shapiro-cigar.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>David Shapiro, taken from The <a href="http://jacketmagazine.com/37/iv-shapiro-d-ivb-kent.shtml" target="_blank">Terror of the Poet</a>.</i></div>
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For several days activist students, linked to groups whose radicalism was in crescendo, seized several university buildings. The news in the print media reported a disturbing picture. David Shapiro, a scruffy student, was photographed sitting in the president's chair, very relaxed, wearing sunglasses and smoking one of the president's cigars he found in the broken office.<br />
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A few months after his coming back, Alberto Sánchez had to deal with a homegrown student rebellion. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-9066052080802799472013-01-23T18:36:00.001-08:002013-01-24T02:19:28.136-08:00A group picture<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had the idea of having a group picture. I got very surprised to see that almost everybody attended the call. Around thirty people got their diploma; among them the electrical engineering chairman (firs line at the left). He also took the fall 6.002x course; and got a perfect score. To get him enrolled was very important because he could serve as a good role model.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJb-Cxcdpjw/UQBZmuDrx9I/AAAAAAAAAu4/DLK2-AiOj80/s1600/IMG_2856-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJb-Cxcdpjw/UQBZmuDrx9I/AAAAAAAAAu4/DLK2-AiOj80/s1600/IMG_2856-2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Picture courtesy of Wilber Calderón.</i></div>
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In general the experience was very rewarding. We just can hope other majors at our university could follow our path. I guess our new goal will be Electricity and Magnetism by professor Walter Lewin.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ey2JdiMP7X4/UQBbCJHt3dI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/xxctadXZbqc/s1600/DSC05033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ey2JdiMP7X4/UQBbCJHt3dI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/xxctadXZbqc/s1600/DSC05033.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am also willing to give new talks about our experience. Perhaps with a little bit of luck we could magnify this effort to a bigger scale.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-85374488172167827512013-01-23T17:43:00.002-08:002013-01-24T02:06:56.037-08:00What's next? (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today Wednesday January 23, Salvadoran 6.002x-ers had a meeting. I called them for having a kind of graduation picture. But almost spontaneously came out a need to talk about what we had achieved. Also the question What's next? came to the table. We discussed several proposals. I will mention just two of them; which require to add no new bureaucracy. One proposal was to ask our department a MOOC course as a four credit elective course. Electrical Engineering Students are required to take eight elective four credit courses. Because the department has only 12 full time professors and 2 part-timers, elective course list is very short.</div>
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The other proposal was to use a mandatory course which was originally designed to do small research. The course has to be taken in the last year, as a research course under a professor supervision. A carefully chosen MOOC course could be replaced instead. The course could help to carry on later an undergraduate Thesis. </div>
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I do not know if any of this two proposals will materialize. But I got the feeling we had achieved something we did not have before. We had expanded our vision of the world. I can not image myself, twenty years ago, when I was an engineering student, having this kind of conversation. MIT, Harvard, Berkeley was foreign to us. The only american college images I could think of were the ones portrayed by cheap Hollywood movies (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084522/" target="_blank">Porky's</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088000/" target="_blank">Revenge of the Nerds</a> and so on).</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CqA4Ix4iSkY/UQCEXaPvJCI/AAAAAAAAAv8/bzhL3GjejJc/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CqA4Ix4iSkY/UQCEXaPvJCI/AAAAAAAAAv8/bzhL3GjejJc/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" height="307" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Picture courtesy of Ovidio Medrano.</i> </div>
I can not help avoid to say something about some students who felt cheated by our system. They managed to succeed in 6.002x but fail our basic circuit analysis and analog electronic courses.<br />
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After our little brainstorming we decided to take the pictures. Below I was portrayed with a very clever teenager. Roossenberth, a sixteen years old boy, took the course. He approved 6.002x and, following my advice, he will take it again. But this time he will arm himself with a <a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/calcsing" target="_blank">calculus course</a>, served by coursera.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A1N4IDGdihM/UQBakPpC6UI/AAAAAAAAAvI/DttLzxi0sl4/s1600/DSC05025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A1N4IDGdihM/UQBakPpC6UI/AAAAAAAAAvI/DttLzxi0sl4/s1600/DSC05025.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-39214950380371844922013-01-19T18:38:00.001-08:002013-01-20T03:41:50.977-08:00The need to have a role model<div style="text-align: justify;">
In past posts I have quoted professor Paul Kim's opinions, given in his MOOC course. In his seventh lecture he talked about some of his educational projects. But also he introduced a very key issue: the need to have a role model.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcn6r97ygl8/UPtN161Pq9I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/WvDCrSX0wWE/s1600/camerondiaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcn6r97ygl8/UPtN161Pq9I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/WvDCrSX0wWE/s1600/camerondiaz.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
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Cameron Diaz in the movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Teacher" target="_blank"><b><i>Bad Teacher</i></b></a>.</div>
<b>Role model</b><br />
Focusing on early education, Professor Kim talked about his 1001 stories project. Also he recalled his personal child experiences: "When I was growing up, I remember reading about Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi,
Einstein and inventors and great heroes of nations. I was inspired by
their stories. Their stories shaped my role model. The children in the
developing region don’t have access to stories that can inspired them."<br />
<br />
<b>6.002x produced some results</b><br />
As I have said before, two professors and five of our best students enrolled and passed with success the very first 6.002x course. In a way we served as a model for students who enrolled during 6.002x second edition. During the fall edition, two more professors enrolled. One of them was our chairman. Both of them got a perfect score. Totally, during 2012, four out of twelve professors passed 6.002x. That is to say, 33% of the electrical engineering department full-time faculties took the course.</div>
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In addition the students who took the spring course served as a model for their peers; who enrolled by fall. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-12291525806821370412013-01-14T04:00:00.001-08:002013-01-20T14:20:25.022-08:00Is MIT ready for the next Aaron Swartz?<div style="text-align: justify;">
As I posted before, I grew up in the west hills of San Salvador's Volcano. At school we did not have a library. At home there were very few books, if any. At 13 I remember myself eagerly studying the Bible. It affected me so much that I ended up that year being part of a rural profetic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia" target="_blank">speaking-in-tongues</a> evangelical sect. Fortunately that experience lasted a little more than a year.</div>
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By the late eighties my father became an
assistant librarian in a kind of two-year technical community college.
Every time I passed by visiting him, I spent many hours checking book
after book and shelf after shelf. It was a kind of epiphany that I
recall with joy. Later on, while being a PhD student, I remember having
again that feeling. The sensation came this time not from my walkings
through bookshelves but from surfing ScienceDirect, JSTOR, IEEE digital
library and so many online libraries my abroad university had
subscribed. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GujR2HNY6VU/UPPiewJABMI/AAAAAAAAAts/gJHk8dPL-AA/s1600/f1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GujR2HNY6VU/UPPiewJABMI/AAAAAAAAAts/gJHk8dPL-AA/s1600/f1.JPG" height="162" width="320" /></a></div>
After finishing my PhD studies I came
back to El Salvador. It was hard to realize I had lost my access to
online libraries. Every now and then, when I desperately needed a
technical article, I shamelessly begged to my friends who I knew had
access to those libraries. Sometimes they responded my calls but warned
me not to share the information with anybody because I could get them
into troubles.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtpXmXsAxRQ/UPPinl7uOPI/AAAAAAAAAt0/-wSjy8JeEsA/s1600/AaronSwartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtpXmXsAxRQ/UPPinl7uOPI/AAAAAAAAAt0/-wSjy8JeEsA/s1600/AaronSwartz.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz" target="_blank">Aaron Swartz </a>(wikipedia)</div>
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<b>Aaron Swartz</b></div>
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It was through the New York times that I happened to know that somebody was criminally charged for downloading almost the whole <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/business/media/aaron-swartzs-web-activism-may-cost-him-dearly.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">JSTOR library</a>. At that moment, for me, It was no more than another story of extreme government punishment over activism. The New York Times reported JSTOR's role in Mr. Swartz's prosecution: "Asked if it was pleased that someone misusing the service could be brought to justice, a spokeswoman for Jstor wrote in an e-mail response: 'We wanted the content back, and we were able to secure it and ensure it wasn’t distributed. We were not interested in further legal action around this incident. We have no comment on the prosecution or how they have chosen to characterize it.' ”</div>
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<b>A believer</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/" target="_blank">Aaron was a believer</a>. I know what is to be one. I experienced that myself with my evangelical speaking-in-tongues mates. Even JSTOR <a href="http://about.jstor.org/statement-swartz" target="_blank">gave Aaron recognition</a>. The death of Aaron has troubled MIT community. MIT’s president has appointed a prominent professor, Hal Abelson, to<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/technology/aaron-swartz-a-data-crusader-and-now-a-cause.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank"> lead an investigation</a>. </div>
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<b>Is MIT ready for the next Aaron?</b></div>
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MOOC is creating new believers. Is anybody listening? A new young generation is interpreting the message of the apostles of the new MOOC gospel in different ways.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-50038577525652117322013-01-06T17:53:00.000-08:002013-01-06T18:15:14.574-08:00A Retrospect<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A guinea pig student. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last February 2012, an alumni sent to me an email telling me that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would start a web course on Circuits and Electronics. For a week or two I was very skeptical about enrolling; after all I was not a Circuit Analysis professor neither an Analog Electronics lecturer. However, To become a MIT student, even an online guinea pig student, was very challenging. By the beginning of March, I had already signed up. At that very moment I did not have any idea of the amount of effort that decision would demand on me. But I was resolved to be a MIT 6.002x student, to finish at the top, and to get the diploma. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWiR6kfrJwc/UOomdfqzYfI/AAAAAAAAAso/EE0AdbH2zq0/s1600/guineapig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWiR6kfrJwc/UOomdfqzYfI/AAAAAAAAAso/EE0AdbH2zq0/s1600/guineapig.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I sent several emails to fellow professors. I told them about MIT web experiment. Only one of them signed up. <a href="http://6002x-sv.blogspot.com/2012/08/your-account-for-mitxs-on-line-6002.html" target="_blank">By their own, some students</a>, full of enthusiasm, decided to enrolled. They kept that decision almost secret. They did not want to be bother by their peers with nerdy stigmas. At the end of the course five students and two professors finished it, all of them got A's. One of our students got a perfect score.</div>
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<b>MOOC's Advocate.</b><br />
By May 2012 6.002x became EdX. I transformed myself in a kind of MOOC advocate. If 6.002x enriched my life it could do the same to others. So I started <a href="http://6002x-sv.blogspot.com/2012/08/campaigning-on-circuits-and-electronics.html" target="_blank">campaigning to</a> take advantage of this new distance education initiative. I visited different<a href="http://6002x-sv.blogspot.com/2012/08/campaigning-on-circuits-and-electronics_29.html" target="_blank"> classrooms</a>. I talked with fellow professors. I visited several campuses. I traveled <a href="http://6002x-sv.blogspot.com/2012/09/massive-open-online-course-in-santa-ana.html" target="_blank">several cities</a>. I talked to a physician friend (regarding PH207x). I gave a talk to a program for <a href="http://6002x-sv.blogspot.com/2012/08/massive-open-online-course.html" target="_blank">gifted students</a>; where the viceminister of science and technology was present. Even I proposed, without success, to our local IEEE branch chairman to have a contest; and to award a prize to the university that enrolled and managed to get more students approved on Circuits and Electronics. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-14022944597100078252012-12-30T03:19:00.001-08:002013-01-05T23:52:01.366-08:00MOOC as a way to get self-regulatory skills (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
In my last entries I have written about MOOC as a new learning environment. I have based my reflections using professor Paul Kim's ideas. Regarding the problem of extremely high dropouts in MOOC courses, he pointed out the problem of self discipline. Or as he called it: self regulation. He pointed out the problem on K-12 education: "Today, schools do
not teach students how to learn better or manage own learning more
effectively. Self-regulation is not an academic
subject in today’s schools. I believe it is as equally important as
literacy or numeracy." </div>
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<b>Spoon-fed style teaching.</b></div>
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According to professor Paul Kim: "Many students who are familiar with spoon-fed
style teaching, they perform poorly in online or unregulated learning
environments where self-regulated learning is crucial. Those who
are so anchored in the passive learning style throughout the K-12
education experiences often want the same style of learning experiences
when they face higher education and beyond. This is why many of those
who sign up to go to online programs fail to complete courses in many cases." Students who lack self discipline will struggle in an online
education program. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EBsy8t4w0E/UOAciLYF-4I/AAAAAAAAAsM/o4Ao4cteRKk/s1600/TeachingStyle01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EBsy8t4w0E/UOAciLYF-4I/AAAAAAAAAsM/o4Ao4cteRKk/s1600/TeachingStyle01.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
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Professor Paul Kim encourages the need to teach self-regulatory skills: "If they [students] can prove that they are capable of managing
unexpected daily events and Regulating their academic work successfully
during the orientation period, they are probably more likely to stay
enrolled when they move on to the regular online program." </div>
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<b>The freedom paradox.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And here MOOC put us to face a new paradox: Freedom will take us to acquire more self-discipline. Paul Kim put it this way: Students must acquire "the strong iron-will coupled with effective
self-regulatory skills to be successful in online or unregulated
education programs that offer, ironically, a lot of freedom and
convenience." </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-19949662313473674772012-12-29T20:49:00.001-08:002012-12-29T20:49:30.230-08:00MOOC as a way to get self-regulatory skills (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why there is a high dropout rate in MOOC courses? Let us take for instance last spring 6.002x. Acording to statistics published by staff: "It had <b>154,763</b> registrants. Of these, 69,221 people looked at the first problem set, and 26,349 earned at least one point on it. 13,569 people looked at the midterm while it was still open, 10,547 people got at least one point on the midterm, and 9,318 people got a passing score on the midterm. 10,262 people looked at the final exam while it was still open, 8,240 people got at least one point on the final exam, and 5,800 people got a passing score on the final exam. Finally, after completing 14 weeks of study, <b>7,157</b> people have earned the first certificate awarded by MITx, proving that they successfully completed 6.002x."<br />
<b> </b> <br />
Profesor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kim_%28academic%29" target="_blank">Paul Kim</a> from Stanford University has a very good answer to that question.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Self-regulatory skills.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In one of his lectures, Paul Kim clearly explained: "One
of the reasons why there is a high drop-out rate in unregulated
learning environment such as online learning is because such learning
requires much higher self-regulatory skills. Unlike face to face
learning in fixed times and fixed environment, online learning often
gives students ample freedom to set own schedules, learn at own pace,
and most importantly at any convenient location without revealing much
identity and in the absence of F2F social presence or direct peer
observation or pressure. A slogan for one of for-profit universities
was: convenience, convenience, convenience. Convenient location,
convenient schedule, convenient pace…The
freedom with convenience is great for those who can self-manage own
resources and learning. Such freedom with convenience would be an ideal
learning atmosphere and environment for those who can effectively
prioritize tasks in short and long term timeframes." </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-15064948878318391282012-12-29T20:20:00.001-08:002012-12-29T20:20:52.409-08:00New learning enviroment (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last november a MIT magazine, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506336/online-courses-put-pressure-on-universities-in-poorer-nations/" target="_blank"><i>Technology Review</i></a>, published an article which made some comments about my effort to get students enroll in MOOC courses. I must admit I have not been able to get high officials to share my views. However, to enroll in a MOOC course does not involve high officials. So I have been able to get directly to students and persuade them to get enrolled. This is ok for a small scale. But to scale up it will need the support of high rank officials. Also, students, professors, deans, university presidents must be on the same boat. If they never give value to MOOC courses, We will miss a wonderful opportunity to improve higher education.</div>
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<b>A very sad experience.</b><br />
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In one of his lecture professor Paul Kim recalled a very sad story: "Once I was in one of the least developed regions around the world. I faced a community leader who told me not to do anything that would improve the schools in the region. He said most parents do not want their children to be educated. In fact, I found out that many parents I met did not want their children to be wasting time in schools that gave no value. Students were taught by teachers who barely finished high school and had no materials. Teachers showed up only once in a while, yet collected paychecks every month from the government. Also, for parents, children wasting time in such school meant they are losing the necessary labor force needed in the farms. I left the community and have not gone back."</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW7Eupxrt0U/UN-7nuyD65I/AAAAAAAAArw/H8hFl_5jju8/s1600/rde0270l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW7Eupxrt0U/UN-7nuyD65I/AAAAAAAAArw/H8hFl_5jju8/s1600/rde0270l.jpg" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/k/kicked_out.asp" target="_blank">School for the blind kicks out a mime</a></div>
For a passionate educator, I think, Paul Kim's experience was very disappointed. However, he is hard to defeat: "I am still struggling to figure out a way to get their children educated with quality learning programs. I would like to challenge those children. I would like to show them what they could achieve in their lives. I would like to see doctors, professors, engineers and astronauts out of them." <br />
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To get that change society must change the value it gives to education.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-80351068445887068122012-12-29T19:18:00.001-08:002012-12-29T19:18:47.128-08:00New learning enviroment (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Stanford University has not tied itself to a one single MOOC platform. As far as I know, Stanford is part of <a href="https://www.coursera.org/universities" target="_blank">coursera</a> and also it is offering courses in two more platforms: <a href="http://class.stanford.edu/" target="_blank">Class2go</a> and <a href="http://venture-lab.org/" target="_blank">Venture Lab</a>. Through venture lab, last fall Stanford offered five courses. Among them was one that called my attention. Professor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kim_%28academic%29" target="_blank">Paul Kim</a>, chief technology officer and assistant dean at the Stanford University School of Education, opened a course called: <a href="http://venture-lab.org/education" target="_blank">Designing a New Learning Environment</a>. It happened to be that professor Kim came to <a href="http://lapalabra.utec.edu.sv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179:tecnol" target="_blank">El Salvador in 2010</a>. He met high rank officials from the new elected government. So I thought to myself it could be a good idea to tell them they could study his course. I wrote to them but never received an answer. However, months later I met them in the opening of a social project. I asked them if they were following the course and they said they weren't.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u_Ua6ab73ZE/UN-s8lls0cI/AAAAAAAAArU/CbSxT8Vks6I/s1600/kim.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u_Ua6ab73ZE/UN-s8lls0cI/AAAAAAAAArU/CbSxT8Vks6I/s400/kim.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Paul Kim uses a four-stages diagram to illustrate his ideas about sustainable education environments. At the top of the diagram he places the concept of <a href="http://venture-lab.org/education/lectures/49" target="_blank">VALUE</a>. For value he meant local society's views regarding education. Educational projects will fail if local societies do not give any value to the project. This idea has made me wonder if developing societies are willing to embrace new available online educational projects, e.g. MOOC, where three of the four-stages have been built up (Technology, Content and Pedagogy).</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-31436500435077165882012-12-21T13:00:00.001-08:002012-12-21T13:09:44.644-08:00Tragedy<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is a salvadoran tragedy. In Christmas time, We all watch news where people get burned and die because they suffered accidents with firecrackers and powder.</div>
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Last Sunday, December 16th, around four o'clock in the afternoon, a small shanty blew up. The explotion was located on the slopes of Mount San Jacinto, south of San Salvador. In the humble home, a marriage was engaged in making firecrackers. Every year, during the month of December, they did so as an extra activity to their jobs. Every weekday during the nights and every weekend they worked very long hours. With their bare hands, They tamped down charges of white powder among joint-like old newspaper rolls.</div>
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Teresa Majano de Galvez died almost immediately by the explosion and the severe burns. Her husband, Pedro Galvez suffered third degree burns over 70% of his body. The burns penetrated through the skin, damaging, most likely, nerves, blood vessels and, almost certainly, destroying any regenerative capacity. Pedro's strenght kept him alive four more days. However, he succumbed to the severity of the accident. Yesterday, on thursday, December 20th, physicians certified his death.<br />
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A third adult was another victim of the accident. Pedro's sister, Irma Galvez, who from Sonsonate had came to work for them, now is fighting between life and death. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-RhhSF_0oU/UNSdF7k2ywI/AAAAAAAAAqc/9nm8tQ7hJsw/s1600/Incendio-el-Coheteria-en-San-Jacinto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-RhhSF_0oU/UNSdF7k2ywI/AAAAAAAAAqc/9nm8tQ7hJsw/s1600/Incendio-el-Coheteria-en-San-Jacinto.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://elmundo.com.sv/una-mujer-fallecio-durante-incendio-en-coheteria-clandestina-en-san-jacinto" target="_blank"><i>Picuture from Diario El Mundo</i></a><b> </b></div>
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<b>San Francisco Community.</b><br />
Here in El Salvador, very poor neighbourhoods are called communities. Normally they are located in ravines and very sloped hills. Getting to San Francisco community in San Jacinto was more complicated than we though. At the point where bus 22 got its last stop, I felt like if we had reached some kind of border. In San Jacinto neighborhood's side of the border, I perceived a decline of once thriving neighborhood. Each home has been isolated itself by barbed wire, iron gates and big walls. They are foreign to communities' marginal life. In the other hand, In the communities' side of the border, I felt a rural setting. People raise chickens, goes to the mill to grind corn, cook with firewood and also They struggle to survive.</div>
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A graffiti signed by a local gang warned us about who rules the neighborhood: "See, hear and be silent." The community has some minor overtones of prosperity. Electricity, drinking water and paved roads. However, you can not help noticing where this human settlement has been erected: on a steep hillside of the many that make up the slopes of Mount San Jacinto.</div>
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<b>Three Electrical Engineering Students.</b></div>
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Pedro and Teresa had three of his kids studying electrical engineering at the University of El Salvador. Hernán, the senior, began in 2006, seven years ago. Two juniors, who are twins, enrolled in 2009. The only education these young guys have accessed has been in the public education system. Jorge and Edwin, the twins, studied at the Industrial Technical Institute (INTI). These two boys were tested for admission to enter the University in late 2008 and They approved without problems the entrance examination.</div>
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Soon they discovered that public education did not prepared them for a college education. However, the story of these young guys and their parents is the story of many Salvadoran families who are struggling to overcome adversity. On the one hand, fighting their academic deficiencies. The three students have been able to continue, enrolled as regular students. On the other hand, until the fateful December 16th, her parents fought against economic hardship. That struggle costed them their lives.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-54793978646609056282012-12-21T12:59:00.000-08:002012-12-21T13:09:24.335-08:006.002x Final Exam (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had planned to write several posts about 6.002x last spring final exam. I could write just one entry. A little bit of sickness slowed down my writing pace. So I decide to use my reduce energy to prepare myself for the exam. By the time the final exam was opened It was too late to write about that issue.</div>
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I opened the exam on thursday, December 20th, around six o'clock in the morning. It was a little embarrassing. I spent more than an hour trying to solve the very first question. When I though I was ready to submit I did it. However, here they came, everything was full of red crosses. I got scare!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-srUm6UE4o4g/UNTJ1IYYScI/AAAAAAAAAq4/hjznGsTyVbw/s1600/schhol-exam-terror001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-srUm6UE4o4g/UNTJ1IYYScI/AAAAAAAAAq4/hjznGsTyVbw/s1600/schhol-exam-terror001.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://graphicleftovers.com/graphic/school-exam-terror/" target="_blank"><i>School Exam Terror</i></a></div>
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I did not have too much time during the morning because the day before I was informed that I had to attend a meeting around 10 am.</div>
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So I jump to question number two, which took me an hour. Question number three was solved in 30 minutes. Question number four took me one hour but I had only half of the solution. At 9:30am, after three hours and a half, I only had two and a half questions solved. Quite disastrous timing!</div>
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I made a pause because I had to attend a meeting. The parents of three of our students passed away (I will write about this in next post). </div>
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I retook the exam around four o'clock in the afternoon. I had to endure another three hours to have it completed. However I left some bugs to be solved after diner.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-29228606039830565452012-12-14T05:16:00.000-08:002012-12-21T12:14:43.925-08:006.002x Final Exam (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">
6.002x Final exam is very close. Last course Info, dated december 4, said: "The final exam will take place on December 20th, with full details below." Just one line below, they contradicted themself; quote: "The final exam will be released on December 19th at 14:01 (2:01 pm) Boston time and will close on December 23rd at 23:59 (11:59 pm) Boston time." So you do not know if the exam is going to be opened on December 20th or 19th.</div>
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<b>Last spring 6.002x final exam</b></div>
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I would like to write several post dedicated to last spring final exam. Our university closes its doors today. It will be reopened by January 16th. So this blog would be a way to help students who are willing to take the final exam. This first post is dedicated to the very first problem; which has been rewriten below. The solution of the problem attracted my attention a lot. Recently the <a href="http://campus.com.sv/blogs/11/289" target="_blank">civil engineering</a> department acquired a new machine which is based on the same principle.</div>
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<b>Strain</b></div>
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One way to measure the deformation of an object is with strain
gauges. A strain gauge is a resistor whose resistance varies with the
amount it is stretched or compressed. For example, an
<a href="http://www.omega.com/pptst/gen_purpose_strain_SG.html">
Omega SG-13/1000-LY11 </a> has a nominal undeformed resistance of
<span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-157-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1206"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 5.411em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.611em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1207"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1208"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.428em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1209" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.149em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1210" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">X<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.017em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1211" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1212" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">1000</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1213" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.27em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.269em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>. The change in resistance is very small: if the piece
of steel the gauge is bonded to stretches by <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-158-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1214"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 4.708em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.211em, 1000em, 2.871em, -0.367em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1215"><span class="mfrac" id="MathJax-Span-1216" style="padding-left: 0.12em; padding-right: 0.12em;"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 0.932em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.63em, 1000em, 2.469em, -0.454em); left: 50%; margin-left: -0.406em; position: absolute; top: -2.718em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1217"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1218" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; font-size: 70.7%;">Δ</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1219" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">l</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="clip: rect(1.646em, 1000em, 2.469em, -0.46em); left: 50%; margin-left: -0.108em; position: absolute; top: -1.897em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1220" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">l</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="clip: rect(0.838em, 1000em, 1.23em, -0.487em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -1.288em;"><span style="border-left: 0.932em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.25px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: 0em; width: 0px;"></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 1.068em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1221" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1222" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">0.001</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.906em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.613em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span> the gauge increases resistance by only <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-159-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1223"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.19em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.461em, -0.437em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1224"><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1225" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">2</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1226" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.072em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.071em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>..
To measure the strain we need to get a voltage proportional to the
change in resistance from the nominal resistance of the gauge. This
is arranged with a circuit like this:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YyccLeIONhc/UMsiRLk5fUI/AAAAAAAAApg/yd7hbevh364/s1600/p1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YyccLeIONhc/UMsiRLk5fUI/AAAAAAAAApg/yd7hbevh364/s1600/p1.bmp" height="208" width="400" /></a></div>
Let's start by assuming that <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-160-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1227"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 5.357em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.623em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1228"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1229"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1230" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.137em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1231" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">A</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1232" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1233" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">1800</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1234" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.286em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.285em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>,
<span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-161-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1235"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 5.357em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.611em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1236"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1237"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1238" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.149em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1239" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">B</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1240" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1241" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">3600</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1242" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.27em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.269em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>, <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-162-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1243"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 5.303em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.631em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1244"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1245"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.32em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1246" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.145em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1247" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">C<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.032em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1248" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1249" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">1500</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1250" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.296em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.295em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>, and <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-163-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1251"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 3.301em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.453em, 1000em, 2.631em, -0.435em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1252"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1253"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.025em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.537em, -0.435em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1254" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">V<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.186em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.517em; position: absolute; top: -2.145em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1255" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">S<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.023em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1256" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1257" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">26</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.268em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.295em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>V. Note: In this problem it is necessary to compute your answers to
within 1% of the correct value.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Q1: What is the output voltage v_o , in Volts, if the gauge is
not deformed?</b><i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>The circuit is know as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_circuit" target="_blank">bridge circuit</a>. The problem is quite tricky. You can not use tension division directly to calculate v_o. Instead, one solution could be to calculate tension among all resistors. Then you have to figure out how to subtract the correct tensions. It would be ok to write a formula, because it would be helpful for solving next questions.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Q2: Now suppose the gauge stretches so its resistance changes to R_X=1002.0Ω. What is the change in the output voltage, in
milliVolts?<span style="font-family: MathJax_Math;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<i>Tension in R_C has changed. It must be recalculated. Then you must subtract this value from the one calculated in Q1.</i></div>
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<b>Q3: We would really like the output voltage to be zero when the gauge is
not deformed. Keeping the other resistors the same, what should we
make the resistance <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-166-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1271"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(3.155em, 1000em, 4.312em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -4em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1272"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1273"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1274" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.149em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1275" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">B</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 4em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.242em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.269em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span> to accomplish this? Express your answer
in Ohms. </b><br />
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<br />
<i>Solving Q1, we must concluded that v_o is the difference between two tensions. we are required v_o=0. So the only unknown value is the value of R_B.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Q4/Q5</b>: Now we want to choose some resistances to get the maximum sensitivity:
we want the biggest change in output voltage for a change in the gauge
resistance. We also want the output voltage to be zero when the gauge is
not deformed.
<br />
<br />
Assume that we are given <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-167-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1276"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 6.115em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.623em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1277"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1278"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1279" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.137em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1280" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">A</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1281" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1282" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">3000.0</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1283" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.286em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.285em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>, and remember that the
nominal undeformed resistance of the gauge <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-168-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1284"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 5.411em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.432em, 1000em, 2.611em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.299em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1285"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1286"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.428em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1287" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.149em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1288" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">X<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.017em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span class="mo" id="MathJax-Span-1289" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">=</span><span class="mn" id="MathJax-Span-1290" style="font-family: MathJax_Main; padding-left: 0.278em;">1000</span><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1291" style="font-family: MathJax_Main;">Ω</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.27em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.269em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>.
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>What value should we choose for <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-169-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1292"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.32em;"><span style="clip: rect(3.155em, 1000em, 4.332em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -4em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1293"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1294"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.32em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1295" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.145em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1296" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">C<span style="display: inline-block; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 0.032em;"></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 4em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.268em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.295em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>, in Ohms? </b><b> </b><br />
<b>What value should we choose for <span class="MathJax_Preview"></span><span class="MathJax" id="MathJax-Element-170-Frame" role="textbox"><nobr><span class="math" id="MathJax-Span-1297"><span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 132%; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(3.155em, 1000em, 4.312em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -4em;"><span class="mrow" id="MathJax-Span-1298"><span class="msubsup" id="MathJax-Span-1299"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; position: relative; width: 1.374em;"><span style="clip: rect(1.507em, 1000em, 2.536em, -0.454em); left: 0em; position: absolute; top: -2.353em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1300" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-style: italic;">R</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.353em; width: 0px;"></span></span><span style="left: 0.758em; position: absolute; top: -2.149em;"><span class="mi" id="MathJax-Span-1301" style="font-family: MathJax_Math; font-size: 70.7%; font-style: italic;">B</span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 2.299em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="display: inline-block; height: 4em; width: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="border-left: 0em solid; display: inline-block; height: 1.242em; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: -0.269em; width: 0px;"></span></span></nobr></span>, in Ohms? </b><br />
To find when it is maximized, we find the derivative of dv_o / dR_x<i> </i> and set it to zero. It is quite tricky. From Q1, if you got a formula for v_o just derive it with respect to R_x. You are going to get an expresion like dv_o/dR_x = R_C V_S / (R_x+R_C)^2. <a href="http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mastascu/elessonsHTML/Resist/Resist4.html" target="_blank">It is the expression you have to derive and set to zero</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-18313884410180163972012-12-13T12:42:00.004-08:002013-01-13T07:37:17.608-08:00It's the economy, stupid<div style="text-align: justify;">
The phrase "The economy, stupid" or "It is the economy, stupid" was coined by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_economy,_stupid" target="_blank">James Carville</a>, Bill Clinton's campaign strategist. James Carville made his reputation in the 1992 presidential campaign. He successfully got Bill Clinton elected, defeating an incumbent president. "It is the economy, stupid" became the slogan for Democrats 1992 campaign. Now the phrase it is used as a cliché.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been reported that Mr. James Carville based his strategy on polls. Through surveys he could identify "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/13/opinion/13friedman.html?_r=0" target="_blank">gut issues</a>".<br />
<br />
6.002x has allowed us to make comparison between the way lead universities handled their courses and how courses are handled in developing countries.<br />
<br />
It is undeniable that developing countries universities lack high educated professors. But also comparison showed a lack of respect for basic norms. <br />
<br />
Let's take for instance grading. Our written norms establish that grades must be return during the two weeks that follow the turning in of a paper, a homework or an exam. In general, that basic rule it is not followed.<br />
<br />
Semester last 16 weeks. Final exams are supposed to be handled in week 17. Grades must be published in week 18. This is week 19, the EE department is responsible of 29 courses. Only in 9 courses grades have been submitted.<br />
<br />
6.002x students know in real time their grades. Also I guess, regular MIT students do not have to wait until the very end for knowing their grades.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LiklT_MBjsU/UMokUbYF9CI/AAAAAAAAApA/TpUR77_fnlE/s1600/stupid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LiklT_MBjsU/UMokUbYF9CI/AAAAAAAAApA/TpUR77_fnlE/s1600/stupid.gif" height="400" width="381" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The picture shows that only 9 out 29 courses have submitted grades (yellow). Among the ones that have not been submitted are Circuit Analysis and Analog Electronics (red rectangle).</i></span></div>
<br />
<b>It is accountability, stupid.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Trying to figure out ways to improve things in developing countries universities, I think, a lot could be done through respecting basic norms. In general, to enforce the respect for basic norms is not an easy task. But those countries must realize the tremendous harm they are causing to their own.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538999036386183761.post-57247212210912508512012-12-08T08:24:00.003-08:002012-12-10T07:52:57.290-08:00One hundred years ago (III)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Researching for information about the Mejía brothers, I found out they were the children of <a href="http://books.google.com.sv/books?id=zouaAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=sara+duke,+el+salvador&source=bl&ots=X2i-T6Rm1l&sig=4qx1jXMeI8jwArOsqPuuoX3gch4&hl=es&sa=X&ei=MVnDUNKuFZPY8gTmw4GAAg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=sara%20duke%2C%20el%20salvador&f=false" target="_blank">Sara Duke and Federico Mejía</a>. It was in a local newspaper that I found out a name related with that family. The news was about a Salvadoran <a href="http://archivo.elfaro.net/secciones/platicas/20070730/Platicas1_20070730.asp" target="_blank">high society lady</a> who said she was raised by Sara Duke. I looked in the phone book and I found her daughter's phone number. She gave me her mother's number.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I remember my conversation with this old lady because I happened to call her around eight o'clock, at night. Apparently, I interrupted her favourite TV program. It was a interview program ran by a journalist that months later would become president of El Salvador. I understood she follow that program with eager. So She told me to call her next day.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I called her and she bombarded me with information. But when I tried to make an appointment for a personal interview with her, she said it would be better to talk to her cousin. Her cousin happened to be Federico Mejía's daughter. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I made an appointment with Federico's daughter. I visited her at her house. In the living room she had a mandolin which belonged to her father.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Om6-GR5HHv0/UMNjQW_0KSI/AAAAAAAAAoI/HTlCSSiTonY/s1600/mandolin_club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Om6-GR5HHv0/UMNjQW_0KSI/AAAAAAAAAoI/HTlCSSiTonY/s1600/mandolin_club.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I took the detail of carrying with me her father's pictures. RPI's archivist had sent to me a picture where the Mejía brothers were portrayed as part of a mandolin club.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING IN THE 1910s.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Electrical engineering has changed tremendously in the past one hundred years. RPI sent me the electrical engineering program that they had back in the 1910s.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Iehh537zQ/UMNoXQTMVUI/AAAAAAAAAok/U5E5dIO8cXc/s1600/EE_course.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Iehh537zQ/UMNoXQTMVUI/AAAAAAAAAok/U5E5dIO8cXc/s1600/EE_course.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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We still do not know how this two electrical engineers, educated in New York, influenced the development of the Salvadoran college of engineering. I have collected some information but still it is small and sparce.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0