Welcome back 2012-2013!

Welcome back for another school year.  You may soon notice some of the changes this year, and I think they will help make it a better year at RRHS than ever before.  We'll talk more about those changes soon. 

This is the blog for my Digital Electronics (DE) classes.  DE is the third course in the PLTW engineering curriculum.  This course is quite different than the other classes you have taken.  Almost all of our work will involve building circuits on the computer simulator, using prototype breadboards, and using a programmable board.  What that means is that you will spend a LOT of time trouble-shooting and problem solving. Because that troubleshooting takes so much time, I want to run this class differently.  Frequently, when we have new material to learn, I will create videos that teach the theory that students will watch at home.  Then, when they come to class, we are able to spend more time practicing and getting feedback immediately. 

I will keep this site up to date not only with class news but other information that is useful to my students and parents, such as other web links, opportunities to work with industry partners, and even scholarship opportunities.  The calender on the right hand side of the page will keep a running list of what is going on in class as well as other key school dates (holidays, A/B days, etc.).  Above that is a list of useful links.  Since the curriculum is protected by copyright, I can not place actual classwork on this public blog.  The students will get used to accessing my information on my Moodle site.  I use Moodle to run the entire class, so all work and instructions will be found there throughout the year.

Look for a packet to come home from your student's first day that describes our class in more detail.  I am also sending a half-sheet home that has multiple methods to contact me.  One of those methods will be Remind101.  I will use that to send out short text messages or emails when there is pressing news or reminders (such as materials to bring to class, field trip deadlines, etc.).  Feel free to sign up now using the Remind 101 signup instructions.

I look forward to this year.  Be sure to let me know if there is anything I can do to make it more enjoyable and productive.