DE will work this week on the Majority Vote Project. In this project (which counts double weight compared to other grades), you will use your logic implementation and Boolean algebra skills to write a logic expression for a situation given to determine the decision to be made by a four-person board. You will definitely want to simplify that expression so that your breadboarding activity is as simple as possible. No one wants to have to wire up any more gates than is absolutely necessary.
There are no videos for Majority vote since it isn't new material. There won't be a new video until Friday when we will begin the next unit on other logic implementation and simplification methods.
Agendas this week
Monday - Begin Majority Vote - Write and Simplify a Logic Expression
Tuesday - Breadboard Majority Vote
If you are interested in the A&M Spark Conference on November 22, you should sign up right away. I have already started registering teams from RRHS, and the deadline from A&M is November 7.
This Week at RRHS
This is Homecoming Week, and you can check out the schedule of events including "dress up days", the parade and pep rally on the RRHS web site. That means that a pep rally is on Friday, which means pep rally schedule.
Also, we are at the middle of this grading period. Expect progress reports to come home on Thursday. You also need to be aware that this "six weeks" period is only five weeks long. That means that there are now only two weeks and at most a week and a half after you get your progress report before the end of the six weeks. One week after that starts our full week of Thanksgiving break. The year is certainly going by quickly.
Key Dates:
November 7 - End of 2nd six weeks grading period
November 21 - RRISD Thanksgiving holiday begins
December 1 - School begins after the holiday
December 15-18 - Fall final exams. School releases for the Christmas holiday starting December 19.
College Recruiter Visits This Week
Tuesday - University of Houston
Thursday - Texas Lutheran University
Friday - University of Houston at Victoria
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Week of Oct 13
This Week in DE
DE classes will continue studying AOI or combinational logic this week and will begin by building simple circuits created using And, Or, and Inverter (AOI) gates on the breadboards. This will introduce some analysis tools (Logic Probe and Chip Tester) to help make sure that your circuits are functioning properly.
We will also have a binary numbers, logic expression, & truth tables quiz in class on Tuesday.
I also may have a replacement for EdPuzzle. Some have reported issues accessing the videos through EdPuzzle, and it has been frequently difficult at school. I will introduce you to Blendspace on Tuesday. It works very similar but seems to be more reliable, at least by comparison at school, than was EdPuzzle. To sign up, go to Blendspace.com and sign up using the class code "lzwm" (without the quotes).
There is an opportunity for some lucky juniors to participate in the High School Aerospace Scholars program through NASA. I have more detailed information on this on the Internships page linked above, but applications are now open. High school juniors can apply to participate in a number of online sessions throughout the school year and then attend a summer internship/camp at NASA in Houston this summer (2015). The culmination will be to participate on a research project with NASA engineers and to present your project results in front of NASA staff and media.
Agendas This Week
Tuesday - AOI Logic Implementation - Video
Thursday - This is actually an A day since Wednesday is PSAT testing
Friday - Boolean Algebra Simplification - Video
This Week at RRHS
If you look at the calendar, you would think there is a mistake with both Wednesday and Thursday being listed as an A day. That is, in fact, actually the case - sort of. All sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT test Wednesday morning, and the seniors and freshmen will be involved in related activities as well. Therefore, the only "normal" A day schedule will be Thursday. Tuesday and Friday will be regular B days, and the schedule will return to normal next week.
Other than that twist, the schedule is normal. No late start or pep rally schedules to contend with. The six weeks, however, is not normal. We will have only 5 weeks in this six week grading period, so staying on top of grades is even more critical than it normally would be. The progress reporting period will end next Friday, and you will have less than 2 weeks from the time they come home before the complete end of this six weeks. The school year is flying by quickly!
College Rep Visits This Week
None. The next scheduled visit by a college rep will be Concordia next Tuesday.
DE classes will continue studying AOI or combinational logic this week and will begin by building simple circuits created using And, Or, and Inverter (AOI) gates on the breadboards. This will introduce some analysis tools (Logic Probe and Chip Tester) to help make sure that your circuits are functioning properly.
We will also have a binary numbers, logic expression, & truth tables quiz in class on Tuesday.
I also may have a replacement for EdPuzzle. Some have reported issues accessing the videos through EdPuzzle, and it has been frequently difficult at school. I will introduce you to Blendspace on Tuesday. It works very similar but seems to be more reliable, at least by comparison at school, than was EdPuzzle. To sign up, go to Blendspace.com and sign up using the class code "lzwm" (without the quotes).
There is an opportunity for some lucky juniors to participate in the High School Aerospace Scholars program through NASA. I have more detailed information on this on the Internships page linked above, but applications are now open. High school juniors can apply to participate in a number of online sessions throughout the school year and then attend a summer internship/camp at NASA in Houston this summer (2015). The culmination will be to participate on a research project with NASA engineers and to present your project results in front of NASA staff and media.
Agendas This Week
Tuesday - AOI Logic Implementation - Video
Thursday - This is actually an A day since Wednesday is PSAT testing
Friday - Boolean Algebra Simplification - Video
This Week at RRHS
If you look at the calendar, you would think there is a mistake with both Wednesday and Thursday being listed as an A day. That is, in fact, actually the case - sort of. All sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT test Wednesday morning, and the seniors and freshmen will be involved in related activities as well. Therefore, the only "normal" A day schedule will be Thursday. Tuesday and Friday will be regular B days, and the schedule will return to normal next week.
Other than that twist, the schedule is normal. No late start or pep rally schedules to contend with. The six weeks, however, is not normal. We will have only 5 weeks in this six week grading period, so staying on top of grades is even more critical than it normally would be. The progress reporting period will end next Friday, and you will have less than 2 weeks from the time they come home before the complete end of this six weeks. The school year is flying by quickly!
College Rep Visits This Week
None. The next scheduled visit by a college rep will be Concordia next Tuesday.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Week of Oct 6
This week in DE
This week, we will start understanding the building blocks of digital electronics, combinational logic, often referred to as AOI logic for the 3 basic logic gates: And, Or, & Inverter. Be sure that you watch the video in Edpuzzle so that you can take the embedded quiz.
I am beginning something new. I can link the agendas for each day here on this site, and the agendas contain links to the pages for each individual lesson. In that way, you can get access to Powerpoint and video instructions for the lessons as well as the assignment itself from anywhere you have computer access. This should make it easier for you to keep up with the work and to know "what we did when I missed class". If the agenda for each day of the week is not here at the start, check back as the week progresses since I will update this page as information central. You will also find a link to the agenda on the calendar entry for that day.
If you are interested in the Spark conference at Texas A&M on November 22, you need to get your full team registered (or yourself, if you are not part of a team) right away. Registrations are filling up.
Agendas for this week
Tuesday: Combination Logic - Video
Thursday: Writing Truth Tables from Logic Expressions - Video
This week at RRHS
Grades are due (for me) first thing Tuesday morning, so I will need all assignments from the last six weeks on Monday. Also, expect report cards to come home Wednesday or Thursday.
Thursday is a late start day, with school starting at 9:25. All teachers will be in department meetings before school Thursday, so there are no tutorials.
Next Monday (Oct 13) is a student holiday, so enjoy your 3 day weekend.
College Visits
Wednesday - Baylor Univeristy
Le Cordon Bleu
Friday - Texas Christian University (TCU)
This week, we will start understanding the building blocks of digital electronics, combinational logic, often referred to as AOI logic for the 3 basic logic gates: And, Or, & Inverter. Be sure that you watch the video in Edpuzzle so that you can take the embedded quiz.
I am beginning something new. I can link the agendas for each day here on this site, and the agendas contain links to the pages for each individual lesson. In that way, you can get access to Powerpoint and video instructions for the lessons as well as the assignment itself from anywhere you have computer access. This should make it easier for you to keep up with the work and to know "what we did when I missed class". If the agenda for each day of the week is not here at the start, check back as the week progresses since I will update this page as information central. You will also find a link to the agenda on the calendar entry for that day.
If you are interested in the Spark conference at Texas A&M on November 22, you need to get your full team registered (or yourself, if you are not part of a team) right away. Registrations are filling up.
Agendas for this week
Tuesday: Combination Logic - Video
Thursday: Writing Truth Tables from Logic Expressions - Video
This week at RRHS
Grades are due (for me) first thing Tuesday morning, so I will need all assignments from the last six weeks on Monday. Also, expect report cards to come home Wednesday or Thursday.
Thursday is a late start day, with school starting at 9:25. All teachers will be in department meetings before school Thursday, so there are no tutorials.
Next Monday (Oct 13) is a student holiday, so enjoy your 3 day weekend.
College Visits
Wednesday - Baylor Univeristy
Le Cordon Bleu
Friday - Texas Christian University (TCU)
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Week of Sep 29
This Week in DE
DE classes will start understanding basic logic circuits and building working circuits. On Monday, we will learn about binary numbers and basic logic circuit design steps, followed by a soldering exercise and then briefly introduce sequential logic circuits. For the rest of this year, we will dive deeper in to those types of circuits.
Agendas for the week:
I am going to start linking the agendas for each class day of the week on this page. Those agendas also have a link to the specific curriculum page in Canvas that contains instructions and the assignment. You would have to have your Canvas login to access the material. Wednesday's agenda includes a list of all of the items that need to be completed before Friday for this six weeks' grade.
Videos for this week:
Monday: Binary Numbers
Wednesday: Soldering
Friday: Finish soldering
The agenda now links to the files in Canvas if you need access to them at home. You have to log in to access the curriculum, the the link will work once you have logged in.
Every year, we send teams to the Texas A&M University Engineering Expo, this year named the Sparc Conference. Students will form teams and compete against each other and teams from other high schools around the state in two of six competitions. The conference is held this year on Saturday, November 22. If you are interested, talk to your friends and start forming a team of at least 6 but not more than 8 students. If you can't build a team of 6 on your own, I can add you to one of our other teams or combine smaller teams. Fill out this interest form so that I can register the teams. There is no cost to you to enter the contest or even transportation. We will provide a bus to take the teams to the A&M campus.
You can choose to compete in one of the following 6 competitoins:
ReservWars - Challenge competitors to understand the structure and function of petroleum reservoirs, as well as how to “clean up” when the war is over (after an oil spill).
The Boat Float - Have you ever wondered how huge ships made of steel float in the water? Explore the principles of buoyancy and density by designing a boat that will float!
Galaxy Glider - Do you want to put your knowledge of airplanes and physics to the test? Then come and join the Galaxy Glider Contest.
Bottle Rocket Cars - Propel your way to the top of the bottle rocket car racing circuit! Design a car that is propelled by a fizzy reaction and watch it beat the clock!
Code to Survive - Survival is an unforgiving game, and it's your job to keep your organism alive. You must program a brain to gain competitive edge!
The Egg Express - Can you deliver the goods? Your engineering team must construct a casing for an egg that will withstand free fall to a hard surface from various heights, as well as have the capability to float.
See me if you have any additional questions, but I need to register teams this week before registration fills up.
This Week at RRHS
No special schedules this week; just the normal routine except that this is the last week of the first six weeks. Make sure that you are on top of all assignments and grades as I will need the weekend to get any work graded and entered before report cards come out next week. .
College Recruiter Visits This Week:
Monday - University of Alabama
Wednesday - Johns Hopkins
Friday - Southwestern University
The University of Chicago
Check with the counselors' office to sign up if you are interested in speaking with representatives of one of these universities.
DE classes will start understanding basic logic circuits and building working circuits. On Monday, we will learn about binary numbers and basic logic circuit design steps, followed by a soldering exercise and then briefly introduce sequential logic circuits. For the rest of this year, we will dive deeper in to those types of circuits.
Agendas for the week:
I am going to start linking the agendas for each class day of the week on this page. Those agendas also have a link to the specific curriculum page in Canvas that contains instructions and the assignment. You would have to have your Canvas login to access the material. Wednesday's agenda includes a list of all of the items that need to be completed before Friday for this six weeks' grade.
Videos for this week:
Monday: Binary Numbers
Wednesday: Soldering
Friday: Finish soldering
The agenda now links to the files in Canvas if you need access to them at home. You have to log in to access the curriculum, the the link will work once you have logged in.
Every year, we send teams to the Texas A&M University Engineering Expo, this year named the Sparc Conference. Students will form teams and compete against each other and teams from other high schools around the state in two of six competitions. The conference is held this year on Saturday, November 22. If you are interested, talk to your friends and start forming a team of at least 6 but not more than 8 students. If you can't build a team of 6 on your own, I can add you to one of our other teams or combine smaller teams. Fill out this interest form so that I can register the teams. There is no cost to you to enter the contest or even transportation. We will provide a bus to take the teams to the A&M campus.
You can choose to compete in one of the following 6 competitoins:
ReservWars - Challenge competitors to understand the structure and function of petroleum reservoirs, as well as how to “clean up” when the war is over (after an oil spill).
The Boat Float - Have you ever wondered how huge ships made of steel float in the water? Explore the principles of buoyancy and density by designing a boat that will float!
Galaxy Glider - Do you want to put your knowledge of airplanes and physics to the test? Then come and join the Galaxy Glider Contest.
Bottle Rocket Cars - Propel your way to the top of the bottle rocket car racing circuit! Design a car that is propelled by a fizzy reaction and watch it beat the clock!
Code to Survive - Survival is an unforgiving game, and it's your job to keep your organism alive. You must program a brain to gain competitive edge!
The Egg Express - Can you deliver the goods? Your engineering team must construct a casing for an egg that will withstand free fall to a hard surface from various heights, as well as have the capability to float.
See me if you have any additional questions, but I need to register teams this week before registration fills up.
This Week at RRHS
No special schedules this week; just the normal routine except that this is the last week of the first six weeks. Make sure that you are on top of all assignments and grades as I will need the weekend to get any work graded and entered before report cards come out next week. .
College Recruiter Visits This Week:
Monday - University of Alabama
Wednesday - Johns Hopkins
Friday - Southwestern University
The University of Chicago
Check with the counselors' office to sign up if you are interested in speaking with representatives of one of these universities.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Week of Sep 22
This Week in DE
DE classes will finish the circuit analysis assignments (calculations, simulation, and breadboarding) before starting a study of digital components and how they are identified and used in circuits. We will have a quiz over all that we have covered so far in class on Thursday. Next week, I will teach you how to solder, and you will solder a simple little circuit board.
Videos for this week:
Every year, we send teams to the Texas A&M University Engineering Expo, this year named the Sparc Conference. Students will form teams and compete against each other and teams from other high schools around the state in two of six competitions. The conference is held this year on Saturday, November 22. If you are interested, talk to your friends and start forming a team of at least 6 but not more than 8 students. If you can't build a team of 6 on your own, I can add you to one of our other teams or combine smaller teams. Fill out this interest form so that I can register the teams. There is no cost to you to enter the contest or even transportation. We will provide a bus to take the teams to the A&M campus.
You can choose to compete in one of the following 6 competitoins:
This Week at RRHS
No special schedules this week; just the normal routine. However, be aware that this is the fifth week of our six weeks, which ends next Friday (October 3). Make sure that you are on top of all assignments.
Monday - RRISD College & Career Fair at the RRHS cafeteria
Boise State University
Wednesday - University of Arkansas
Birmingham-Southern University
Thursday - Louisiana State Univeristy
University of New Hampshire
Friday - American University
Check with the counselors' office to sign up if you are interested in speaking with representatives of one of these universities.
DE classes will finish the circuit analysis assignments (calculations, simulation, and breadboarding) before starting a study of digital components and how they are identified and used in circuits. We will have a quiz over all that we have covered so far in class on Thursday. Next week, I will teach you how to solder, and you will solder a simple little circuit board.
Videos for this week:
- Watch the digital signals video before class on Thursday.
Every year, we send teams to the Texas A&M University Engineering Expo, this year named the Sparc Conference. Students will form teams and compete against each other and teams from other high schools around the state in two of six competitions. The conference is held this year on Saturday, November 22. If you are interested, talk to your friends and start forming a team of at least 6 but not more than 8 students. If you can't build a team of 6 on your own, I can add you to one of our other teams or combine smaller teams. Fill out this interest form so that I can register the teams. There is no cost to you to enter the contest or even transportation. We will provide a bus to take the teams to the A&M campus.
You can choose to compete in one of the following 6 competitoins:
- ReservWars - Challenge competitors to understand the structure and function of petroleum reservoirs, as well as how to “clean up” when the war is over (after an oil spill).
- The Boat Float - Have you ever wondered how huge ships made of steel float in the water? Explore the principles of buoyancy and density by designing a boat that will float!
- Galaxy Glider - Do you want to put your knowledge of airplanes and physics to the test? Then come and join the Galaxy Glider Contest.
- Bottle Rocket Cars - Propel your way to the top of the bottle rocket car racing circuit! Design a car that is propelled by a fizzy reaction and watch it beat the clock!
- Code to Survive - Survival is an unforgiving game, and it's your job to keep your organism alive. You must program a brain to gain competitive edge!
- The Egg Express - Can you deliver the goods? Your engineering team must construct a casing for an egg that will withstand free fall to a hard surface from various heights, as well as have the capability to float.
This Week at RRHS
No special schedules this week; just the normal routine. However, be aware that this is the fifth week of our six weeks, which ends next Friday (October 3). Make sure that you are on top of all assignments.
Monday - RRISD College & Career Fair at the RRHS cafeteria
Boise State University
Wednesday - University of Arkansas
Birmingham-Southern University
Thursday - Louisiana State Univeristy
University of New Hampshire
Friday - American University
Check with the counselors' office to sign up if you are interested in speaking with representatives of one of these universities.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Week of September 8
Finish up your circuit exploration on Tuesday and then calculate the characteristics of these circuits using Ohm's law, Kirchoff's voltage law, and Kirchoff's current law. Be sure that you are signed up on Remind.com in order to get notifications when the videos are ready for you to view. It is very important that you watch these videos prior to class so that you are ready to take full advantage of the class time that we have.
For Tuesday, watch the video on basic circuit theory to get a background on how to calculate voltage and current at various points in the circuit.
This week at RRHS
Remember that RRHS' Open House is Monday evening and starts at 6:00 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony of the A Plus Credit Union branch housed in our new 1300 building followed by a brief PTSA meeting. Parents are invited to attend the evening and then visit our classrooms. I look forward to meeting you and to discussing your child and our the year that we will have.
College Visits This Week
Tuesday - University of Dayton
Tuesday - Texas State University
Friday - Texas Tech
For Tuesday, watch the video on basic circuit theory to get a background on how to calculate voltage and current at various points in the circuit.
This week at RRHS
Remember that RRHS' Open House is Monday evening and starts at 6:00 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony of the A Plus Credit Union branch housed in our new 1300 building followed by a brief PTSA meeting. Parents are invited to attend the evening and then visit our classrooms. I look forward to meeting you and to discussing your child and our the year that we will have.
College Visits This Week
Tuesday - University of Dayton
Tuesday - Texas State University
Friday - Texas Tech
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Welcome Back - 2014
Welcome Back!
Here we go for yet another school year, and for most of you, you are already familiar with our engineering program. Digital Electronics is one of the three specialization courses that we offer. Although the delivery method is DE, the major emphasis in this class is learning to trouble-shoot or problem-solve. You will spend a good portion of your time analyzing and solving problems in circuits that you already have built. Along the way, you will learn about some of the tools that digital engineers use to create some of the common circuits that we encounter and use every day.
Here is the first day presentation.
Be sure that you take advantage of all of the resources available to you in order to keep up with all that is going on in our school and this course. For starters, give me contact info about yourself and your parents (or your student) using this form. It allows me to collect and use this information much more efficiently than paper forms. The form is also linked in the Helpful Links section to the right of this post. Definitely sign up for Remind.com as I will remind you of assignments in this class. I have adopted the flipped model for this class in order to give you the most time available to build your circuits and trouble-shoot the problems. That will require you to watch a video for homework BEFORE class so that you are ready to dive in and begin work on your circuits as soon as class begins. Through Remind.com, I will send out reminders and links to the videos before class so that you can be prepared.
You will also want to keep an eye on the tabs at the top. Through these, I plan to keep you informed about college recruiter visits to RRHS as well as scholarship and internship opportunities to students interested in an engineering or technical field. You can even browse through the history that is posted there as many of these 'ships are repeated annually.
The calendar on the right is a direct link to the Google Calendar that I use to plan out our lessons. I have also placed a link to Canvas, the Learning Management System (LMS) that we will use this year. PLTW provides this LMS access to all students and provides the latest curriculum via that site.
Be sure to review the First Day Packet (Syllabus) and return the $35 lab fee and required signatures to me by the end of next week. If I can be of any help, please feel free to call or email me. I look forward to seeing all of our parents at the RRHS Open House September 8!
Here we go for yet another school year, and for most of you, you are already familiar with our engineering program. Digital Electronics is one of the three specialization courses that we offer. Although the delivery method is DE, the major emphasis in this class is learning to trouble-shoot or problem-solve. You will spend a good portion of your time analyzing and solving problems in circuits that you already have built. Along the way, you will learn about some of the tools that digital engineers use to create some of the common circuits that we encounter and use every day.
Here is the first day presentation.
Be sure that you take advantage of all of the resources available to you in order to keep up with all that is going on in our school and this course. For starters, give me contact info about yourself and your parents (or your student) using this form. It allows me to collect and use this information much more efficiently than paper forms. The form is also linked in the Helpful Links section to the right of this post. Definitely sign up for Remind.com as I will remind you of assignments in this class. I have adopted the flipped model for this class in order to give you the most time available to build your circuits and trouble-shoot the problems. That will require you to watch a video for homework BEFORE class so that you are ready to dive in and begin work on your circuits as soon as class begins. Through Remind.com, I will send out reminders and links to the videos before class so that you can be prepared.
You will also want to keep an eye on the tabs at the top. Through these, I plan to keep you informed about college recruiter visits to RRHS as well as scholarship and internship opportunities to students interested in an engineering or technical field. You can even browse through the history that is posted there as many of these 'ships are repeated annually.
The calendar on the right is a direct link to the Google Calendar that I use to plan out our lessons. I have also placed a link to Canvas, the Learning Management System (LMS) that we will use this year. PLTW provides this LMS access to all students and provides the latest curriculum via that site.
Be sure to review the First Day Packet (Syllabus) and return the $35 lab fee and required signatures to me by the end of next week. If I can be of any help, please feel free to call or email me. I look forward to seeing all of our parents at the RRHS Open House September 8!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Week of Feb 16
This week in DE
We will finish up the unit over miscellaneous circuits this week and begin the next topic, Programmable Logic. Yes, you will find out that all of the headaches of breadboarding can (mostly) be handled through something called a Programmable Logic Array (PLA). While you may still have to troubleshoot your circuits, the PLA makes correcting and testing the circuits much easier than having to trace down the "problem" wire.
Before that, you need to finish the lesson on Multiplexers & Demultiplexers during the early part of the week.
Be sure to get on the correct reminder list before I decommission the old one. Please sign up for the correct Remind 101 list so that you get notifications of upcoming assignments and videos. Instructions to sign up can be found on the following links for A day classes and B day classes.
A day will cover XOR/XNOR on Monday and the Multiplexers/Demultiplexers on Tuesday.
All activities need to be completed this week since it is the last week of the grading period. Make plans to attend tutorials if you need some extra time to complete the work.
Videos available Date Covered:
B Day A Day
Octal/Hexadecimal Numbers Feb 4 Feb 11
XOR/XNOR, Binary Adders Feb 6 Feb 17
2's Complement Arithmetic Feb 12 Feb 13
Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Feb 14 Feb 18
Programmable Logic Feb 19 Feb 20
Company Visit Opportunities
This week at RRHS
Due to the missed bad weather days, the end of the six weeks has been extended until this coming Friday, so report cards will not be given out until next week. Also, remember that Monday is the first bad weather make-up day. This week will start with 2 A days in a row and the resume the normal B-A-B schedule for Wednesday-Friday.
Be sure that you are keeping an eye on the $cholar$ship Li$t tab above as I posted some new ones a couple of weeks ago. I also have an opportunity for a female senior (pretty specific) who would be interested in attending Texas State. I can put you in touch with a potential $10,000 scholarship for the fall of 2014.
College Visits this Week:
Wednesday - US Marine Corps (Seniors only)
the University of Texas at Austin
Texas State University
Next Monday - the University of Alabama
We will finish up the unit over miscellaneous circuits this week and begin the next topic, Programmable Logic. Yes, you will find out that all of the headaches of breadboarding can (mostly) be handled through something called a Programmable Logic Array (PLA). While you may still have to troubleshoot your circuits, the PLA makes correcting and testing the circuits much easier than having to trace down the "problem" wire.
Before that, you need to finish the lesson on Multiplexers & Demultiplexers during the early part of the week.
Be sure to get on the correct reminder list before I decommission the old one. Please sign up for the correct Remind 101 list so that you get notifications of upcoming assignments and videos. Instructions to sign up can be found on the following links for A day classes and B day classes.
A day will cover XOR/XNOR on Monday and the Multiplexers/Demultiplexers on Tuesday.
All activities need to be completed this week since it is the last week of the grading period. Make plans to attend tutorials if you need some extra time to complete the work.
Videos available Date Covered:
B Day A Day
Octal/Hexadecimal Numbers Feb 4 Feb 11
XOR/XNOR, Binary Adders Feb 6 Feb 17
2's Complement Arithmetic Feb 12 Feb 13
Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Feb 14 Feb 18
Programmable Logic Feb 19 Feb 20
Company Visit Opportunities
There are 2 opportunities for you to visit a local high-tech company, Samsung Austin Semiconductor. The plant at Samsung is amazing enough to visit and learn how a modern microelectronics chip manufacturer works, but they also provide a chance for you to interact with their engineers to learn what a typical day in the life is like as well as what advice they have for you as you work your way through high school and prepare for college. The tour of their factory floor, which is fully automated, is worth the trip by itself. The interaction with engineers and activities that they provide to help you take to heart the lessons that you learn in all of your classes is a bonus. Students who have attended over the past 2-3 years always rate this as their favorite trip each year.
The first opportunity is very limited and selective. Four RRHS students will be selected to attend Semi's High Tech U. This event takes place over 3 days at Samsung and Texas State University. It is in-depth and does require a commitment since you will be missing 3 days of classes. However, if you can take those days and stay on top of your school work, it is well worth it. The link provided above has a link to the application, which you apply directly to Semi. RRISD typically provides a bus to transport students to Samsung and Texas State from one of our high schools. If you have questions or are interested, see me for a permission form. The dates for High Tech U are March 3-5
The second trip date is March 28, when we can take up to 20 students to Samsung for a 1/2 day visit. We will leave RRHS at 8:30 and return around 2:00. If you would like to attend, sign up on this form and see me for permission forms.
This week at RRHS
Due to the missed bad weather days, the end of the six weeks has been extended until this coming Friday, so report cards will not be given out until next week. Also, remember that Monday is the first bad weather make-up day. This week will start with 2 A days in a row and the resume the normal B-A-B schedule for Wednesday-Friday.
Be sure that you are keeping an eye on the $cholar$ship Li$t tab above as I posted some new ones a couple of weeks ago. I also have an opportunity for a female senior (pretty specific) who would be interested in attending Texas State. I can put you in touch with a potential $10,000 scholarship for the fall of 2014.
College Visits this Week:
Wednesday - US Marine Corps (Seniors only)
the University of Texas at Austin
Texas State University
Next Monday - the University of Alabama
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Week of Feb 9
This week in DE
The schedules are really off now due to the 3 missed A days. As a result, I will split the reminder lists for A day classes from B day classes. The old combined list will be shut down soon to reduce confusion over what you should be doing. Please sign up for the correct Remind 101 list so that you get notifications of upcoming assignments and videos. Instructions to sign up can be found on the following links for A day classes and B day classes.
B day classes will finish up the XOR/XNOR and octal/hexadecimal assignments before beginning the study of multiplexers/demultiplexers. Since this is the end of the six weeks, please make sure that you have all assignments, including breadboards, completed.
A day classes will start with octal/hexadecimal numbers this week and also the complementary arithmetic assignment. Both of these are short paper-and pencil work that can be completed in one class period or outside of class. That will help make up for some of the missed days.
Videos available Date Covered:
B Day A Day
Octal/Hexadecimal Numbers Feb 4 Feb 11
XOR/XNOR, Binary Adders Feb 6 Feb 13
2's Complement Arithmetic Feb 12 Feb 13
Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Feb 14 Feb 17
Finally, be sure to sign up for the back-channel discussions on Piazza.com. Select "Students Get Started" and then enter Round Rock High School and then Digital Electronics. In both cases, you will see the autofill show up with our school and course. You must use your RRISD email address, based on your student id (example: s1234567@student.roundrockisd.org) in order to sign up. It will send you an activation email with a code that you can put in to complete registration.
1st & 2nd period need to return a permission form to me Thursday morning. 1st period will be the subject of a study from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service over the flipped classroom model. They will be videoing activities in our classroom and interviewing students on their experience with this method of running the classroom. These videos will be used in teacher training throughout the state. Ms. Melanie Kong will teach 2nd period this year, and the class will be videoed by UTeach, which will not be shared with anyone else but used to evaluate Ms. Kong and the UTeach program. Please sign and return the correct form for your class.
1st Period video release form
2nd Period video release form
Company Visit Opportunities
This week at RRHS
Due to the missed bad weather days, the end of the six weeks has been extended until next Friday, February 21. Remember also that next Monday and Tuesday will BOTH be A days since Monday Feb 17 is the first of our make-up days. Of course, that will also delay report cards to the week of February 24.
College Visits this Week:
Wednesday - Baylor University
Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Friday - Schreiner University
The schedules are really off now due to the 3 missed A days. As a result, I will split the reminder lists for A day classes from B day classes. The old combined list will be shut down soon to reduce confusion over what you should be doing. Please sign up for the correct Remind 101 list so that you get notifications of upcoming assignments and videos. Instructions to sign up can be found on the following links for A day classes and B day classes.
B day classes will finish up the XOR/XNOR and octal/hexadecimal assignments before beginning the study of multiplexers/demultiplexers. Since this is the end of the six weeks, please make sure that you have all assignments, including breadboards, completed.
A day classes will start with octal/hexadecimal numbers this week and also the complementary arithmetic assignment. Both of these are short paper-and pencil work that can be completed in one class period or outside of class. That will help make up for some of the missed days.
Videos available Date Covered:
B Day A Day
Octal/Hexadecimal Numbers Feb 4 Feb 11
XOR/XNOR, Binary Adders Feb 6 Feb 13
2's Complement Arithmetic Feb 12 Feb 13
Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Feb 14 Feb 17
Finally, be sure to sign up for the back-channel discussions on Piazza.com. Select "Students Get Started" and then enter Round Rock High School and then Digital Electronics. In both cases, you will see the autofill show up with our school and course. You must use your RRISD email address, based on your student id (example: s1234567@student.roundrockisd.org) in order to sign up. It will send you an activation email with a code that you can put in to complete registration.
1st & 2nd period need to return a permission form to me Thursday morning. 1st period will be the subject of a study from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service over the flipped classroom model. They will be videoing activities in our classroom and interviewing students on their experience with this method of running the classroom. These videos will be used in teacher training throughout the state. Ms. Melanie Kong will teach 2nd period this year, and the class will be videoed by UTeach, which will not be shared with anyone else but used to evaluate Ms. Kong and the UTeach program. Please sign and return the correct form for your class.
1st Period video release form
2nd Period video release form
Company Visit Opportunities
There are 2 opportunities for you to visit a local high-tech company, Samsung Austin Semiconductor. The plant at Samsung is amazing enough to visit and learn how a modern microelectronics chip manufacturer works, but they also provide a chance for you to interact with their engineers to learn what a typical day in the life is like as well as what advice they have for you as you work your way through high school and prepare for college. The tour of their factory floor, which is fully automated, is worth the trip by itself. The interaction with engineers and activities that they provide to help you take to heart the lessons that you learn in all of your classes is a bonus. Students who have attended over the past 2-3 years always rate this as their favorite trip each year.
The first opportunity is very limited and selective. Four RRHS students will be selected to attend Semi's High Tech U. This event takes place over 3 days at Samsung and Texas State University. It is in-depth and does require a commitment since you will be missing 3 days of classes. However, if you can take those days and stay on top of your school work, it is well worth it. The link provided above has a link to the application, which you apply directly to Semi. RRISD typically provides a bus to transport students to Samsung and Texas State from one of our high schools. If you have questions or are interested, see me for a permission form. The dates for High Tech U are March 3-5
The second trip date is March 28, when we can take up to 20 students to Samsung for a 1/2 day visit. We will leave RRHS at 8:30 and return around 2:00. If you would like to attend, sign up on this form and see me for permission forms.
This week at RRHS
Due to the missed bad weather days, the end of the six weeks has been extended until next Friday, February 21. Remember also that next Monday and Tuesday will BOTH be A days since Monday Feb 17 is the first of our make-up days. Of course, that will also delay report cards to the week of February 24.
College Visits this Week:
Wednesday - Baylor University
Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Friday - Schreiner University
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Week of Feb 3
This week in DE
Due to the 2 ice days that took out 2 consecutive A days, the schedule is a bit strange right now. A day DE classes will be 2 full class days behind B day until the make-up day, on Feb 17. That will take us through the remainder of the current six weeks. With that in mind, A day classes will finish up the Date of Birth project this week.
B day classes will continue with the next unit over binary adders. The first unit covers Exclusive Or, Exclusive Nor, and binary adders. Binary adders are how computers and calculators add two numbers together, using another topic that we will cover, 2's complement arithmetic.
If you want to attend the Edison Lecture Series this Thursday (Feb 6), be sure that you sign up with me as soon as possible and return the permission form and waiver as soon as possible. These need to be done by Wednesday in order for you to attend.
Also, make sure to get your teams together if you want to attend the A&M Engineering Expo on March 22. As soon as I have all of the information from all of your team members, I can sign up the team through A&M. Sign up with me here, and fill out both the A&M waiver/agreement as well as the RRISD wavier/agreement.
This week at RRHS
Thursday is a late start. Students should report to their 5th period class at 9:25.
You will also begin to receive course selection information this week in your math classes. Engineering students who want to continue past DE may select from one of our two specialization courses, Civil Engineering & Architecture or Aerospace Engineering. Please ask Mrs. Saksena or myself if you have any questions about the courses.
Due to the 2 ice days that took out 2 consecutive A days, the schedule is a bit strange right now. A day DE classes will be 2 full class days behind B day until the make-up day, on Feb 17. That will take us through the remainder of the current six weeks. With that in mind, A day classes will finish up the Date of Birth project this week.
B day classes will continue with the next unit over binary adders. The first unit covers Exclusive Or, Exclusive Nor, and binary adders. Binary adders are how computers and calculators add two numbers together, using another topic that we will cover, 2's complement arithmetic.
If you want to attend the Edison Lecture Series this Thursday (Feb 6), be sure that you sign up with me as soon as possible and return the permission form and waiver as soon as possible. These need to be done by Wednesday in order for you to attend.
Also, make sure to get your teams together if you want to attend the A&M Engineering Expo on March 22. As soon as I have all of the information from all of your team members, I can sign up the team through A&M. Sign up with me here, and fill out both the A&M waiver/agreement as well as the RRISD wavier/agreement.
This week at RRHS
Thursday is a late start. Students should report to their 5th period class at 9:25.
You will also begin to receive course selection information this week in your math classes. Engineering students who want to continue past DE may select from one of our two specialization courses, Civil Engineering & Architecture or Aerospace Engineering. Please ask Mrs. Saksena or myself if you have any questions about the courses.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Week of January 27
We are in the midst of the Fireplace control project. B day classes have had a chance to work on this, but A day has not missed 2 opportunities. The plan would be to finish it this week, with some adjustment for 1st & 2nd period coming. The next unit contains some paper/pencil items (like Octal & Hexadecimal number conversions) that can be done without the equipment that is only available in our lab, such as breadboards and software.
Internships & Summer Camps
If you haven't already discovered the tabs for scholarships and for summer camps, now would be a good time. About this time of year, I start getting information from companies, universities, and agencies like NASA about opportunities that are available to high school engineering students.
Specifically, for now, A&M has a summer camp for aspiring architects, called Camp Arch. Check out their web site and pick up an application from Mrs. Hernandez in the main office if you are interested. Also, UTSA hosts a summer engineering camp with 2 options (overnight or day only). Look for more details on their respective web pages or on my Internship & Summer Camps page, linked on the tab above.
Field Trips & Extra-curricular opportunities
Sign-up for the A&M Engineering Expo is still available. The sooner you get your team together and sign up through me, the more likely it is that you will get your choice of competitions. The expo is March 22, and the bus will leave RRHS at 6:00 a.m. for College Station, returning by 10:00 p.m. All activity events, meals, and the event t-shirt are covered for you through A&M and the engineering activity fund. Also, don't forget to fill out the required RRISD and TAMU permission/behavior forms.
Students may attend the Edison Lecture series with us this year on Feb 6. The bus will leave from the 700 bldg bus loop at 10:00 a.m. and return by 2:00 - in time for C Lunch. The topic this year will be Mobile Computing, so you can expect exhibits related to the challenges of mobile computing and hear UT professors talk about the challenges of solving problems surrounding making our computing power more mobile as give some insights as to what you can expect to see as the "next big thing". If you are interested, sign up on the form below so that I know who will be attending and (of course) fill out the required permission forms.
This week at RRHS
Report cards will (now) be sent home on Thursday, a day later due to the weather cancellation on Tuesday.
DE students can earn credit through ACC based solely on your course grade (no EoC exam requirement). The credit would automatically show up on your ACC transcript if you qualify once you enroll in classes at ACC. A letter was sent home last week offering you the opportunity to "opt out" of using your social security number as the ACC identification number for this process. Any student who does NOT return the letter signed by his or her parents will have their social security number assigned as the student ID for ACC. Please make sure to return these or contact me if you have any questions.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Week of Jan 20
This week in DE
Students should have finished the Fireplace control project last week. If you have not completed the working breadboard, find some time outside of class to make sure that you get it completed. If you only work on it during class time, you will miss the 7 segment assignment and the next project, the Date of Birth. Make sure that you watch the 7 segment video before class on Tuesday (there is a quiz over the video and K-mapping) and then the Date of Birth video before Wednesday or Thursday.
We will have a new "teacher in training" beginning this week. Her name is Melanie Kong, and you may see her around at any time, but she will definitely be working with 1st & 2nd periods on A days. Welcome her to RRHS and be on your best behavior for her.
Sign-ups are still open for the Texas A&M Engineering Expo. Remember that you have a better chance of getting the competition that you most desire if your team signs up early. I will submit your team's registration once you have a completed team. The competion is now 2 months away, March 22.
This week at RRHS
There are no late starts this week, but we will have a fire drill during 2nd period on Wednesday.
College Recruiter Visits
Thursday (1/23) - Kansas State
Friday (1/24) - University of Texas at San Antonio
Students should have finished the Fireplace control project last week. If you have not completed the working breadboard, find some time outside of class to make sure that you get it completed. If you only work on it during class time, you will miss the 7 segment assignment and the next project, the Date of Birth. Make sure that you watch the 7 segment video before class on Tuesday (there is a quiz over the video and K-mapping) and then the Date of Birth video before Wednesday or Thursday.
We will have a new "teacher in training" beginning this week. Her name is Melanie Kong, and you may see her around at any time, but she will definitely be working with 1st & 2nd periods on A days. Welcome her to RRHS and be on your best behavior for her.
Sign-ups are still open for the Texas A&M Engineering Expo. Remember that you have a better chance of getting the competition that you most desire if your team signs up early. I will submit your team's registration once you have a completed team. The competion is now 2 months away, March 22.
This week at RRHS
There are no late starts this week, but we will have a fire drill during 2nd period on Wednesday.
College Recruiter Visits
Thursday (1/23) - Kansas State
Friday (1/24) - University of Texas at San Antonio
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Week of January 13
This week in DE
We will finish up the fireplace control circuits and then begin to learn to use the seven segment display such as those used on scoreboards, clocks, and other electronic signs. Be sure that you wrap up the fireplace breadboards before Wednesday.
This week at RRHS
Herff-Jones will be on campus Wednesday & Thursday for seniors to order caps & gowns. Be sure to stop by their table in the 1100 bldg during lunches to get yours ordered.
If you are interested in the Texas A&M Engineering Expo, to be held March 22, find some of your friends to form a team and sign up via the form below. Note that there are 2 forms that are required by A&M as well as 2 forms required by me in order to join a team for this event. Be sure that you complete all of the forms quickly so that your team gets their first choice of competitions.
College Visits
Monday (1/13) - Harvard
Texas A&M Engineering Expo
The Student Engineer's Council at Texas A&M has combined the FADE competition from the past with the physics and science departments festival to create the Texas A&M Engineering Expo. The expo includes several design competitions, including one in which student teams create an alternative energy car that must travel across a 30 foot bridge and deliver the maximum amount of energy (impact, hit, crush) to a 3" diameter target on the other side. You may form the teams from students at RRHS, and we will cover the team entry fee and bus transportation for you. For planning purposes, I need to know who is going and on what teams. You need to fill out the Google Docs form below so that I can get the information necessary. In addition, you MUST fill out both the TAMU release forms and the RRISD forms.
We will finish up the fireplace control circuits and then begin to learn to use the seven segment display such as those used on scoreboards, clocks, and other electronic signs. Be sure that you wrap up the fireplace breadboards before Wednesday.
This week at RRHS
Herff-Jones will be on campus Wednesday & Thursday for seniors to order caps & gowns. Be sure to stop by their table in the 1100 bldg during lunches to get yours ordered.
If you are interested in the Texas A&M Engineering Expo, to be held March 22, find some of your friends to form a team and sign up via the form below. Note that there are 2 forms that are required by A&M as well as 2 forms required by me in order to join a team for this event. Be sure that you complete all of the forms quickly so that your team gets their first choice of competitions.
Monday (1/13) - Harvard
Texas A&M Engineering Expo
The Student Engineer's Council at Texas A&M has combined the FADE competition from the past with the physics and science departments festival to create the Texas A&M Engineering Expo. The expo includes several design competitions, including one in which student teams create an alternative energy car that must travel across a 30 foot bridge and deliver the maximum amount of energy (impact, hit, crush) to a 3" diameter target on the other side. You may form the teams from students at RRHS, and we will cover the team entry fee and bus transportation for you. For planning purposes, I need to know who is going and on what teams. You need to fill out the Google Docs form below so that I can get the information necessary. In addition, you MUST fill out both the TAMU release forms and the RRISD forms.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Happy New Year
Happy new year and welcome back for the spring semester!
This Week in Class
We ended last semester in the middle of a unit, so we will pick up where that left off. To start off, I have 2 videos for you to watch. One explains the Logic Converter from Multisim. This is the device that will make you groan and use my name in vain after you see it. The second video explains the tools that you have seen me use in troubleshooting. Watch these so that you can begin to trouble-shoot your own circuits and become more independent learners in the spring.
We will learn to use the logic converter and then apply all that we learned to build a fireplace safety control circuit. This circuit has two parts, similar to the past couple that we have done. One will be done in all NAND, while the other will be in all NOR. You should finish the logic converter in class and the fireplace control (including breadboarding) by Friday. The assignments will begin taking point deductions for being late next week, so be sure to use your class time wisely.
This week at RRHS
Report cards for the first semester and 3rd six weeks will be sent home this Thursday, so look for them to arrive home.
This Week in Class
We ended last semester in the middle of a unit, so we will pick up where that left off. To start off, I have 2 videos for you to watch. One explains the Logic Converter from Multisim. This is the device that will make you groan and use my name in vain after you see it. The second video explains the tools that you have seen me use in troubleshooting. Watch these so that you can begin to trouble-shoot your own circuits and become more independent learners in the spring.
We will learn to use the logic converter and then apply all that we learned to build a fireplace safety control circuit. This circuit has two parts, similar to the past couple that we have done. One will be done in all NAND, while the other will be in all NOR. You should finish the logic converter in class and the fireplace control (including breadboarding) by Friday. The assignments will begin taking point deductions for being late next week, so be sure to use your class time wisely.
This week at RRHS
Report cards for the first semester and 3rd six weeks will be sent home this Thursday, so look for them to arrive home.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)