RE: Hello all (fwd)

[Tim Wilson <wilson@chemsun.chem.umn.edu>]

On Wed, 8 Sep 1999, Culp, David wrote:

> I will add support for an SQL database along with filters to convert between
> the most popular SQL databases.  Right now my goals are:
> 1) Get the actual gradebook implementation down.
> 2) Clean up the source code.
> 3) An attendance keeping area.
> 4) Seating chart maker.
> 4) A lesson planning/calendar area.

Hi David,

Welcome to SEUL. Your ideas are similar to the ones had had last December
and posted to the list. You may find our discussions about gradebook
interesting. Check the SEUL-EDU archives for Nov. and Dec. 1998. I tried
to summarize some ideas of mine and Eric Sandeen in a message to the list
in December. You can read it at
http://www.seul.org/archives/seul/edu/Dec-1998/msg00153.html

> A complete web interface could be made using cgi or Java which would allow
> parents to connect and see thier students grades etc....

This would be nice, but of course there are serious security concerns. A
new colleague of mine who taught previously at a different school was
telling me a few days ago about a system they had at their school for
doing this. I didn't ask, but assumed that it was commercial. It allowed
parents to view grades and even sent emails to parents if a student's
grade dropped below a certain threshhold.

As a teacher, this could be a blessing and a curse. I think the blessing
part if fairly obvious (improved communication and all that), but the
curse is that you'd probably generate some unwarranted worry on the part
of parents in the early portion of the grading period. It's not uncommon
to have students do poorly early on when few assignments have been
collected only to have them improve dramatically once any individual low
scores disappears into the average. I'm not entirely sure what this has to
do with your project, but it's something to consider I suppose.

> Oh well, big dreams for such a small program (at the moment).

I can relate. Big ideas...little time. Lately I've been organizing a group
of students to undertake development of a Zope-based Web site for our
school district. I'm planning a sort of school/community portal site.
(Remember that discussion about "everything's a portal?) I'll try to keep
the group posted on our progress. It may end up being of general interest.

-tim

--
Timothy Wilson       | "The faster you  |  Check out:
Henry Sibley H.S.    |  go, the shorter | http://slashdot.org/
W. St. Paul, MN, USA |  you are."       | http://linux.com/
wilson@chem.umn.edu  |       -Einstein  | http://www.mn-linux.org/