It’s the last week of the on-line Instructional Media course that I’ve been taking as part of the BC Provincial Instructor Diploma Program. For our final project, students create a choice of an educational blog, wiki, podcast, video, or any other digital media artefact. Having had some experience with most of those, I decided to tackle something new for me: a screencast.

For added challenge, I also chose not to produce a narrated screencast, but instead one that uses text to explain the proceedings. That turned out to be much more difficult than I first imagined.

The topic of my screencast is “What If?” analysis using spreadsheets. It’s a simple enough concept — play with the numbers until the spreadsheet calculates an appealing result — but it’s a good introduction to the power of spreadsheets for students that previously used them to store checklists or addresses, if they used them at all. “What If?” analysis also demonstrates everything that computers are good at: repetition, calculation, and graphical presentation. That’s really the underlying theme of the Practical Computer Fluency course that I regularly teach at the College.

The product of my efforts is below. The text is a bit small, so you may instead want to view the full-size version. In either case, you can click the little button at the bottom-right of the player to expand the video to the entire screen.

I’m pleased with the outcome, even though its educational value is limited. You will notice that it’s quite difficult to follow in places; my test audience had to repeat sections over and over again.

If you find that the tune begins to wear after some six minutes, try editing a video with that as the soundtrack. Makes one pine for the dulcet tone of a vuvuzela.

By my count, I’ve quit jobs at Yukon College twice before. So the fact that I start teaching a class this afternoon must mean that I’m a very bad quitter.

“Poor quitting skills,” it reads on my permanent file. “Shows a marked inability to resign, abdicate, decamp, vacate, withdraw, knock off, terminate, desist, or just plain give over already. Criminy.”

My yo-yo relationship with the College makes it a little unnerving to enter the building. Fortunately, I have a course to absorb all of my attention. It’s well within my competency to teach one or two courses. Beyond that, the Peter Principle takes effect.

So, while it is true that I am wholly and singularly to blame for any and all mistakes made before and because I quit, I take heart that I am not to blame for the many more mistakes that would’ve surely been made had I not quit. I mean, had I not quit that second time, after that first time I quit but before I unquit the time before this. Or something.

For one final time, I will be teaching the COMP210: Database Design course this fall at Yukon College. The curriculum changes the following year; database courses will still be offered, but more likely in an online format.

So now is your best chance to learn about relational database design and the SQL query language in a conveniently located (if you happen to reside in Whitehorse) cozy classroom with an exceptional student-to-teacher ratio.

Who should take the course? Simple: anyone with a problem involving data. You can bring your problem to class and we’ll convert it into a living, breathing database that you can manipulate and query with abandon. Each student completes a term-long project (ignore the course outline page that mentions five projects), and real-world projects are the most satisfying to complete.

I also build a small database project each term to give students a feel for how their own projects will evolve.

You should be comfortable using a computer to take the course. You don’t need a programming or math background, although familiarity with things like Excel functions or filling out income tax forms is of definite benefit.

All of the notes for the course are available online. Previous years’ notes as well: 2006, 2004, 2003, and 2002.

The course is scheduled for Monday mornings 10am to noon, and Tuesday mornings 9am to noon. If the students all agree, we may be able to change that to be more accommodating.

The first class will be on Monday, September 8th, and you can register up until the 5th.

If you have any questions, please contact me at the College: drogers at yukoncollege dot why-kay dot see-ay (those last two groups are letters, not Pig Latin — sheesh, the hoops we jump through to avoid spam).

As of today, Carole has completed all of the requirements for the Yukon Native Teacher Education Program (YNTEP). On her way home from school — a four-month student-teacher internship at Hidden Valley — she picked up a letter from the department asserting that the University of Regina, in conjunction with Yukon College, will confer upon her a Bachelor’s degree in Education. The formal ceremony will be in June, but she can begin teaching right away in the territory (and Saskatchewan, for that matter) at the full BEd rate.

Carole’s the first person in her family to earn a university degree, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

As befits the approach of mid-life, I’m starting something new this fall. Thing is, I don’t exactly know what that will be. What it won’t be is something at Yukon College: neither teaching nor computing.

There are a number of reasons for my leaving the College, paramount of which is the answer to this question:

When I look back in five years time, will I be glad that I chose well-paying system maintenance in a windowless basement?

Teaching is a separate issue. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough students. Not for what I teach, anyhow. While I could keep my hand in for one course per term, that’s too low a job-satisfaction-per-unit-union-nonsense ratio for my tastes.

No, it’s to be a clean break from the College for me. That is, after one more month of part-time contract work in the aforementioned basement. Then begins a German course I’ve had my eye on. Perhaps even a spot of welding next spring.

My “something new” may just be a career as a Mercedes mechanic. I know of at least one in the Territory — and wouldn’t you know it — it’s usually parked at the College.