I just had to share theses pictures because I think there are so cool. I needed to rewrite a lab exercise on laser diffraction and I needed some pictures. Normally, you can't see a laser beam from the side, much less photograph one. In Hollywood, smoke makes the beam visible, but you can't smoke in any of the building on campus. What you see here is me banging to blackboard erasers off camera and blowing the dust into the frame shot. My lab assistant is pushing the button on the digital camera. I think they turned out great.

I've been letting student use note cards for their exams for the last twenty years. I 'm definitely in the "Here's enough rope to hang yourself" camp. I pass out these 8 inch by 5 inch note cards about 1 week before each exam. The student can put anything they want on their cards. Although, I do tell them that diagraming the entrails of a cat might be counter-productive in a Physics exam. Here are some examples of what I get. On the left is a Environmental Science note card and on the right is a Physics note card. These are both pretty standard. After the exam I require students to turn in their cards, just to see how much is getting through.

However, it never fails I catch one or two student in the hallway just before the exam scribbling frantically on a blank not card. As if the last 10 minutes before class is going to allow you to write the Rosetta stone of all note cards. Of Course, some just brain fart all over the page and come up with something like:

I'm a teacher by profession, and I like my job. I can't stand grading homework, quizzes and exam. However, ever once in awhile I get a gem throw into my lap. A not throw in the hallway, really cool graffiti in the bathroom, or doodles on homework.

This is a grade sheet for one of my Environmental Science classes. The students were doing class presentation on environmental groups they would be willing to join. The students in the class spent the time listening to each other presentations and grading each other on a standard scale. I collect all the grading sheets at the end of class and average the student's score. This is the grading sheet. This student is always drawing in my class. He listens to lectures, and ask questions in class, but I never see him take notes. This is his sheet. Notice the South Park cartoon and the drawing of a USB Flash drive. Click on the image to view a larger image.