Re: Resource Faculty for Junior-Senior Physics Courses -Reply

[PHRP@FHSUVM.FHSU.EDU (Roger A. Pruitt)]

The original posting is as follows:
"AAPT is developing a new Web-based resource that will have
information for astronomy, physics and physical science educators at all
levels, K-16.  It has been suggested that we need lists of faculty who
might be willing to share their expertise in certain subject areas with
other faculty who are either new to the teaching profession, or who
have not taught a certain subject in recent times."

This sounded to me, at the time, very much like what is going on on this
list and others. Both Leigh and Ludwig asked how this "new" RSRC project was
different. I don't see that this has satisfactorily been answered. 

More to the point for all us, I think, is another resource such as the ones
mentioned will take up a great deal of our time to follow and to answer
questions. There is a limit to the human resource also. Maybe some of you
only teach one or two courses a semester. I teach four all different and all
requiring a preparation. Two semesters mean eight preparations. Some of my
notes are, yes, very yellow, but there are new ones every semester too. 

Before resorting to name calling ("While your scroogery has no deterrence on
my enthusiastic participation....") try to understand the implications of
possible duplication of effort.

Roger


> Leigh,
>
> Your view is not shared by all AAPT members (are you a member?); I am one of
> several people who have been working very hard to enact the PSRC goals
> and recommendations of several committees.  For instance, right now the PSRC
> is funding my coding of more AJP and TPT issues into an online web database to
> be mirrored at AAPT HQ and  at UCDavis.  PSRC funds have just started to
> make this a real possibility, and we hope to have progress over the summer.
> There are other worthy PSRC goals, most of which are exclusive of Phys-L and
> Physshare intents.  Some of these new electronic services will almost
> certainly be restricted to AAPT members (like membership data), others will
> be held private to varying degrees never present on PHYS-L and physshare,
> as Warren has already indicated.  There is no intent to clone PHYS-L and
> PHYSHARE.
>
> I'd suggest that if the new PSRC web resources waste your time, ignore them.
> While your scroogery has no deterrence on my enthusiastic participation in
> the PSRC activities, it would be nice to attract additional participation by
> other willing members and not cast aspersions on endeavours before they have
> a chance to materialize in even prototype form.  Back off and give us a chance.
>
> Dan M
>
> Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northern AZ Univ
> danmac@nau.edu  http://www.phy.nau.edu/~danmac/homepage.html
>
> > In my view the proposal recommends a redundant resource. (I've
> > always been better at alliteration than poetry).
> >
> > One would think that AAPT members, coming as they do from the
> > culture of academia, would know better than to act immediately on
> > the recommendation of a committee. Let the idea percolate in the
> > community for a while. If enthusiasm builds, do it. I have a
> > thing about the simultaneous existence of phys-l and physhare,
> > the readerships of which must overlap strongly. It is a waste of
> > my time to look at cross-posted items in these groups. Adding yet
> > another near clone will not improve communication; it will hinder
> > it. Consider the example provided by the proliferation of print
> > journals in physics. With all the increased bandwidth in that
> > medium I've seen over my four plus decades as a physicist I have
> > seen *no* increase in the effectiveness of scientific
> > communication. If you would like a reality check on what dilution
> > does, leaf through a Phys Rev of fifty years ago.
> >
> > Leigh Hunt Palmer
==============================================================
Roger A. Pruitt, PhD
Professor of Physics
Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS  67601
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