They weren’t the most newsworthy part of Trump’s Florida rally yesterday, but I’m just taking a moment to acknowledge a journalist who is using muted language, in keeping with the charge of journalists to report objectively. It’s perfectly neutral to place, deep in the body of the article, a note about the president’s claim that…
Similar:Here's a close look at the scepter leading the procession. #SetonHillGrad 2016 starts…PersonalCarolyn as Dolly Levi (Arts4Homeschoolers / Stage Right)I loved listening to her practice the “M…AestheticsThank you, anonymous donor of Mardi Gras candy.Okay, on closer inspection I see the red…AestheticsOne of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products…. PersonalSchool ditches…
16yo Carolyn Jerz performs “A Little Priest” with 14yo Ben Federico. A video clip can capture only part of the magic created by a huge, committed cast, live musicians, and an attentive audience. (Support the arts in your community!) Similar:How to Think Like ShakespeareSaving this for the next time I teach Sh…AcademiaThis weekend! GeyerPAC.comPersonalYes, I…
Similar:Can't upload photos to Facebook from my MacBookI spent 30 minutes trying to upload abou…CybercultureWhat Khan Academy's Fun, Free Learning Empire Has to Do with Dystopian Social Control Over the Christmas break, I’ve been ch…AcademiaHappy Easter 2020 CultureMe waiting for students to drop by during office hours. AcademiaMask up.PersonalThis weekend… Would YOU trade a Hank Aaron rookie…
Here’s a thought… nothing you can write can possibly encourage me to click through 40 separate chunks of text. Bye. Similar:Create Engaging Infographics for your ClassroomSeveral of my journalism students have g…AestheticsI’m fairly satisfied with this version of a medieval building trimsheet. (Source photo is …I’m fairly satisfied with this version o…AestheticsTaking the Lid Off…
Sometimes my students get nervous because I ask them to learn writing by, you know, writing. For some other subjects, it makes sense to ease students into the work, having them memorize facts to recall for points on multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank quizzes. But writers gotta write. That means taking risks, and occasionally stumbling. In a…
After I read Mark Sample’s blog post “What about Blogging Keeps Me from Blogging,” I tried to post a comment lamenting that I miss blog comments. I ran into these fun problems. Similar:At Home In Fantasy's Nerd-Built WorldsIn other words, more than the profound l…AestheticsNot bad for a couple hours of work. #blender3d #blender3dart…
Words apparently spoken by the President of the United States. If you trust the news organization that reported what he said. But the President has no reason to mislead the public. He loves the public probably more than anybody. Believe me. Similar:Korean News Station Pokes Fun at KTVU with Fake American Pilot Names After…
Verrit, like Snopes, Politifact, and a host of other fact-checking sites, reflect fundamental misunderstandings about how information circulates online, what function political information plays in social contexts, and how and why people change their political opinions. Fact-checking is in many ways a response to the rapidly changing norms and practices of journalism, news gathering, and…
Helping my students understand how my role as a college literature teacher differs from the role of a high school English teacher is a sometimes daunting task. Preparing students for a standardized reading test is completely unlike teaching them about a work of classic literature. In an English class addressing The Great Gatsby, depending on student ability…
In my freshman writing class, my job is to teach students how to write a researched essay. I encourage students to pick topics that interest them, but I warn them that if they go into their project already convinced that one answer is correct (that euthanasia should/should not be legal, that abortion is murder/healthcare, that…
Similar:More #blender3d #steampunk control panel details. #blender3dartAestheticsSmalltalk through masks is hard; I really was glad to see so many familiar upper halves of…If you said hello to me recently and I d…CultureReplica of George Washington’s field camp. @fortligonierReplica of George Washington’s field cam…PersonalA #neovictorian #steampunk ship-of-the-line needs a dramatic flag and a conveniently locat…AestheticsToo Short…
Similar:I spent Thanksgiving break building a #trimsheet for steampunk control panels, because why…AestheticsMarching in a parade and watching a patriotic musicalHappy Independence Day, fellow Americans…CultureChess with my son. As usual, it didn't go well for me.GamesEvery few years, I Google the name of the kid who saw "The Empire Strikes Back" the night …HistoryHooded faculty…
On this date in 1999, I first dated an entry in the collection of web links I had been curating since at least that January. Similar:By the way, humans sent a robot to another planet, and the robot sent us the sound of a du… Mars rover captures first sound of d…AwesomeMy contribution to WAOB…
Above is my response to a meme that makes some shaky assumptions about the purpose of an English classroom. Exploring the intent of the author is a huge part of the English discipline, but it’s far from the only way to study (or teach) literature. Author intent, new historicism, reader-response, structuralism… the list goes on.…
I can sympathize with the sentiment, but the top part of this meme (the white text on black background) is not how I’d frame the situation. My take (which I’ve added underneath the original) is that when two sources disagree, assuming that one must be right and the other must be wrong is a form…
This fascinating essay, by the grandchild of a Nigerian slave trader, explores a complex cultural legacy. At least as provocative as “Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Love Each Other?” and the stunning, bitter “Molasses to Rum (to Slaves)” from the otherwise cheery musical 1776. African intellectuals tend to blame the West for the slave…
My wife Leigh received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant towards producing the small-cast drama Full Bloom. She’s found a good space and found the right cast, and so we’re doing the whole crazy “Hey, let’s put on a show” thing again! If you’re within shouting distance, and you think the arts should matter…
This is why journalism matters: The Atlantic offers a good overview of the confusing fact that the official transcripts published by the White House and the Russian government don’t match the video. Compare this transcript, of what actually happened, to the White House’s version. Here is the record of what took place, starting with the…
We’re all still reeling from Trump’s statement yesterday that he “didn’t see any reason why it would be” true that Russia had meddled with the US election. Standing there next to Putin, he publicly rejected the positions of multiple US intelligence authorities. Today, in the face of blistering criticism from foes and friends alike, including…