Students present their research for the Celebration of Writing @setonhilluniversity

Similar:West Side Story Maria MontagePersonalModular low-poly medieval buildings. Ground-level storefronts have more detail than the up…Modular low-poly medieval buildings. Gro…AestheticsAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel goodness. #blender3dart #blender3dAestheticsMy 10yo Created Bookmarks to Express Her Complex Relationship with ReadingMy 10yo has a complex relationship with …BooksTeaching myself the #Unity3D game engine. Each step requires…

Reader, I ushered him. @pictclassictheatre

Similar:Back in the groove. I should be able to keep this number headed in the right direction unt…PersonalChess tournament in Monroeville.PersonalThe girl performed musical commercials for a fund-raiser in the Laurel Highlands (and she …The girl performed musical commercials f…CultureSportsWorks Adventure at the Carnegie Science CenterI confess that I have never been all tha…CultureShy Preschooler…

The crisis in local journalism has become a crisis of democracy

The paucity of reporters has triggered an invisible power shift toward elected officials. A Pew Research Center study of Baltimore showed an increase in local stories based on press releases from elected officials. The trends in journalism exacerbate the divide between the coasts and the rest of the country. In 2014, almost 1 out of 5 U.S. reporters…

After my conference talk, a post-audition, pre-Jane-Eyre-performance dinner with the girl.

Similar:Until next term, I have zero more unmarked assignments. #fistpumpUntil next term, I have zero more unmark…AcademiaIf I don't design the control panels for my fantasy #steampunk project, who will? #blender…AestheticsI almost cried when I saw this entrance to the children's section of the Kansas City …PersonalEnjoying a peaceful fall moment while it's possible. Taking…

Presenting at #NEMLA session 8.1 Friday. “Hacking English: Examining a multimedia sandbox ‘creative critical project’ as an approach to literature.”

Similar:William Shakespeare’s Star WarsBecause apparently I am not already nerd…AestheticsWe’re in Denial About the True Cost of a Twitter ImplosionThe public disintegration of a platform …Current_EventsThe Feynman TechniqueTo master a topic, pretend you are teach…DesignAI generated images from the prompt "guy being bricked in a prison like a poe story b…PersonalThe Daughter's 21st Birthday Current_EventsLet's…

Rereading “Writing to Learn”

Rereading “Writing to Learn,” William Zinsser’s 1988 book about helping students overcome the fear of writing. That’s how I remember the book, but it’s also about hacking the act of teaching so that we don’t inadvertently convey the notion that students who make mistakes during the writing are doing something wrong. I spend a lot…

Superman Comic about Sympathy and Hope

Just in case someone out there could use it, here’s a powerful comic that emphasizes the power of sympathy (written by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of my second favorite TV show). No sunshine and rainbows, no victim-blaming, no finger-pointing — just humane compassion. (Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.) Superman on…

Chapbooks — the latest assignment in my “History and Future of the Book” class.

Students have already done a 400-word speech, a 400-word manuscript, and a 400-word typescript. I asked them to make multiple copies of their books. They wrote, cut, pasted, photocopied, folded, and bound. Our classroom today smelled cheerfully of glue.  Up next: A “Futuretext” (whatever that means). Similar:She was nervous about the dog misbehaving during "Tomorrow,"…

Amazing birthday cake, created by Jane Eyre herself, Karen Baum. (Thank you @kaboom1250!)

Similar:Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversityA Midsummer Night’s Dream.CultureI both like and hate that Canvas tracks the number of unmarked assignments that await me. …I both like and hate that Canvas tracks …PersonalTopics in Am Lit: August Wilson — Online J-Term course starts Dec 16.PersonalHidden Spaces, New Possibilities I’ve often had dreams about returning …CultureOverwhelmed?…

What About “The Breakfast Club”?

I made three movies with John Hughes; when they were released, they made enough of a cultural impact to land me on the cover of Time magazine and to get Hughes hailed as a genius. His critical reputation has only grown since he died, in 2009, at the age of fifty-nine. Hughes’s films play constantly on television and are even taught in schools. There is still so much that I love in them, but lately I have felt the need to examine the role that these movies have played in our cultural life: where they came from, and what they might mean now. When my daughter proposed watching “The Breakfast Club” together, I had hesitated, not knowing how she would react: if she would understand the film or if she would even like it. I worried that she would find aspects of it troubling, but I hadn’t anticipated that it would ultimately be most troubling to me. -Molly Ringwald, New Yorker

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Carolyn!

The girl spent her birthday weekend opening a show and auditioning. Similar:Part of my daily routine is practicing German for about 15m per day. With no particular pr…EducationI came of age playing too many CD-ROM point-and-click adventure games to ignore these stee…I came of age playing too many CD-ROM po…AestheticsMerry Christmas 2017 PersonalPrime Stage Theatre to…

Pictures from opening night of @pictclassictheatre Jane Eyre. (Show runs through the rest of the month.)

Similar:"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsI created about a dozen basic building shapes, with textures to add variety. #goodenough #…I created about a dozen basic building s…AestheticsJournalists are vital to the health of a free nation. #firstamendnent #freepressPersonalEpic Game of Thrones pun battle. Carolyn Jerz Vs. Greg KerestanHere is the transcript the girl provided…AmusingMy…

Brand new chairs for PICT draw applause.

Similar:Zagg Rugged iPad Air2 keyboard case — USB mini socket came right out with the plug. Grr!I have not had much luck with Zagg keybo…PersonalWeird History offers a good debunking of this persistent myth.PersonalMy Anti-Linkbait Pledge: Cynical Overhyping vs. Simply Being OnlineWhen I find something interesting that a…CultureUnnatural Selection (ST:TNG Rewatch Season 2, Episode 7)Rewatching…

PICT's production of Jane Eyre has its first preview tonight.

Similar:I apologize for this one. R2-D2 stars in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical CATS.PersonalI’m still teaching journalism and my usual courses, but after 21 years I’ve stepped aside …I’m still teaching journalism and my usu…AcademiaThey both reached for the gun.PersonalOpening night. They've got magic to do! CultureLife would be so much better if all the interfaces…