I am not a fan of TV news, and in fact only watch a full broadcast once every two years, in order to prep for a particular unit in my intro to journalism class. In truth, I am going to have to redesign that unit, because most of my students aren’t in the habit of…
Today’s students have also lived most of their lives in the shadow of a systemic financial collapse. Some of us can still remember the extent to which the worldview of our parents or grandparents was shaped by having grown up during the Great Depression. While the Great Recession was objectively not as severe, it has…
I used to print a lot. I have enough tote bags. I found more stuff for my box of once-loved tools. It felt so good throwing away all the papers having to do with that one thing. If spiders had to crawl into one box and die, I can forgive them for choosing that other…
Similar:In the Hands of the Prophets (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 19) Keiko's scienc…Rewatching ST:DS9 A candidate for Baj…CultureIt’s something to do.PersonalA professor examines why her students seem to act so helpless (essay)This essay on college students acting he…AcademiaFinished Reading The Chronicles of PrydainWe could hardly stop reading just before…Books45m into a game against…
Similar:I filed my grades early. I shall now, briefly, do something irresponsible.Grades submitted. I’ll reward myself wit…PersonalHow To Talk To Babies About Semiotics (and Marxist Theory)BABY: read dog book again ME: okay fine…AcademiaHappy 13th Birthday CarolynI’ve had the privilege of being this ama…DramaFor the record, if I should happen to be murdered by someone with…
Similar:Connecting the Dots…Madeline Cash reflects on her boomer mot…CultureBBC News – TS Eliot's widow Valerie dies aged 86 She guarded her late husband’s liter…CultureHeadlines matter. Were they migrants, people who happened to be at a migrant center, pedes…Do the headlines encourage empathy, or d…CultureHow To Talk To Babies About Semiotics (and Marxist Theory)BABY: read dog…
Similar:As a student journo, naturally I covered the visit from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry…I recall just sort of telling the editor…AcademiaFamily catch and eat octopus with six tentacles during Greek vacationI keep a silly personal blog devoted to …PersonalWhy Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?Not a day goes by without The Girl remin…BooksI am…
While cleaning out my desk at home I added to the big box of “tools I used to use all the time and now hang onto them for sentimental reasons.” The brass lantern is a memento I keep in my office, not a tool I used to use all the time; nevertheless, I thought it…
During a February press conference in London, where Murray was promoting “The Monuments Men,” he said: “I thought, ‘Well there’s a girl who doesn’t have a whole lot of prospects, but the sun’s coming up anyway and she’s got another chance at it.’ So I think that gave me some sort of feeling that I too am…
Similar:I played hooky from work to see Wild Robot with my familyI played hooky to go see Wild Robot this…AestheticsShort-range #neovictorian excursion craft, now with glowing power orbs! Over the past year…https://youtu.be/-cJp-kelrL8 AestheticsTapdance / jazz music outing with the girl. Tapdance / jazz music outing with …AcademiaThe Rivals #PPTPlaytimeA great production of a delightful play.CultureNot…
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…
Similar:Take a look at the moon tonight!I wish I had the time or energy to get o…Aesthetics"I'm a geek. Deal with it." –my 11yo daughter. #geekgirlproblemsAmusingLearning the hard way, by making mistakes and starting over. The fore section of the fanta… AestheticsPictures only hint at her passion and can't capture how smart she is. I…
“I bought a Kindle. I didn’t immediately go home and burn all my other books. I didn’t stop buying paper books. I read both and no one came knocking at my door. It’s a boring story, I know. I’m thinking of adding in a talking pig and a plot to destroy Lady Elaine from Mr.…
Similar:Still in her make-up from her scene as Marley's ghost, with script in hand standing i…PersonalCreated a new graphic for an existing handout on writing editorials.The “lead editorial” represents the offi…EmpathyRespect the Text: Teaching Textual Primacy to Non-English MajorsIn the past, I have used the first day o…AcademiaNational Dance DayIn the restaurant parking lot after…
Jane Eyre is not a two-person show, and the smallish cast must take on double duty at least, filling a wide variety of roles in this production. Besides the previously mentioned [Paige] Borak, multipurpose players Jill Keating and Carolyn Jerz must be singled out- Keating takes on three different variations of the “matronly, unpleasant Victorian lady”…
Similar:Evita in Zelionople CultureI dunno what to call this but it really hit the spot.PersonalI baked about 12 million vertices of steampunk control panel geometry into a flat plane wi…PersonalA few Dwarven Moments in Stage Right's Snow WhiteThe dwarf scenes were a real hoot. …DramaVery interesting adaptation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. #pptlaytime @thepublicpghCultureHi, I’m…
Similar:I love a little courtyard. I think I’ve made enough #blender3d buildings for now. On to th…PersonalNo, Dr. Seuss is not being "banned" or "censored" — but Dr. Seuss Enterprises is voluntar…It’s nothing new that Theodore “Dr. Seus…BooksI regularly teach A Raisin in the Sun but haven't seen a live production in decades. Looki… AwesomeSeton…
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…
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…
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:UPDATE: BREAKING: 'Star Wars' Returns — 'Episode 7' Slated…