My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Communities of Play: The Social Construction of Identity in Persistent Online Game WorldsI played the open-source version of Uru …CultureThe Best of Both Worlds, Part 2 ( #StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode…
Have you heard the story about the lady who spilled coffee on herself and won millions of dollars from McDonald’s? Have you looked up the details on the story, or do you just know the story as a TV show punch line? Stella became a symbol for frivolous lawsuits and fodder for talk show hosts,…
Reporters have been sometimes fired for willful misconduct, such as repeated instances of plagiarism or fabrication. Reporters who’ve suffered that fate, such as the New York Times’ Jayson Blair and The Washington Post’s Janet Cooke, were guilty of gross journalistic malpractice. But firing a reporter over an unintentional mistake is “extremely rare,” said Scott Maier,…
I’m getting ready to introduce my freshman writing students to college-level research, so I found it helpful to read this brief introduction to the internal problems Wikipedia creates for itself. When a major news event takes place, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, complex, widely sourced entries spring up within hours and evolve by the…
“Does size matter?” — student journalist, making a person-on-the street video interview about the new iPad. Similar:In Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsYes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached…
RT @joningold: Thing is, the freedom of the parser is a sham – not because it *doesn’t* understand everything but because no-one plays as t… Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksShe doesn't have keys or…
In the Nightly Noodle Monthly, former North Adams Transcript journalist Isaac Avilucea posts this passage, which he says was removed from a sports feature that got him fired. But there’s a reason she’s not at MountGreylock anymore, choosing to transfer to a school with somewhat inferior academics and athletics. Part of it has to do with the stuffy social atmosphere that…
I just did the thing where you look everywhere for your glasses but you can’t find them because you are already wearing them. Similar:Parallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureJudge: Apple conspired…
Inside Higher Ed Similar:Carolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media. To be c…Current_EventsThat's not an argument. (Yes it is.)I spent some time this afternoon sifting…AcademiaWhen you need to record footsteps on a sidewalk, and the carpeted studio has a brick wall.Amusing"This paper is going…
I can’t quite understand a world in which people will pay $4 for a cup of coffee… So I have no particular interest in coffee-shop culture, but the unrelenting advance of automation is worth noting. But note the word “could” in the headline. The Briggo coffee kiosk knows how to make a perfect coffee because…
EL231 “Digital Storytelling” (Dec 18-Jan 22) Unit 1 (Dec 18-22) mostly experiencing digital stories (reading, watching, listening, playing, whatever), and reading articles & discussing them online. (We take a break Dec 23-Jan 1: no classes, no homework.) Unit 2 (Jan 2-7) trying out 4-5 tools for creating digital stories, and learning two in a little…
First of all, I’m always wary about any news article with “could” in the headline. Second, Wired produces a lot of paragraphs without actually giving away anything about the radical new teaching method (which is simply a motion from the “sage on the stage” model to the “guide on the side” — the current state…
Neil Gaiman tells us why books matter: When you watch TV or see a film, you are looking at things happening to other people. Prose fiction is something you build up from 26 letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world and people it and…
In the publications office with student journalists. I’ve heard them saying “affirmative” and “negative.” The editor just said “Make it so.” Similar:Hello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a…
Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies poster. Similar:As a student journo, naturally I covered the visit from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry…I recall just sort of telling the editor…AcademiaLet He Who Is Without Sin #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 7) Worf Scorns RisaRewatching ST:DS9 A nervous Morn sniffs…AmusingThe Siege (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season…
Thanks for the link, Dana. Experts say part of the appeal of learning through gaming is that students don’t see failing at the game as the same type of failure as getting an answer wrong in class or on a worksheet. Ms. Joyce has witnessed this. “They are not embarrassed. They are just more determined…
One household notifies the authorities that their son will no longer be participating in state-mandated high-stakes testing, citing the impact it has on the child. Here is an excerpt from the letter, as published by Education Roundtable. Students – who mature at vastly different paces – should not ever be measured by a mass-produced blunt…
Is there a daydreamer in your life? There are a couple in mine. (And sometimes, it’s me.) Here’s a look at the benefits of “relaxed attention.” Daydreaming has problem-solving power. Sometimes it helps to stop focusing so intently on an issue, and aim for what IDEO founder David Kelley’s mentor Bob McKim used to call…
I’m sure my young, healthy-looking friend will gladly give you his parking spot if you’ll take his bone cancer, too. http://t.co/z2ABY0huCN Similar:That's it my boy, throw the clickbait into the water, cast it wide.AmusingHanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversityA Midsummer Night’s Dream.CultureCreative writing majors getting rich as demand skyrocketsSee, it’s funny, because poets need to…
In my freshman writing courses I work hard to convince students that many of the strategies that helped them get by in high school simply won’t lead to college-level work. For instance, I actually read their drafts, ask probing questions about their goals, options, and strategic choices, and then expect their revisions to follow up…