Dennis G. Jerz | Associate Professor of English -- New Media Journalism, Seton Hill University | jerz.setonhill.edu

For New Acquisitions, UMD Libraries Choose Ebooks by Default

Increasingly book vendors provide options that allow us to purchase e-books instead of print when both are available. We’ve now formally committed to purchasing e-books when given that choice. —UMD Libraries Similar:The Digital-Humanities BustDinosaurs evolved into birds. Not all of…AcademiaStudent journalist experiences the 'trickle down' of hostility toward the pressMy own students haven’t described encoun…AcademiaYou…

A Message from Hester Prynne (Student Video)

Have I mentioned lately that I have awesome students? For a “Creative Critical Presentation” in my online American Literature survey, English major Tyler Carter created A Message from Hester Prynne,  a 9-minute video that explores Hester’s psychology and spirituality, through music, dance, poetry, and cinematography. All the technology Seton Hill offers to its students would…

Scrooge Is My Brother

My daughter delivered the opening “Marley was as dead as a doornail” speech as the narrator in the Stage Right! homeschool production of A Lyrical Christmas Carol. My son played Scrooge. The show was great. During the bows, I was already pretty misty-eyed when my daughter threw her arms around Scrooge and proudly announced, “He’s…

“What irrational person would argue against your claim that hoe is a Gothic punk?”

Dictating student feedback, I said “Would a rational person argue against your claim that Poe is a Gothic poet?” My Mac typed: “What irrational person would argue against your claim that hoe is a Gothic punk?” Similar:This is what audience members are saying about Prime Stage Theatre’s production of The Out…https://youtu.be/y_yXrOdB-oE BooksIn January, 2002 I…

Senior Tech #1: How To Master Texting

It’s funny because it’s true. Senior Tech #1: How To Master Texting Similar:Mechanical innards for a Steampunk set piece. #Blender3D #greebleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oChXOu8C…AestheticsAt Computers and Writing #cwcon for the weekend.Am I wise now? At an event for encouragi…AcademiaFacebook Finally Rolls Out 'Disputed News' Tag Everyone Will DisputeAnybody seen a post tagged this way? If …Current_EventsWhy is Elon…

What kinds of local stories drive engagement? The results of an NPR Facebook experiment

  We looked at every story we geotargeted during the months of July, August, and September 2012, focusing on the ones that the localized NPR Facebook following liked, shared, and commented on at a high rate. From this group of successful stories, we identified similarities which allowed us to create nine distinct content categories. We…

What Could Have Been Entering the Public Domain on January 1, 2012?

Current US law extends copyright protection for 70 years after the date of the author’s death. (Corporate “works-for-hire” are copyrighted for 95 years after publication.) But prior to the 1976 Copyright Act (which became effective in 1978), the maximum copyright term was 56 years (an initial term of 28 years, renewable for another 28 years). Under those…

The Search for IT Relevence — Featuring Seton Hill IT Guru Phil Komarny

The Search for IT Relevence – YouTube. Similar:Can't upload photos to Facebook from my MacBookI spent 30 minutes trying to upload abou…CybercultureScientists thought only male birds sang – until women joined the researchFor more than 150 years, scientists have…AcademiaDo the Best Professors Get the Worst Ratings?To summarize the findings: because they …AcademiaMultiple Choice = GoogleNo…

I’d Pay to See This

Fan Video Win Similar:Boston Bombing Survivor Dances Onstage for First TimeTechnology and artistry combine in this …CultureI'm not really a royal watcher but I'm fascinated that the UK has de-royalized the king's … Prince Andrew has lost all of hi…CultureThe Survivors (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Three Episode 3) Charming geriatric love and a pacif…Rewatching ST:TNG after a…

Distributing Candy at Holiday Parade

Similar:If I don’t stock the officers’ pub on my #steampunk #fantasy #CGI flagship, who will? (All…PersonalIdeology shapes our view of reality, which affects what persuades us. EthicsFranz Joseph and Star Trek’s Blueprint CultureIn 1977, when I was about nine, I saw th…AestheticsThe Comic Sans SongComic Sans is a typeface, not a font. I …AestheticsGo Forth and Conquer,…

Results of the 18th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition

 The 18th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition has ended. Congratulations to Marco Innocenti, whose “Andromeda Apocalypse” took first place! The top three games were: Andromeda Apocalypse, by Marco Innocenti Eurydice, by Anonymous Guilded Youth, by Jim Munroe The winners of the Miss Congeniality contest were: Guilded Youth, by Jim Munroe Escape From Summerland, by Joey Jones…

At Age 11, I Named the Curiosity Rover

Wonderful story! I still remember that chilly December day, sitting in science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a TIME for Kids magazine off of Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article…

What a 21st-Century English Major Can Do: Screencast Demo of an Inform 7 Text-Adventure Journalism Game

Have I mentioned lately that I have some really awesome students? Here’s a narrated screencast, presenting a progress report on a term project that involves programming in Inform 7 to create a text-adventure game designed to teach student journalists how to cover a campus event. This is what a 21st-century English major can do, given…