Planning an Unscripted Documentary

She tells her students to begin by writing a one-sheet description of the project. This description will not be perfect or final, but it will set the filmmaking process into motion. Briefly sketch your themes, story, characters, and the filmmaking style you would like to use. (A good way to start choosing a style is…

I know that look.

This was my 9yo today. She doesn’t get into fights with other kids, just with us — about going to bed, or getting up, or drinking out of a cup with a creepy pirate on it, or doing any lesson other than theater or art. Beyond throwing an eraser or stuffed animal in huffy anger,…

Writing Virtual Worlds in the Inform Programming Language (Full-day Workshop, C & W 2012)

For educators who are interested in both computers and writing, interactive fiction games (aka text adventures) offer exciting possibilities. This workshop introduces the interactive fiction programming language Inform, which uses a syntax that resembles ordinary English. Here is a sample of Inform 7 code: The Hotel Lobby is a room. A buffet table is in…

Reading Position

In our homeschool household, we do lessons year round. Knowing that she would have to finish her lessons before I took her to a party today, my daughter got up before the rest of the house. When I came into the kitchen to get myself breakfast, I found her like this, on the last chapter…

Some colleges slow to prep education majors for how to teach online

When Bartos took over Principles of Instructional Technologies at Seton Hill last year, she revamped the course that taught use of computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint in classrooms. “It’s because of the evolution in technology — we really had to,” said Bartos. “I address right in my class that there’s a strong…

Griffin Run Cycle Test – YouTube

Here’s a quick run cycle, with some background detail thrown in for testing purposes. Similar:Prime Stage's THE OUTSIDERS Stays Golden at the New HazlettCherry, the upper-class go-between spann…BooksComputers and Writing workshop on Inform 7. (Happening now. In an asynchronous way.)https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa8nP…AcademiaWhich of my colleagues wants attention?Academia"Cool" Rosetta Mission Scientist Matt Taylor Objectifies Women via T-Shirt, LanguageHow…

Nyan Cat Rock

My daughter saw the Nyan Cat video, and then opened a rock-painting gift from a secret Santa. The result was inevitable. Similar:The Chicago Tribune Has Made the Best Internet Mistake of the DayEvery second is a deadline, every instan…AmusingLooking forward towards the wardroom (center) and the officers' pub, the Gear and Hea…AestheticsIn defense of the…

Blender Griffin, Part 3

Okay, that’s enough work for one evening. I added a skeleton I had already created for another project, and I added new rigging for his wings and tail. I still need to add the fancy stuff, like having the eyes follow a target, having the limbs move automatically to follow the placement of the feet…

Blender Griffin, Part 2

After another couple of hours of work, I’ve added the Griffin logo and a tail (trust me — it’s there). I’ve improved the lighting, and added some very subtle ambient occlusion (the inside of his beak and the inside of his eyes are shaded more realistically). I could probably do a better job differentiating such…

Correlation or Causation? – Businessweek

Correlation or Causation? – Businessweek. Similar:News Feed FYI: Click-baitingIt’s hard for me to think of Facebook as…BusinessHow Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled”I remember the first meeting where I ac…BusinessAffect (v. "to change") vs. Effect (n. "the result")I ran into this problem several times in…AcademiaThe Mom From The Cat in…

Blender 3D Update

Holy ray-tracing, Batman, it’s a Blender 3D update! I have not had the chance to try out Blender 2.61, which features an ocean simulator, motion-tracking, and real-time ray-tracing. blender.org – Blender 2.61. Similar:The Period, Our Simplest Punctuation Mark, Has Become a Sign of AngerYou text your girlfriend: “I know we mad…CybercultureAmazon Staff Meetings: “No Powerpoint”I…

Blender Griffin

To celebrate yesterday’s on-time submission of final grades, I spent part of last night and much of today working on this Blender 3D model of our school mascot, the Griffin.   Similar:Completed uniforms for the officers and crew from the #neovictorian #steampunk bedtime sto… Right now I can move the player aroun…AestheticsCan AI write good…

Narnia Lesson Plans: Activities Related to the Musical (based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) — Jerz’s Literacy Weblog

I just posted the latest musical theater education packet, written by my wife, as she aims to make the most of our home-schooled children’s participation in Stage Right Greensburg’s student theater production. 1.10) Narnia, once a utopia or paradise, has become a sad, cold dystopia under the Witch’s rule. Read & discuss other examples of…

Pittsburgh Parent Magazine: Future-oriented College Majors

Pittsburgh Parent Magazine’s December issue features Seton Hill’s New Media Journalism major in a cover story by Kelli Robinson. Similar:Sweaters from Rover?From Awful Library Books. For more schad…BooksSurprised by Mama Cass Elliott's "Different" — powerful folk-pop ballad in trippy 60's "H…I miss the convention in movies and TV s…CultureAging Gen-Xer Doesn't Find Bad Movies Funny…

Losing Face

This story features my Seton Hill colleague, Lee McClain. “It’s kind of like if you are looking at a bunch of leaves on a tree, you could study them, but you’d have to work really hard to tell them apart,” said McClain. That is how she sees faces. “That part of my brain that most…