Teaching with iPads: Motivation, Inspiration and Alienation in the Appleverse

Here are the slides for the half-day workshop I presented with my colleagues, Laura Patterson and Christine Cusick. Similar:We were a Neilsen ratings family during the pandemicIn March 2020, just as the lockdown clos…BusinessCommonly Misused Words: ALL RIGHT and (Slang) ALRIGHT For more on ALL RIGHT, ALL R…AmusingI actually don't mind Canvas — it just…

Making Writing Socially Engaging: Asking Why New Media Draws Us In

[View the story “Making Writing Socially Engaging: Asking Why New Media Draws Us In” on Storify] Similar:Updated a handout on writing a process analysis. TechnologyRepublican National Convention: Scrutiny of Melania Trump’s speech follows plagiarism alle…As a college English teacher, I come to …CultureMale Microsoft Leaders Ignored Women Who Really Hated ClippyI hated Clippy, not because it looked…

Seussical: Stage Right Homeschool Production

My 13yo was Horton the Elephant and my 9yo was the Sour Kangaroo (with attitude). Similar:Enjoying a soul food dinner in honor of #blackhistorymonthPersonalThe daughter is in "Very Berry Dead," a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two …The writer, director, and one of the cas…ArtWhich of my colleagues wants attention?AcademiaCoined by…

“Scary Things”: An Address to the Class of 2011 — The Goreletter — Michael Arnzen

Mike Arnzen posted his weird and wonderful address to graduation seniors. “Scary Things”: An Address to the Class of 2011 — The Goreletter — Michael Arnzen. Similar:Game Criticism, Why We Need It, and Why Reviews Aren't ItGreg Costikyan on Play This Thing! A re…AcademiaWhen T.S. Eliot Invented the Hipster  Prufrock cannot bring himself to…CultureWhy Fan…

Another Nerdy Lord of the Rings Post

I just got an email from Amazon saying that typos and omissions in my Kindle edition of The Lord of the Rings have been corrected, and I can opt to receive the updated edition for free. However, like a certain similarly magical gift that I’m sure we’re all thinking of right now, this boon comes…

Bacon Starry Night Meme

I’ve no idea where the “Bacon Starry Night” meme comes from. Other than Vincent Van Gogh, and bacon, of course. My wife asked whether there is a bacon “The Scream.”  Not yet, apparently. Similar:Found: Brass Candle SnifterThis was by the teacher’s station in Adm…AestheticsCursor*10 (nekogames)I don’t remember where I was when I saw …AestheticsThoughtful Gestures…

The New York Times Makes The Nerdiest Correction Ever – Featured on BuzzFeed

The New York Times Makes The Nerdiest Correction Ever – Featured on BuzzFeed. Similar:Spam: In Your E-Mail and on Your BlogSpam: In Your E-Mail and on Your Blog&nb…BusinessThe Ongoing Obsession with Shakespeare’s True IdentityI’ve never been all too keen on Shakespe…AcademiaLego TimelineThe Lego brick system was patented 50 ye…AestheticsNew York Times Ready to Charge Online…

Helping students engage with challenging texts

Based on the constructivist theory of learning suggesting that students make sense of new information by joining it with information they already have, his guidelines suggest that students begin with a quick pre-read, in which they underline words they don’t know but don’t stop reading until they reach the end. They then would follow up…

Hillary Clinton edited out of Situation Room photo by Hasidic newspaper

Take a look at the photo published above, famously snapped in the Situation Room as the U.S. raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. The astute viewer will notice that, like some sort of sexist version of Highlights magazine, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been Photoshopped out of the picture (not to mention Counterterrorism Director Audrey…