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:Oh, No. YouTube is Deleting Videos.Oh no.  First YouTube institutes a “COVI…Current_EventsMy crazy Friday night involved tweaking the graphic for an #MLAstyle instructional web pag…AcademiaBreaking: Student consults syllabus before asking question about course scheduleNASHVILLE, TN – Vanderbilt…

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:Google, AI Announcements, and the Future of LearningGlenda Morgan does not sound that impres…AcademiaA Message from Hester Prynne (Student Video)Have I mentioned lately that I have awes…AcademiaThe Mom From The Cat in the Hat Finally SpeaksAs a toddler, my…

Seussical: Stage Right Homeschool Production

My 13yo was Horton the Elephant and my 9yo was the Sour Kangaroo (with attitude). Similar:The daughter joined the cast of this show a few days ago. As Safie, she sings a folk song …She says she got the email while at a ca…CultureYes, this is my 11yo daughter yodeling on stage.http://youtu.be/reyclH7zuHIAmusingSix rainbow-colored objects, arranged…

“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:I went with frisse. German uses esse “to eat” for people…AmusingDon't use that "18 school shootings since Jan 1" claim. It's Inaccurate.Don’t use that “18 school shootings sinc…CultureSome editing…

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:Does the phrase "based off of" make you shudder… or shrug?Jerz > Writing >&nb…AcademiaA practical application of close reading skills: Nazi-spottingWhenever I teach a literature…

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…

io9. We come from the future.

The whole “reality is an illusion” idea has been kicked around by everyone from Siddhartha to the existentialists. It is Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom who is most often associated with the idea that we are living in a computer simulation. His premise is based on a series of assumptions: 1). A technological society could eventually…