10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly

I have seen a lot of very talented people fail because they couldn’t, or didn’t, write. And some much less talented people (I see one in the mirror every morning) have done OK because they learned how to write. —Michael C. Munger, Chronicle Here’s a tip that does a good job explaining a concept I’m…

Banner Fail — Failblog.org

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Turnitin.com technical support email?

A great usability strategy, keeping their website so free of clutter like the email address for technical support. Gotta save that valuable screen real estate for the links to the big PDF manuals that haven’t been updated since the upgrade. tiisupport@turnitin.com Once again, that email is technical support for turnitin.com. Just in case you want…

iTunes Sending Receipts to Wrong Email

My university set me up with a trial Mobile Me account, and on the set-up day when I created my iTunes account, I was told to type in the Mobile Me address, so I did.  I never used the service, though my receipts for iTunes purchases showed up there.  A year later when the service…

The Chariot

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What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:The Ensigns of Command (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 2) Data plays MacGyver to sa…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….Mediathe history of computer games: from 'pong' to 'pac-man'”in the beginning, there was nothing. we…CybercultureCode is not literatureA literate programmer describes his atte…Cyberculture35% of my site visitors right now are using…

Are standardized tests biased against students who don't give a sh*t?

Beware… Salty language. In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don’t Give A Shit? Similar:The Distracted Classroom: Transparency, Autonomy, and PedagogyI don’t ban technology in my classroom, …AcademiaCollege student makes masks for the deaf & hard of hearing Other than one trip to the grocery sto…Current_EventsCoding Bootcamps and the New For-Profit Higher EdThere…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

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Scratch Stats

Scratch is a kid-friendly programming sandbox, designed by MIT in order to introduce kids to computer science concepts. I’ve been using it with my own children for a couple years, and am currently using it as a gentle introduction to development, for an upper-level class designed for the “New Media Journalism” program. Similar:A Book Itself…

The Poynter Institute's Seminars

 I’m teaching a “New Media Projects” course, which aims to explore the connections between communication with words (linear, narrative) and communication with programming (interactive, procedural). Out in the wider world, The Poynter Institute hosted this session this week. I’m glad to see the profession moving beyond digital cameras and blogging. Programming for Journalists / Journalism…