Hawthorne takes a moment to explain that the Puritans in New England weren’t all drab and bitter; most were native Englishmen, who back in the old country were merry and joyful, and today’s holiday brings back the merriment they must have remembered, even though we don’t see it otherwise. “Their immediate posterity,” Hawthorne tells us,…
Hosni Mubarak left red faced over doctored red carpet photo Embarrassment as Egyptian paper alters image to put president at head of procession Al-Ahram’s Photoshopped image of President Hosni Mubarak and other leaders at the Middle East peace talks. Photograph: Al-Ahram There are those who lead and those who follow, and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram…
Still, the provost says that even if only a slim percentage of students actually renounce Facebook and Twitter for the week, the project will have been a success, if only because of the conversations it has started. The university never expected full abstinence from students, Darr says, nor was it trying to conduct a scientific…
What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that, at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket, circa 2010 — if, in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always-on technology that fuels…
Literary questions aren’t really worth exploring if there’s an obviously “right” answer, so let’s explore a thorny question. Near the end of Chapter 13, in the third paragraph from the end. Hawthorne tells us of Hester, “At times a fearful doubt strove to possess her soul, whether it were not better to send Pearl…
In short, instead of replacing traditional news platforms, Americans are increasingly integrating new technologies into their news consumption habits. More than a third (36%) of Americans say they got news from both digital and traditional sources yesterday, just shy of the number who relied solely on traditional sources (39%). Only 9% of Americans got news…
I trimmed out some stale examples and added these examples to my handout on showing and telling. What if your goal were to write about your favorite sport. Telling (No Details) I like many different sports, from skiing to rock-climbing, but when it comes right down to it, I would have to say that ping-pong is my favorite…
The findings can help anyone, from a fourth grader doing long division to a retiree taking on a new language. But they directly contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and they have not caught on. For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person…
Dr. Mary Crone Odekon In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Mary Crone Odekon of Skidmore College’s physics department discusses how studying fractals can help our understanding of structures in space. WAMC Similar:MLA In-text citations: Writing that got you through high school won’t do in college. MLA In-text cita…AcademiaThe Decline and Fall of the English MajorThis essay…
This is the section of the book where the relationships between the characters start to take solid shape, and Hawthorne makes these points numerous times. When we aim to interpret a literary work, our task has to go beyond listing our emotional reactions, our gut reactions, to the events of the plot or the setting.…
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…
see more Epic Fails Similar:Standardized-test robo-graders flunk“According to professor of theory of kno…AcademiaStory Pitch: How writers present an article idea to a busy editor I hoped this slide would appeal to m…AmusingCreative writing majors getting rich as demand skyrocketsSee, it’s funny, because poets need to s…AmusingI feel juvenile enough today that this headline made me…
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…
Hawthorne carefully explains to his reader that these people are different from you and me. Our 21st century values may leave us shocked at the sight of male authority figures punishing Hester this way. Of course, the author wants us to be shocked that the authorities are treating Hester this way. Hawthorne created a bleak…
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…
I’m about to start the Rick Moranis #LittleShop movie. My 8yo has never seen it, but she’s gotten interested in musicals. about 3 hours ago via Twitter for iPad Wife is unwrapping the #LittleShop DVD now. about 3 hours ago via Twitter for iPad First, put away the #Cats DVD. about 3 hours ago via…
Similar:Fantasy football and the cold future of robot journalismFor fantasy football players, the servic…BusinessTook the whole day off and spent part of it making #greebles with #Blender3D because reaso…AestheticsAlmost Flat DesignApple, Google and Microsoft have very di…AestheticsThings may be awful, but at least an invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand…Amusing‘NPR Voice’…
Let my students tell you. Similar:Using a Typewriter Simulator to Teach Media HistoryWorking on the syllabus for my “Media an…CultureRobot Dramas: Autonomous Machines in the Limelight on Stage and in SocietyA thoughtful overview of robots in cultu…AestheticsI accidentally started a Wikipedia hoaxHoaxes roam the Information Superhighway…BooksWhy the Internet Isn’t Fun AnymoreI used to spend time…
Beware… Salty language. In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don’t Give A Shit? Similar:How ‘twisted’ early childhood education has become — from a child development expertKids who got low scores, I was told, got…CultureCameras and Masks: Sustaining Emotional Connections with Your Students in an Age of COVID1…There are some sound pedagogical reasons…AcademiaWhy…
Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:I’m a 12-year-old girl. Why don’t the characters in my apps look like me? I found that when an app did sell girl…BusinessShe was accused of faking an incriminating video of teenage cheerleaders. She was arrested…Madi Hime is taking a deep drag on a blu…CybercultureThe Girl's Obsession with Scottish History…