From the AP: The estate of “Lord of the Rings” creator J.R.R. Tolkien is suing the film studio that released the trilogy based on his books, claiming the company hasn’t paid it a penny from the estimated $6 billion the films have grossed worldwide. Similar:Carnegie Science Center's Guitar ExhibitThis summer, I’m a “CSC Insider” –…
Gettysburg College: Students create text-based “interactive fiction” games that are rigorously derived from archaeological data and filled with references to Viking and other cultures. The games describe a scene or object in detail, then ask players to make a choice, such as “go east” or “take sword.” Each decision leads to a new set of…
Random thoughts are exactly what they are, random! Anyone can say random words. It does Have favorable results. His attempts to woo — But never all the way — toward the cliff Conform to something so unlike yourself The other points are pretty valid. It’s A place to jot down information as Questions. For example:…
My students are working on showing and telling. It’s a difficult concept to learn, and I’ve found over the years it’s not that easy to teach. So as part of an upcoming short story assignment, I’ve started to introduce the concept of “pointless showing” to define the practice of avoiding clear language in the misguided…
Amanda Cochran, who was a student in my freshman composition class not too many years ago, went on to be the editor-in-chief of the student paper, and is now in grad school at NYU. She writes about taking on an assignment on short notice. I was nominated to cover the story yesterday by one of…
Good literacy news from the Washington Post: The share of kindergarten students in the county who can read simple books has risen from 39 to 93 percent in six years, according to school system data culled from reading assessments given each spring. Achievement is so high, and across so many demographic groups, that school officials…
I took a little break from evaluating a close reading assignment in order to look into the online chatter about George W. Bush’s interpretation of a painting called “A Charge to Keep.” Bush hung it on his wall because he identifies with the guy out in front, whom he sees as leading a tough climb…
Wired: A leading general and former top military spokesman in Iraq is pleading with the armed services to let troops blog and post to YouTube. Too bad the video site is banned on military nets, and Army rules squeeze military bloggers, hard. Greg Grant notes, politely, that Caldwell’s “recommendation that appears to run counter to…
Yahoo (AP): “Microsoft’s consistent belief has been that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! clearly represents the best way to deliver maximum value to our respective shareholders, as well as create a more efficient and competitive company that would provide greater value and service to our customers,” Ballmer wrote. It has been years since I’ve…
Frontline (PBS). This quote is from one of the producers, Caitlin McNally. There’s not a whole lot there that’s new to me, but it looks like the show will be good introduction to the subject. The majority of teenagers we talked to expressed good-natured exasperation that their parents “didn’t know how to work a computer”…
Jennifer Howard (Chronicle) The guidelines recommend 12 methods for achieving those goals. “Extensive and diverse reading requirements” leads the list. Instructors should also make sure their students study literary terminology and critical approaches, and that they practice critical reading as well as doing their own creative and critical writing. “Close reading of literary works and…
Jenna Wortham (Wired): Wednesday is International Delete Your MySpace Account Day, an online protest geared at uniting users eager to ditch the popular social networking site. Similar:n+1: The Stupidity of ComputersComputers are pretty dumb, but they’re d…CybercultureThe Internet Is RottingI do what I can. It’s disheartening how,…AcademiaBusiness is the most popular college major, but that…
While walking an introductory class through a close reading of “The Defense of Fort McHenry” (better known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,”) I noted that a student had wondered whether the appearance of “In God We Trust” on US currency had anything to do with the inclusion of a similar phrase, “In God is our Trust,”…
This message arrived in my in box today. The author gave me permission to answer it here. It must have been fate that led me to your site which I perused with great interest. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a 57 year old male, separated after nearly 27 years of marriage, now…
Non-Gamer: Why is it called “Dance Dance Revolution?”Me: Because the demographic wouldn’t go for “Dance Dance Establishment.” Similar:The disinformation system that Trump unleashed will outlast him. Here’s what reality-based… Highlights from a column by Margaret S…UncategorizedMy mentor interrupted me. “Ignore your students from the neck down,” she said.Early in my teaching career, I noticed s…UncategorizedDaughter…
A close professional contact who regularly takes on student interns shared this list of guidelines, which she has found necessary to include when orienting a new intern to the routine of office work. Although the site is a non-profit educational organization, and thus the environment is more relaxed and forgiving than it might be in…
The Lego brick system was patented 50 years ago today. Gizmodo offers this timeline. Similar:The Distracted Classroom: Transparency, Autonomy, and PedagogyI don’t ban technology in my classroom, …AcademiaMy Review of the Charlottesville Tryout of "A Few Good Men" 30 Years AgoA librarian at the University of Virgini…CultureChecking sources back in 2006 involved using this *steampunk*…
Some thoughtful development of a powerful meme in cyberculture studies, from Henry Jenkins: Talking about digital natives and digital immigrants tends to exagerate the gaps between adults, seen as fumbling and hopelessly out of touch, and youth, seen as masterful. It invites us to see contemporary youth as feral, cut off from all adult influences,…
Great satire from The Onion. Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot Similar:dungeon.jpg (JPEG Image, 2535×1616 pixels)Great Zork map.AestheticsWide-angle view of a villain’s secret lair. #blender3dAestheticsHeart of Stone (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3, Episode 14) Odo tries to keep Kira's spi…Rewatching ST:DS9 In a runabout, Kira…CultureToday's 10 sq cm of retro…
Filed away to read on a rainy day (after I’ve cleared some big projects from my to do list): Jonathan Bate The original manuscripts of Shakespeare’s works do not survive: the sole extant composition in his hand is a single scene from Sir Thomas More, a multi-authored play that cannot really be described as ‘his’.…