I’ve established before that I am an unapologetic early-adopter-fan-girl-nerd. I love new technotoys. Over the past few weeks, I’ve tested a couple, with surprising (for me) outcomes. Here’s my review of the first. I’ve been seeing the livescribe pen in class pretty regularly for at least a year now. When I saw it, I … Read moreIt’s not you, it’s me.
Snow day. Email server down. Flooding in the computer lab. Broken projector. Murphy’s Law is one of the realities of teaching. One time I completely lost my voice before an important class and had to lecture entirely without speaking. It took a custom-made presentation and lots of pantomime, but it worked. I can’t really teach … Read moreThe Importance of Padding
Urban planning has an antichrist. His name is Robert Moses. He was larger than life: he built parks, roads, and a ton of buildings all around New York State, was in power for over 40 years, and for a while held over a dozen offices. Why antichrist? Well, when it came to NYC, he served … Read moreThe Long and Short of Robert Moses
This post is the third in my “how to build a course” series. Today I’m going to discuss thematic concepts, and to do so I’m going to switch up my metaphor from the puzzle to tv shows. It’ll make sense, I promise. Some shows find incredible success with an episodic format. Others are all about … Read moreArc and Episode
This post is the second in my syllabus/course development series. The intro is here. Creating a course from scratch is paralyzing. There’s just so much to figure out: readings, assignments, format, and it all interconnects. A good course setup is a balancing act that takes years to really master. One mistake I think is widespread … Read moreThe cart before the horse
Winter break is over, the semester is underway, and the winter doldrums have set in. It’s long past time I get back to this blog. I’ve been mulling ideas of what to discuss but much of it is too depressing (the news) too self-aggrandizing (I replaced the screen on my iPhone all by myself!) or … Read moreSyllabus (de)constructed
Serial just ended. Like most people, I listened to the entire series, and looked forward to each new podcast on Thursdays. Like most people, I also have an opinion about the series. The main critique I’ve heard about it is that it’s racist. Personally, I think that’s a counterproductive accusation. Let me explain with an … Read moreLong uncomfortable silence
A few weeks ago, I got an email saying the Simpson Library will be culling its art-related collection (everything in the Ns), and went there to see which books I thought should stay. When I got there, I saw many more books with the “marked for culling” white slips than I had expected. I madly … Read moreHunting and gathering in the stacks
I don’t usually write in this space about current events. But after yesterday I feel helpless. So I am writing for catharsis if nothing else. Yesterday told us that police officers can just feel free to kill whoever they want. Yesterday told us that our justice system is still broken. Yesterday told us that we … Read moreI can’t breathe
November is finally really here, with cold temps and all, but I find myself short of blogging inspiration. I was just at the NTHP conference, but was stuck in meetings the entire time, and I’ve already discussed my note-taking preferences. Technology for conference programs has sadly not budged since last year. And grading is a … Read moreA small LEGO win