An archived stack of papers: July 2008

Equity In Video Gaming

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jul
  • 24
  • 2008

I just watched King of Kong and loved it. It’s about 75 minutes, so would take two class periods to show. Using the idea that a single set of texts can produce multiple writing styles (and that a single writing assignment can encompass several styles), students begin with the obvious: was Steve Wiebe treated fairly? This encourages simple... read more

Fix, Create, Save, Think

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jul
  • 17
  • 2008

Use this summer to fix things. That handout full of typos? That paper you typed up last year that uses a semicolon instead of a colon? That lesson plan that started strong and ended with a fizzle? Fix them.

That handout you wished you’d given before your lecture? That killer video/audio/comic intro to the first unit of study? Create them.

Those sample assignments you... read more

Change In Your Classroom

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jul
  • 16
  • 2008

If you’ve stopped reading on a regular basis, it’s time to start again. Here are some beginning ideas for changes I might make to course content this coming school year. I’ll get to classroom policies later. I need you to agree or disagree with me on any of these. What are you thinking about doing in your classroom?

Skills Lists

Produce a list of... read more

No More Random Strings

In a stack of papers called Technology.

  • Jul
  • 05
  • 2008

A favorite site of mine whose links adorn several of my handouts every year, TinyURL makes long and complicated Web addresses shorter and easier to type. It creates a random string of numbers and letters (like 6l9s9p) to stand in for that horribly complex URL you just got from YouTube (watch?v=xFO0Zo0IU5A). My classroom Web page is a lengthy address, so I created a... read more

Explosions In Word Clouds

In a stack of papers called Reading.

  • Jul
  • 04
  • 2008

Glancing at the design blogs today, SimpleBits brought me two things. I’ll discuss the other one later.

Be Saul Bass!

Wordle creates word clouds from any text you... read more