education

09 Jan

Retrogaming with my Tween

in digital culture, digital rhetoric, education, gaming, interactive fiction, Literacy, reader response, retrogaming, text adventure

My 11yo gamer son plays a text adventure for the first time... and asks for another one before bedtime. We stayed up until almost midnight, and I posted these screencasts the next day.

We started with Adam Cadre's "9:05", and continued with the Crowther and Woods classic "Colossal Cave Adventure".

13 Dec

Update on Anti-Linux Teacher

in education, linux, school

Here's an update on my earlier post about the Austin teacher who confiscated her students' linux distros: Character-Assasinations-Ain't-Us. The author here seems to want to mend the damage and soften up the rhetoric from the Linux community towards this ignorant teacher. Here's a snip:

12 Dec

UK degree in Social Technology

in degrees, education, social networking

London South Bank University is now offering a 3 year program (BA) in Social Technology. Here's the description: "This is an innovative course in a new and rapidly developing area of modern society that will give you the opportunity for in-depth study of the implications and applications of modern technologies. The focus is on people’s use of technology rather than technology for its own sake."

Anyone know of a commensurate undergraduate degree in the U.S.?

11 Dec

No Software is Free! Teacher confiscates Linux CDs.

in education, free software, linux, school

Here's one that's bound to get your blood boiling: Teacher confiscates Linux CDs, claims no software is free. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of this middle school teacher's email queue today. I love this quote from her email:

At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. These children look up to adults for guidance and discipline.

28 Nov

Group Projects: Pros and Cons?

in collaboration, education, pedagogy, peer-to-peer learning, social networks & collaboration, teaching

On the official course evaluation form at my school, students tick a box that indicates whether the course involved group work. I get to tick off a separate box, in which I indicate whether I think group work is important for the course, but seeing that box there semester after semester naturally makes me think of more ways to do group work.