Weekly Reader 4-9-12

  • Lifehacker takes a look at the next Ubuntu release. I had Ubuntu 10.11 on my work laptop for awhile; I really didn’t like it that much. I have moved completely to Linux Mint (11 at home, 12 at work).
  • The spring issue of The Quarterly Conversation has a number of interesting articles.
  • Katherine D. Harris on adding acknowledgement to your syllabus. I will have a post about this sometime in the summer.
  • Scott Rettberg on the Electronic Literature Organization’s archives.
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    Signifying Nothing Podcast 4-2-12

    https://signifyingnothing.net/uncategorized/signifying-nothing-podcast-4-2-12/

    Collapse-Failure (Don Fury Session)
    Rain On The Parade-Do Or Die (Full Speed Ahead)
    Bikini Kill-I Hate Danger (The Singles)
    Direct Control-Hardcore For Heroin (Self Titled)
    Green Beret-Neutralize Me (Demo)
    The Unseen-I Don’t Care (Protect & Serve)
    Spazz-Rat Pack (Split With Black Army Jacket)
    Paintbox-Can’t Bear Anymore (Singing Shouting Crying)
    Saccharine Trust-The Worm’s Quest (Worldbroken)
    Talk Is Poison-Talk Is Poison (Condensed Humanity)

    The Comes-Panic (No Side)
    Christian Club-Christian Club Will Die (Self Titled)
    Knife Fight-Who Are You? (Out Of Print 2002-2004)
    No Rock Stars-I Hate School (No Core)
    False Liberty-Unity (Silence Is Consent)
    Fratricide-Going Under (Pusmort Sampler)
    Dead Nation-Jerk Off (First Four Days Demo)
    Wretched-Se Ne Fregano (Split With Indegesti)
    False Justice-Hold Your Head High (Demo)
    Dinosaur JR-Raisans (You’re Living All Over Me)

    Black Flag-Rat’s Eyes (Slip It In)
    Anthrax-Violence Is Violence (Capitalism Is Cannibalism)
    1.6 Band-Plastic Bags (Discography)
    The Ruts-Babylon’s Burning (Peel Session)
    Vanishing Leper-The Vanquished (Self Titled)

    Tri-State Best Practies: Teaching With Technology

    While at the Tri-State Best Practices conference last month, the most interesting panel I attended was the one on teaching with technology. I had spoken earlier in the day about wikis, so I was interested in seeing what others would do.

    Rich Lauria spoke on wikifying your classroom

    • More than a blog, less than a CMS
    • Can do things Blackboard cannot
    • Wikis organize your work
    • A lot of attendees interested in paperless syllabus because students lose them
    • I am interested in getting them info immediately
    • In other words, if it is Saturday and we don’t meet until Wednesday they need and deserve access even if they lost it.
    • Rich uses PBWORKS too
    • Some debate about whether wikis should be viewable by all or only logged in students
    • Every semester I have a number of students who show my eng101 wiki to their friends to help them with their work

    Maria Schrita from Hudson CCC up next on using Youtube in classroom

    • Students can view Youtube at home or their convenience
    • Using short youtube videos to intro debateable issues

    Jessica Fargnoli from Bergen speaking on using audio/video captures in the classroom.

    • This is something I would like to do more of in the future.
    • 84% of internet users download or watch video
    • Echo 360 is a popular software
    • A lot of people in the room curious about why you would publish student work publicly versus privately

    Tri-State Best Practices Keynote: Arms Wide Open: Educating The “Almost Ready” College Student

    Dr. Laurie Behringer gave the keynote during lunch. A lot of what she said concurs with our findings on my own campus, but it was nice to hear from someone else as well.

    • Students often come in “blind” to student placements
    • Nationally, only 31% of developmental math students pass college level math
    • Students often don’t have college ready skills…they don’t understand how to keep up with syllabus or check email…they often don’t know they have an advisor
    • Students are often lost with one on one advisement
    • Learning communities are very important
    • Student comments: “I’m just here to get out of here” “I don’t have time to socialize”

    Tri-State Best Practices: Professional Passions & Projects

    I ended my day at a panel on bring personal passions to the classroom.

    Mike Walsh from County College of Morris spoke about the paperless classroom.

    • Paperless classroom
    • Books used to be used until they were beat up
    • Powerpoint, internet, etc have led to obsolescence of books
    • Walsh can get five years out of books in his field
    • Textbooks filter out unnecessary stuff
    • College bookstores are no long subsidized by schools (profit and bottom-line)
    • Book writing is not financially viable for authors
    • Supplemental DVD/LMS/etc add to price for students
    • Has semester on a flash drive

    Harold Kahn from Bergen spoke next about bringing your “cause” into the classroom

    • Kahn uses articles about dog rescues to teach reading comprehension
    • A cause can lead to a correlation to service learning projects

     

    Weekly Reader 3-26-12

    With the release of the cinematic adaptation of The Hunger Games, and my student’s interest and high praise for the film, I thought I could highlight some of what I am reading about it lately.

     

    Pushead Top 100 Mix Tape Part Four

    https://signifyingnothing.net/uncategorized/pushead-top-100-mix-tape-part-four/

    Meatmen-1 Down, 3 To Go
    Gauze-Power
    Skeptix-Death & Destruction
    7 Seconds-Committed For Life
    Varukers-Soldier Boy
    Confuse-People Are Nuclear Poisoning
    The Abused-Loud & Clear
    Adrenalin OD-AOD vs Godzilla
    BGK-Arms Race
    Straight Ahead-Breakaway

    Station ID

    Abrasive Wheels-Voice Of Youth
    Deep Wound-In My Room
    Sore Throat-War System
    Ignition-Rebuilding
    Mass Appeal-More You Hate
    Sons of Ishmael-Governors Of Death
    Rattus-Vaara Tapa
    Huvudtvatt-Manglad
    Corrosion of Conformity-Poison Planet
    Final Conflict-Constant Fear