Version 7.0ish. Digital Humanities. Running. Pedagogy. Linux.

Recently, I have come to the decision that I need to blog more about what I am reading during the week. As I have discussed before, Twitter, and now Tumblr, have added a great immediacy to linking and reading, but I think noting more long standing reads is important as well.

Previous readers will remember how this works: Once a week, I will link to five of the articles, posts, podcasts, etc I have read recently. I will offer some explanation of why I think they are worth checking out as well.

• I agree with Amanda Watson’s assessment of the Code Year project. I have tried numerous programs like this in the past and never had even remotely decent results. For me, experimentation and trial and error teaches me code a lot more than routine lessons.
• Over at The Guardian, Margaret Atwood reflects on the legacy of The Handmaid’s Tale.
• Book Forum gets it so right about what is wrong with the writing of Caitlin Flanagan. What a horrible writer.
• Jessica Dickinson Goodman on Mad Men and Downtown Abbey. I am in the middle of rewatching Mad Men right now while waiting for the new season to begin. The process of rewatching has given me a new perspective on the show as I notice a lot of things I did not pick up on the first time. Downtown Abbey is a show I have not checked out yet, but I will soon (next?).
• John C. Dvorak on the coming National Internet.

If you are interested in following me on a day to day basis, there is always Twitter, but I now have a Tumblr blog as well. I write about a variety of things on there including what I am reading, what I am listening to, and some political commentary.

The first panel I attended at NJCEA was the Teaching With Technology one early in the day. Julie Cassidy was the first speaker. Cassidy spoke about requiring students to creat commonplace blogs for her classes. This is an idea I am going to try and implement into my courses this fall. Right now, I am thinking of using Tumblr for this. (see mine)

• According to Cassidy, blogs allow conversation to begin before class.
• Students are required to pull three quotes for each story/novel/etc
• An example of Dr. Cassidy’s classes.
• Blogs are low stakes, informal, writing, so lots of room for reflection.
• Cassidy has students use WordPress for the assignment. I’m leaning towards using Tumblr.
• The required quotes can be worked into prep for paper writing.