Conversational Design
I just finished reading Erika Hall's excellent book Conversational Design. Hall is a technologist who is interested in making digital systems more human-centered. The idea of conversational design is to…
Shazam!
When I was a kid, I loved the TV show Shazam! It was fun to see a kid who could transform into a superhero just by saying one word. So…
Progress Report: Cluster Initiative
I have had a couple of conversations recently in which people expressed concern that we have not accomplished much with the cluster initiative. I think this concern is coming up…
Making Appointments
Just after mid-term every semester, my University holds "advising weeks" during which faculty meet with all of their advisees to help them plan their schedules for the upcoming semester. I…
Us
I loved Jordan Peele's first movie, Get Out. I thought it was one of the top five movies of 2017. So I was very excited about Us, Peele's second movie.…
Spring Break Movies
Although I didn't go anywhere for spring break two weeks ago, I did take advantage of the time away from the office to go see three movies. Captain Marvel ☆☆☆☆☆…
An Alternative to the Corporate Web
I've written about why I think we need the IndieWeb before. I'm going to the Popular Culture Association Conference in April and will present about this there as part of…
Fighting With My Family
This movie was an unexpected surprise! Based on the true story of professional wrestler Paige, the movie chronicles Saraya Bevis' rise from wrestling in the World Association of Wrestling, a…
The National Conversations about Gen Ed
Brigid O'Donnell and I went to AAC&U's General Education Conference in February. The name of the conference was Creating a 21st Century General Education Program: Responding to Seismic Shifts. My…
INCAP Pilot Update
I can't believe how quickly half of the Spring semester has flown by! There is a lot going on in the world of General Education at Plymouth State University and…
February Movies
In the last two weeks of February, I traveled to San Francisco and then to London. The best part of long plane rides is that many planes have individual screens…
January Jamboree 2019
I have been meaning to write a post about Plymouth State University's January Jamboree event but January and now 10 days of February have slipped by me. The only reason…
Mary Poppins Returns
I haven't seen the original Mary Poppins movie with Julie Andrews since I was a kid. I think that's because I didn't especially enjoy it. But I am a huge…
On the Basis of Sex
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a hero of mine. I have an RBG action figure that watches over me as I work. My cat is named RBG (RB for short). I…
The Vulnerability of Learning
I spent the last three days talking about learning and teaching at Plymouth State University's January Jamboree and the University System of New Hampshire's Academic Technology Institute meeting. Both events…
Vice
I loved The Big Short, Adam McKay's 2015 film about the 2006-2010 financial crisis because of its strategies for explaining complex financial information. The use of various narrators to explain…
Shoplifters
The first movie I saw at a theater in 2019 was Shoplifters, a Japanese film that won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The movie tells…
“I thought there was going to be more teaching done in the class”
I spent several hours yesterday and today looking through the student course evaluations of the 45 sections of First Year Seminar that we offered at Plymouth State University this fall.…
The Favourite
For my last movie of 2018, I went to see The Favourite. I'm a huge fan of Olivia Coleman and she is so good as Queen Anne. I also really…
Christmas Streaming Movies
I went to Florida to visit my parents for Christmas and we watched three movies on their streaming services. Dumplin' ☆☆ First, we watched the original Netflix movie Dumplin'. Jennifer Aniston…
