It’s been a busy week, what with stock market disasters, presidential nominees visiting campus, and hilarious CBS interviews with a certain governor from Alaska. Normally, I’d say that students here are mildly interested at best (completely apathetic at worst), but there’s been a huge spike in campus political involvement. Much of that may have to do with Obama’s recent visit, but UMW students–like most of the country–seem much more fired up about this election than has been the case in past years. Students here are actually watching the news, debates, …

This week has been a landmark one for former flower child-hater Jim Groom. After incessant railing against wailing, constant use of “hippie” as a derogatory term, and the occasional misspelled bumper sticker, Jim is, as of this week, a new man. What changed? Under my supervision, Jim underwent a rigorous “Hippie Sensitivity Training” program. In only three days, the results have been dramatic.
DAY 1:   Word-image association

As you can see, there was quite a lot of work to be done. However, through persistence and good luck, the final results were spectacular.
DAY …

I went downtown today in search of wooden things to paint, and returned with three kitchen implements, a music box, and a typewriter. The music box didn’t play, so I dug out my screwdriver and pliers. After an hour and a half, it was playing again. The melody is a little haunting…

Faculty Academy is over but, unsurprisingly, I’m having a hard time just lying down and going to sleep after all of that. So I thought maybe I’d blog it out. Ha. Like that’ll help.
I could talk about the normal issues central to any academic conference; the battle professors face when trying to connect with students, what role technology plays in this, the evolving relationships between pupil and instructor. You know, the usual. But the things that really caught my mind all stemmed from slightly less formal exchanges. Steve Greenlaw and …

(The first step is admitting you have a problem.)
After a tiring evening of assorted geekery, I found myself engaged in conversation with a friend. The usual kind of late night conversation. Languid, wandering, tangential. And full of unexpected thoughts that eventually inspired this post on my film blog.
But what about this inspiration? Suddenly I found myself on fire. It took me completely off guard. Surprise! It’s four in the morning, and one minute I’m half awake, ready to collapse on the couch, and the next minute I’m up and engaged, …

I have a friend. Actually, I have more than one, but this particular one is special. We both started out as psychology majors, then made the switch to English. And we both have an intense passion for film. I’d never really analyzed this before, and perhaps it was the tangential late night mentality, but I suddenly wondered if this was significant.
Why?
Is there a connection between these variables? Or just coincidence?
What is it about film that draws us, specifically, in?
Film is a combination of the two, which is why we find …

Dear UMW,
I feel that our relationship is heading steadily downwards. Romance is declining. You consistently fail to deliver on promises, like faster internet, helpful administrators, and edible food. It took over five minutes for this page to load, OSACS is as frustrating as ever, and I just had chicken that tasted like cat. (Not–I might add–that I know what cat tastes like. But I have a more than adequate imagination.)
You never buy me flowers anymore. Or tune the residence hall pianos. You block campus foot-traffic with enormous tents for days, …

Over the course of my internet travels, I’ve seen many commercials. They show up on web pages, before online episodes of TV shows, and–of course–on YouTube. Some are funny, some are irritating, some are just stupid.
But none of the ads I’ve seen are as effective as one I ran across the other day.

Do you think a commercial like this would go over well in the U.S.? And for you parents out there– amusing or upsetting?

Just got this error message on my computer.

Um, what?

The proverbial ‘million dollar question’: how to get students interested, inspired, and engaged? Because I know absolutely everything and am in no way subject to error of any kind, I will answer this question. Ha.
I was lucky enough to happen upon Bryan Alexander’s gaming learning circle at the ELI conference. There’s nothing quite like listening to a group of higher-ed instructors discuss video games. What’s being used on their campuses? Medical simulations, textile design games, a game created by faculty to teach foreign languages, playing World of Warcraft (for research …