Spanking the Ugly
Should we be surprised to read in the New York Times this morning that disabled students are spanked more than their average peers?
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Defending the Douchebags
We fully support the douchebags! You can’t insult people online and expect to escape unpunished. A “douchebag” — is never a compliment — for it is the empty container of fluid used to flush clean a woman’s vagina. There’s no mistaking the insult of being a limp, used up, ‘gina bag.
Drawing Doctors
Here’s an anatomical drawing of a colon from a medical school student:
How the Superman Syndrome Ruins Student Writing
Hubris is dangerous in the classroom. The student that believes nothing can be learned that isn’t already known catches nothing. The instructor that believes in an all-knowing prescience guarantees nothing worthwhile is cast for the capturing. That battle between student and teacher can dangerously become a war between good and evil — and that fight leaves no winners on the field of learning.
Continue reading → How the Superman Syndrome Ruins Student Writing
The Integrity of the Provenance of Ideas: Archimedes and His Burning Mirror
In this fine illustration of Archimedes and his Burning Mirror by Giulio Parigi (1599), we have a perfect and clear example of how plagiarism operates — and no one escapes this theft of the provenance of ideas able-bodied and unscorched: The sun is the original source, the mirror is the plagiarizer and the burning ship is the aftereffect of the illicit deed after a burning exposure.
Continue reading → The Integrity of the Provenance of Ideas: Archimedes and His Burning Mirror
Arguing Against Arena Learning
In a recent article I wrote — Arguing Against Corridor Teaching — I made the case that students must be required to think universally and not in narrow niches of comfort. Today, I challenge universities to honor that teaching code by requiring intimate learning opportunities in all circumstances they control. You create that kind of careful environment using small class sizes and not
giant auditoriums.
Virtual Chats Using Famous Avatars
The University of Illinois at Chicago have come up with a method of providing interactive video chat online using realistic avatars:
UIC also has developed technology that provides viewers with 3-D images that do not require wearing special glasses.
One important factor in the project is to impart appropriate body language to the avatar as it responds to comments and questions, said Steve Jones, a UIC professor of communication.
“In real life, it’s just assumed that you can read a person’s responses without saying anything,” said Jones.A subtle hesitation before speaking can have meaning, but such nuances have been mostly lacking in software programs created so far.
The project will use video cameras to record a person’s mannerisms, and that information will be fed into the programs that activate the avatar, Jones said.
This technology means you could become your favorite actor or politician or family member and “chat” online as that person or even with that person.
Professors could hold online virtual meetings with students — and neither student or instructor would have to dress up or even look special for the occasion.
We are quickly moving into the Age of Masks and with that virtualization of our real selves, we must remember to always preserve our humanity in the negotiation.
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