Unlike the bandits in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, it looks maybe we do need some badges. Week #5 of the History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education MOOC focused on innovations in pedagogy and assessment.  As part of … Continue reading →

I don’t know what’s going on in the newsgraphics department at the New York Times these days, but they’ve really hit upon the most wonderful way to create beautifully engaging and effective teaching videos. Have you seen these? Understanding Short … Continue reading →

I don’t know what’s going on in the newsgraphics department at the New York Times these days, but they’ve really hit upon the most wonderful way to create beautifully engaging and effective teaching videos. Have you seen these? Understanding Short … Continue reading →

The History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education MOOC (#FutureEd) has begun.  We’re now in week #2 (of six weeks) and, so far, it’s been a real eye-opener. Cathy Davidson (Duke University, author of Now You See It) is our ring … Continue reading →

The History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education MOOC (#FutureEd) has begun.  We’re now in week #2 (of six weeks) and, so far, it’s been a real eye-opener. Cathy Davidson (Duke University, author of Now You See It) is our ring … Continue reading →

I just picked up Joel Greenberg’s A Feathered River Across the Sky:  The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction.  What a terrific read.  I had no idea how abundant this bird was – apparently, the most numerous bird species in North America … Continue reading →

I just picked up Joel Greenberg’s A Feathered River Across the Sky:  The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction.  What a terrific read.  I had no idea how abundant this bird was – apparently, the most numerous bird species in North America … Continue reading →

If you live anywhere in the Bay Area and haven’t yet been to see the David Hockney exhibit, A Bigger Exhibition, currently at San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum, stop reading this right now and go.  It’s absolutely wonderful. And for those … Continue reading →

If you live anywhere in the Bay Area and haven’t yet been to see the David Hockney exhibit, A Bigger Exhibition, currently at San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum, stop reading this right now and go.  It’s absolutely wonderful. And for those … Continue reading →

One of the things I love most about this time of year is the irresistible crop of “best of” lists.  Such an indulgence. It’s fun to cast your mind back over the last year and reflect on books, movies, music, … Continue reading →

One of the things I love most about this time of year is the irresistible crop of “best of” lists.  Such an indulgence. It’s fun to cast your mind back over the last year and reflect on books, movies, music, … Continue reading →

There’s a new MMO in town – brought to us by the MIT Education Arcade, financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with Filament Games. It’s the Radix Endeavor. This massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is designed for STEM learning … Continue reading →

There’s a new MMO in town – brought to us by the MIT Education Arcade, financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with Filament Games. It’s the Radix Endeavor. This massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is designed for STEM learning … Continue reading →

Ten years attendance at the same annual conference gives one helpful perspective for measuring trends.  Last week I had just such an opportunity to measure the impact of social media on a conference community. The National Association of Biology Teachers … Continue reading →

Ten years attendance at the same annual conference gives one helpful perspective for measuring trends.  Last week I had just such an opportunity to measure the impact of social media on a conference community. The National Association of Biology Teachers … Continue reading →

At 55, I am writing this post to my 75-year-old stuff.  If I make it to that age, I hope to remember that I wrote this and listen to me carefully. Now that I’m edging into the far end of … Continue reading →

At 55, I am writing this post to my 75-year-old stuff.  If I make it to that age, I hope to remember that I wrote this and listen to me carefully. Now that I’m edging into the far end of … Continue reading →

The recent uproar in the science blogging community has gripped my attention and held it there.  There is so much to reflect on here; so much for all of us to learn and apply. Let me begin this post with … Continue reading →

I’ve made it through the various videos and readings for week #2 of Video Games and Learning.  Really good stuff.  A few highlights for me: Scot Osterwiel’s notion of “play”… searching for the fun in the concept at hand. That … Continue reading →

I am enrolled in the Video Games and Learning MOOC, taught by Constance Steinkueler and Kurt Squire (University of Wisconsin, Madison).  I signed up for this course when I first heard about it, a few months ago. I’ve been a … Continue reading →

The new Apple iOS 7, the operating system for iPhone and iPad, has been on my devices now for about a week.  Time for some reflection.  Let’s shake this down in a short list of pluses and minuses, followed by … Continue reading →

It officially opened this week.  On Tuesday, September 3, the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, connecting Oakland to Yerba Buena Island, was open for business.  $6.4 billion dollars and twenty-four years (since the 1989 earthquake) in the making. … Continue reading →

I’m heading out to my ceramics class for the second time.  Because I have a fairly precise idea of my route and how long it took the last time, I leave the house allowing enough time, taking previous traffic patterns … Continue reading →

As part of a project with Tufts University School of Medicine, my colleague, Liz Dorland (SL = Chimera Cosmos) and I  (SL = Spiral Theas) set  out to design a new learning space for their Service Scholars Program.  Their requirements … Continue reading →

I finally made it to the Richard Diebenkorn exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco this weekend.  It’s a wonderful exhibit, well worth a few hours to explore and absorb. Prior to this weekend, all I knew about Richard … Continue reading →

I’ve been reading about the first-Sunday-of-the-month Alameda Point Antiques Faire ever since we moved here in September.  After a couple of failed attempts – holidays, confusion with the Alameda Flea Market, and a rain-out – I finally made it there … Continue reading →

Since we moved to Alameda last fall, a bike ride out to Alameda Point (and the decommissioned Naval Base) is part of my regular routine. Roughly a 7-mile round trip ride, it’s good exercise and I enjoy the strange isolation … Continue reading →

Don’t you always perk up when you hear that? We are storytelling creatures.  Not only do we love telling stories, but we love to hear them too.  When I think of favorite storytelling moments in my life here’s what I … Continue reading →

Julianne is everywhere on Google! In fact, she is the ONLY one on google (how lovely to have a unique name… my name in google comes up with thousands, but none are really me). Julianne is a runner, a historian and teacher in training, and has a great sense of humor. Her Google story is ...

What’s a person to do…take time away from human contact and work responsibilities to blog?  Blog rather than read?  Update Facebook and connect with all manner of former lives instead of building community today? My current personal option is having a digital blink rather than a digital footprint.  I’m happy spending my online presence effort ...