October 2005 Archives

I truly enjoy taking in the images of everyday life that Dr. Joolz posts on her blog.  These are objects that we think with and through, that we produce and consume, that we use to make meaning, and as such provide a fascinating window into human cultures.  Joolz' posts on graffiti have been particularly interesting for me.  So, I add my contribution, as seen last night in the bathroom of a Starbucks in Union Square.  As a cultural text, it's interesting not only for the grafitti (which I thought was pretty funny, actually), but also in that it captures a particular moment in our technology - revolution, evolution?  I hesitate to use those words - journey, shall we say.  Long live the cameraphone!

The NY Times has a story this morning on E.T.S' decision to revamp the GRE, making it 4 HOURS LONG and attempting to prevent cheating while testing "higher level cognitive skills."  First off, *thank god* I'm done with standardized tests, at least ones that are gateways to the success or failure of my chosen path.  Secondly, 4 HOURS LONG.  Ouch.  Third, the attempt to test higher level cognitive skills is noble and all, and may indeed give graduate schools a better picture of a student's ability, but given that NCLB has all but forced the k - 12 school system to abandon the type of teaching that would result in students gaining higher level cognitive skills, I have to wonder where E.T.S. thinks those skills are going to come from in the first place.  Seems like a mismatch, to say the least - and one that echos the growing gap between what students are learning in school and the expectations of colleges and universities. 

oh, thank god

Yay!  The Educational Gaming Group: Play, Learning, Avatars, Narrative and Technology (EGGPLANT) lab at TC has a blog.  They're doing interesting work at good time to be doing work in educational gaming, and are beginning to attract attention at TC.  I also blame them for getting me hooked on Katamari Damacy and the recent sequel, damn you Gus.  Anyway, it's nice to hear more from them.

The news media has finally found a word to describe the famous-for-being-rich-and-famous Paris Hilton types: celebutante.  Actually, it looks as though I'm a little behind the times: Wikipedia already has an entry (of course).  And also a disturbingly long and detailed entry on Paris Hilton herself, which shatters some of my preconceptions about the average Wikipedia author.  Anyway, isn't the English language a wonderful thing?