Category Archives: Writing

More code please, we’re geeks

For the first C&W 2011 town hall (Friday morning), I’m giving a short talk “More code please, we’re geeks.” Summary: we shouldn’t shy away from code; here’s a framework for engaging it. Continue reading

Posted in Nerdliness, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Studying transfer

With two other WIU faculty, I’m starting a research project targeting transfer of writing skills and knowledge, focusing on locally relevant populations. Continue reading

Posted in Composition, Research, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Nielsen on kids (and summarized too)

In “Children’s Websites: Usability Issues in Designing for Kids,” Jakob Nielsen compares web usability for children and adults, finding some interesting differences, particularly in repeated tasks and revealing personal info. Bonus: the report is also a quick summary of Nielsen’s work as a whole. Continue reading

Posted in Nerdliness, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Taking notes

Note taking, which I value highly, comes in quite low in the WIDE “Revisualizing Composition” surveys. It’s time for me to revive it pedagogically. Continue reading

Posted in Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sandra Jamieson and The Citation Project

Sandra Jamieson recently visited Western to share the work of The Citation Project, an ambitious research project focusing on students’ citation habits. Her talk addressed plagiarism policies and standards, students’ reactions to them, and implications for writing-intensive courses. Continue reading

Posted in Composition, Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Slow numbers

My department’s general education enrollment continues to decline. We need to diversify our Continue reading

Posted in Composition, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Thesis thesis

Yesterday two graduate projects crossed my desk: Katherine Schutte’s thesis about the use of blogging in first-year high school classrooms, and Alison McGaughey’s prospectus for her masters’ examination. One almost done, and one getting started.

Posted in Teaching, Writing | Tagged , | Comments Off

WordPress content management

WordPress as content management Continue reading

Posted in Nerdliness, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Updates

Facebook status updates: the memes go meta with the latest interface changes. Continue reading

Posted in Nerdliness, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

@Facebook update

Facebook’s new @name syntax: copying Twitter to put the wall back into focus? Continue reading

Posted in Nerdliness, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off