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I've got another post up on using games as literature in classrooms. This one focuses on the research around games, their impact on learning, and so on!

As before, any thoughts, comments, or critiques are welcome!
~Nathan Rockwood

rockwood

I'm interested in hearing thoughts and feedback on the idea of using video games as texts in class; my first blog post in a series on this subject is about considering what 'literature' means in this context, and I'm happy to have disagreement or discussion on that, but the later posts will be more specifically about the use of games.

So, if you are interested in the idea, have negative or positive feedback, or even experience to share on the subject, I'd love to hear it! I'm especially interested in recommendations for games that might be used in a classroom, as my later posts will start to include critiques of such things.

Thanks,
~Nathan Rockwood

oriolegirl

Apologies. Posted to the wrong comm but I can't seem to delete.

shanaqui

So my dissertation is due on 15th March. I can't get an extension at this point, because I already had a huge one after I had an operation and a bereavement. I sent my supervisor a draft of just my first chapter on 9th January. A week later, I sent an email asking if he'd received it safely and he said yes. Two weeks after that, I sent another email asking if he'd have time to read through it soon. He said he'd try and get me feedback on Friday.

Yep, the Friday that's been and gone.

I'm not sure what to do. I know he's busy -- start of term, marking stuff, etc -- but he's always known the timescale we were working with, and he's only got to look at 5,000 words at this point. I don't think anyone else in the department has the relevant interests to follow my argument, and I don't want to get him into trouble -- he's awesome as a lecturer and he's been very supportive. But. I feel like I can't move on with this until he gets back to me 'cause maybe it's all a massive waste of time and none of it is any good. In terms of the time available, though, I need this to move forward now.

Any suggestions on what I can do?

Current Mood: worried

ajnabieh

I made a post in my journal asking for recs for how to make the dissertation-to-book jump; if you've got resources, would you mind sharing them, here or there?

shabana

Hello fellow academics, and peace to you in your pre-semester prep! I'm scrambling to create a course website (we use Desire2Learn and I hate it). I need it to have threaded posts. I tried creating a forum at freeforums but it's too spare and raw, too "Chronicle". I'm wondering if there is an option that is more 'bloggy' yet allows for threads (so that we can organize our weekly discussion). Maybe I'm missing something really obvious. Apparently wordpress has themes that allow for threaded posts but not all of them do.

askygoneonfire

Hello all,

I'm a noob and I'm afraid my first post is something of a plea - I do hope the content doesn't transgress any rules, I couldn't see anything prohibiting such posts...

I'm currently, desperately trying to write my PhD application. I've previously been accepted for PhD study but had to withdraw when I didn't win the funding I need. I've decided to give it another go this year and the funding deadline is February 12th.

Here's where this lovely community, I hope, may be able to help me - I need to know what I did wrong last time that meant I didn't get funding, so I need to know; What makes a really good funding application? What are top tips, phrases and nods that might make all the difference and finally get me on to my much desired PhD track? What phrases turn up again and again in funding applications that make funding bodies cringe and immediately toss aside the application?

If anyone is able to go a step further and actually read my proposal (90% of the funding application - the rest of the application being personal statement type stuff which I currently have a blank page for) I will be eternally in your debt - although I don't expect for a moment I can expect anyone to have time or inclination to do that.

For context; I'm a social and cultural studies student and the application is to the UK AHRC (via the university I am applying to). I have a relevant MA behind me.

vlion

Preliminary data has been obtained. While not conclusive, it suggests confirmation of my initial hypothesis.

Time to double down on work!

zhelana

OK I am having a failure of google-foo here. Does anyone know how I can find out when the Texas School Board started mandating school books and became so important in deciding what textbooks everyone will use?

oursin

While it may be gratifying to one's ego when one's session is introduced during a conference as '[X] needs no introduction', is this not a bit of a cop-out on the part of whoever's chairing?

At one very small conference recently where I had this sort of intro, one of the postgrads attending asked me later who I was (as I was fairly outwith their particular disciplinary speciality, and there was no particular reason why they should have known Who I Was - I am not an academic superstar).

This also happened at another recent conference, and while this was also quite small and associated with my home institution, I wouldn't have expected my name and work necessarily to have been known to everybody there.

Maybe these days, chairs expect anyone who doesn't know to be checking on their iPhones to find out?

ajnabieh

RateMyProfessor'sAppearance.com

A non-professor friend posted this on my Facebook wall, probably because I was complaining about not having a chili pepper, which is a travesty as far as I'm concerned.

But, in any case: which of those little icons do you deserve? Or aspire to? Or what's your sartorial aesthetic in the classroom?

You can also brag if you have a chili pepper.

(For the non-USAns who may not have encountered the site referenced: Rate My Professors. It's an awful, awful, terrible, addictive thing.)

ajnabieh

How much do you think it's reasonable to have undergrads spend on books for a class? As a student and/or as a professor?

For faculty, what are the factors you use to determine how much to assign? Need for a comprehensive textbook? Availability of books used/in library/in digital formats? Level of the class/% of majors in the class? Classicness of the books?

I'm starting to think about my syllabus, and looking at two possible edited books. One is a decade old, easily available used, and much cheaper. One isn't published until halfway through August, and twice as expensive (and brand new, so no used copies). It'll help once I get my inspection copy of the new one to see if it's worth the extra money, but still. And then, there's the single-author classics in the field--what if I want to assign two or three chapters? Where do I cut it off?

(For reference, of the three courses I've taught previously, one had no purchased reading (all scans, sucks to be me), one had "buy or borrow or find on Project Gutenberg any version of these classic texts," and one had two books totaling less than US$30.)

trouble

My thesis adviser gave me a suggestion on how to sort my research that could lead to the best procrastination ever (even better than making maps & graphs!) if I'm not careful, so I thought I'd ask if others had a suggestion before I fell down that great big procrastination well.

Basically, she suggested that I create a database that would allow me to search through all my tidbits of Interesting Facts and bring up Interesting Facts that were related to, say, BOTH X and Y, or EITHER X or Y, or X AND Y AND Z. She suggested a relatively-simple tagging process, and sorting it chronologically and all sorts of nifty things.

Since my very first though twas "I could design a database!", I'm wondering if others use a system like this, and what sorts of programs they use to sort it? Like, does EverNote or SimpleNote do these things? Or is there another way of doing it?

I'm eager to use her method because I think it will make the writing process much simpler (and makes it easy when I'm doing something to come back to it after a few months and just review everything tagged X), but I'm well aware that playing with shinies can distract me from my ultimate goal, which is getting this thesis done with so I can move on with my life.

Help?

Current Mood: procrastination for everyone!

ajnabieh

For fun:

Which of these Science Scout Badges do you deserve?

Obviously, define "science" however necessary to earn you a badge.

What badges would you propose for common marks of respect in your field?

holyschist

ithiliana posted a link to an interesting blog post at Tenured Radical, which had a link to another post that generated some pretty heated discussion. I thought both of them raised some very interesting points (understand, I'm pretty unhappy with my grad school experience and wish I'd received more honesty and less spin at certain points).

Anyway, I thought these provide some interesting fodder for discussion. What do you all think? Do you agree with any of this? Do you think it applies to fields other than the humanities and how?

( Cut for links and quotes )

There is much more in the posts, including explanations of each of the ideas I quoted. I'm really curious what other people think.

P.S.

ajnabieh, would you be comfortable with community members being able to add tags? Right now it's set so we can't.

oursin

NYU Professor Faces Libel Lawsuit in France for Refusing to Purge Negative Book Review.

The review is not, as scholarly reviews go, even that vitriolic.

And, on more reviewing weird stuff, The professor, his wife, and the secret, savage book reviews on Amazon (should anyone not have encountered this already).

ajnabieh

This is a muttering confused self-indulgent rant that I realized was too long for Facebook. Therefore, perfect for DW, y/n? ;)

I'm in the process of trying to turn a dissertation chapter into an article, because I need more publications or at least "submitted to" papers on my CV by the fall job season. The chapter draft is nearly 16K words. And as I'm looking at journals, I'm finding widely variable length requirements. Philosophy and Public Affairs has 12K; Social Politics has between 8K and 10K; Hypatia has 8K; JMEWS has 7500; Meridians 9K.

Clearly there's a TON of chopping to be done. But the question is, how highly do I factor in the length requirement in my selection of a journal to target it to?

How do you pick where to submit an article? What is be your process?

shanaqui

Hi! I'm an English Lit undergrad going into my third year next semester, and right now I'm trying to pick my modules for next year. The dissertation module is completely optional. Can anyone give me some pros and cons on whether or not to do a dissertation? I will be tracking down someone to give me advice within my university, but I'd welcome any thoughts now to get a better range of ideas.

I'm worried about doing a dissertation largely because I am infinitely better at exams than I am at long pieces of work. It's very much presented as an opportunity, not a requirement, and I'm worried I'll mess up my chances of a first if I do it because this is exactly what I am not good at. So far I've focused on short essays, creative writing and languages. My firsts have been in Old English and Middle English exams, based mostly on translation, and a poetry exam. I've got a 2:1 in all essay-assessed modules.

*tiny, overwhelmed, terrified voice* Help?

Current Mood: anxious

oursin

I posted this in my own journal - an extended whinge about things that have been wrong with conferences I have been to - but it occurs to me it might have been more appropriate over here.

yvi

Is anyone here using http://www.academia.edu/ ? Is it any good?

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Academia: A Community for Academics and Interested

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More on Games as Lit

Teaching Games as Literature

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In need of advice

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Create a course forum/blog

PhD applications/Funding applications

Small wins.

Texas Education Agency

'Needs no introduction' - flattering, or just bloody lazy?

Quick, Typecast Yourself!

Assignments...

Sorting Data Suggestion?

Science Scout Badges!

Why go to grad school? and some ways grad school might be different

Academic debate UR DOIN IT RONG

Editing for publication...

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Conference whinges

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