(Untitled)

[emsariel]

Some recent readings, because ... well, why not, really?  I feel like I might have blogged these already, but ... they're still cool.

• www.gelaskins.com/ - Pretty laptop/device covers.
• The Nerd Handbook! How to care for a nerd.  I'm sure that everyone else has seen this but me already. 
• HiveMedia on twitter keeps sending me to cool optical illusions,

Comments

[ecmyers]

Hey, I hadn't seen the Nerd Handbook yet!

And a friend of mine has been applying a similar experience points reward system for her students, but I'm surprised to see this in a university setting. Aren't kids paying to attend classes?

[emsariel]

The Nerd Handbook article is neat. As with almost any of those articles, I think he generalizes in some ways that are frustrating. He says "nerd", but he means, specifically, computer/tech/hardware geeks. He says "nerd" but means anyone with the tendency to fixate on something, or with a disregard for other people's needs.

Fortunately, better than most of those articles (and I have seen a lot), he acknowledges that the clueless behavior isn't appropriate. He doesn't make (as many) excuses.

I'm interested in experience points not as a reward system, but as an assessment system, and in that regard, I'm not sureprised to see it any level above middle school. It could be done very simply (and badly from my view) -- as an extra credit system where levelling up gets you a simple, non-course-related reward. Used as an assessment system, as the article implies in some of its details, though, it's a much more nuanced system that can result in better pedagogy than the ABCDF system

[oneangryrabbit]

Heh. I'm totally re-posting that Farmville article on FB.

[amadea]

That Farmville article is amazing.