-
Survivorship Bias
The dead can’t tell their stories. Even when their accounts are documented, they are often given less credence than the accounts of survivors who still exist to share theirs. Simply put, survivorship bias is a logical fallacy in which we concentrate on the accounts of those who have made it past some criteria and overlook […]
-
Garden Path Sentences and Paraprosdokians
Two of my favorite linguistic devices are the garden path sentence and the paraprosdokian. You’ve likely encountered these many times in the past, even if you didn’t know how they were categorized. They are both sentences that cause the reader to reconsider information as the sentence is being read. For garden path sentences, this is […]
-
The Quest for the Unbiased Source
Merriam-Webster defines bias as “a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment.” We should look for media outlets that don’t do this then, right? I would argue that the presence of bias should not immediately render a media outlet as unacceptable. We, as readers, should be able to recognize bias when we see it and analyze how […]
-
Beware of Dubious Science
YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHICH SUPERFOOD WILL [[insert claim here]]! When it comes to medical science and health, be extra careful about the sources you share from, who is attaching their name to the articles, and what research they are linking to. There is a dangerous habit of media outlets of all sizes taking the results […]
-
Is Your Source CRAAP?
Is your source CRAAP? The CRAAP test was designed by librarians at CSU Chico to examine a source of information. It looks at the areas of Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose as a means of separating the good from the bad. Sharing a picture with words on it on Facebook because you agree with […]
-
Shoe Size – Age Math Trick
You’ve likely seen this type of math riddle before. Take some number, do some arithmetic, and you get some other number. This variation begins with your shoe size and ends with your age. Can your shoe size really determine your age? Of course not. The explanation is below the fold.
-
The Auburn Creed as a classroom management tool
Students in my classroom will learn the Auburn Creed (at the very least the first six lines) because I feel they are a very elegant way of stating otherwise common classroom rules. If a student doesn’t tell the truth, he will be reminded that without honesty, it is impossible to earn the respect of his […]
-
Dropbox is the best file sync tool
Dropbox should be every teacher’s best friend. How many times have you needed to print a file only to realize that you forgot your USB drive at home? Tired of having to email files back and forth to yourself from school and home?
-
My Literacy Philosophy
This was written for my CUED 6340 class at Tech. The ability to fluently speak, read, write, and comprehend language is without question, the most important skill for academic success. Literacy undergirds not only every academic subject but most aspects of daily life, and one cannot be expected to fully succeed without the ability to […]