Sunday, November 22, 2009

Wired on iTablet


Large-screen color tablets, when they finally arrive, will rock the world. Here's Conde Nast's take for Wired Magazine.

Turn down your sound, then click here.

This Year's Freshmen


Most of this year's Freshman were born in 1991. For many of us, that seems like yesterday. To relate, we've got to be careful about our historical perspective.

For these students...

• Text has always been hyper.
• The KGB has never officially existed.
• Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.

The Beloit College Mindset List is a great way to jog our thinking. See this year's full list here.



American Government

Here's another brief course profile, this time from the Political Science Department.


American Government
Really US Government
Taught at 2 yr and 4 yr schools
General Education requirement
Requirement for transfer to 4 yr schools
Lecture, quizzes, papers, mid-term, final

Textbooks
Brief
14 chapters, 380 pages, 25 pages per chapter
13 chapters government structure, 1 policy
Brief growing in popularity (due to lower cost)
Comprehensive
20 chapters, 650 pages, 32 pages per chapter
16 chapters structure, 4 chapters policy
Texas
Adds 7 chapters on Texas government

Professors
Both faculty and adjuncts
Most are education oriented
Often tech-phobic

Students
Both freshman and sophomores
Both non-majors (mostly) and majors
Some had HS Civics, others didn't
Many lack college reading and writing skills
Many are politically naive
Others follow Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert