talkingDigital

by Adam Cochran

The Hooding of the Doctorates (Photo credit: Michael Buck)

I worked in radio during the transition from CDs, carts, and LPs to computer automated programming and music traffic. My job was to sleep on the floor of the studio and listen for the alarm to indicate dead air. At which point, I was to wake-up and type a couple of commands into the prompt to restart the software. – D.J.s protested but maintained that people wouldn’t listen to an automated radio station. Most radio stations are now completely automated. If they have live on-air people, it is generally only during drive times.

I worked for the Walmart empire as Amazon.com and eBay were just beginning to appear as viable retail options. Walmart was one of the few retailers that didn’t scoff at the concept of people buying the day-to-day necessities online. Read the rest of this entry →

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the days before break, whether it be summer, winter, spring or Columbus Day, teachers and students are hit with an anxiousness that detracts from ultimate productivity. Teachers don’t want to grade, students don’t want to sit in class.

The solution: busy work. Multiple-choice quizzes, word searches, crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank worksheets, etc. The argument for these types of assignments is that they provide exposure to the material in a fun or easy format. In reality they are popular because they keep students busy working on something and they are easy to grade. They are better than watching a movie – right? Not necessarily. Read the rest of this entry →