Monthly Archives: April 2016

“Who says I have to go to school?” “The law!” Compulsory Attendance

This is something else I wrote for a class. We might think of compulsory attendance in schools as something that always happened, but for a long time, there was the understanding that some students will miss many classes for assorted … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Politics | 1 Comment

Qualitative and Quantitative Research

In education, there are primarily two forms of research: Quantitative and Qualitative. Quantitative research depends on mathematical models and statistical techniques. Qualitative research is based on the researcher’s understanding. There are arguments for both. Some of the most significant researchers … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tangled Webs: One More Day’s Doctor Strange

For the latest Tangled Webs column, I looked at Doctor Strange’s role in the controversial Spider-Man story One More Day, and considered how it changed the context of earlier scenes from writer J. Michael Straczysnki’s Spider-Man run. This is a … Continue reading

Posted in Marvel Comics, Spider-Man | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

An Expert Reader’s Interpretation of Trade Information

This was something I wrote for a class on the topic of how people read. The idea was to give an expert in a trade a text from within that trade to see how they would interpret the context. It … Continue reading

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

Yesterday’s Films Sucked Too

A common argument is that cinema today is just awful, and that popular series now don’t hold a candle to the films of decades past. So, Twilight and the Transformers sequels (of which I’ve only seen Transformers 2, which was … Continue reading

Posted in Criticism, Film | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Lesson Plan on Maus

I made this for a class (er, one I was in a student in, rather than one I taught.)   Preliminary Information Lesson Two of Twelve Date:  Tuesday Month/ Day 2015 Grade: Eight Number of Students: 30 Course/ Subject: English … Continue reading

Posted in Comics Industry, Education, Literature | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Nation at Risk: Surely All The Problems Observed in a 1983 Report Would Be Solved By Now

This is something I wrote for a Masters Level Education class. A Nation at Risk was a 1983 report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, a panel appointed by the US Department of Education. According to a contemporary … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tangled Webs: The Mature Readers Spider-Man Spinoff

I’m really proud of this Tangled Web column from the beginning of the month. While there are current controversies about R-rated superhero movies, with the financial success of DEADPOOL, Netflix’s slate of Mature Audiences Marvel shows and the upcoming R-rated … Continue reading

Posted in Spider-Man | Leave a comment

Tangled Webs: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Spider-Man

For the latest Tangled Webs, I collected the writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates on Spider-Man. In addition to writing about police brutality and his efforts learning French for THE ATLANTIC, Coates wrote about pop culture. And this had included Spider-Man. He … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Spider-Man | Tagged | Leave a comment