bump+spark*
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A Commencement Address for 2020
Good afternoon faculty, family members, and graduates of 2020, Raise your hand if you’ve heard the phrase “uncertain times” used to describe our current moment. These are uncertain and unprecedented times. But…
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Innovation According to Star Wars
In my last post on the Star Wars universe, I advised disgruntled fans that creating an original piece of work would help them sympathize with authors better. I want to elaborate with…
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A Remote Learning Lesson from My Great Aunt Doris
A few months ago, I found an old box of papers from my grandfather’s sister. A career stenographer for most of the 20th century, my mom’s Aunt Doris regular dashed off messages…
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The Problem with #WINNING
I went to a children’s robotics competition built around LEGO Mindstorms technology. Mindstorms is LEGO’s computer platform for using its bricks to build working robots. The organizer was FIRST (For Inspiration and…
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The Remembering Pool
On New Year’s Eve 2002, after living and working next to Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan for 16 months, I moved out of my hard-won, one-bedroom apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and…
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What is a Game?
A game is a framework for play and interaction. It’s an effective set of rules to direct our many forms of individual and group exercise. Sports games focus on our physical muscles.…
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The One Skill Students Need to Learn
A recent promotional blog post on Medium from the startup Tagboard promises, “6 Ways to Increase Your Interactive Storytelling in Higher Education.” Not one of the six recommendations mentions education, classrooms, or…
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The Imagination According to Star Wars
In my twenties, I worked with a guy who loved Star Wars as much as I did, but with one big difference between us. He loved dogma and I did not. Back…
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I Know Who Wins the Game of Thrones
But first, what is a game? The word grows more interesting as our world—and language itself—grow more “gamified.” The classic definition of a game—a set of rules for play or competition— emphasizes…
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It’s Time for Author-Centered Design
When I started teaching media creation to Web designers, the first text everyone handed me was Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug. It’s a fun, quick read. Krug explains that a…
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