EricHoefler.com

Shifting Focus

Sunday, April 12, 2009

When I started blogging, it was to record my thoughts about teaching. I moved the blog around a bit in the process, from a hosted site at Edublogs to a personal domain and, finally, to its current address. Along the way, I also left classroom teaching and, in the process, my blog lost some of [...]

I See a Glimmer

Saturday, March 14, 2009

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Yesterday, I lamented another piece of fuzzy-headed writing about education from a major news source. Today, I want to add that the comments, at least, give me hope. Most of them take Brooks to task in one way or another. And even better, the comments chosen in the “Editor’s Selections” list all point to the [...]

Rat on a Wheel

Friday, March 13, 2009

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I can identify at least two reasons my educational blogging has dwindled so dramatically in the last year: (big obvious one) I left the classroom and (increasingly more obvious one) the arguments around education reform make me tired. I feel like there’s very little that hasn’t already been said, and ignored, by someone, somewhere. Take this [...]

Comment Pain

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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Proof that the educational system in this country is failing us, at least in terms of basic literacy (like solid reading comprehension or clear persuasive writing): the comment threads on any major news site. </snark>

Rats on a Burning Ship

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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Before I get going, a disclaimer: I don’t know enough economic theory or political science to even pretend to have an authoritative opinion about how to get out of the huge financial mess we’re in, my opinions about what moves we should take as a country are resting on shaky foundations, and I’m scrambling like [...]

Ambitious Comment Project

Thursday, March 5, 2009

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I just found out about uberVU. In their own words: uberVU is an easy way to track, start and respond to conversations, even if they take place across multiple sites and services. You can follow the conversation around an item across various platforms, reply to the conversation from uberVU’s central collection point, and bring all of this [...]

Zotero, Now with Cloud

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

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I was a huge fan of Zotero even when it was a local-only extension.1 Now that it will sync across computers and allow online access to your library (with the 1.5 beta), it’s definitely at the top of my list of research tools. The blog post announcing this update is here. For anyone wondering, I think [...]

Herdict.org

Sunday, March 1, 2009

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This looks like a useful service for schools, and Tom Hoffman’s notes here are helpful. It’s important to know what sites are being blocked in which schools. I’d be very curious to see what patterns might emerge from this and whether they follow types of schools, socio-economic status, etc. I also think schools should have to provide [...]

Trusting Others with My Content

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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Yesterday, I wrote a few notes about Zhura, an online collaborative script-writing platform. Overall, I really like it. However, what makes me hesitate to work exclusively on that platform is my concern over what happens with my content. I’m not questioning the integrity of the people behind Zhura, and their terms of use are clear [...]

Zhura: Scripts and More

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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It’s been a few months since I’ve thought about the list of writing tools I started to put together, so, in an attempt to get back to that little project, I revisited Zhura, an online script-writing suite. I’m re-impressed by the site and its offerings. Zhura has the typical script-writing tools (easy formatting for screen, stage, [...]

Together

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

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“It’s a New Day” by will.i.am is still one of the most inspiring songs/videos I’ve seen, and as relevant in the days after the inauguration as it was in the days after the election. For me, the lyrics echo the central thrust of President Obama’s inauguration speech: “All this we can do. All this we [...]

Two Notes on Doctorow's Writing Advice

Saturday, January 17, 2009

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Cory Doctorow has posted details about his writing routine at Locus magazine. It’s a brief collection of some excellent advice.1 Here’s the bulleted list: Short, regular work schedule Leave yourself a rough edge Don’t research Don’t be ceremonious Kill your word processor2 Real-time communication tools are deadly For me, short and regular is ideal. I know many writers dedicate more than 20 [...]