Brain Braiker: I am not a digital native. I was born 1975 and didn't send my first e-mail until I was a sophomore in college. I spent my junior year abroad, where e-mail came in handy and Internet porn would have, if only I had known about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Luddite. These days I love th...

Good morning all, With the NJDOE and just about every other state department of education talking about the importance of globally connected (aka ‘flattened’) classrooms, many districts are trying to figure out exactly what that means and how to get there. Let’s face it: our time i...

In our continued effort to understand the American moviegoer’s psyche, we uncover a diamond of truth revealed to us this weekend during the Watchmen premiere. At the expense of throwing away originality, we love stories that we already know. Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the greatest graph...

How can I improve my ability to explain things better? This could be anything from describing a film I watched yesterday to a friend...to explaining technological solutions such as GPS, or 'RSS feeds' to non-technical managers at a business. Are there any basic rules with explanations which could he...

“They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking (y’mei mishteh v’simha) and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor.” -Esther 9:22 Other than reading and/or hearing the Megillah, every mitzvah of Purim is mentioned in this one v...

On Learning Curves, I read a lament about calculus students having a hard time putting their skills into practice on some basic word problems. This line stood out: They can do the calculus. The algebra slays them. Of late, our CS faculty have been discussing a programming corollary. Students have pa...

My son is a sophomore in college. My youngest daughter is about to leave home in a year and-a-half. So finding that “just right� college has been at topic at our house for quite some time now. We actually hired an educational adviser for my daughter, who is working with her to create a list of c...

This past week, I participated in my first religion symposium, an affair for graduate students at Indiana University. I submitted a paper proposal in December, and -- to my shock -- my proposal was accepted. Which meant I had to write the paper. Which wasn't on a topic I really knew anything abo...

I've already posted about my desire to write a second book.  Remember, I'll need your help in order to write it.  If you'd like to contribute a Learning the Hard Way story, please let me know.  If you have a friend that has learned the hard way, please tell him/her about my project....

Please welcome this week’s Featured Homeschooler Carol from My Heart’s Desire ! You live in my favorite place in the world, Colorado! Tell us about your nature studies. Nature study for us is taking a walk on the 75 acres where we live, driving down the road to one of the lakes or hiking...