Also, ASOS Curve’s black and red tutu dress has been marked down from $114.34 to $80.03. It’s still not cheap, but it might be a little more affordable if you’re looking for that perfect holiday season party dress.
Also, one of my crafty friends has offered to teach me how to make tutus similar to the ones in this post! I’m not sure exactly when I’ll get the chance to do it, but when I do, I will post all about it. š
Quick, unrelated update: I just sent a message to the eBay seller of the awesome tutu in my recent post, asking if they would consider making it in plus sizes. Ā If you want, send them a message as well! I don’t know whether anything will come of it, but it can’t hurt to try.
Also: the election’s over! Phew. And in addition to the candidates who won, I’m happy about a lot of the state initiatives that passed. Hells yeah gay marriage!
Now, onto the post.
While poking about on YouTube last night, I came across this video about a software that’s being developed with the intention of customizing educational experiences for each kid who uses it, and eventually replacing much of the need for human teachers:
And oy, did it cause me to have ALL THE THOUGHTS (and to be honest, more than a little bit of THE RAGE).
I think the Digital Aristotle software could be a useful idea as a supplement to classroom teaching, but using it as a replacement strikes me as a terrible idea, for many reasons:
1.) School isn’t just about kids interacting with teachers. It’s about kids interacting with other kids, learning how to be social beings, developing empathy. A kid sitting alone in front of a computer screen all day isn’t going to get that, no matter how brilliant the software is.
2.) Computers have a lot of amazing educational potential, but they also have downsides. A major, major one is that they make it easier to multitask, which has a demonstrated negative effect on pretty much any kind of performance.
I’ve seen it in my own life–I know I concentrated far better in high school, when I had only dial-up internet, than I have ever since.
3.) Relatedly, many educational videos (which seem to be a major component of the Digital Aristotle project) are 4 or 5 minutes long. They may be full of fascinating things, but don’t lend themselves to the kind of concentration that leads to deep understanding.Ā Iāve watched plenty of interesting videos about physics and math, but if you asked me what Iāve learned, I wouldnāt remember most of it. Itās not the same as learning systematically from a real person.Ā Continue reading →
Thanks to all the tutu-making interest that my last post gathered, I did a bit of Googling for how to make a tutu. Here are a few of the tutorials that I found:
While poking around the internet this morning, I found some gothtastic new clothing at Infections Threads. Here are a few of my favorites (starting with a tutu, of course):
This top is steampunktacular. It only goes up to 1X(18-20), and I’m not sure whether that would fit me, but I hope it would. I need more steampunk in my life.
I had a party on Saturday, which consisted of 1.) hanging out at my place (originally supposed to be a beach party, but it was rainy and cold), 2.) dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, and 3.) hanging out at my place again, dressed as characters from Firefly. There was Cards Against Humanity, a Dr. Horrible singalong, and much general merriment. The hanging-outage continued into the next day with an informal brunch, dinner, and Spaceballs-watching.
In summary: my friends are wonderful, creative, and geeky. I am lucky to have such awesome people in my life.
This explains my love of flower crowns and rainbow tutus.
There’s a new interview with her that’s been going around the blogosphere.
Whichgoose posted the above picture on Facebook, and whoaaa, did it bring me back. I loved everything Lisa Frank throughout elementary school. Back-to-school shopping was a great excuse for acquiring folders and notebooks with different designs. Continue reading →
In the last few days, I have come across much tutu fabulousness that I can’t wait to share with you. It’s all inspiring and makes me even more committed to wearing tutus constantly. š
I absolutely love everything about this outfit, from the pink hair to peacock corset to the gold shoes.
