05.27.05 (LinkLog)
May 27th, 2005 - No CommentsTags: linklog
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Musings on education, techology, and life..
I’m buried beneath the prep and delivery of days of conferences and training, leaving little energy for blogging. I love being onstage, whether it be teaching or training or speaking at a conference. I’m the perfect MC… the person with the loud voice who always thinks his jokes are funnier than they are. So I generally enjoy working with faculty and other designers on course implementation and discussions of design processes.
What I don’t like is the constant need to try to compress years of research, experimentation, and experience into brief presentations for people who are often completely unfamiliar with the content I’m talking about.
Take blogging. I know that for many classes it can be a useful curricular tool in the context of peer interaction/review and facilitating a community of learners. But I’m convinced of its value for all courses as a practice that creates a place for the self-discovery and knowledge necessary to be a good student. I’m talking about the big picture here: establishing a voice, discovering one’s hobby horses and hot buttons, performing the kinds of basic search and research that are necessary to being relevant, feeling the euphoria that eventually comes from Zen-like practice.
How to convey that? Like many things, it is best experienced. Like many faculty, most of my audience won’t have time or won’t believe me or won’t buy into my privileging of this medium and method.
Ultimately all I can say is: here’s what it’s done for me and for my students, here’s what it’s done for others like us… trust me, it’s good for you. And I think I’ve established enough trust with many that this at least gives their efforts a fighting chance. Unfortunately, that currency is naturally limited…