SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLS OUT FOR THE SUMMER! SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLS OUT FORRRRREVER!
But not really, I still have exams coming up. I just don't have a lecture to attend ever again. I finished my last day of Uni the way I started it - by not attending a single class. Wooh!
I also taught my last tutorial for the semester just a few hours ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. The students applauded me at the very end of the class. It started off with Jimmy, a star pupil of mine, slow clapping as I left the classroom. Others joined and the applause increased in loudness and frequency. I heard a high pitched whistle or two blend into the white noise of the now booming applause. Tears were starting to streak from my face as I powerfully pulled open the door for my triumphant departure. Liquid sunlight drenched the front of my body as I stared into the world beyond the door. Proudly stepping through the abyss I heard the faint crackle of fireworks echoing from the end of the classroom. I did it.
Oh, I also attended a Learning and Teaching debate thing today too. I was a member of the student panel answering questions about how to improve student learning. At the end I got a 50$ coupon and a free lunch! A video showing my responses will be uploaded to UNSW TV in about 4 weeks.
Now what do I do?
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Student Learning
I've been invited to be a member of the LT student panel this coming Friday. I'll be sitting on a stage and asked a whole bunch of questions about online learning and the future of education at UNSW. I'm going to be joined by 3 other students from different backgrounds within UNSW.
Me: Undergrad, Engineering, male
Student 1: Undergrad, arts, female
Student 2: Post grad, biology, ?
Student 3: Undergrad, ?, ?
Student 1 and I finished having the 'interview' (although it was really more of an information session) today. They asked us questions which pretty much boiled down into a chat about what our positions were regarding online learning.
I realized almost instantly that they collected a whole bunch of different students with the intention of sparking a heated debate. Student 1 (the undergraduate arts student) is a 30 year old computer hating enthusiast. She openly proclaimed that she couldn't use them and thinks she never will. She even gave a fascinating example of how she thought an assignments instructions "use double spacing" mean't she had to press the space bar twice in between every word. I'll summarize her argument in dot point by subtracting her beautifully worded waffle and leaving the meat.
1) Online lectures are bad because no student will attend class anymore
2) In class learning is > any alternative assuming you have an inspiring teacher
3) If given the chance, online learning tools will eventually replace Professors and traditional teaching.
The only way I could hold myself back from ripping into her argument was by making my face a statue. Every beautifully articulated phrase bounced off my face causing only a minor crease in my fake smile and maybe an occasional twitch in my left eye. OK, this is why I'm awesome and she's not:
1) Albeit Engineering is very different to any arts subject, so not everything I'm going to say is applicable to other subjects (although I suspect most of it will be). Firstly, I do not think class attendance will dwindle, in fact I think it will increase if Online learning is applied correctly. What does 'applied correctly' mean Matthew? Thanks for asking Matthew. Online resources should be used purely as an enhancement NOT a replacement for teaching. Class should be dedicated to deriving theory (or explaining underlying concepts) and tutorials should be dedicated to practicing these concepts, however all online tools should be dedicated to: filling the gaps in student knowledge, providing assessment, providing additional learning material to foster creativity and enthusiasm for the subject. Online lectures make up just a small part of online learning and can assist in at least the first two things i mentioned.
In my experience, people who end up skipping class don't skip class because they have a party to go to (especially in Engineering). Instead I find that people skip class because they feel that they will get a negligible benefit from attending. This should say more about the quality of traditional teaching than online learning. In the last few years YouTube has become such a 'how to' tool. You can learn how to do anything from making a cake to finding the shear stress in beams. As of late 2012, YouTube has been filled to the rim with educational videos provided by MIT OpenCourseWare, the Khan Academy, Udacity and more. Most of these videos come in the form of 10 minute snippets making them the perfect way to fill in the gaps or improve student learning. They also allow students to learn at their own pace (with the FF, RW and Pause features), which is crucial! These videos should never replace learning though. That will kill motivation.
While I'm on a rant, let me talk briefly about what's happening now in Engineering courses. A lot of courses (I'd say a majority is an understatement) feature professors who cling to power point presentations to deliver information. As a result, professors end up describing the slides for hours and only end up putting the occasional extra commentary in. I view this as a convenient cop out. I think professors need to ditch the power points and teach old school with the blackboard and chalk. It's an effective way to teach and it is the main source of motivation that the students need. The role of the professor is vital!
2) This is just untrue. I referred to studies in my Thesis that showed that blended learning (Traditional + online) is vastly superior to just traditional learning. Analtyical subjects thrive on the idea of having in class lectures to explain the basic concepts and provide motivation, and have online tools to refine and improve.
3) This sounds like George Orwell's 1984 hysteria. In short I think online learning can assist teaching, and this will make Professors more internationally acclaimed. The best way I can describe this is through an analogy. Consider the paranoia surrounding the rise of online sharing of music in the early 2000's. At the time, people thought that not being able to buy records would spell the end of record companies. However, due to royalty cheques and advertisements, musicians still get buy comfortably. I think this can be applied to online learning. Professors like Walter Luis are already tapping this online market and are earning quite a reputation. Now it isn't enough to live off YouTube videos, but as long as Universities keep paying Professors (which they should as I've argued earlier), then there will be no economical issues.
On a separate note, I went to the beach yesterday and put sunscreen everywhere on my body except for one vital area; the back of my knees. It hurts so much when I walk that I'm forced to imitate a penguin :(
Me: Undergrad, Engineering, male
Student 1: Undergrad, arts, female
Student 2: Post grad, biology, ?
Student 3: Undergrad, ?, ?
Student 1 and I finished having the 'interview' (although it was really more of an information session) today. They asked us questions which pretty much boiled down into a chat about what our positions were regarding online learning.
I realized almost instantly that they collected a whole bunch of different students with the intention of sparking a heated debate. Student 1 (the undergraduate arts student) is a 30 year old computer hating enthusiast. She openly proclaimed that she couldn't use them and thinks she never will. She even gave a fascinating example of how she thought an assignments instructions "use double spacing" mean't she had to press the space bar twice in between every word. I'll summarize her argument in dot point by subtracting her beautifully worded waffle and leaving the meat.
1) Online lectures are bad because no student will attend class anymore
2) In class learning is > any alternative assuming you have an inspiring teacher
3) If given the chance, online learning tools will eventually replace Professors and traditional teaching.
The only way I could hold myself back from ripping into her argument was by making my face a statue. Every beautifully articulated phrase bounced off my face causing only a minor crease in my fake smile and maybe an occasional twitch in my left eye. OK, this is why I'm awesome and she's not:
1) Albeit Engineering is very different to any arts subject, so not everything I'm going to say is applicable to other subjects (although I suspect most of it will be). Firstly, I do not think class attendance will dwindle, in fact I think it will increase if Online learning is applied correctly. What does 'applied correctly' mean Matthew? Thanks for asking Matthew. Online resources should be used purely as an enhancement NOT a replacement for teaching. Class should be dedicated to deriving theory (or explaining underlying concepts) and tutorials should be dedicated to practicing these concepts, however all online tools should be dedicated to: filling the gaps in student knowledge, providing assessment, providing additional learning material to foster creativity and enthusiasm for the subject. Online lectures make up just a small part of online learning and can assist in at least the first two things i mentioned.
In my experience, people who end up skipping class don't skip class because they have a party to go to (especially in Engineering). Instead I find that people skip class because they feel that they will get a negligible benefit from attending. This should say more about the quality of traditional teaching than online learning. In the last few years YouTube has become such a 'how to' tool. You can learn how to do anything from making a cake to finding the shear stress in beams. As of late 2012, YouTube has been filled to the rim with educational videos provided by MIT OpenCourseWare, the Khan Academy, Udacity and more. Most of these videos come in the form of 10 minute snippets making them the perfect way to fill in the gaps or improve student learning. They also allow students to learn at their own pace (with the FF, RW and Pause features), which is crucial! These videos should never replace learning though. That will kill motivation.
While I'm on a rant, let me talk briefly about what's happening now in Engineering courses. A lot of courses (I'd say a majority is an understatement) feature professors who cling to power point presentations to deliver information. As a result, professors end up describing the slides for hours and only end up putting the occasional extra commentary in. I view this as a convenient cop out. I think professors need to ditch the power points and teach old school with the blackboard and chalk. It's an effective way to teach and it is the main source of motivation that the students need. The role of the professor is vital!
2) This is just untrue. I referred to studies in my Thesis that showed that blended learning (Traditional + online) is vastly superior to just traditional learning. Analtyical subjects thrive on the idea of having in class lectures to explain the basic concepts and provide motivation, and have online tools to refine and improve.
3) This sounds like George Orwell's 1984 hysteria. In short I think online learning can assist teaching, and this will make Professors more internationally acclaimed. The best way I can describe this is through an analogy. Consider the paranoia surrounding the rise of online sharing of music in the early 2000's. At the time, people thought that not being able to buy records would spell the end of record companies. However, due to royalty cheques and advertisements, musicians still get buy comfortably. I think this can be applied to online learning. Professors like Walter Luis are already tapping this online market and are earning quite a reputation. Now it isn't enough to live off YouTube videos, but as long as Universities keep paying Professors (which they should as I've argued earlier), then there will be no economical issues.
On a separate note, I went to the beach yesterday and put sunscreen everywhere on my body except for one vital area; the back of my knees. It hurts so much when I walk that I'm forced to imitate a penguin :(
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Game of life
Dear Reader,
If you're reading this then you are one of the first to witness my thorough transformation. I graduate in less than a month now, and I'm starting to consider all my options - almost all of which involve stepping into the real world. In case you don't know, the real world is a magical place filled with ties, suites, highly polished shoes and well structured emails. I've decided that I shall engage in these relevant real world activities to prepare myself for an economically sustainable future. I'm starting with this blog. From now on, every blog will feature grammatically correct sentences and the occasional line of forced social commentary.
Kind Regards,
Matthew James
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKK THAT!
dis shit be cray, yo.
I think the only thing worse than having no options available to you, is to have several. Lets face it, there is a bit of anxiety associated with finally stepping through only one of the doors that you've seen open for quite some time. I think the movie "the graduate" pretty well describes what I'm going through (minus the sleeping with other peoples mothers). I've got a few options available to me right now, and i'm unsure which door to step through. There more I talk to people, the more conflicted and paranoid I get. It's come to the point where I no longer view advice from people as being advice anymore, I view it as a subtle form of manipulation. This creates a pretty damn fine circle of confusion which I'm strapped to.
As far as I can see it, my life is like a cheesy game show. The aim of the game is to choose the door that has an expensive ferrari behind it, all other doors hide a lifelong subscription of soap. Sadly, this game show isn't like the monty hall problem, so there is no easy way for me to trick the probability of getting the car.
Door 1:
I've been offered a job with professor Prusty for 2014. The job is a mix of computer coding and education planning. It would involve me working full time throughout november and december this year and also all of 2014. It pays a bit over 60kpa.
Door 2:
Apply for jobs in the real world - also known as the "re world" in da hood. This adds a bit of risk since I don't know if I'll get a job any time soon and I don't know if I'll like it.
Door 3:
Work for my maths professor for 2 months. This would involve reinventing the maths syllabus for year 12 students. This would be great fun! Sadly, I don't have much time on my hands to pick up the extra responsibilities.
Door 4:
Don't work and travel. This definitely seems like a good option right now. But I think that's because I'm stressed from uni. I think 1 month out of Uni i'll be bored and in desperate need of clean underwear. Also, I would never be able to escape the anxiety associated with the inevitability of choosing another door later.
I've been stalling for a while now, so if I decide to go through door 1, then I need to sprint head first through it.
Will Matthew choose the right door? Can he drive away in a ferrari? Or will he walk back home with a much needed supply of soap? Find out in 2 months! If you want to cast your vote, or make bets into Matthew decision, call 0403716115 or contact him on facebook.
Overall, this has left me a little pessimistic. I find it a bit disappointing that higher education and university is being seen as an optional training camp, rather than a hub of intellectuals who are just curious about the way the world works. It gives me the impression that Universities are just factories that pump out degrees to give people practical knowledge.
If you're reading this then you are one of the first to witness my thorough transformation. I graduate in less than a month now, and I'm starting to consider all my options - almost all of which involve stepping into the real world. In case you don't know, the real world is a magical place filled with ties, suites, highly polished shoes and well structured emails. I've decided that I shall engage in these relevant real world activities to prepare myself for an economically sustainable future. I'm starting with this blog. From now on, every blog will feature grammatically correct sentences and the occasional line of forced social commentary.
Kind Regards,
Matthew James
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKK THAT!
dis shit be cray, yo.
I think the only thing worse than having no options available to you, is to have several. Lets face it, there is a bit of anxiety associated with finally stepping through only one of the doors that you've seen open for quite some time. I think the movie "the graduate" pretty well describes what I'm going through (minus the sleeping with other peoples mothers). I've got a few options available to me right now, and i'm unsure which door to step through. There more I talk to people, the more conflicted and paranoid I get. It's come to the point where I no longer view advice from people as being advice anymore, I view it as a subtle form of manipulation. This creates a pretty damn fine circle of confusion which I'm strapped to.
As far as I can see it, my life is like a cheesy game show. The aim of the game is to choose the door that has an expensive ferrari behind it, all other doors hide a lifelong subscription of soap. Sadly, this game show isn't like the monty hall problem, so there is no easy way for me to trick the probability of getting the car.
Door 1:
I've been offered a job with professor Prusty for 2014. The job is a mix of computer coding and education planning. It would involve me working full time throughout november and december this year and also all of 2014. It pays a bit over 60kpa.
Door 2:
Apply for jobs in the real world - also known as the "re world" in da hood. This adds a bit of risk since I don't know if I'll get a job any time soon and I don't know if I'll like it.
Door 3:
Work for my maths professor for 2 months. This would involve reinventing the maths syllabus for year 12 students. This would be great fun! Sadly, I don't have much time on my hands to pick up the extra responsibilities.
Door 4:
Don't work and travel. This definitely seems like a good option right now. But I think that's because I'm stressed from uni. I think 1 month out of Uni i'll be bored and in desperate need of clean underwear. Also, I would never be able to escape the anxiety associated with the inevitability of choosing another door later.
I've been stalling for a while now, so if I decide to go through door 1, then I need to sprint head first through it.
Will Matthew choose the right door? Can he drive away in a ferrari? Or will he walk back home with a much needed supply of soap? Find out in 2 months! If you want to cast your vote, or make bets into Matthew decision, call 0403716115 or contact him on facebook.
Overall, this has left me a little pessimistic. I find it a bit disappointing that higher education and university is being seen as an optional training camp, rather than a hub of intellectuals who are just curious about the way the world works. It gives me the impression that Universities are just factories that pump out degrees to give people practical knowledge.
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