We got to complete our "Meaning" presentation during the week 7 session. I really wanted to do the 20-10 exercise with the class just for fun! I have to admit I do this exercise all the time because I tend to fantasize about winning the lottery (even though I rarely ever PLAY the lottery). It's a great way to evaluate what you're doing with your life. I mean, if you suddenly won 20 million dollars, would you quit your job immediately? I recall having a real epiphany a few years ago while dreaming of all the great things I would do with my (then) girlfriend if I suddenly came into a tremendous amount of money. Instead of imagining how I could pay her off and get rid of her so I could live the life I really wanted to be living, I realized I WAS living the life I wanted to be living. Is that confusing? Anyway, she later became my wife and although we still don't have that 20 million, we're pretty happy.
The class also wrapped up three more "Expert Presentations": Remote Meetings, EFF, and Screen Casting. For me, the most interesting was Screen Casting. I've been after a copy of Adobe Captivate for years, and it was cool to find a cheap alternative in iShowU. What is the deal with the rise in Adobe product prices, anyway? They priced me out of the equation and back into KeyGen searches.
The class finished with a rather confusing explanation of the final project. I was wrestling with the lousy old Apple machine in the back of the classroom and wasn't paying that much attention. I thought we were going to get into a Freidman-esque article we've been after for a week, but we ran out of time while some students debated what the final project should look like. It was a real trial-by-fire for poor Ethan, and I felt so sorry for him! I guess the long and short is Ethan wanted to create an open-ended opportunity for people to explore their passions, but his students demanded more structure. You can please some of the people some of the time, but..... well, whatever. I just need to buy a laptop I can actually carry to class.
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It's sad to admit that I was one of the reasons for asking for so much structure. :( I guess I can say, I prefer clarity and clear expectations. I've found that in my 11 years of teaching, clear explicit expectations is key to adequate student performance. This has clearly affected not only my instruction but my needs as a learner.
ReplyDeleteI liked your play game that focuses on what one would do if they won the lottery. My husband and I play a similar form of this game a lot to take a pulse check on our life . We too find we are happy and there are only a few more things we would "buy" or "want:" I'm sure it won't be surprising to hear that a house is always on the top of that list! (Ahhhh CA real estate!)