Great article! I will say that I too struggle with this idea of whether to have laptops be present in the classroom or not. I struggle because it was only in graduate school did I value typing my notes on my laptop, before then, I was old school and a pen and paper note taker. Now though, I do agree with you, it is up to the student to choose what is best for them.
Author: Rudi
Comment on Practice helps you deal with digital distractions by Rudi
Nice post! I do agree with you. Sometimes it is easier said than done and I think that applies to multi tasking as a whole and as an idea. It is unfortunate that all the responsibilities we have do not allow us the time to figure out a system that is efficient for our time.
Comment on Critical Pedagogy by Rudi
Great post! I love the part about individualized curiosity. Curiosity can be a vital part of learning but I think it is difficult to set standards on what we define as being curious because of our each individual idea and definition of curiosity. This is why I appreciated the illustration stating that guidance will be provided to meet those conditions. What I gather is that each person’s curiosity will be embraced and supported in the learning environment.
Comment on Won’t We Need to be Able of Critical Thinking Ourselves? by Rudi
I really like the idea of it being an interactive process where both or all parties are engaged. This allows everyone to have a goal in learning and to be invested in the process. What I find to be tricky in the implementation of this, is how much each party participates and when has one participated too much? Too much to the extent that there is only one participant. In theory, we can have guidelines to prevent, but in practice, I often wonder if we can do this in an effective way that allows the learning to continue flowing.
Comment on I Learned a lot…And That is Telling by Rudi
Thank you for your thoughtful post. I do agree with you, there is that thought and feeling of wanting to do more. Though, what I have often found useful is actually doing something. It doesn’t matter how big or small that action may be, what matters more is that something is being done. From your post, it sounds like you are doing something, which is amazing and I am excited to see what you do next.
Comment on My Story by rudi
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It is very interesting that you noted all the rules and laws that you had to learn about the US. I feel that every culture has its own respective rules and laws that guide how people act and behave. In order to be a part of that community and culture, we need to honor those laws and rules to gain a deeper understanding of what life looks like from the people in that culture and community. Thank you again for sharing your perspective and story.
Comment on Activism + Verbalism = Praxis by rudi
Love the gif! You know, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a book that I will never forget. It forced me to question the work of educators, who had good intentions, but sometimes harmful impacts. This is helped me decide what kind of educator I want to be and how I will define my authentic praxis.
Comment on Authentic Self(-Authorship) by Rudi
Ah, it feels like first semester of graduate school all over again! Thank you for taking me back to when we explored the work of Marcia Baxter Magolda. Fun Fact, I saw her at Kroger this summer! Random facts aside, I appreciated the way you connected self authorship to being an authentic teacher. I liked the struggles new teachers of wondering if students don’t like them or not. That is a struggle that is often difficult to overcome especially if you are starting your faculty career. However, knowing that it is a phase and that you can overcome it is helpful.
Comment on Signs of life in the Skinner box by Rudi
What a great post! I do agree with you on your idea that some students learn to pass a test, instead of how to learn. That reminds me of standardized testing and taking the SAT. I have some friends who were focused on ‘passing it’ using tricks and strategies. Do they remember anything they learned from that process? According to them, no. As long as they were rewarded with a higher SAT score it didn’t matter.
Comment on Mindful Learning and the Role of Higher Education by rudi
Your experience in that class sounds like an ideal classroom. Where the teacher and students are both learning and contributing to the knowledge gained. A classroom where each individual may contribute to the learning outcomes and no one person is the holder of all the knowledge or a gatekeeper of said information. Hopefully, technology will make classroom environments like the one you described a reality instead of an option that is never practiced or encouraged.
