Thank you for such a great post! I only took one economics course in my undergraduate career and I think I would have been far more interested in it if multiple viewpoints on the theories and applications were discussed. I also think that this type of discussion could be included in many different disciplines and would be very engaging to students as well as a way to create a more inclusive environment. I know that in my own courses in biomedical engineering, my favorite classes were those in which disagreements between experts on how certain systems in the body worked were discussed. I agree that a diversity of personal experiences and perspectives is a powerful thing and the key to solving some of the world’s biggest problems moving forward.

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Thanks for your sharing your experience, Jake! That’s a good point about the logistics as well and I certainly hope the nerves will subside.

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That’s great to know, Laura! Thanks for sharing!

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That is really funny! Hopefully, it was a wake-up call for him, literally and metaphorically!

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Glad you enjoyed the cartoon! I have to admit I didn’t notice the student snoozing in the front row until you mentioned it–too funny! That is a great point about acting differently around even different members of your own family and friends vs. acquaintances; I hadn’t thought of it like that before, but it is very true. Thanks for the support and insight!

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Glad to know I’m not the only one, Jie! And glad you enjoyed the comic–PhD Comics is one of my favorites!

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Thanks for the encouragement, Gary!

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Great post and I truly appreciate the Wicked reference! I’m in much the same situation as you in my being “rough” and “over-compensating,” as you put it. I have to think that after you and I get some experience under our belt, the calm will set in and our real personality will be able to shine through. One thing that helped me gain a little confidence recently: talking with the undergraduate student I’m currently mentoring about my blog post, she reminded me that the most important thing is that we show our students that we care about their success. With taking this class and just thinking about how we can be the best teachers we can be, I think we’re already on our way to being good professors and we’ll soon be prepared to take that leap!

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What a beautiful metaphor! Thank you for sharing this story.

Throughout this class, I too have been considering how to provide balance in the classroom; how to utilize the new technology and digital learning we have discussed in class with traditional textbooks and lecturing, for instance. I think that using all the resources at hand, both new age and old school, is great way to engage students of all learning styles. It only makes sense to use the best tool for the job when teaching a topic, whether that be a YouTube video or a table in the textbook. I also appreciate the very important point you made about teaching being a constant struggle–I think each class will be an ever evolving and unique journey. We must be mindful and recognize the needs of our students in that class, at that moment, and be willing to adjust our teaching as is necessary to garner the best understanding for all. Like you, I look forward to finding my “middle path” in the classroom. Thanks again!

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Hi Dr. Nelson. Of course, it is up to parents as well as teachers and their communicating in order to ensure that the amount of time kids are spending on screens is not negatively impacting their health. I only mean to say that perhaps kids in these digital learning programs have higher exposure to screens and parents and teachers may wish to keep a special eye out for the types of symptoms I mention above.

I definitely do not think that sticking to blackboard and chalk in low-resource schools is any sort of answer; rather in these settings, I think teachers must be more creative by incorporating the types of lessons shown in the digital learning video without, necessarily, the technology shown. I think the type of engagement can be universal without the technology where the resources are simply not available. However, I do think that a discussion about the digital divide is merited (I am ashamed to admit I had not heard of this phenomenon before looking into it for this post). How can teachers utilize the resources they have (especially if they are few) to best engage students?

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