Thanks for this positive reply. This is in fact my first blog. Feel pleased to have someone reading and commenting on my writing.
Yeah, many times we have no alternative but to keep learning and keep going. If we can understand that what we are making and doing is meaningful, we are more likely to get involved and do more.
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That is true. It is very rare to be able to see students that are ‘enjoying’ their classes nowadays. As you mentioned everything is in this system that has to be followed just like it has been followed for however many years ago. Another experience I had during my last teaching experience is that if any of the instructors had any new ideas to improve the teaching experience, they were required to write a full proposal, and it may or may not get accepted. This lengthy process does not encourage advancement. I do enjoy teaching and I’m hoping to make a difference one day!
Anonymity in the age of the troll actually keeps me up at night. It also reminds me of a South Park episode where Kyle’s dad is a nice guy by day, internet troll by night. It’s horrifying to think that people like that are really out there.
Thank you for exposing your opinion on why do you enjoy blogging. Do you think there is a difference between willingly writing a blog and being required to do so for a class? Is the result different ?
Great response! Also, everything about this one sentence has a double meaning thanks to my acronym, and it amuses me: “So not only was I required to participate in PDA, but my PDA was going to be a direct reflection on student members.”
It’s really a great metaphor for how exposed this whole thing can make us feel, but I think your suggestions for working through that are great.
I love WeChat! It made my visit to China much easier because it enabled me to use my US phone to contact family and the friend I was there visiting with.
I took Ethics in Engineering, Science, and Public Policy (CEE 5984) which I highly recommend, even if you aren’t an engineer! During the class we went through a few case studies (the focus was on the DC lead crisis and the Flint water crisis) to try to understand peoples motives behind unethical actions and also to learn why it is important to stand up for what you believe in and act ethically in everything you do. These cases were really eyeopening for me especially as an Environmental Engineer, I had been involved with a number of overseas projects to help bring safe drinking water to remote villages but I didn’t realize until taking this class that there were serious issues with drinking water here in the US.
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I agree with you 100% but it’s still such a tricky road to navigate!
I often feel like people only read blogs when it can give them some form of entertainment (even academic blogs). I like what you said about it being a place to brainstorm instead. A place where maybe ideas are not fully formed but have the potential for expansion.
I may or may not have planned a comment with the same “this message will self-destruct” response. Sadly, most of my students don’t even know Inspector Gadget.
On a serious note, great blog post!
