It's a little bit shocking to me when lectures are delivered exclusively on a chalkboard. Just in
general. In engineering and technology disciplines, I find it
alarming. Think about the resources and media that are available. We
have videos, animations and pictures all over the web. There are
online university classes, where you could have “guest” lecturers
from some of the world's most prestigious institutions. And why so
many lectures anyway? I think labs and simulations are even better. I
certainly prefer them, being a visual and kinesthetic learner.
I don't discount the value of writing
things down. Working through problems by hand can be much more
tangible. Writing down a derivation helps me remember and makes it
easier to catch errors during lectures. Plus, I haven't learned to
type equations fast enough to keep up in class. Now I'm considering tablet options instead.
I'm surprised that
we still get assignments handed out by worksheets, turned in
handwritten, no website with additional references or course
information, and a general 'hardcopy-ness' to every aspect of a
class. This certainly isn't true of all my classes, but I have a fascinated frustration when I see the resistance to learn and adapt to new
tools.
I'm giving myself a project this
semester of trying out a bunch of new scientific and math programs on
my computer. I primarily use a Linux system, so I'm giving preference
to open source (and free - I'm a grad student after all) programs. I thought using my homework
assignments would give me specific problems to try out with these
tools, rather than a vague task that I'll never start. I started to notice that resistance in myself before I left my
old job, and now I need to train myself out of it.
