"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."- Thomas Edison

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Blog Post #10

An Open Letter to Educators: Morgan Bayda
I can definitely relate to what Bayda says in her post. Although education in a university is not free, education itself is free and available for everyone. In my own experiences at the University of South Alabama, we are encouraged to speak in some classes if we have opinions or thoughts on matters. A few of my teachers address questions and are happy for feedback. However, the majority of the classes I am taking are set up so that a certain amount of information can be absorbed, or rather memorized, in time for the necessary tests. A lot of the time this leads to rushing to memorize a load of facts, as Dan Brown says, when I would like to slow down and delve into specific areas that I feel are more significant or interesting to me. EDM310 has helped me to realize that we must venture farther into the world of learning and not rely on school for all of the answers.
Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home!
I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Johnson's post about pencils and the problems they can arise for students. It is important, though, that he focuses on how these problems can be solved, rather than let the problems be the final result. I think this way of looking at things is necessary for everything applying to learning and life, not only the way pencils are put to use. Everything we are given must be used with the most beneficial ideas in mind. This way ordinary pencils can become magical pencils.
Two Questions that Can Change Your Life: Daniel Pink
This video has changed my life in a positive way. To ask myself what my "sentence" is gives me more of a standing purpose that will strengthen my drive to act on the things that motivate me. To ask myself if I am better today than yesterday gives me a straightforward way to reflect on my words and actions as I progress through life. I can then see more clearly where I need to change or improve.
My Sentence:
I will continuously learn in order to break free from the world's holdings and explore life as the beautiful adventure it was made to be.

This class has helped me to realize I have been trapped in a world that appears smaller than it truly has potential to be. It is a huge place with many different societies that have separated themselves from the rest of the world. We are one, and as each day goes by I see this more and more.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Tara!
    I really enjoyed and agreed with all your posts! In your first response to Bayda, I completely understand where you are coming from. We should NEVER fully rely on the school, the teacher, or other students to get our education. We have the wonderful world wide web for all the aspects not covered or grasped in the classroom. Great post!

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  2. What's the difference in absorbing information and memorizing it?

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  3. Absorbing information is understanding why something is and memorizing is regurgitating a fact without comprehension. Sometimes it seems impossible to absorb information when things seem so rushed.

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