I stumbled across an online booklet discussing Web 2.0 alternatives to traditional lectures. It's called "A New Way to Lecture: Using Web 2.0 to Create Interactive Lecture With Your Students" and I think it's worth a look.
Although Randy Pausch's is dying, his "Last Lecture" is about living life. I feel that I can speak to what he says. I think I do well and live much like he suggests. Like he, I may complain a little more than I ought to, but then again, I'm really quite happy about how things go and turn out. I was a happy kid, I almost died at 20 years of age, and yet that miraculously worked out for the better; and for the record, I think today I'm probably an even happier adult.
His message is a good one no matter who you are or what you've done. And I think it's important to note that it's never too late to 1) try, and 2) to inspire others.
This has got to be one of the coolest, most useful teaching tools I've seen in quite a while. It is not only a method of teaching, notetaking, and/or concept designing, but it does it in a way that is natural to that way we often describe or try to do things. Consider this, have you ever tried to explain an idea or device and ultimately just grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and drew it?
That's what this MIT professor has done. As my Mechanical Engineering boyfriend pointed out, I'm sure there are all kinds of settings that have to be set (gravity, friction, etc.) before it can be used as demonstrated, but as a relatively simple start to exploring statics (think buildings) and dynamics (think spinning wheels), it's a pretty cool way to go. The best part is that you wouldn't necessarily have to set up the room with actual carts spinning down ramps. (Which can be really time consuming and a bit chaotic!)
Le Boyfriend, has also suggested for further interest into virtual prototyping software, you'll want to check out Working Model 2D and/or Adams.
Skipping the Boring Parts of Faculty Lectures - Chronicle.com
This may change the approach to recording and listening to lectures, don't you think? I've always thought that 20-minute or less lecturettes were more effectual anyway. Now, it's just 1 minute and 43 seconds that people want.
Hmmm ... Does it make you ponder about how everything is "on-demand" and only "just in time"? Is there still depth in this kind of availability and reference? (I would assume there would have to be.)
What do you think?
