Things are boiling up...
Really. Midterms are approaching way too fast. I feel I'm hardly ready for anyone of my midterms. The midterm for Chemistry is probably just as nerve-wrecking as any other, mostly because I don't have any expectations for the test format. I know it's MC, but I just don't know how it will go down. What I'm really confused about is the in-class notes we are allowed to use during the midterm. T-shirts with notes. Really? Yeah, I'm not doing that.
Is this supposed to be apart of the new teaching philosophy? Hmm..interesting. I wonder how that will work.
Concerning the material, it feels like the pace of the class is increasing, and with it the difficulty. Generally the material (being that it as anything to do with atoms and elements etc) comes a little slow to me. Oh and what happened to the assessment? Was that lecture apart of it? I guess it was effective, but I got to admit, I was a little worried that we actually had an assessment so close to midterms.
An update on my Samsung, it's really becoming a common tool for everyday use. I liked using it for the socrative app. I really like the idea of suggesting ideas on the board, especially because they are all available to see for the class. I would love to see more of that.
Something else that's cool are my group members. Is it a coincidence that 3/4 of us have androids? Maybe, but not because of what one may think. One of the main reasons why I got my Samsung Android is the technological freedoms of these. It feels like you just have more options, and that they're more for avid users. I've seen that many Apple products are made an optimized for the casual user. People that don't aren't really tech savvy. Being that I've been building PCs since middle school, I guess I'd find myself more for Androids. Not only that, but there are just so many options. How many choices do you get with say the Iphone? Black and white? Different memory? On the other hand, Androids allow for not only cosmetic options and memory, but also the internal specifications and especially screen size: You can squint on your tiny screen all you want...I will happily enjoy my mammoth (but still small enough!!) screen :)
Good feedback about a way of using devices in class that you found positive. Sharing ideas using devices is a use we want to have in the future. As for your estimation of the noteshirt, it seems that your claims may be a bit short-sighted. Part of the teaching philosophy is exposing students to multiple ways to represent ideas, organize their thinking, and develop their cognitive skills. Just like muscles, the brain grows when it is exposed to new and challenging ways of processing information. The use of notes on a mid-term is not something that is a right, it's a privilege. The noteshirt actually encourages students to think about organizing their knowledge more than a mere notecard, or more than studying without a focus to organize one's thoughts. Cognitive psychology is a strong influence in how our class runs, and everything is done for a reason with student success in mind. If this hasn't been obvious yet, then perhaps you've missed something. In the second semester, challenge yourself to try and look for some of the subtle possibilities behind what happens in classes.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. Abud,
ReplyDeleteI welcome your feedback. Sure, I can see how this relates to the philosophy, and how noteshirts would have an effect not only on how the students organize their thoughts, but how they would also develop the brain when exposed to a new way of processing information. This makes sense, and like I said in the original post, it's interesting. It's a little unorthodox; that's how it challenges the mind. I opted not to this, as I understand it's a privilege to participate. I would welcome the idea to fellow students. But for me, maybe I prefer the archaic way, because I know what helps me the best.