Brandon Muramatsu

muraPOI: October 4, 2012

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  • As an MIT student, should I go to lecture?: A couple great answers to this question posed on Quora.

    Neel Hajare, MIT ’12 said:

    I only go to lecture if I’m going to be as engaged and entertained as I would be while watching a good movie or TV show.
    Read Quote of Neel Hajare’s answer to Massachusetts Institute of Technology: As an MIT student, should I go to lecture? on Quora

    And Edan Krolewicz continues:

    I think I’d still advise most people to go because the structure of lectures is a promise to yourself that you will take a stab at it.
    Read Quote of Edan Krolewicz’s answer to Massachusetts Institute of Technology: As an MIT student, should I go to lecture? on Quora

    One of the things that continues to impress (? maybe), confound certainly, me about MIT students is how much they optimize their time and effort. They really do. Personally, I was never a super efficient learner in college — I know I spent much more time on schoolwork than I really needed to.

    Nevertheless I think Neel gets it right when he says that he goes to lectures that are entertaining. I don’t think he means this in a negative sense, but rather there must be a compelling reason to attend a lecture. I know that’s the sort of bar I use now for when I go to seminars or talks. It harkens back to my recent post on motivation.

    (Via Quora, October 2, 2012)

  • From OpenCourseWare to Online Education: My friend Willem Van Valkenburg gave a presentation last week where he cribbed some of my slides. (Though, Willem, I think I should have gotten a hat tip for the slide #30, it was inspired by my Slide 39.)

    Willem suggests “5 Big Mistakes of online education”:

    1. “Believing that Virtual Education = Massive Education” [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Willem how are you defining “Virtual Education” it’s not really in your slides]
    2. “Believing that Online Education = Mysterious and Complex Education: There is a myth that goes around: A good traditional teacher will not easily become a good virtual teacher. … False. A good teacher is a good teacher with any tool. … Unless you think that a «good» virtual teacher = a good actor.” [There might be something to that last part.]
    3. “Putting Technology before Pedagogy” [I’m pretty sure, ok positive, this is happening, a lot!]
    4. “Underestimating your Teachers and Students” [Willem I’d like to hear more.]
    5. “Taking the Fun out of Education: Education should be accidental,unpredictable, unscripted.…There is plenty of room in virtual education for spontaneity.”

    (Via LinkedIn email)

  • When Teaching Grows Tired: A Wake-up Call for Faculty: Maryellen Weimer writes about faculty burnout, and by that she means emotional burnout. It’s an insidious (my word of the week apparently) thing that saps the learning experience.

    All of us need to know what keeps us fresh, what sustains and strengthens our commitments to teaching and to students. All of us need to recognize the importance of emotional rejuvenation and make emotional sustenance a priority.

    (Via Faculty Focus, October 3, 2012)

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