Blog #6

I Have had a Deathbed Conversion. I Bought a Macintosh.




After reading Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, I was both inspired and saddened. Following Mr. Pausch's advice, I will go ahead and announce the elephant in the room. Mr. Pausch's battle with pancreatic cancer truly is a loss to us all. He really knows how to reach a audience and make them feel close to him. I've enjoyed all the videos I have watched of him online in this course, and the videos that I have watched without being assigned. I don't think I can watch him without crying.

Following Our Dreams

Randy discussed the importance of following our dreams, but he also said that the dreams we don't accomplish are are the ones we learn from the most. He listed several of his childhood dreams. He accomplished many of his childhood dreams, but two of his dreams stood-out in his lecture. Although he was in obviously good physical health despite his cancer, he never quite met the physical requirements of playing in the NFL. The other dream he discussed and fulfilled was becoming an Disney Imagineer. He worked on the Virtual Reality Aladdin ride at Disney. He said that it was after this that he began questioning how he could help students/others accomplish their dreams. Tommy Burnett, a student, came to him wanting to join his academic team but also with a dream to work on the Star War's films. By creating a virtual reality course at Carnegie Mellon University, he helped Tommy and many other students reach their childhood dream.

Our students have dreams! It's our job as teachers to help them realize their dreams and help them strive to meet their dreams. It might be something as small as making a B in math, when they had barely passed the previous year. It might be getting accepted into an Ivy League college. Whatever their dream is, we need to help them figure out what they are. We need to emphasize the importance of trying to make these dreams come true. We also need to explain that all dreams may not be met, but show them how they can learn from what they don't reach.

But just having dreams aren't enough....What else can we do as parents, teachers, and mentors?

Where to Place the Bar (to strive to reach)

After his first project that he assigned his students, the students came back with work that was so excellent that Mr. Pausch had know idea of what to do next. He received work that was beyond his expectations, and he consulted his mentor about what to do next. He decided not to set a bar - there are no bars for the greatest expectations. They ended up putting on a show at the end of each year of all their work. It became an extremely popular class and gave the students a sense of pride and excitement.

Kids can do amazing things, and they often don't know their potential. Never allow them to think that mediocrity or just reaching the bar is enough. Extra Credit? Yes, it's extra points, but what else can they learn from doing an extra assignment, reading a book that supplements a lesson, etc. Show them the way to realize that this benefits them too.

But what else can we do?

The Dream Fulfillment Factory

Through teamwork and hard work, Randy and a colleague created Alice. It was a way of teaching children a concept through something fun and creative - they were creating games and movies but secretly learning to do computer programing. He calls this a headfake.

A good example of a way that we can help them learn a lesson in the classroom through something fun is a topic we have already discussed in EDM310, Peer Editing. Yes, it is a way for their writing to improve and they are completing an assignment, but they are also learning new ideas from other students, they are learning that other peoples' opinions do matter, and they are also learning what they can do to be a better student.

Is that enough? No.

Lessons Learned: Roles of Parents, Teachers, Mentors, and Students

If your kids wants to paint their bedroom, let them. Don't worry about resale value of the house. -Randy Pausch

We should leave a legacy for them. It's not enough to just give them a lecture, give them an assignment and hand them a red-inked grade. Why did we do it? Why is it important to us? Did we let them know their work meets the requirements but they can do better? Did we help them realize their dreams? Did we do EVERYTHING we could to help them reach their goals? Did we set a good example for them to follow?

These are all questions we should ask ourselves as parents, teachers, and mentors. If we aren't answering these questions with a positive response, then we aren't doing our job - it is OUR job.

I listened to Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams while driving to class on Monday, and I had a blow-out on the i110 bridge in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was one of the scariest accidents that I have ever had. I finished the lecture on my way home that night, and the irony of the whole thing is that I know I am not doing what I can as a parent and a teacher. I plan to take his words to heart and use them everyday.

For more information on Randy, please take a look at Randy'sLecture.

And you can also find more information about how to support the Randy Memorial Bridge at Randy'sMemorialBridge.