Life is good (reaction to class on 9-17-08)

I never do anything the easy way. Often times, the "easy way" to solve a problem or accomplish a task doesn't even occur to me until long after the task has been accomplished, or the problem has been solved. My solutions always make sens in my head, however, they don't always work as planned.

When Dr Smidt asked me to give a presentation on Picasa, I accepted without hesitation. I actually LIKE getting up in front of groups, and Picasa is a program I'm so familiar with that I knew I wouldn't get nervous as easily.

In preparation for class, I reviewed in my head what I would talk about, which features I would show, and how best I could show my class how to use it. But something didn't feel right about it. It seemed too bland. Too.... easy.

While I was thinking about other things a few nights before class, I began to imagine what it would be like to be a student with ZERO English skills in an ESL/ESOL setting, trying to learn whatever the teacher was trying to teach. Then it hit me. I could find out first hand, and in the process, I could teach the class how to use Picasa.

Would it be hard? Yes.

Would the students be very confused and wonder what I was doing? You bet.

Would rabid alien monkeys with rocket packs laser guns from outer space descend upon the classroom and hold us hostage for a ten-billion-dollar ransom? Most likely not. But they might.

I decided to do it anyway.

Esther told me it would have been a little bit more effective for me to tell the class what I was doing and why. While I was presenting, I briefly explained that I was trying to mimic an ESL classroom setting, except in Spanish, not in English. In hindsight, it probably would have been easier on the class if I had explained beforehand what I was doing. But it was a LOT of fun, at least for me. I hope the other students enjoyed it too.

After my presentation, I had a chance to discuss with Yosuke his experiences with technology in a classroom setting. I've never taught in a classroom before, so it was fascinating to hear his experiences in a setting and culture unfamiliar to me. In Japan, he was expected to monitor students while a computer "taught" them TOEFL techniques. He felt more like a babysitter than a teacher, which frustrates me a little. I don't think that computers should replace teachers, I think they should help teachers.

And that's all I have to say about that.