Comments on: Freshman Seminar Reflections http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/ tales of swimming upstream Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:54:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Lyssa http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2659 Lyssa Sun, 26 Nov 2006 03:49:38 +0000 http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2659 My view on the backchanneling: Those of us who grew up with computers (I just bonded with my dad getting the DOS game Designasaurus II to work on my computer - I grew up with it) have an advantage and disadvantage over our predecessors. 1) We can multi-task better than the last generation. We just can. It's what we've been exposed to most of our lives. 2) We have no patience, and are attention-deficit. SO - the backchannel side conversations were inevitable. It's what we do. We have non-related conversations to keep our minds busy. In my opinion, our class is pre-occupied. We've put our FSEM on the back burner because, well, it's FSEM. It's personally my favorite class, but I don't devote half as much time as I should/want to because I've had other stuff going on in my life, i.e. Bat Boy and 7 other classes. BUT - if everyone was fully engaged in the class, then backchanneling would not be necessary because *we* would drive the conversation instead of letting you guys rule the roost. We've got more to say than we lead on. But don't tell anyone I said that. My view on the backchanneling: Those of us who grew up with computers (I just bonded with my dad getting the DOS game Designasaurus II to work on my computer - I grew up with it) have an advantage and disadvantage over our predecessors.

1) We can multi-task better than the last generation. We just can. It’s what we’ve been exposed to most of our lives.

2) We have no patience, and are attention-deficit.

SO - the backchannel side conversations were inevitable. It’s what we do. We have non-related conversations to keep our minds busy.

In my opinion, our class is pre-occupied. We’ve put our FSEM on the back burner because, well, it’s FSEM. It’s personally my favorite class, but I don’t devote half as much time as I should/want to because I’ve had other stuff going on in my life, i.e. Bat Boy and 7 other classes.

BUT - if everyone was fully engaged in the class, then backchanneling would not be necessary because *we* would drive the conversation instead of letting you guys rule the roost. We’ve got more to say than we lead on.

But don’t tell anyone I said that.

]]> By: Steve http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2340 Steve Thu, 09 Nov 2006 02:38:51 +0000 http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2340 The blogging definitely picked up around that time. It might have been the candy, but that was also the week when I persuaded a number of friends from around North America to leave a comment on one of my student's blogs. I gave each friend a different student. A couple days after I began this, as class began one student asked the group if anyone else had received comments from faculty members from other universities. Several said they had and there was a brief discussion of what might have prompted this. I said nothing. The blogging definitely picked up around that time. It might have been the candy, but that was also the week when I persuaded a number of friends from around North America to leave a comment on one of my student’s blogs. I gave each friend a different student. A couple days after I began this, as class began one student asked the group if anyone else had received comments from faculty members from other universities. Several said they had and there was a brief discussion of what might have prompted this. I said nothing.

]]> By: Gardner http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2336 Gardner Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:49:37 +0000 http://www.marthaburtis.net/wrapping/2006/11/08/freshman-seminar-reflections/#comment-2336 Great post. Extrinsic motivation has its place. (I'd say the candy primed the pump if it weren't such a terrible metaphor mashup.) It can be tricky to know when to stop, but I'm sure the candy (and--more importantly--your love of Halloween) is right in the sweet spot. Sorry; couldn't resist. Great post.

Extrinsic motivation has its place. (I’d say the candy primed the pump if it weren’t such a terrible metaphor mashup.) It can be tricky to know when to stop, but I’m sure the candy (and–more importantly–your love of Halloween) is right in the sweet spot.

Sorry; couldn’t resist.

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