We all have those moments that inspire us to do great things with technology. Technology is everywhere and Google is a major part of our daily lives to remind us that online resources are constantly at our fingertips. As educators, we frequently look at how we can apply these tools in the classroom to engage our students. But where do we find motivation and inspiration?
Most of us gather inspiration and motivation by attending a conference to view 21st Century ideas and the latest tools to enhance teaching and learning. Recently, I participated in the MassCue Conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, saw some interesting presentations and listened to motivational speakers. It is a yearly gathering where networking and sharing resources offers some benefits.
But periodically, I visit the "Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" video, an inspiring presentation created by Randy Pausch. For those who don't know, Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science, human-computer interaction and design, at Carnegie Mellon University in PA. Yesterday, October 23rd, was his birthday, and he died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 47 from Pancreatic Cancer. His life, work and attitude towards motivating students to learn is remarkable, and looking at some of his programming tools, I can think of a number of ways to use his ideas with my students. I am happy to be teaching Intro to Programming Course Using JavaScript this year because it allows me to explore ways in which my students can design and problem solve, think creatively, and act logically to make a difference! Thank you Randy for the inspiration and motivation!
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