Randy Pausch was a truly inspirational person. His last lecture, like all his lectures, was full of wonderful advice and motivation to be a better person. This lecture dealt a lot with his processes of achieving his childhood dreams but more importantly it was about helping to enable the dreams of others. He worked very hard and was determined to achieve his goals. He never gave up. He talked about hitting a brick wall in his journeys to success. To him, that brick wall is there to show us how badly we want something and how hard we are willing to work to get it. So many people, me included, have simply given up when an obstacle presents itself. Randy Pausch always refused to give up and it paid off tremendously for him. He was living proof of what you can achieve through hard work, determination, and dedication.
Randy was an amazing teacher. He talked a lot about "head-fakes". He explained this as the process of learning indirectly. He was able to teach certain things without the students realizing what they were learning. One way he did this was through something he called, "edutainment". He used fun and entertaining methods to teach his students and others. He taught his students how to focus on people and work in groups. He also used peer feedback to help his students see ways they could improve themselves and the ways they worked with others. His course was about bonding and working together to achieve goals. One very important lesson I learned from him was to always raise the bar with your students. Even if they do an amazing job, always tell them they can do better. Teachers should never put a limit on a student's potential. Students should be constantly encouraged to keep working hard and grow and learn.
Randy Pausch was a firm believer in karma. He believed if you work hard and do things right then good things will always find a way to come into your life. Every teacher and person can learn a lot from the teachings of Randy Pausch. Even while facing death, he believed in living every day to the fullest, staying positive, and most importantly having fun. Teaching and learning shouldn't be boring, monotonous activities. They should be looked forward to and fun for all involved. Randy Pausch was a perfect example of the idea that good things will come to good people. You have to work hard and be patient sometimes, but your hard work and dedication will certainly pay off in the long run. I was truly inspired by this lecture and will carry what I have learned from Randy Pausch with me into my future teaching career and my life.
Hello Kate,
ReplyDeleteYour blog was really good and well written. We both had the same views on Randy Pausch which made your blog very enjoyable to read. I liked how Randy Pausch lived all of his days to the fullest. He was battling something that many of us will never expirience in our lives. Even though he was going though a difficult time on the inside, he never let that show on the outside, which really inspired me. I also liked how you chose to use his brickwall picture because there is such a big meaning to such a simple picture. I feel like I learned a lot from the messages from Randy Pausch that we've watched in this class and it's always great to see that others feel the same way.
Well, continue to keep up the good work!
Late.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found the video useful. It is a powerful statement.