Making more time - yeah!!!
I thought computers were suppose to make our lives easier because we could do more faster and more effient! How did that work out?
We just do more with our time.
As a type A person I find I'm always tweaking every aspect of my life. I just can't leave well enough alone.
I know they say if it's not broken leave it alone but I just can't. Gotta open the envelope to see whats inside.
I also keep a notepad for quick notes about new text edition changes. I especially like to jot down new analogies that may pop into my mind as I teach, so that I can use them the next term.
We are always updating our courses and classes. I find myself tweeking the class syllabus and lesson plans to reflect the new changes. Without change we tend to become complacent and unoriginal. I enjoy the fact that things change.
I used to say I am computer illerterate. I had very little experience. I now say i am learning more about computers. That speaking alone helped me. Now I do alot of computer work. I want to learn more about the programs and am looking into taking computer classes. They are useful in my job but it is time consuming when you don't understand how they work. I am headed in the right direction!
I feel we waste so much time with paper work and computers. Here we fill forms out then have to enter it in the computer, "Double Charting." Computers are to help speed the process so why do we still have to paper chart along with it.
No. In fact making change is dynamic and necessary ffor good instruction. keep looking to do that.
So glad to hear you were able to make the changes you needed to get back to your life Pamela. So many instructors have had similar experiences with work stressors. They do tend to start creeping up on us. Like frogs in hot water, we often don't see how much they are taking over our lives. I'm glad to know you were able to take a step back and make some changes for the best!
I know what you mean, I am that way also. One day I realized that I was not only spending all of my time at work "working", but I was also grading, contacting students, and tweaking even on the weekends. Meaning that outside of work, I had no life. It took a simple decision and the determination to follow through to just walk away from the work at least one day on the weekend and have some fun.
Computers and whatever applications that it has, certainly are tools to ensure that we do our work more productively. However, it has become the norm as we are working more and more with documents developed from such. Perhaps what we see is that there is a lot to work with and we tend to get distracted by having to be almost perfectionists when we start using a tool such as the computer?
These are great points Bruce. Technology can really enhance the learning experience if we only understand the best ways to leverage it. Some instructors are still learning though. Learning requires a time investment. The payoff is big, but we've got to take the time to get there.
I believe utilizing modern tech to enhance the learning experience and enhance your teaching abilities is important. However, if you utilize modern tech and are too anal retentive on the information offered, it can and will hinder and or slow you down.
I find that by utilizing what I'm proficient at in terms of modern tech and utilizing those strong points, I in turn, help myself and advance the students progression in the classroom. In addition, technology can only help you maximize your potential and save time, if you‘re more than acclimated to and with its use.
Thanks for sharing James! The notepad technique works well for me as well. It's not always necessary to use the latest technology when we want to make more time. Simple tools can make a big difference.
Computers are only a tool. They will do the work that is demanded of them. To save time, you must not only have knowledge of the hardware/software you are using but spend time in advance and pick out the items that you will need most. What I find that works best is to keep a note pad around and write down activities/lectures/etc that took more or less time than expected and make small adjustments rather than overhauling all of my previously done work. Some things will take more or less time depending on the group being instructed, so refinement will be a constant but is a much better option than scrapping and re-doing a class everytime that it approches.
No, I each course we teach is continually being improved apon as we gain more and new information.
I think I waste so much time re-doing. Sometimes I change lesson plans, re-doing class materials- manuals and powerpoints only to later change things back to the original. I guess it is good to try new things, but will my course materials ever be completed?
