Blog Post #7 Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

     I am glad that we were required to watch this video.  Not only was it very educational but it is very moving.  To me this entire speech is geared, as he says at the end, to his children.  With this video he is able to leave a legacy that his family can look back on.  He also gives several examples of how to run a class or a certain subject area in a school.  If administrators were to allow a class to be run in the manner that Mr. Pausch suggests, I feel that they would see a big difference in the students, the teachers, and overall grades and accomplishments of the students.
     One of the concepts that Pausch used in his class was that there were no books.  Now this is a strange concept to most teachers and administrators.  How are you going to teach without a textbook?  Well there are more interactive ways that a subject can be taught than with just a book.  Computers can make a big difference in the classroom.  iPads, iTouchs, and other electronic devices can be used to make a class more interactive.  When a classroom is interactive it means not only do the students collaborate with each other but with students all over the world.  Not only will they learn the information that is required they will go above and beyond.  They will learn interpersonal skills that will help them their entire life.
     Another point that Mr. Pausch brought out was that his class had no curriculum.  What were the students suppose to do?  Well what ever they wanted as long as it was not profane nor pornographic.  Not very many parameters for a group of students but apparently it worked.  In a regular class such as History how could this be made to work?  First it is a history class so everything done in that class will pertain to history.  Now that you have the perimeters set the students loose and be their guide through the world of independent and group learning.  Let the students choose the topics to be covered.  If the students have a say in what they are learning they are much more likely to take an interest in the class and therefore put forth the effort to get the assignments done.
      Just a few changes in the way curriculum is approached could make a huge difference in the results that schools get.  Students need to have motivation to learn and what better way to motivate them than by asking what they want to learn.  I believe that all students must learn the basics such as reading , math, and language skills.  I also feel that history, science and the arts are just as important.  But all of these subjects can be taught in a way that gives the students a leg up.  Schools need to be finding ways to capture the attention of their students and create a learning environment that would make the children want to come to school and want to do the work that is involved in their classes.  When schools start to make the changes that Mr. Pausch used in his class then they will see a much better success rate.