Blog Post 7

"The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" -Randy Pausch
This lecture is by far my most favorite lecture to date! The video is a little over an hour long, and it is well worth every minute spent watching. I would recommend it to anyone! If you have a little free time, watch it!  You'll take a lot away from it and be touched in more ways than one!

Spoiler Alert! 

"The Last Lecture" is by Randy Pausch. Just for a little background information, Dr. Pausch taught computer science and worked for Carnegie Mellon Univeristy, where he instructed a class based on virtual reality (the first of its kind). He titled his lecture "The Last Lecture" because normally it is the last lecture you would give before you die. Dr. Pausch had been diagnosed with liver cancer. He quotes, "We cannot change the cards we are delt." I loved his attitude and high spirits; he did not want anyones' pity. He knew he had a purpose. 

Dr. Pausch begins the lecture by letting us know, his wife and kids are more important than dreams. I really like that because family is such an important part of my life.He then gives us a list of his childhood dreams:

• Being in Zero Gravity
• Playing in the NFL
• Authoring an Article in the World Book Encyclopedia
• Being Captain Kirk
• Winning Stuffed Animals
• Being a Disney Imaginer

I liked he began by telling us about his childhood dreams, along with different stories. It makes his lecture more relatable for his audience. When discussing his dreams, he talked about how he did not play in the NFL, but he did play for a great coach. He says Coach Graham rode his butt, but "When someone stops getting onto you, that means they've given up. Critics are the ones saying they still love you." I think it is important for educators to instill in our students that we believe in them. Dr. Pausch then brings in the idea of  "head fake" learning. When playing football, an 8 year old boy does not realize he is learning so much more than the game of football; he is also learning communication skills, teamwork, how to respect authority, developing better motor skills...etc. That is the idea of a "head fake." It is a sneaky method, but it works. 

Dr. Pausch then moves on to telling how he wanted to be an author for the World Book Encyclopedia. He says, "Guess you can tell the nerds early." He also shows a picture of encyclopedia books and states, "Freshman, this is paper; we had books!" I think humor was a huge part of Dr. Pausch's lecture. It keeps the mood light and also not as boring as someone standing an reading from the slides. He ends up writing an article about virtual reality for the World Book Encyclopedia. 

Dr. Pausch eventually gets to the story of him wanting to be a Disney Imaginer. He says you should have specific dreams, and there will be brick walls when trying to achieve them. "Brick walls are there for a reason; they let us prove how badly we want things." I know I have hit many brick walls in my time. They aren't there to stop you, but to make you work harder. That is another lesson important to teach kids. Dr. Pausch's application to the Disney Imaginer's was declined...the first time. 

He then moves into telling us about his class he taught about virtual reality (VR). I love that 50 students were randomly selected from all over campus. When you're put in a new environment with people you don't know and forced to work with them, I think you grow as a person. It makes you get out of your comfort zone. He shows videos of several "virtual words" the students in his class made. After each project, the students vote with how easy their partners were to work with and a bar graph was produced. This showed students where they stood, as in how well others can work with them. Things such as this teaches reflection, which might be one of the best things you can teach a student. I agree with Dr. Pausch that setting the bar in a big disservice to your students. "Walk in and tell them they've done a good job, but you know they can do better." Most student will work even harder the next time. I also like how the ETC Master's Degree is solely based on hands-on learning. Everything is done using technology, no paper. Dr. Pausch begins talking about the Alice Program, and at this time he places a Mad Hatter hat upon his head. The use of props keeps things interesting. He refers back to the "head fake" and says this method is what he uses when teaching the Alice Program. The students are learning computer programming skills that are difficult, but they do not realize it because they are having fun. I honestly believe when a student is having fun, they learn so much more because they do not feel like they are being forced to work. Wouldn't you be more willing to do something fun such as create a virtual world instead of learning computer programming? Essentially it is the same thing, but to the students, its different. 

Towards the end of the lecture, Dr. Pasch begins recognizing all of the people who have helped him along the way. He had so much respect for these people, even though he joked the majority of the time. I don't think we realize all of the people that do help us to get to where we are going. "Loyalty is a two-way street." That is so true. 

You may have realized the bold words throughout my post. These are some of the different methods used to teach throughout Dr. Pasch's lecture. He keeps things interesting by using the "head fake", props, videos, pictures, PowerPoint, animation, humor, changes in voice, stories, makes the lecture relatable, asks the audience questions, teaches using only technology (keeping up with the time), and he will literally drop on the floor and do push-ups to engage his audience. Last, but not least, did you know we were being "head faked" throughout the entire lecture?

1. The lecture is not really about your childhood dreams, it is about how to lead your life.

2. The lecture really was not made for us, it was made for his children. (This almost jerked a few tears from me.)

I really enjoyed this lecture. Again I will say, it was well worth the time spent! I really admire Dr. Pausch's attitude and think we all could learn something from this, even if it was mean't for his kids. He truly touched the world and has left behind an amazing legacy. 

Randy Pausch 1960-2008

"Luck is where hard work meets opportunity." 

-Randy Pausch