Freshman Inquiry Final Bridge Test from Alex Witherspoon on Vimeo.

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Portland State University - Freshman Inquiry Final Bridge Test

Create a bridge to hold 20lbs pass/fail format. Enjoy!

Hello Professor XXXXXX,

I am writing to check what homework was assigned on XX, of October, 2008. I was absent due to illness with doctors note.

Thank you,
XXXXX XXXXXXXX

Such was an email sent by a student recently, and similar ones in times past to several Portland State University Professors by many of the student body. The response has been unanimous across the board, that they are “…not paid enough to respond to emails.” These refusals to use email are generally vocal in a harsh manner towards the student, and often occur during class in front of the entire class. This is an interesting dilemma, as in each instance the students who were missing with doctor’s note, and some without are equally penalized and not given assignment information without having to aggressively prod a teacher multiple times for said information.

This problem is multifaceted, in that the teachers are indeed not paid enough, and they are also indeed not doing their jobs proficiently enough. It is a well known fact within University that integration with digital classroom tools such as BlackBoard, Moodle and other derivatives is lacking. While most schools now feature the services, use of the services is limited, and often is not in an effective manner rendering the tools useless. In this condition classes are literally divided in that some homework is posted online while other homework is mentioned offhandedly in class. This polarity of information leaves large margins for error, even for the dedicated student.

Training for teachers has been a top priority for technology staff across the nation as online education components have revolutionized the teaching field. Remote education, better education planning, and instant feedback systems have propelled students into a new era of learning, but has also in many instances left behind the teachers.

Many factors contribute to teacher salary, but email is a simple logistical tool that must be implemented independent of salary. It is clear that student success is directly linked to the communication skills between the teacher and student. 101 level communications courses would tell you that the most important thing to communication is communicating on a medium that the intended target will be able to use and understand. In the modern age of digital communications it is common for persons to use email as such a universal medium as it is direct, recorded, and efficient. If professors are too poor or busy (working a second job?) to write email, in a college setting we the consumers, the students, must also question what else they are too poor to do.

It is into the school year, and tests are aplenty. I am slowly getting to a stable condition in which I can start producing PodCasts with a consistent rhythm. After finally getting a chance to work on some issues with video delivery, and a new beneficial agreement between an up and coming video producer a streaming server has been created. Old PodCasts have largely been archived, and while I know they are not my best work, I can promise you a new and refreshed look. PodCasts will now come in full High Definition Splendor while maintaining the free nature of the PodCasts. A schedule is being ironed out, but I am expecting a weekly in depth show from about 10-15 minutes long covering the following possible topics.

• Personal Happenings
• Quick Important News
• Funny recommended Videos Online
• Computer Tips
• Reviews of upcoming Technology
• Special Events as they occur, such as but not limited to Christmas, AlexWitherspoon.com Day, Woot-Offs and other things I deem important.

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Class Assignment begins Bellow
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My Reaction:

It is something humans do, we do it out of ease, we catalog. People are often watching and trying to make sense of the complicated and adverse interactions of other human beings and how they interact with the world . These interactions are best categorized by simply putting people into simple sections, organizing them into easy little containers. This brings about stereotyping, a natural method of the mind attempting to make sense of the world.

As I watched “A Class Divided” for the first time, I was compelled to see this exercise to its completion. Young people are without the knowledge and grounded beliefs to think they know or have the concept of knowing. In the short documentary “A Class divided” a group of third graders were told that they were fundamentally different based on eye color and that these differences were going to make a difference in how they responded and reacted to the people around them. The fact is that in a moment the teacher instilled into them a set of beliefs they took to be so sincere and true, they were left with no option but to trust and react to them. She instilled in these children in 15 minutes the simple concepts of racism, and then gave the meaning power, giving a chance for each set of children both the ‘blue eyes’ and the ‘brown eyes’ to have their chance at acting as if they were both victims and the people acting out the stereotype. This was a coarse method and it was harsh on such a young set of people, who had no chance to reconcile these ideas against their own, but as a society we do value the direction this teaching pushed on the children.

As I was watching the method to the madness I was impressed with the results, but most importantly I found from the video that these children were allowed to feel power, and from this they increased their potential in the classroom. It seemed the change of perspective was the most important component in this experiment, by allowing the students to know more was possible for them. To rise above others though always comes at a cost which was apparent as I watched the children fight with one another, and dissolve into what we witness today in society,