Comments on: What is Your Biggest Teaching Challenge? http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/what-is-your-biggest-teaching-challenge/ I'm an interactive producer, I teach interactive / web design at Art Center College of Design and Santa Monica College, and I'm writing more & more. Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:09:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: jamie http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/what-is-your-biggest-teaching-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-14 jamie Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:40:43 +0000 http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/?p=296#comment-14 Absolutely! — teaching has definitely made me a better learner. Every time I teach a class I learn something new. The old adage about learning from your students is very true. Absolutely! — teaching has definitely made me a better learner. Every time I teach a class I learn something new. The old adage about learning from your students is very true.

]]> By: Geoff Blake http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/what-is-your-biggest-teaching-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Geoff Blake Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:25:39 +0000 http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/?p=296#comment-12 I absolutely agree, Jamie. And as Gina says, I have to constantly pull students back...I'm a huge fanatic of mastering the fundamentals. If you nail down the fundamentals (be it HTML, CSS...or really anything, even non-computer topics like basic guitar chords), then that serves as a foundation to build upon. And I've seen it a million times...the student wants to jump ahead and get into the interactivity, forms, thumbnail galleries or some other exciting topic, and they struggle. They struggle because they don't understand the foundational principles. Anyway, I could go on for hours. Now let me ask you this: Being a teacher, I've found that this has made me a much better learner (lightyears better than I was in school anyway). Have you found this as well? Cheers ~Geoff I absolutely agree, Jamie. And as Gina says, I have to constantly pull students back…I’m a huge fanatic of mastering the fundamentals. If you nail down the fundamentals (be it HTML, CSS…or really anything, even non-computer topics like basic guitar chords), then that serves as a foundation to build upon.

And I’ve seen it a million times…the student wants to jump ahead and get into the interactivity, forms, thumbnail galleries or some other exciting topic, and they struggle. They struggle because they don’t understand the foundational principles. Anyway, I could go on for hours. Now let me ask you this: Being a teacher, I’ve found that this has made me a much better learner (lightyears better than I was in school anyway). Have you found this as well? Cheers ~Geoff

]]> By: Gina http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/what-is-your-biggest-teaching-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Gina Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:31:05 +0000 http://www.jamiecavanaugh.com/?p=296#comment-9 I agree, I have that same challenge. I teach basic scripting, starting with xHTML, CSS and JavaScript, then move on to using Dreamweaver to create more sophisticated sites. But students right away want to know how to create elaborate designs, not realizing those are created in Flash (and take a lot of work). I am happy they are so eager to create but I have to pull them back a lot to start simple. There is a whole article I read on this topic, of people thinking things are easy, not realizing the amount of work that goes into it. Something about the latest generation and their skewed perception about technology. Sadly, I can't remember what the article was called. If I find it, I'll let you know. I agree, I have that same challenge. I teach basic scripting, starting with xHTML, CSS and JavaScript, then move on to using Dreamweaver to create more sophisticated sites. But students right away want to know how to create elaborate designs, not realizing those are created in Flash (and take a lot of work). I am happy they are so eager to create but I have to pull them back a lot to start simple.
There is a whole article I read on this topic, of people thinking things are easy, not realizing the amount of work that goes into it. Something about the latest generation and their skewed perception about technology. Sadly, I can’t remember what the article was called. If I find it, I’ll let you know.

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