Done pondering. Here's my musings.
Seems like everyone has finished their final assignment of writing about what they've learnt throughout the course. Well, I'm not graded, so I have the excuse not to do it, well at least in time. Then again, I was overwhelmed with so much work.
Anyway, after much pondering and thinking, I've finally decided what I wanted to write.
I looked back at my first entry to remind myself why I agreed to be one of the tutors for this course. The main reason, was for the experience.
What I didn't specify, was of course, what kind of experience. Contrary to popular belief, it's not for teaching experience. Being a tutor for a group of highly motivated and purposeful university students isn't exactly helpful to deal with teenagers. Rather, I did it for the CS3216 experience.
It's hard to locate or describe exactly what is the "CS3216 experience". Cause every year, it's different. And in each year, it is different for everyone. And for each person, I'm quite sure what you think it is at the end of the course is quite different from what you thought it would be before the start of the course.
When I joined CS3216 in 2008, I planned for it to be a course that pushed me into web programming. How naive. I remained firmly stuck as a designer for all my projects, so much so that I swore off Illustrator until I needed to use it to illustrate diagrams for teaching notes in July'08. As you can see, my web programming skills is still worse than a noob.
Although my CS3216 experience in 2008 is not what I planned for it to be, it was definitely better. I met great people who became great friends, who never fail to wow me constantly. I may have been stuck as a designer, but I learnt how to communicate design issues, or get others to communicate design demands. I didn't progress to a noob for web programming, but I did level up for my design and team management aspect.
Fast forward to end of 2009, I agreed to be the tutor of the course not knowing what I could contribute. Design? Got Su Yuen already. Web Programming? Siao ah. Frankly, the only reason why I said 'yes' was to go through the CS3216 experience for one last time. I just wanted to leech the energy and passion of the people that is put together for the course, to have the experience once more. Can't do anything, go there and leech, wah get paid some more. Good deal sia!
But well, life is not always as we planned. I was arrowed to do stuff also. The presentation thing? It wasn't planned at all, until I opened my big mouth to critique some ideas Prof Ben have about the application seminar. I was also arrowed to nag, and I've never nag so much over emails in my life. If I turn into an auntie, I have only Prof Ben to thank *rolls eyes*. And the leeching? It's way more than I expected. The dynamism, the passion, the synergy, the bonds, the *insert management jargon*, it brims over like a pot of boiled-over rice during Pongal. And the sincerity and genuity in the projects - it's infectious.
To say that I've taught something is a gross over-statement. What I did was just to share. And what I've shared, is nothing compared to what others in the course have shared, for I've learnt a lot more from them than what I have for them to learn. I wanted an experience to just have some fun and be energise. In the end, I got much more than that.
In every final entry, everyone had a list of things they've learnt from the course. I too, have a list of skills that I learnt. But I like to be different (Prof Ben can attest to that. Ask him about my final project report and statement to join CS3216). Base on my experience, I would say that, ultimately, among the long list of what's written, only one or two of them will remain in your heart, which you'll carry it for life and share with your kids. Why so? Cause they are the life lessons that you hold true to.
After all my lor-lee-lor-sor beating-around-the -bush, here's the life lesson I've hold true to, which my experiences in CS3216 made me realise and validated it. The life lesson, is like what Steve Jobs had said in his speech at Standford: "you can't connect the dots when you look forward, only when you look back"
There are times I got what I wanted. There are times I have to try it for a few times. There are times where I tried all I could, but just couldn't get what I wanted. But anyhow, I made the best out of it and when I look back, do I realise how the dots connected. In many ways, it made me glad that I didn't get what I wanted, for what I got was much better.
There are many instances in my life that happened (some are here, but for full details, ask me online lah!). In fact, some of the dots took 5 years to connect. In the case of CS3216, I didn't plan to be stuck as a designer for all my projects. But I did, and it honed my communication skills related to design. Believe it or not, but that experience had a spill-over effect on how I prepare my lessons. I didn't plan to be a tutor about presentation issues. But the arrow came and it made me consolidate my thoughts about presentations in preparation for the workshop. Believe it or not, but it has a spill-over effect on how I should communicate with my students, be it in the classroom or outside of it.
I'm not saying that we should be fatalistic. I do subscribe to the "Brickwalls are there to show how much you want it" school of thought. But sometimes, the brickwalls are the linings of a well that we've fallen into. It's not favourable, it's not what we plan for it to be, but it's how we make use of whatever that's in it, and our time in it, to emerge out of it stronger and better, and thankful for that episode in the well.
It's quite surreal, kinda like "How I Met your Mother", when you see the dots connect (Gosh do I sound old). Like the theme of the sitcom, it's like every step you take aligns you slowly to the right place at the right time.
It is quite heartwarming to read the entries about how CS3216 changed your life (credits to the evil prof). But what I hope is that taking CS3216 is not just a results of other dots connecting to it. Rather, CS3216 is a dot in your life that goes on to connect to other dots, that make other dots in your life purposeful.
It's not enough to allow the course to change your life, or meet people that change your life. Rather, it should be the one, along with the other dots, that cause you to change others'.
Anyway, after much pondering and thinking, I've finally decided what I wanted to write.
I looked back at my first entry to remind myself why I agreed to be one of the tutors for this course. The main reason, was for the experience.
What I didn't specify, was of course, what kind of experience. Contrary to popular belief, it's not for teaching experience. Being a tutor for a group of highly motivated and purposeful university students isn't exactly helpful to deal with teenagers. Rather, I did it for the CS3216 experience.
It's hard to locate or describe exactly what is the "CS3216 experience". Cause every year, it's different. And in each year, it is different for everyone. And for each person, I'm quite sure what you think it is at the end of the course is quite different from what you thought it would be before the start of the course.
When I joined CS3216 in 2008, I planned for it to be a course that pushed me into web programming. How naive. I remained firmly stuck as a designer for all my projects, so much so that I swore off Illustrator until I needed to use it to illustrate diagrams for teaching notes in July'08. As you can see, my web programming skills is still worse than a noob.
Although my CS3216 experience in 2008 is not what I planned for it to be, it was definitely better. I met great people who became great friends, who never fail to wow me constantly. I may have been stuck as a designer, but I learnt how to communicate design issues, or get others to communicate design demands. I didn't progress to a noob for web programming, but I did level up for my design and team management aspect.
Fast forward to end of 2009, I agreed to be the tutor of the course not knowing what I could contribute. Design? Got Su Yuen already. Web Programming? Siao ah. Frankly, the only reason why I said 'yes' was to go through the CS3216 experience for one last time. I just wanted to leech the energy and passion of the people that is put together for the course, to have the experience once more. Can't do anything, go there and leech, wah get paid some more. Good deal sia!
But well, life is not always as we planned. I was arrowed to do stuff also. The presentation thing? It wasn't planned at all, until I opened my big mouth to critique some ideas Prof Ben have about the application seminar. I was also arrowed to nag, and I've never nag so much over emails in my life. If I turn into an auntie, I have only Prof Ben to thank *rolls eyes*. And the leeching? It's way more than I expected. The dynamism, the passion, the synergy, the bonds, the *insert management jargon*, it brims over like a pot of boiled-over rice during Pongal. And the sincerity and genuity in the projects - it's infectious.
To say that I've taught something is a gross over-statement. What I did was just to share. And what I've shared, is nothing compared to what others in the course have shared, for I've learnt a lot more from them than what I have for them to learn. I wanted an experience to just have some fun and be energise. In the end, I got much more than that.
In every final entry, everyone had a list of things they've learnt from the course. I too, have a list of skills that I learnt. But I like to be different (Prof Ben can attest to that. Ask him about my final project report and statement to join CS3216). Base on my experience, I would say that, ultimately, among the long list of what's written, only one or two of them will remain in your heart, which you'll carry it for life and share with your kids. Why so? Cause they are the life lessons that you hold true to.
After all my lor-lee-lor-sor beating-around-the -bush, here's the life lesson I've hold true to, which my experiences in CS3216 made me realise and validated it. The life lesson, is like what Steve Jobs had said in his speech at Standford: "you can't connect the dots when you look forward, only when you look back"
There are times I got what I wanted. There are times I have to try it for a few times. There are times where I tried all I could, but just couldn't get what I wanted. But anyhow, I made the best out of it and when I look back, do I realise how the dots connected. In many ways, it made me glad that I didn't get what I wanted, for what I got was much better.
There are many instances in my life that happened (some are here, but for full details, ask me online lah!). In fact, some of the dots took 5 years to connect. In the case of CS3216, I didn't plan to be stuck as a designer for all my projects. But I did, and it honed my communication skills related to design. Believe it or not, but that experience had a spill-over effect on how I prepare my lessons. I didn't plan to be a tutor about presentation issues. But the arrow came and it made me consolidate my thoughts about presentations in preparation for the workshop. Believe it or not, but it has a spill-over effect on how I should communicate with my students, be it in the classroom or outside of it.
I'm not saying that we should be fatalistic. I do subscribe to the "Brickwalls are there to show how much you want it" school of thought. But sometimes, the brickwalls are the linings of a well that we've fallen into. It's not favourable, it's not what we plan for it to be, but it's how we make use of whatever that's in it, and our time in it, to emerge out of it stronger and better, and thankful for that episode in the well.
It's quite surreal, kinda like "How I Met your Mother", when you see the dots connect (Gosh do I sound old). Like the theme of the sitcom, it's like every step you take aligns you slowly to the right place at the right time.
It is quite heartwarming to read the entries about how CS3216 changed your life (credits to the evil prof). But what I hope is that taking CS3216 is not just a results of other dots connecting to it. Rather, CS3216 is a dot in your life that goes on to connect to other dots, that make other dots in your life purposeful.
It's not enough to allow the course to change your life, or meet people that change your life. Rather, it should be the one, along with the other dots, that cause you to change others'.
posted by mr luo at
08:43
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