So that's the interesting thing. The person doing this? It's in a freshman seminar, and they're all doing REALLY WELL. That's why it's so captivating to me—it isn't supposed to work based on everything we know, and yet, it is . . . (but also, there are handouts, there are visuals, but on paper)

Totally. That's why I'm thinking of this experiment in a very specific, not large course. So I can start to figure out what the "active components" of something like this might be, and can then figure out what can or can't be scaled up (if I were to ever recommend it to anyone other than me).

...about the difference between a classroom that has a no-tech policy (not what I want) and a classroom where the instructor explains the experiment they want to attempt and then works with the students to build a world where this experiment could succeed (which may or may not bring back tech). 2/2

And that's what would have kept me from letting my brain even consider this in the past.
But I'm realizing that attempting to remove tech doesn't mean I have to forget everything I know about UDL or building classroom trust or pivoting mid-semester when something doesn't work. I'm wondering... 1/2

I can get on board with this.

And a no-tech classroom seems like it could be, at least at this moment, the experiment in compassionate subtraction I'm looking for. It would require so much cutting out. So much making space. So much doing together instead of at home. And maybe we'd lose a lot with that, but maybe we wouldn't?/end

And to clarify, I'm not anti-AI or anti-tech, but I am anti-too-much.

And that's what it feels like these days. There's just too much coming at us from every direction, so we can't ever really sit and listen and grapple. We're just managing the onslaught and hoping tech tools will help.

I'm noticing I'm very drawn to the idea of trying this.😳

Because I keep finding myself in these spaces (like AI panic spaces) where my unplanned but frequent refrain is that we have to find what's magical about what we do here—the thing robots can't do—and we have to do as much of that as possible.

It was someone who learned all the tech tools, happily used them, & is now getting rid of them. Including powerpoint. Including showing anything on a projector. Including typing anything in class. It's all dialogue & doing with hands.

She reports it's best *feeling* class ever. And I am CAPTIVATED.

OMG, this is so very great. You are so cool.

I also decided a while ago that I was done with academic writing. Which was tested when I got the first round of comments on an ungrading essay I wrote a year ago. But I said, "nope, every word in there is there on purpose." And it worked!

As of now, I don't ever plan to leave academia BUT this piece still resonates cause I DID switch from full-time prof to full-time staff a few years ago, & at first, I was dazzled by all of the "pushes" I no longer dealt with. But you habituate to that, so you better have some "pulls" too!

Oh goodness, thanks for sharing!

Looks like I was right about the theme after all!!!

And another thing I’m realizing is not only is shouting with your “loud voice” a problem for auditory accessibility, but my current, no -ideally-functioning nervous system is having an anxiety reaction to people who choose to yell instead of use the mic. Which obviously makes it harder to learn.

I was sitting with my colleague @bryandoppel.bsky.social and we’ve already planned to add it to our Course (Re)Design Institute—every day, starting with us as panelists and moving it to faculty as panelists!

Haha, absolutely not. I honestly expect to be teary-eyed with joy about seeing all of you make joy for us.

I WILL BE THERE FRONT ROW.