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A note from the bleeding edge

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 | jo paoletti

I may be a bit older than most of the campers — I used my first computer in 1969 and have been on the bleeding edge of the new technologies game since the late 70s, when I turned a box of IBM cards into a dissertation on men’s clothing. Lately I’ve been feeling cranky and burnt out, particularly after a wicked experience with a hybrid course last fall. I am looking forward to sucking up as much positive energy as possible during THATCamp, and wouldn’t be averse to sharing horror stories of others who have the sting of having innovation smack you backwards. I’m not looking to bitch; I want to figure out what went wrong and save myself some pain next time.

I live in the Maryland suburbs, near UMd and usually prefer public transit, but would be open to carpooling or just hitching a ride to GMU from the closest Metro station and back.

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2 Responses to “A note from the bleeding edge”

  1. Marjorie McLellan Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 8:24 am

    While you have a little of an edge age wise, unless you were using that computer in high school, I still remember those IBM cards. I’m interested in what can be done to minimize the pain as well. Although your stories are probably quite different, I think this is related to Mark’s call for discussion of sustainability and my own concern for definitions of scholarship.

  2. Jo Paoletti Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    I agree that this is related to sustainability. What we need to avoid is a constant cycle of burning enthusiasm followed by rapid burnout among innovators. I was at a meeting last month when a younger colleague expressed the “I don’t care if I am an Associate Professor forever, I’m doing what I love” mantra that was mine twenty years ago. Now I care, both about me and about those who follow me; it shouldn’t be that way. Some of the problems may be rooted in institutional discipline-based notions of scholarship, but until the Revolution comes, I also think we need to protect ourselves and our sanity. As to the age thing, the computer was in a class I took as a college sophomore (1969), and the IBM cards ten years later. Glad I qualified my guess with a “may be”.