Yes, I love technology

This semester I’ve been recording the lectures in my literary studies course and uploading them on to the course webpages, although I’m not certain that they’re being widely listened to.

What I’ve noticed, however, is an immediate effect on the way I actually teach the class, in that recording it means I electively censor an element that’s been a feature of my lecturing style till now.

This element I would call out-of-control flippancy. (Trust me, it works well when you daily push texts that are heavy with gravitas.) I’ve reasoned that this isn’t a bad thing: jokes tend to be quite culturally-specific and there are more international students in my class this year, whom I don’t want to exclude.

The curious thing is, however, that with the toning down of the frequency of jokes, the ones who are still laughing are my international students. In fact, one of my Chinese students regularly has to hold her jacket over the lower half of her face to obscure the volume of her giggling. (And yep, I’m sure she’s laughing with me, not at me.)