Welcome to the Kufundisha blog!
This first posting is to declare my intentions, to let you know what I intend to do with the Kufundisha blog. I’ll get to the good stuff next week.
You may be wondering about the name. “Kufundisha” is a Swahili word that means “to teach.” I liked the way it sounded — kind of light and fun. It also means exactly what I intend to talk about in these blogs: teaching and learning, how to teach even better, how to reach students more effectively, how to engage your learners.
I’ve spent my entire career in the technology business. I’ve worked in a hospital lab, drawing blood and running blood tests and programming a computer to do that. I’ve worked in manufacturing, writing software to track parts and process orders. I’ve implemented big software systems. Everywhere I went, it seemed like I was also teaching in one way or another. I ended up writing software for companies like General Motors and Saab. I’ve worked in 13 different countries on four continents. I’ve also developed workshops and training for everything from Saturn and Ford to the US Army to small non-profits. More recently I’ve been working with small colleges and universities through the LAMP Learning Consortium, helping them pivot to more technology-enabled teaching. So I’m very comfortable in both the academic and non-academic educational worlds.
To be clear, my perspective is distinctly two-fold. I’m kind of like the old Roman god Janus — facing two directions at the same time. I believe strongly in teaching — if I have been blessed with any skill at all, it is to be a teacher. But I also believe strongly in the value of technology to enhance teaching. So that’s what these Kufundisha blogs will be about — the intersection of teaching and technology. Are you ready to join me?
I know times are difficult right now, which is why I’m launching this blog. I want to help with insights, recommendations, and plain talk. I hope to conduct the occasional interview so that you can hear from other intelligent people. Who knows, we may even take a field trip together occasionally. We’re all struggling a bit right now, but I believe in you. You can do this!