Blog Post

My Unfinished Work

Michael Puckett • December 16, 2018

During my graduate studies at Purdue University, I had the opportunity to research learning design theories and formulate my own understanding of human learning theory and more importantly, how learning is applied in the real world. Much like the Unfinished Block P sculpture on the Purdue campus, my portfolio is also an unfinished work. 

What you will notice in my learning designs is that they are heavily influenced by constructivist, situated learning, and multimedia learning design principles which have shaped and molded my understanding of cognitive learning strategies. This is especially true for students who learn best by hands-on learning in real-world scenarios and encouraging environments.

One of my favorite spots on the Purdue campus is the Unfinished Block P sculpture. There are many beautiful spots on the campus but what I find especially meaningful for me is the symbolism found in that we are also unfinished works. God has a plan for each and everyone of us.

Be Steadfast

Statue Inscription

This sculpture serves as a reminder that even after graduating from Purdue, our experience is not over. Rather, we carry through life our numerous memories, friendships, lessons learned, and skills acquired. This sculpture encourages all Purdue students, alumni, and friends to treasure all that Purdue has blessed us with and to keep the Purdue experience close at heart, not only for ourselves but for all that we loved here and for all those students who, for various reasons, did not get the opportunity to complete the Purdue experience. In essence, the real Purdue is not simply the physical facility or the location of the University but the cumulative and lasting impact and wonder of our interactions with faculty, staff, other students, and all the events that occur during our time together.

Once a part of the experience, we are all together eternally Purdue.

Reference:

The Unfinished Block P. (2018, Sept 10). Statue Inscription. Retrieved from: http://www.purdueblockp.com/statue/inscription/.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you hope and a future."
~ Jeremiah 29:11

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A Force for Change and We Persevere

By Michael Puckett • April 30, 2020
Team, Sponsors, and Supporters, Just a quick note to say hello and check-in. I hope this post finds you well and everyone is practicing good social distancing as we battle on for the next few months. We are doing well and staying busy. My family is enjoying the time together catching up on projects and things around the house. I have also been busy cleaning up my robotics garage and organizing parts for next season. I have a few updates to share in case you are not receiving the updates from FIRST. On Saturday, May 2nd at 9 am CST, FIRST is hosting a virtual event called FIRST RISE Rewind and Force for Change. Please visit this website to learn more: https://www.firstchampionship.org/first-rise-rewind and tune in that day for a fun virtual event showcase of teams and their robots. We are also working on a highlight video of our amazing season demonstrating TRC's accomplishments this past year and our Force for Change impact in the Middle Tennessee community. Here are a few words of encouragement. I know things may be uncertain and at times, a bit chaotic right now. Our robotics season certainly ended sooner than we anticipated and upended all of our plans we worked so hard to achieve. I encourage you to focus on what you can control and pick one thing you can do each day to keep improving your engineering and design skills. For me, I have been focused on learning how to use Fusion 360 (the videos are free and very good) and 3D printing parts to our Rover. Dylan and I are still working on our new Perseverance Rover when we have time. I also completed a video below for Ben's alumni presentation. I wish we could have all been together when we recognized Ben as our first FIRST Alumni member. Feel free to share what you've been up to and how I might be able to help. I took this photo in the garage last night as I was waiting for a print job to complete. I found it encouraging to me that no matter how dark and chaotic the world may appear at times, it can never extinguish the light of hope and the anticipation for a brighter tomorrow. Pray daily, stand up straight, be a force for change, and always persevere!  Coach Mike

The Obstacle is the Way

By Michael Puckett • April 30, 2020
This blog post is about forging something new. We should invest in learning new skills, sharpening old ones and forge new habits to learn and grow. When this storm has passed, you will have the opportunity to build something new again and we will need all the help we can get. Personally, I have decided to work on my programming skills by learning more about JavaScript. I am reading two books which are really good at teaching fundamentals and providing hands-on learning activities which I prefer. The two books are Eloquent JavaScript by M. Haverbeke and Head First JavaScript Programming by E. Freeman and E. Robson. The book covers and links are listed on my Resources page. I have also decided to learn more about Multimedia Learning Theory and Cognitive strategies using two books by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer to enhance my learning through E-Learning and Multimedia. I think my next post will be about that so watch this space. Lastly, I am spending some quality time with my family learning new skills such as 3D Printing and Designing Cookie Cutters for my wife's allergy-friendly bakery Dylicious Cakes business. I'm also learning about Python programming and Linux OS using a Raspberry Pi for a new Mars Perseverance rover we are building together. The key is to stay busy and try to do one thing positive and constructive each day. Stay safe and Be Steadfast!
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