I had seen a snippet of Gardner prior to this class.

He did a presentation at UMW and I found even then I was enraptured by the ideas he talked about.
Today though, I want a goddamn bag of gold.

One thing that made a big impact on me was his statement about the alphabet.
As an English major, I found the idea that language was created for the dead to speak extremely relevant and profound.

But as a future educator I think the idea that struck me the most was the emphasis on exploration and expression in order to enhance learning.  I have always said things similar to this.  I believe that a lot of faith can be put into youngsters being educated, which is why the question proposed at the end by an audience member made me a bit sad.  I don’t believe there is ever a moment in our lives in which we lose the ability to utilize our brain in new ways.  College is not too late by any means, professors and students alike still have that capacity so many deem lost forever.  My eighty year old grandmother uses facebook to communicate with her family, my dad has his ipad for all of his books, and even my technologically disinclined brother sends me e-mails to help him proofread his essays.

I will say though that this lifestyle is not for everyone.  Just as in days long gone there were those uninterested in the printing press, there are those that feel no pull to branch out on a digital limb.  And, for me at least, that’s okay.