UC Berkeley Professor Smashes His Laptop in Front of Students to Make a Point About Expectations

Eric Paulos, an associate professor at UC Berkeley and friend of Laughing Squid made a dramatic impression upon the astonished students of his Critical Making class when he suddenly threw his laptop across the room, smashing it into pieces. Paulos was making a point about leaving expectations and proverbial baggage behind.

On the first day of my Critical Making class at UC Berkeley, I wanted to make a point about expectations – about expectations for this course and more importantly about leaving them behind as we enagage in the material and topics within Critical Making. Rather than say it or even show a slide, I unexpectedly and dramatically lifted “my” laptop and smashed it across the floor of the classroom.

I smashed “my” laptop on the first day of Critical Making class at UC Berkeley unexpectedly and dramatically https://t.co/P7GGiLMkXB

— Eric Paulos (@epaulos) January 29, 2018