College 2.0: No Lectures, But Plenty Of Podcasts, Blogs And Text Messages
from the lectures?--how-1.0-of-you dept
We've seen tons of stories these days about professors recording their lectures and posting them online for download, but one professor in the UK is going even further. He's getting rid of in-person lectures completely. Instead, he's only recording the lessons for students to download as podcasts or video. Students can then ask questions via email or text message, and the professor will respond on his blog. It's all very "2.0" of him. While some will say that this is a less personal approach to teaching, that might not really be true. What the professor noticed is that there's less benefit in large lectures for the students to actually be present. Instead, this way, he can focus on spending time with students in smaller groups, where he's actually focused on teaching, rather than just lecturing. Not surprisingly, in order to facilitate that, he also has a web-based schedule for students to see when he's free to meet.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Might work for intro courses
Advanced courses are still places of lively discussion, however. There's no substitute for that.
p.s. These articles make it seem as though everyone in college is using laptops to take notes, but it's not true. I was scared as hell when I came back to school after a 10-year hiatus, but it turned out almost nobody uses that stuff. Especially when writing down equations or diagrams, computers are useless.
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Re: Might work for intro courses
Those might help with typing equations. (LaTeX is teh kewl)
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Re: Re: Might work for intro courses
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hah.
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deja vu all over again
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Re: deja vu all over again
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Tablet PC
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Re: Tablet PC
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For example
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Re: For example
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Re: For example
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Re: Tablet PC
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Re: Re: Tablet PC
furthermore the college could take his lectures than fire him and claim them as government property. just like when a guy from yahoo made something and used it again (and he made it himself) and got sued by yahoo.
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Re: Tablet PC
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None of this is new
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Distance Ed teacher
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Re: Distance Ed teacher
Is it a class which requires discussion? Then it won't work with distance-ed, no matter how much you try to get the students involved with each other. They need to be there with each other, talking it over.
If it's the type of class which can be done by simply guiding them through the book, then distance-ed can be useful. It lets the students do things on their own schedule, and they can still communicate with each other if needed.
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Great idea
Sure there are drawbacks. There are drawbacks to in-person lectures. The only real problem I see anyone having with this is that is against the norm. To that I say, kudos.
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Hand waving psychology
On the other hand (snare roll).... having a lasting well recorded copy of the lecture has to be a boon for revision.
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Re: Hand waving psychology
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Re: Hand waving psychology
Personally unless the class is just filled with hot girls I don’t really want to be there, and if I can listen to the class a couple times or read it quietly to myself then awesome. Honestly the whole school system needs a lot of work and this would be a step forward.
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Re: Re: Hand waving psychology
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Re: Re: Hand waving psychology
It is often the simplest solution that is overlooked by people.
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Re: Hand waving psychology
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Student
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It works when proffs will still talk one on one
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E-learning 2.0
I agree with many of the comments that distance learning has positives and negatives. We are in the process of developing a breeze like module that will address some of these issues (e.g., the ability to read the prof's nonverbals). Many other companies are as well. I imagine e-learning will be pretty competitive/comparative with in class "brick and mortar" based learning in the next 5 or so years.
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online classes
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Vista Elearning 2.0
Students are able to comunicate easily with the professor and share documents with on the fly corrections and suggestions. This video show how to use the tablet pc to scribble equations that are then converted to text.
Higher Education 640x480
This page shows the higher education video and other fields:
Windows Vista Concept Videos
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Tablet PCs ARE like Paper
If I can write a handwritten note then why wouldn't it be able to write equations?? It lets you draw pictures and sketches so what's the difference?
If you know how to write an equation on paper then why couldn't you write it on a tablet pc???
I do not understand the confusion about this.
A tablet is like paper but electronic instead.
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Tablet PC demo
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.mspx
By the way, you only need the math program if you want your handwriting converted to math symbols.... regular text or writing software doesn't recognize the written symbols but since you like it handwritten anyway and can understand your own writing then why bother converting it anyway right?
You can't TYPE out your equations with a pen & pencil either.
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The way of the future
Now the professor is free to outdo himself or find productive things to do with his time. Likely many colleges will tend to overwhelm their professors in an inane fear of not getting their monies worth rather than intelligently cultivating a staff that performs well, but the good outweighs the bad.
I have had a number of online courses and I hope this grows. It is the wave of the future; a lecture you can barely hear or understand can now become a learning experience.
Now what about rights, the college paid for the professor's time, does the lecture follow the professor or does the lecture stay with the college? Interesting, lectures from a professor that passed away 20 years ago?
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Re: The way of the future
Under this traditional contract system, the school should not own the course unless a particular arrangement has been made to keep/compenate the facult member for the course. But, you say, didn't they pay the teacher to develop the course? Maybe.. maybe not. But even if they did, you get paid the same amount for a poorly developed course or a well-developed course. Over the long-run, a poorly done course could cost you in ratings and promotion, but over the course of a contract, it doesn't matter.
If I have the ingenuity to create a well-done distance coruse, I should be able to "market" that course and get paid for its repetition WITH or WITHOUT me. Academias obsession with the business model should applaud and reward such behavior!
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I'm working on an online degree
If you're a busy professional, stay at home mom, or someone just thinking about going back to school, consider an online university. I'm glad that I did.
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Tablet PC usage
Tablets would have no problem with formulas, etc.
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Re: Tablet PC usage
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Re: Re: Tablet PC usage
As someone above already said, writing on a tablet is just like writing on paper"
You have your pen. You have your screen. You write on the screen just like you would write on paper. It's that simple.
Yes it is capable, yes it works, because there is no handwriting recognition involved, it's just like writing on paper.
Converting the handwritten notes and equations into "type" may be a different story, but what is the point if you can read your own handwriting?
I don't know how to explain it any more succinctly, dorpus. When I say it's "just like" I actually, literally mean exactly that.
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My main point is that a tablet PC, even if it is advanced enough to understand the intricate equations I am writing, will tend to consume more of my attention than note-taking on paper. In class, I need to listen to the instructor as much as writing things down.
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Are there styluses that are 0.5 mm? I bet not, because it would 1. scratch the tablet, and 2. wear out quickly. By simple laws of mechanics, they would have to make a hard tablet surface that squeaks horribly, and a stylus whose sharp tip wears out quickly, so I would have to replace the stylus often. By then, maybe it is exactly like writing with paper and pencil anyway?
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Re: dorpus
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Forget Higher ED.
Or learn from classes online.
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Media-Voyages
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About damn time...
Probably some of my best classes were web-based classes with the OPTION of a lecture segment or one-on-one meetings. I got answers to each and every one of my questions, I could recieve extra resources through email (namely due to the large amount of material that my university has available as PDFs and electronic documents), and I could even request meetings and such with the ease of clicking a button.
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Tablets are better than paper
Just like everyone else who actually uses a tablet, I don't understand the confusion. People behind me in class will often comment on how amazing it is. When you use it enough, it actually becomes far more efficient than paper.
I am a computer science student, so I bought the tablet because I like electronic notes but obviously can't type diagrams and math equations. So now I hand write them on my computer. It's just like paper, except I never run out of space. When I reach the end of a page, I scroll down and keep writing. When I make a mistake I don't have to fumble with a pencil to erase, I just scratch it out to erase and keep going. One tap changes the pen color to make sidenotes or emphasize a point--plus you can customize the pen size. Still not small enough for you? Zoom in the page and write--when you zoom out it will be nice and small. Too small now? Select and drag to enlarge it. And if I realize that I want my diagram somewhere else, I select what I want and move the entire thing. You can't reorganize the placement of your writing on paper. Plus, when professors post notes online before class I can print them to OneNote and write on top of them. It's fantastic, and easy! And the most helpful feature for me is that during class, I use OneNote to record the lecture and write at the same time. If I'm studying and don't understand what I wrote, I click next to it and listen to what the professor said at the time I wrote it.
Granted there are still drawbacks like battery and memory limitations, but having all my notes in one place, organized and printable with recorded lectures...it's absolutely been worth every penny, best thing I've ever bought.
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Tablet PCs are gimmicks. They're supposed to replace something they will never come close to replacing (paper), and at the same time immitate something else they will never successfully immitate (a pc). They're for spoiled brats, businessmen who like to rub their success in everyone's face, and people who need to have the newest technology and gimmicks when they come out, regardless of if they have any use for them.
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Re: Tablet PC
Tablet PCs cost the same as a laptop and have much more functionality, I had a four hour block of classes this last semester and I never ran out of battery power, I just put the computer on the highest power saving setting.
Oh and I bought this computer with a scholarship, not from my parents.
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Tablet PC Is Just Like Paper / SL E-Learning
More importantly, to the dolt who said it didn't feel like paper: Tablet PC screens are NOT standard LCDs. They are solid and no amount of pushing on it will cause the colors to distort. Furthermore, they're covered with a clear polymer coating that, in conjunction with the tip of the stylus (which is actually quite fine, and rounded like a ball-point pen), feels EXACTLY like paper.
The drawbacks? You can't fold a Tablet PC into an airplane... Um... And of course the price point is high.
The battery life is, of course, an issue. But it's a moot issue. An average Tablet PC will get you through a day of notes plus some without charging. And if you're that concerned about it, well, you can stick with your paper. Or, you could try to find a seat near an outlet. Or you can do e-learning from your desktop.
This whole thing has, however, gotten away from the point of this post. E-learning is exciting for me, as I'm unfortunately geographically bound. Second Life, an online virtual world of sorts, is already becoming a place of e-learning, for topics relevant to Second Life, anyway. People are slowly introducing various classes on real-world topics, from Java programming to "knitting 101"... I can see SL universities in the hopefully-not-too-distant future.
End comment. */
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Sounds good to me!
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Where?
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online education and the hearing inparied
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one more thing
No offense, but tablet pcs are mere tools, like hammers. There is often a learning curve involved in using new tools. If you've never used a hammer before, it may take time and a little practice before you can start pounding nails like a champ. Well, the more complicated the tool, the longer the learning curve. And, tablets are complicated tools to say the least. It may take a while before all of the intracies and procedures involved in the effective use of a tablet becomes second nature, but with sufficient practice it can be. Just look at typing as an example. When I first began typing, it was a painful and slow process. But with practice, hardwork, and dedication, I am now proud to state that I can type in excess of 80 words a minute. In most cases, I can type faster than my instructors can lecture.
Personally, I do not have a tablet, but look forward to getting one. I know that it will take some time before i am proficient in its use, but I also realize that if I want it, I can use that tool better and faster than the archaic pen and pencil.
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Most online universities already use this method. Having "attended" online universities, I consider most of them rubbish, designed as money mills for large corporations like Apollo College. However, they needn't be a waste, if designed properly.
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There are many course like this, for which this method of teaching makes perfect sense.
That aside, one of my majors is economics. This would work for economics, but would be more timely than a normal lecture. All the graphs would be in the textbook, and the podcast would be on yout digital player. There would be a hell of a lot of refferals by the lecturer to the student, which would me more time consuming that an ordinary lecture.
I think a system like this would work for certain subjects, even certain courses, but i don't see the classroom environment being replaced entirely by this method.
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