6 ms·

It's telling that MIT still lectures with blackboards while other universities spend oodles of dollars on expensive electric whiteboards, projectors and whatnot

It's telling that MIT still lectures with blackboards while other universities spend oodles of dollars on expensive electric whiteboards, projectors and whatnot.

siranachronist 10y ago
But MIT records most lectures and has great online companion resources, which is where the tech in teaching thing is really helpful
- pawadu 10y ago
  Yeah, but in my book thats "technology done right". No hype, no expensive toys, just the right tech to solve the right problems without getting in your face.
exodust 10y ago
Depends what is being taught. Electric whiteboards, displays and projectors can provide obvious benefits and time-saving for things like updating values, neatness, illustration, demonstration. Ever noticed when a lecturer writes a sentence on the chalk board, the only sound in the room is the sound of chalk? That isn't efficient use of time.
- foldr 10y ago
  It often is in practice, because students need time to think and digest the material.
  - thearn4 10y ago
    This is very true in practice. I lecture as a part-time professor every so often, and this is one of many good reasons why you should never lecture via powerpoint. The act of writing down a thought as it's spoken is an important thing for many people. I do use an electronic Wacom tablet when possible, so that I can at least give out pdfs of the lectures.
- douche 10y ago
  It's super awesome, especially when the professor is effectively just transcribing the textbook onto the blackboard while mumbling in a monotone. Really demonstrates the value you're getting for that $40-50k tuition.
  - josefx 10y ago
    That is work, he could just project the same slides he wrote down 20 years ago on to the wall and tell you to copy them down. I guess that's what I get for not paying $40k, lazy profs.
- warcher 10y ago
  Most professors, you really gotta slow them down. This is their life's work and they know it bottom to top. If you let them run at their natural clip, you're gonna miss stuff. Making them write it down is great for that. If you let them use slides, you gotta ask them questions and break their rhythm or they'll just roll right over you.
  - leadingthenet 10y ago
    Thank you, somebody other than me finally said it. I hate lecture slides with passion, so much so that I barely even go to lectures anymore. I mean, what's the point if all they're going to do is read them out loud? I can do that at home.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      We've had the tech to box up big lectures since VCRs went mainstream. That's the easy (and cheap) part.
    - illumin8 10y ago
      If your professor is just reading text bullet points from a slide, he sucks at public speaking and presentation skills. Don't blame the medium for poor public speaking skills. I was just in a 2-day classroom setting this week and the presenter was brilliant - switching from slides, which they annotated with a digital pen while presenting, to whiteboard, to discussion seamlessly, without losing interest or focus from the students. Public speaking is a skill like any other that any educator needs to be good at. Don't blame the medium for your educator's poor public speaking skills.
      - wvenable 10y ago
        I had a philosophy prof that would put up his lecture on (relatively) dense slides and then proceed to stand in front of the slides (not looking at them) and give the whole talk exactly as the text on the slides. It was quite amazing. And since he wasn't actually reading them, it was a good presentation.
      - 10y ago
danans 10y ago
I doubt that MIT eschews computers for project based work. No MATLAB on a chalkboard. Similarly, when computers are used sensibly in the classroom they are tools applied to certain parts of the instruction, and not the only medium of instruction. That's true regardless of the equipment manufacturer.

It's telling that MIT still lectures with blackboards while other universities spend oodles of dollars on expensive electric whiteboards, projectors and whatnot.

siranachronist 10y ago

But MIT records most lectures and has great online companion resources, which is where the tech in teaching thing is really helpful

pawadu 10y ago
Yeah, but in my book thats "technology done right". No hype, no expensive toys, just the right tech to solve the right problems without getting in your face.

exodust 10y ago

Depends what is being taught. Electric whiteboards, displays and projectors can provide obvious benefits and time-saving for things like updating values, neatness, illustration, demonstration. Ever noticed when a lecturer writes a sentence on the chalk board, the only sound in the room is the sound of chalk? That isn't efficient use of time.

foldr 10y ago
It often is in practice, because students need time to think and digest the material.
- thearn4 10y ago
  This is very true in practice. I lecture as a part-time professor every so often, and this is one of many good reasons why you should never lecture via powerpoint. The act of writing down a thought as it's spoken is an important thing for many people. I do use an electronic Wacom tablet when possible, so that I can at least give out pdfs of the lectures.
douche 10y ago
It's super awesome, especially when the professor is effectively just transcribing the textbook onto the blackboard while mumbling in a monotone. Really demonstrates the value you're getting for that $40-50k tuition.
- josefx 10y ago
  That is work, he could just project the same slides he wrote down 20 years ago on to the wall and tell you to copy them down. I guess that's what I get for not paying $40k, lazy profs.
warcher 10y ago
Most professors, you really gotta slow them down. This is their life's work and they know it bottom to top. If you let them run at their natural clip, you're gonna miss stuff. Making them write it down is great for that. If you let them use slides, you gotta ask them questions and break their rhythm or they'll just roll right over you.
- leadingthenet 10y ago
  Thank you, somebody other than me finally said it. I hate lecture slides with passion, so much so that I barely even go to lectures anymore. I mean, what's the point if all they're going to do is read them out loud? I can do that at home.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    We've had the tech to box up big lectures since VCRs went mainstream. That's the easy (and cheap) part.
  - illumin8 10y ago
    If your professor is just reading text bullet points from a slide, he sucks at public speaking and presentation skills. Don't blame the medium for poor public speaking skills. I was just in a 2-day classroom setting this week and the presenter was brilliant - switching from slides, which they annotated with a digital pen while presenting, to whiteboard, to discussion seamlessly, without losing interest or focus from the students. Public speaking is a skill like any other that any educator needs to be good at. Don't blame the medium for your educator's poor public speaking skills.
    - wvenable 10y ago
      I had a philosophy prof that would put up his lecture on (relatively) dense slides and then proceed to stand in front of the slides (not looking at them) and give the whole talk exactly as the text on the slides. It was quite amazing. And since he wasn't actually reading them, it was a good presentation.
    - 10y ago

danans 10y ago

I doubt that MIT eschews computers for project based work. No MATLAB on a chalkboard. Similarly, when computers are used sensibly in the classroom they are tools applied to certain parts of the instruction, and not the only medium of instruction. That's true regardless of the equipment manufacturer.