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Can I bounce an idea off Hacker News readers? How about doing live events at which you simply play -- on an overhead screen -- the very best videos or coursewa

Can I bounce an idea off Hacker News readers? How about doing live events at which you simply play -- on an overhead screen -- the very best videos or courseware from the web on selected technical topics. You get the best possible presentation and the chance to mingle with people who are keen on the same subject. You'd still need a person to act as a moderator or host, but there would be no official speakers. Would you go to such a thing? This idea came about because I was at a seminar recently with multiple presenters on technical topics. At least 90% of what was said is available on the web. And the average presentation was awful. Yet, the auditorium was packed. Two hundred people showed up to hear publicly available information presented by mediocre speakers, none of whom were experts in the field (just people interested in the topic). This is a regularly held seminar and people come. A lot people like attending a talk even if we could have stayed home and watched a better video on the same technical topic. I think part of it is that some people absorb material better in a classroom setting and the other aspect is the chance to socialize and talk with like-minded people.

aty268 7y ago
I think the issue isn't that people aren't learning properly, it's more due to with the recognition of work and time required for no tangible reward. It's the same reason it's really hard for most people to sit down and learn coding on their own. It's not because lectures are hard to watch, or they aren't learning effectively, it's because you aren't getting anything tangible from it. Bootcamps are the same way, you get a "certificate" but it doesn't really have much value, and people know it. Getting a degree from a good school (I go to UT Austin actually) is different. That's why people go to college.
- fouc 7y ago
  A CS degree covers more than just programming. A bootcamp focuses on programming only. Let's assume the CS degree has on average 1 out of 5 courses per semester that directly involves practicing programming, and not just filling up the requirements on liberal arts, and math, etc. 13 weeks * (3 hours lectures per week + 5 hours homework per week) * 2 semester per year * 4 years = 832 hours. So a full-time developer bootcamp would need to be at least 5 months long to match. Most are only 2.5 to 3 months long, but there are some 6 month long developer bootcamps. The short bootcamps might not have as much value, but still a good minimum start to development.
ivan_ah 7y ago
This summer there was a "reading group" at my university about physics foundations based on watching the videos from this lecture series on Scientific Realism https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIs3eEC6pzL1v_haWfznvgiIqEK_dUo4 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIs3eEC6pzL1v_haWfzn... Structure: Tuesday in PM ppl watch together, then Wednesday PM group discussion (moderated to keep on track). There was a dedicated volunteer who prepared a 1-2 page summary of the lecture before the meeting, and a note taker for the discussion. The lectures in the playlist are by the top people in the field (various viewpoints represented) so it was a great learning experience. Groups were 10-15 people and discussions were all worthwhile. Not sure how this would scale to 15+, but the watch-best-lecture-available-and-then-discuss-in-groups is definitely a good model. [at least one data point]
fouc 7y ago
Interesting idea. I think the real trick would be handling Q&A, and encouraging discussions?
huherto 7y ago
> the other aspect is the chance to socialize and talk with like-minded people. This. Also to be seen in person, and social media that you are attending. To feel special. It is not a criticism, it is a human thing.

aty268 7y ago

I think the issue isn't that people aren't learning properly, it's more due to with the recognition of work and time required for no tangible reward. It's the same reason it's really hard for most people to sit down and learn coding on their own. It's not because lectures are hard to watch, or they aren't learning effectively, it's because you aren't getting anything tangible from it. Bootcamps are the same way, you get a "certificate" but it doesn't really have much value, and people know it. Getting a degree from a good school (I go to UT Austin actually) is different. That's why people go to college.

fouc 7y ago
A CS degree covers more than just programming. A bootcamp focuses on programming only. Let's assume the CS degree has on average 1 out of 5 courses per semester that directly involves practicing programming, and not just filling up the requirements on liberal arts, and math, etc. 13 weeks * (3 hours lectures per week + 5 hours homework per week) * 2 semester per year * 4 years = 832 hours. So a full-time developer bootcamp would need to be at least 5 months long to match. Most are only 2.5 to 3 months long, but there are some 6 month long developer bootcamps. The short bootcamps might not have as much value, but still a good minimum start to development.

ivan_ah 7y ago

This summer there was a "reading group" at my university about physics foundations based on watching the videos from this lecture series on Scientific Realism https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIs3eEC6pzL1v_haWfznvgiIqEK_dUo4 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIs3eEC6pzL1v_haWfzn... Structure: Tuesday in PM ppl watch together, then Wednesday PM group discussion (moderated to keep on track). There was a dedicated volunteer who prepared a 1-2 page summary of the lecture before the meeting, and a note taker for the discussion. The lectures in the playlist are by the top people in the field (various viewpoints represented) so it was a great learning experience. Groups were 10-15 people and discussions were all worthwhile. Not sure how this would scale to 15+, but the watch-best-lecture-available-and-then-discuss-in-groups is definitely a good model. [at least one data point]

fouc 7y ago

Interesting idea. I think the real trick would be handling Q&A, and encouraging discussions?

huherto 7y ago

> the other aspect is the chance to socialize and talk with like-minded people. This. Also to be seen in person, and social media that you are attending. To feel special. It is not a criticism, it is a human thing.