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Agreed, I would be more inclined to watch videos if they were highly edited. If you want to watch a MOOC on linear algebra the videos you will find are little

by icefox 12y ago

Agreed, I would be more inclined to watch videos if they were highly edited. If you want to watch a MOOC on linear algebra the videos you will find are little more than a camcorder stuck in the corner of a classroom and dumped online. For a topic that really doesn't change decade after decade at some point someone is going to come along and produce a highly edited video that contains all of the key points, presented in a clear manor and it will become the defacto set of videos for these type of topics.

dredmorbius 12y ago
The best videos are both highly edited and extremely well scripted. Some time back there was a bit posted by a university lecturer (I want to say Harvard or Yale or similar) who described his process for preparing a lecture. It's about 10:1 prep time vs. lecture time, including multiple rehersals. Once you've got a given lecture prepared, it's easier to edit and modify it. But getting there is the hard part.
SilasX 12y ago
Despite being relatively early and ad hoc, Khan academy got it mostly right: don't just tape someone giving a lecture; give a close up of the instructor writing out the logical profession of ideas. In a classroom, it's too hard to do it fast enough; they either have to write very little, or use static slides. Khan wisely used the virtual whiteboard, in effect, to accelerate the writing speed while having infinite space and instant jump-around. I still prefer the mostly-webpages approach, but Khan definitely did a lot more to make use of the format than "dump a camcorder in a lecture hall".
- gshrikant 12y ago
  Exactly. I used KA to review some differential calculus and was surprised to see how effective the basic chalk-to-the-blackboard (digital pen, in this case) approach still was. It is also the reason why I prefer MIT's OCW video lectures over their edX ones. I like how most of the lecturers often take the time to write down the terms and ideas on the blackboard in the old-school way. I find learning that way helps drive home the concept in a more concrete way than flipping slides with voice-over. I believe this is especially important in case of subjects like math where 'doing' is perhaps the only effective way I am aware of learning the material. But then again, it may just be me.
- weavie 12y ago
  Agree. Am currently going through the Khan academy linear algebra course. I find it excellent. I am finding the best approach is to watch the video at 2x speed, take notes at the same time and then catch up with a book a little later on.

by icefox 12y ago

dredmorbius 12y ago

The best videos are both highly edited and extremely well scripted. Some time back there was a bit posted by a university lecturer (I want to say Harvard or Yale or similar) who described his process for preparing a lecture. It's about 10:1 prep time vs. lecture time, including multiple rehersals. Once you've got a given lecture prepared, it's easier to edit and modify it. But getting there is the hard part.

SilasX 12y ago

Despite being relatively early and ad hoc, Khan academy got it mostly right: don't just tape someone giving a lecture; give a close up of the instructor writing out the logical profession of ideas. In a classroom, it's too hard to do it fast enough; they either have to write very little, or use static slides. Khan wisely used the virtual whiteboard, in effect, to accelerate the writing speed while having infinite space and instant jump-around. I still prefer the mostly-webpages approach, but Khan definitely did a lot more to make use of the format than "dump a camcorder in a lecture hall".

gshrikant 12y ago
Exactly. I used KA to review some differential calculus and was surprised to see how effective the basic chalk-to-the-blackboard (digital pen, in this case) approach still was. It is also the reason why I prefer MIT's OCW video lectures over their edX ones. I like how most of the lecturers often take the time to write down the terms and ideas on the blackboard in the old-school way. I find learning that way helps drive home the concept in a more concrete way than flipping slides with voice-over. I believe this is especially important in case of subjects like math where 'doing' is perhaps the only effective way I am aware of learning the material. But then again, it may just be me.
weavie 12y ago
Agree. Am currently going through the Khan academy linear algebra course. I find it excellent. I am finding the best approach is to watch the video at 2x speed, take notes at the same time and then catch up with a book a little later on.