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GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux)e Pin
DrABELL2-Aug-15 9:14
DrABELL2-Aug-15 9:14 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
GuyThiebaut2-Aug-15 8:59
professionalGuyThiebaut2-Aug-15 8:59 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
DrABELL2-Aug-15 9:07
DrABELL2-Aug-15 9:07 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
R. Giskard Reventlov2-Aug-15 10:26
R. Giskard Reventlov2-Aug-15 10:26 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
DrABELL2-Aug-15 12:02
DrABELL2-Aug-15 12:02 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
R. Giskard Reventlov2-Aug-15 12:59
R. Giskard Reventlov2-Aug-15 12:59 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
DrABELL2-Aug-15 13:29
DrABELL2-Aug-15 13:29 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
SeattleC++3-Aug-15 8:42
SeattleC++3-Aug-15 8:42 
I have two kids who attended online high school (not a crazy home-schooler, not living in Outer Mongolia, it was kids' own personal issues), so I think I have a few things to say.

First off, if you can manage to stagger into a physical classroom and remain awake, you learn some things just by having the lecture enter your ears. That is, it is less boring to listen to the lecture than to count the holes in the ceiling tiles, so mostly you do. The biggest problem with virtual classes is that you don't need to do it at any particular time. There's always something else you can do, especially with your computer. Especially when you're used to using your computer to watch youtube and read 4chan.

Second, it's really hard for teachers to prepare perfect presentation materials. Teachers in classroom use feedback from the listeners to ad lib there way out of weakness in their materials. These weaknesses become glaringly apparent in a non-interactive classroom. Really good presentation can make a taped lecture hugely engaging. Crappy web TV of an imperfect live performance, not so much. Guess where on the spectrum most remote lectures fall.

Third, watching a lecture on TV is not as engaging as attending a lecture. Listening to a recorded lecture is harder still. Reading a book is even less engaging. The fact of the matter is, all other things being equal, that it's easier to have knowledge spoon fed to you than if you have to work for it.

Fourth, every pause or imperfection in the speaker's delivery, every scratchy mic noise, every compression artifact, is incredibly distracting on the screen, where we are used to high production values. We understand, at a level way below consciousness, that humans in meatspace say, "Um, uh...". On TV, we are trained to expect perfection. Perfect beauty (how many teachers are hired because they are really beautiful), perfect diction, perfect delivery, perfect screenwriting, perfect lighting, urgent pacing, a musical sound track to get your attention and help you understand what is good, bad, significant, important.

Without this stuff, you realize just how limiting the screen is. Your attention wanders. You wish they'd hurry up and get to the good stuff. And this is with lectures you actually sought out and wanted to watch. Now think how hard it is if you are just grinding through it because your mom says you have to go to school.

I think virtual education has a bright future. But the future won't arrive until we stop thinking we can make a cheap recording of a mediocre live lecture, compress the sh*t out of it, and stream it onto the tiny screen of your cell phone. Ultimately, we will have a choice of several well-produced, high quality lectures on each desired topic. Then virtual education will rock.
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
DrABELL3-Aug-15 9:09
DrABELL3-Aug-15 9:09 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
SeattleC++3-Aug-15 10:43
SeattleC++3-Aug-15 10:43 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
DrABELL3-Aug-15 11:19
DrABELL3-Aug-15 11:19 
GeneralRe: Education Reform Now (Part Deux) Pin
M Towler17-Aug-15 3:42
M Towler17-Aug-15 3:42 
GeneralDoh! Pin
OriginalGriff2-Aug-15 4:17
mveOriginalGriff2-Aug-15 4:17 
GeneralRe: Doh! Pin
Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan2-Aug-15 4:27
professionalAfzaal Ahmad Zeeshan2-Aug-15 4:27 
GeneralRe: Doh! Pin
PIEBALDconsult2-Aug-15 6:57
mvePIEBALDconsult2-Aug-15 6:57 
GeneralRe: Doh! Pin
Sander Rossel2-Aug-15 10:05
professionalSander Rossel2-Aug-15 10:05 
GeneralPlease, do tell me... Pin
OriginalGriff2-Aug-15 11:07
mveOriginalGriff2-Aug-15 11:07 
GeneralRe: Please, do tell me... Pin
Mycroft Holmes2-Aug-15 14:36
professionalMycroft Holmes2-Aug-15 14:36 
GeneralRe: Please, do tell me... Pin
90823653-Aug-15 3:34
90823653-Aug-15 3:34 
GeneralRe: Please, do tell me... Pin
90823653-Aug-15 3:36
90823653-Aug-15 3:36 
GeneralRe: Please, do tell me... Pin
Patrice T3-Aug-15 10:39
mvePatrice T3-Aug-15 10:39 
GeneralRe: Please, do tell me... Pin
Patrice T3-Aug-15 10:57
mvePatrice T3-Aug-15 10:57 
GeneralGot sent this... Pin
OriginalGriff2-Aug-15 2:47
mveOriginalGriff2-Aug-15 2:47 
GeneralRe: Got sent this... Pin
Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan2-Aug-15 3:45
professionalAfzaal Ahmad Zeeshan2-Aug-15 3:45 
GeneralRe: Got sent this... Pin
PIEBALDconsult2-Aug-15 7:18
mvePIEBALDconsult2-Aug-15 7:18 

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