Hank [BS/MSEE,
MSM $$$, Ph.D. Mgmt] teaches Blogs, Wikis and Video Replace Dead-Tree Books? Oh my!!!
Rebecca posed this question after our discussion late in Friday’s class as a blog comment (slightly edited):
In what situations is video better than printed text? In what situations is printed text better than video? We discussed this a bit in class last week (history books could benefit from video and from online wikis, but calculus books might not work as wikis) but I would be interested in exploring what areas you all think cannot be improved through the use of videos, in terms of the web (video blogs versus traditional blogs (that sounds like an oxymoron, but I’ll go with it)) but also in terms of other parts of life (i.e. novels, textbooks). You are the video generation; are textbooks dead? Comments? Opportunities for entrepreneurs?
The one bad thing with videos is that you can’t read them as fast as you want! For example, speed reading is useless skill w.r.t. videos. Books and videos shall continue to coexist.
I think it would be nice to see dead tree books and online wikis and blogs co-exist for one class. This relationship of course material could provide many different methods of teaching while also offering various viewpoints on similar issues. If we can have mass collaboration in our businesses we should have them in the classroom as well. Video is a great tool for teaching and so are textbooks even though they might someday become a thing of the past. For now I think they should co-exist in the classroom.
I agree that a mix of media vehicles would be the best solution to maximize one’s educational experience. For example, a well done movie is a great way to pull at someone’s emotion with the use of music and acting. While a blog is perfect for letting a large group of students share their ideas and either agree or disagree on a given subject without being in a classroom. However, there is also something to be said for written text authored by a good writter, whether it is on paper or a computer screen I believe that good writing is always an effective way of getting an idea to a group of people (if they have the attention span to read it).
I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about having a wiki as our textbook for the class, but now I have seen
the benefits and enjoy it. I think that incorporating videos etc. in the online “textbook” helps to keep one focused
and therefore may retain the information easier. A benefit for videos is that it may reach out and “help” those who
are auditory learners. One who is an auditory learner may benefit from hearing the video and being able to watch it
again if necessary. It would be interesting to see a study conducted to see how different learners
(visual, auditory, kinesthetic) respond to learning from videos versus written text.
Erika’s comment was really insightful, and I agree that it is important to consider video as a potential solution for different types of learners. I still like the printed text for a few reasons, but mainly because it does promote use of the imagination if done properly. Things like videos don’t leave much room open for the imagination in most cases. I think video serves as a good substitute for information distribution, but I still think case studies like the ones we are reading for this class are most beneficial as printed text so we can link to new sites and re-read if necessary. I suppose if the video technology could catch up (like with Tim O’Malley’s video overlay), then those capabilities would be possible, but for now, I prefer printed text for most things. exceptions would be marketing and advertising. I think the new video is also great for entertainment, though, and some of my favorite YouTube videos are the hilarious ones that are just meant to make us laugh. For educational purposes, I still think the printed text is important, even if it is in a co-constructed sense, like this blog.
When it comes down to it, I prefer Video over text. However, I feel their can be some drawbacks.
Some individuals are more skilled at retaining information and analyzing through image while
others are better-suited in the area of textual comprehension. From a personal standpoint,
It is LESS burdensome to work online versus enagaging in a evening of “dead tree.”
My experience with moodle(wiki)has been all positive. Inevitably, Video will topple text.
The author of wikinomics validated this as he asserted “we are the digital generation.”
However, I will never discard the importance of reading in our daily lives.
To me, the question of Printed text versus Video blogs doesn’t just contain textbooks. I had somewhat of an interest in Print media for the longest time, but now have a fascination for the power of motion and video to promote and advertise. There has been a shift from magazines and written material to interactive applications and websites going on now for quite sometime. Web 2.0 shows us that everyone, from writers using online journals and blogs instead of paper notebooks to a popular magazine offering incentives to subscribe to their “virtual” magazines without ever purchasing a printed from the stands.
I think an important fact to make is that video should complement written text and vice versa. The online wikis are great. Typed text with video alongside should be the “ideal” textbook. Printable versions should always be an option, but never required. So, I believe in the long run students will have the option. If they buy the textbook, a cd will come with it. If they purchase the online version, the files will be on a wiki like site. This will shift the student population even more towards living online, though, because the printed textbooks will cost more than providing it online for obvious reasons.
I know that I will personally go for the online textbook/wiki over the textbook anyday.
Say whatever you want about regular books, I still like reading them because its easier on the eyes. Problem with videos is that it takes a lot of patience to sit through an video. Like how it is mentioned earlier, its harder to watch a video faster compared to reading faster.
Another reason I will still continue to read books is because I believe 90% of the educational material remains constant. Principles of physics have been the same for 100s of years for 99.9% of the population. Are there people who are making physics breakthroughs as we speak? Probably YES. Is it going to affect me unless I am a quantum physicist? Probably No.
I agree with the use of wiki as a suplement that adds VALUE to a class. I do not agree with the use of wiki just for the sake of “coolness.”
Sorry about my absence in class, had to go to required training for last few days.
See you in class tomorrow
Nirav Sapra
I have to say, that I thoroughly enjoy how information is provided to us in this class; however, I will be the first to admit that it is taking a little to get used to. The easy access that a text book has is somewhat of a confort zone to me. I feel that a good mix of both video and text does provide a multi-dimensional learning enviorment that everyone can benifit from(in most cases). I equate it to reading a good book and then going to see the movie. Both the movie and the book provide different aspects that could not be reached in the other; however, combine the two and you have better insight than one who has only experienced one. See you guys tomorrow,
Carpe Diem
~Jeremy L. Adamson
Video is a great learning tool; I believe that online videos will be the next step to education. Text books are expensive and its target market is generally the stingy undergraduate college student. Therefore, students will turn to the less costly choice which will be wikis’. The wiki and the video both have great advantages of being cheap, and easily accessible, not to mention you cannot leave a wiki text at home, because you can access it to any place with a computer and internet access. However, there are some disadvantages that the wiki has over textbooks. On textbooks we can highlight, we can underline important material and we can also refer back to pages very quickly, as of now it seems wiki material does not provide the interactive text element to the user. Let alone videos, we can not even mark videos or refer back to a certain point that we may want to review over (unless we used viddlers new tools of commenting while streaming).
I have only been able to come up with these, but if these problems can be solved, I believe wikis and videos could possibly overthrow textbook usage completely, simply because of its target market. Unless of course there are some textbooks that are rare, collectors items, which would have a slightly different target market. Given that information could be provided just as equally on wiki or on textbook, and as long as students will be strict on budgets, students will go for the less costly option.
I thought Ericka’s comment brought up an interesting question. I have always dealt with printed text (dead-tree books) and I am used to them. Starting this class out I was skeptical about Moodle and all text being on-line. I have previously dealt with an on-line course in which was purely dealt with using blogs. Having taken that course and realizing the potential for moodle I think they are great examples of courses that are easily converted to wiki status and still taught porperly with the integration of video and picture examples. Using videos and creative ideas to implement concepts and visual applications would be great for calculus driven courses. Physics would be another great example to see what they are refering towards. Regardless, I do not think dead-tree books will be eliminated anytime soon with people being set in their ways as well as the problems that would have to be over come to integrate books to the web that deal with higher level math and science based courses.
As appealing as the possibility of the death of dead tree books is, realistically it will never happen because of the textbook industry that will never let itself die. As Hank cited, these people are relentless in their mission to profit by screwing over college students semester after semester. The technology and the desire for this e-text revolution are certainly present; however, the coordination by the behemoth university bureaucracies will likely stagnate the seemingly natural progression of e-culture into egucation.
I do think text in “dead tree” form will never die, but it’s use will be almost diminished. Maybe I am a visual learner, but even in math text books if I am learning geometry I would much rather see a person work out a problem and use figure of objects in a video, or in algebra if someone is trying to solve a word problem I would like to see it in a picture. This may just be the type of learner I am, but I can honestly say I could live without “dead tree” text books, but I could not survive on video alone. I would need a supplemental ebook text, similar to the wiki we use.
I think video is better then text books in a class like history. I would prefer to have a visual picture of what history was like during a certain period in time rather than only read about it in a text book.
However when I am working on math or engineering homework, I prefer to have the book in front of me. I like to work problems off paper rather than off of the computer so that I can mark up the problem and make my own notes.
In an engineering class I had just last semester, Mechanics of Materials, we had a printed text book as well as an interactive online text that mirrored the printed text. The online recourses were nice, for example when we were studying beam stresses and deformations, you could clearly see in what ways certain forces would cause the beam to bend. But after watching the short video clips online, I would just go back to the printed text and work the problems from the book. I was nice to have the extra visualization but beyond that the book was still the best way to learn and study.
I also wouldn’t like an online text book because looking at a computer screen for too long hurts my eyes. If I am ever given a long reading assignment from an online or computer source I will sometimes just print the assignment just so I don’t have to stare at a computer screen. So if I had a class that had a lot of assigned reading I would probably prefer a printed text book. However, if the reading assignments were short or infrequent, I would probably like having them on the computer.
Overall, I don’t think text books will be completely dead anytime soon.
I agree with the first comment that books and videos should never go away. I cant always pick up on things the first time, sometimes it takes a little bit.