tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post6228797979241800735..comments2024-03-21T06:13:52.539-04:00Comments on Luis von Blog: Hollywood-Style LecturesLuis von Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03028143830490915261noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-85361146605786006402010-04-18T03:36:44.417-04:002010-04-18T03:36:44.417-04:00This has happened to some degree in India - over 1...This has happened to some degree in India - over 1,300 academic lectures by Bollywood star Salman Khan are on YouTube. See for example his take on the Electron Transport Chain:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfgCcFXUZRk&Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-18838540786511506002009-11-07T00:53:32.245-05:002009-11-07T00:53:32.245-05:00movie-making from the desktop shouldn't be too...movie-making from the desktop shouldn't be too expensive, and is probably worth considering as an alternative to a big-budget production. It is of course<br /><a rel="follow" href="http://www.theonlinethesis.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Theses</a> | <a rel="follow" href="http://www.thecoursework.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">GCSE Coursework</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-49668119630302448372009-11-07T00:52:56.349-05:002009-11-07T00:52:56.349-05:00The special effects, etc seem like they would stre...The special effects, etc seem like they would stretch things out a lot, leaving less time for discussion.<br /><a rel="follow" href="http://www.theassignments.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Assignments</a> | <a rel="follow" href="http://www.thedissertation.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Dissertations</a> | <a rel="follow" href="http://www.theessay.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Essays</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-84273979938466467262009-09-17T19:35:25.274-04:002009-09-17T19:35:25.274-04:00Ralph Johnson at UIUC shows some of his lectures i...Ralph Johnson at UIUC shows some of his lectures in class. The TA comes to answer interactive questions. Sounds weird at first, but I like his argument. This way he saves his teaching time and spends it on the homeworks. You present the homework to him in person and get to interact with him in a very small group (3-4 pepople). <br /><br />He does it only with the "perfect" lectures. The other ones he record over and over again.<br /><br />To connect it to your proposal - maybe you need to record the lectures you like. 3-4 lectures a semester and you'll be done soon.syrnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06121834075298789289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-44093359169197262582009-09-16T21:21:13.591-04:002009-09-16T21:21:13.591-04:00Well, we have a good drama school. They're sla...Well, we have a good drama school. They're slave labor; why not try them for a lower budget version? But, yeah, cinematic production values would be very cool. That said, I'm not sure that it wouldn't hurt interactivity. The special effects, etc seem like they would stretch things out a lot, leaving less time for discussion.David Edelsteinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-27510080674930151942009-09-16T19:23:23.595-04:002009-09-16T19:23:23.595-04:00I think video lecture are a great idea, for the re...I think video lecture are a great idea, for the reasons you explained. A video and a good book would almost do the job.<br />On the other hand I do NOT think that hollywood style lectures are needed. I think instead that for every lecture (or group of lectures) there should be some sort of review session or open discussion between professor or TA and all students in order to go over again the hard concetps and expecially answer the students question/comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-70013329352723037732009-09-09T17:08:38.857-04:002009-09-09T17:08:38.857-04:00With the advent of high quality graphics software,...With the advent of high quality graphics software, movie-making from the desktop shouldn't be too expensive, and is probably worth considering as an alternative to a big-budget production. It is of course, time-consuming (probably more so than a regular movie), but you could get a few grad students excited enough to do it.Lalithttp://sites.google.com/site/lalitp/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-48283677913971713642009-09-03T00:17:20.077-04:002009-09-03T00:17:20.077-04:00TED has the right mix for the lecture format, in m...TED has the right mix for the lecture format, in my opinion. Anything longer or more verbose is better accomplished on an individual scale in some other format.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-22055301912835611612009-08-13T08:45:42.510-04:002009-08-13T08:45:42.510-04:00Luis: I just came across this and thought about yo...Luis: I just came across this and thought about you:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Teaching_Company<br /><br />Doesn't it corresponds to what you were describing?dothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14825435867493579983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-7897514524767987932009-07-16T18:29:14.903-04:002009-07-16T18:29:14.903-04:00To the commenters concerned with the interaction: ...To the commenters concerned with the interaction: yes, it is not as good that the video lecture is not tailored to an individual student, but neither are live lectures. Research in tutoting systems shows that even observing others asking questions helps learning (vicarious learning).Maxim Manoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-3561963568838262562009-07-15T18:13:30.881-04:002009-07-15T18:13:30.881-04:00Luis, there's no point being modest about your...Luis, there's no point being modest about your teaching quality; your slides are fantastic, and you complement them very well.<br /><br />I would also note that with your slides, you actually do come pretty close to a lecture that could be recorded and distributed. I know a couple years ago Scherlis and Langmead recorded their 211 lectures and posted them online (I think they were only available to course students). You could easily do something similar; record the lecture, put it in a video, and put the slides (synchronized) on the page next to the video.jkilgallnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-10612803323631146232009-07-15T16:24:59.981-04:002009-07-15T16:24:59.981-04:00The lectures of Richard Feynman at
http://researc...The lectures of Richard Feynman at <br />http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/index.html is a good example of how to go even beyond the standard "recorded lecture". Not only the lecture is recorded but there are also subtitles and commentary, you can see pointers to external resources appearing next to the screen when the lecturer talks about a specific topic, etc.Panos Ipeirotishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15283752183704062501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-70881237743872221282009-07-15T10:51:43.681-04:002009-07-15T10:51:43.681-04:00I totally agree that there is no need to limit thi...I totally agree that there is no need to limit things to me or CMU alone.Luis von Ahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03028143830490915261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-88826384786672125582009-07-15T10:50:28.340-04:002009-07-15T10:50:28.340-04:00Why limit the lectures to you alone? Why limit th...Why limit the lectures to you alone? Why limit this to CMU alone? Wouldn't a multi-institutional or even multi-national course syndicate be even more compelling?Steve Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17666984362164060052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-4142080878506607062009-07-14T15:06:55.328-04:002009-07-14T15:06:55.328-04:00I'd like to follow up on Emil Sit's commen...I'd like to follow up on Emil Sit's comment about Walter Lewin. I watched <a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/8-03Fall-2004/VideoLectures/detail/embed2.htm" rel="nofollow"> this lecture</a> as an MIT undergrad, and I think it is still one of the best lectures I have ever seen (though I remember it being higher fidelity at the time).<br /><br />I think you should just go for the low-budget option, for several reasons:<br /><br />1) It doesn't cost as much!<br /><br />2) It's more sustainable and generalizable -- others will be able to continue the tradition more easily.<br /><br />3) Even low-budget lectures can be great -- viz. the Walter Lewin lectures.<br /><br />4) Take a lesson from software engineering: get a quick-and-dirty version out early, learn what's wrong with it from actual feedback, and repeat. Why spend the money when, even if you do, there's a significant chance you won't get it right? Better to do 10 cheap revisions and get it great than 1 expensive one and get it wrong.<br /><br />On another note, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCatsters" rel="nofollow">these</a> mini-lectures on category theory are a great example of how 10-minute modular lectures can be done well (including being able to see the blackboard).Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-76268285066067389342009-07-14T09:49:57.500-04:002009-07-14T09:49:57.500-04:00Hmmm.. It seems to me that the goal of the project...Hmmm.. It seems to me that the goal of the project discussed here needs to be changed. I don't think teachers of any kind should talk about a project unless the goal stated is clear: to improve the quality of the education the students receive, not so much the enjoyment of the prof. :)<br /><br />I like the idea of having a video available mostly for a review/study standpoint. Maybe you could just start recording your lectures with the help of some A/V oriented students. Then over time you could edit to produce a master that has the best explanations, the clearest examples, and maybe some great questions from the students.<br /><br />I don't think the prof should ever just sit there playing Tetris through the whole class, but some excerpts from the "master video" followed by discussion could be a valuable tool. Like VH1's "What and Discuss" ;)<br /><br />At any rate I still think it should be in Neon that the goal is to improve the education and experience of the students... the prof's life should come second to them. :)Scott Taronenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-65104144937446920452009-07-14T04:38:05.025-04:002009-07-14T04:38:05.025-04:00Yes, thats the way to goYes, thats the way to goAlexandre Martinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01500150233692518266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-6711694854647890002009-07-13T13:38:47.750-04:002009-07-13T13:38:47.750-04:00I honestly really like the video lectures offered ...I honestly really like the video lectures offered by the likes of MIT OCW, Open Yale Courses, Stanford on iTunesU, and webcase@berkeley. Those programs are great. And as a CMU student, I feel ashamed that our school does not have a similar service. I'm a CS major at CMU, so I took 251 and concepts here. They were great classes, but I didn't have as much available to me as I did when I took 451 here. I kept up with Prof. Blum's lectures, but I also used the 6.046J lectures they had on MIT OCW. A lot of times the two complemented one another very well, and really helped me learn the material. Those lectures didn't have any Hollywood effects, yet they worked very well.<br /><br />If you abandoned your slides, started teach math on the chalkboard, and released video lectures of 251 online you would be provided a much needed service to the people on the web trying to learn discrete math. In the process you would also be helping CMU positively advertise itself; which we all know is something that this university desperately needs.<br /><br />What I would really like to see Mackey's Concepts and your 251 lectures online as part of a new CMU video lecture web service.samtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-35832446096500432762009-07-13T11:21:37.608-04:002009-07-13T11:21:37.608-04:00I don't think video lectures are a great long ...I don't think video lectures are a great long term investment unless you're talking about remote students. In a live environment I think it would be much more beneficial to do something along the lines of a training video. Each lecture, instead of recording a lecture you record an instructional video on presenting that lecture. Each class you rotate out a student to watch the video ahead of time and present the material. I think this would do a lot more for interaction and retention.<br /><br />Also I think in either case the videos should be modularized so that regular updates to keep the videos relevant are easy. That way you don't have to start over completely each time you want to throw something currently relevant in to a part of the lecture.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03003651524134606733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-39722560065207761142009-07-13T08:06:16.733-04:002009-07-13T08:06:16.733-04:00Have you seen Walter Lewin's videos? Not sure ...Have you seen <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Lewin_Lectures_on_Physics" rel="nofollow">Walter Lewin's videos</a>? Not sure if the links at the bottom of that page are the videos I used to watch on MIT Cable but he is very well known for his intro physics lectures. Don't know what the production costs are but they've surely amortized well over time.Emil Sithttp://emilsit.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-44357107609065460772009-07-13T08:05:27.745-04:002009-07-13T08:05:27.745-04:00I like the idea. But wouldn't it be easier if ...<i>I like the idea. But wouldn't it be easier if you just made vanilla lectures videos (that are cheap) and spent the countless hours answering stuff that students didn't get. For example, have a website with questions that students should be able to answer after watching a video on say recursion. A pdf of student response to different questions will allow you to work on concepts that clearly didn't get through in class in real time.</i><br /><br />Sure, that can be done the semester after we're finished with the videos :) Part of the beauty of this scheme is that the professor would have a lot more time to work on things like this.Luis von Ahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03028143830490915261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-181859115929131962009-07-13T05:06:25.009-04:002009-07-13T05:06:25.009-04:00By the way, I think the money is a solvable proble...By the way, I think the money is a solvable problem. The existence of the teaching company proves that there's a market for high-quality adult educational video. Their production costs are surely a lot lower, but their material is also a lot less accessible than what you've proposed, so their market is smaller.<br /><br />For some fields, I could imagine selling corporate subscriptions to this video. Companies spend a lot of money on employee education. $50k to have access to incredible teaching material from the world's best professors is not unreasonable.<br /><br />Also parents in the US have shown that they will spend enormous amounts of money to give their kids an educational edge.<br /><br />I don't know whether an ad-supported model would work. Probably not.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14419838802960290727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-30481528606317491572009-07-13T04:46:46.971-04:002009-07-13T04:46:46.971-04:00Are you familiar with The Teaching Company -- www....Are you familiar with The Teaching Company -- www.teach12.com? They make lecture series DVDs with nice graphics and good production values. The material, however, is straight out of the professors' lesson plans, it hasn't been Hollywood-ified and sugar-coated like you suggest. So it's a lot dryer than watching The Colbert Report.<br /><br />What you're describing is edutainment. Material that's been broken into small chunks for short attention spans and interwoven with humor. I'm not sure that there's a lot of precedent for edutainment in higher education, although many successful professors probably aspire to that. TED talks come to mind, as do the "Cartoon Guide to Genetics" style books.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14419838802960290727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-77731424295933619812009-07-13T01:12:52.397-04:002009-07-13T01:12:52.397-04:00You speak almost as though money were the only pro...You speak almost as though money were the only problem, as if all you need is an extra $3 million (which, by the way, is a whole lot of money!). But in reality, money only solves the easy problems. The main difficulties of the format remain. <br /><br />There are, for example, several institutes out there that record all of their talks professionally, including a separate video for the slides, if any. And yet, in my opinion, they work terribly. Professional scriptwriters would not help. <br /><br />The problems with money can be avoided by using some creativity. The necessary equipment, camera, mikes, lighting, etc., is not so expensive. The people are expensive. Everyone in Hollywood is part of a union. But at a university, you have slave labor, I mean graduate students. Hand out free ramen packets and they'll be jumping over each other to help out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725006152290977601.post-10556679545531075322009-07-12T20:51:07.744-04:002009-07-12T20:51:07.744-04:00From my personal experience, one of the reasons yo...From my personal experience, one of the reasons you win teaching awards is because of the exceptional job you do during office hours, as well as the exceptional questions that come from the students at CMU. Seeing the thought process of your peers as you learn the material and solve those ridiculously murderous problems trains your mind to try those previously-trodden and succesful paths in future problems that show similarities. By creating a movie, you lose the most important aspect of the classroom: student-professor interation, and student-student interaction (TAs I'm lumping you into students).<br /><br />A movie also allows a student to get a general understanding of the subject material as it is presented by the professor. However, judging from general student opinion about 251, a movie would not be any more useful than the slides. Students study and scrape every detail from the slides and I don't believe a video just on a lecture would be more beneficial than a set a slides with a professor they can interact with. <br /><br />In addition, a movie, no matter how professionally done, can never replace the soul-crushing homework in 251.Jon Chunoreply@blogger.com