Lecturing vs. Video Lectures

We have gone so far down the technology rabbit-hole that what was outdated and pushed aside is now in vogue. Yep, the "video lecture" is what will save education and teachers from themselves, raise test scores, reduce dropout rates, your buzz phrase goes here . . .

Really!!!!!

So we're back to the passive vessel, again! Roger Waters would be so proud of the progress that we've made by employing technology in the classroom. On the other hand, maybe we need to reach back further in time, to John Dewey's views on education, see Wikipedia reference; John Dewey's views on education.

"Throughout these writings, several recurrent themes ring true; Dewey continually argues that education and learning are social and interactive processes, and thus the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take place. In addition, he believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning."

Teachers, way back in the past, stood at the front of the classroom, lecturing to their class and this obviously was not the right approach! A better idea would be to "record" them lecturing at the front of their classroom, place it somewhere online, and let them watch it whenever they feel like learning. That has to work, why, because all the "smart" Wall Street money is telling us it works!

I have a question for you, how's that working out for you at your institution? Have you gone down this path? Are students internalizing the material, passing their tests with flying colors, retaining the information longer? Learning so much that they can assume the role of the "content expert" and begin teaching their classmates.

I got fired up about this topic after reading a Salon article: "The plot to destroy education: Why technology could ruin American classrooms - by trying to fix them." In my humble opinion, the author pretty much nails it (i.e., the outsourcing of "education" to Wall Street). Maybe it's just me, but Wall Street seems to have a track record of squeezing every last cent out everything they touch and then sticking the taxpayers with the bill to clean-up and/or fix the mess they leave behind. Am I cynical, heck no! I'm a realist that looks at facts, to arrive at an informed decision.