That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence - Euclid
Facts, evidence and details are the blood of writing. Without them, writing is empty and vague. Without them, you have a witch hunt and not a trial. Without them, you have a delusion. And yet, I find people making assertions all the time, and when I ask them the details or facts upon which the assertion is made, they simply repeat the assertion again and again. Repetition doesn't prove anything.
Friday, October 21, 2011
What's wrong with closed captioning?
What's wrong with closed captioning?
Closed Captioning is a requirement for all educational videos used where I work at Blackhawk Technical College. The belief is that Closed Captioning is the equivalent of watching and listening. However, it is not. It is watching and reading. The first is a visual and audio channel, but the second is only a visual channel loaded up twice. Closed Captioning requires the individual who is hearing impaired to split their attention between the graphics and the text; thereby making understanding more difficult and not less. A better approach would be to utilize text annotations right on the screen. These would be located on the screen where the action is taking place or the person is speaking. That way the individual trying to learn from the video would not be have to divide their attention between the bottom of the screen where the Closed Captioning is taking place and the middle of the screen where the action is taking place. The only thing you can be assured of with Closed Captioning is that the student will miss something.
Closed Captioning is a requirement for all educational videos used where I work at Blackhawk Technical College. The belief is that Closed Captioning is the equivalent of watching and listening. However, it is not. It is watching and reading. The first is a visual and audio channel, but the second is only a visual channel loaded up twice. Closed Captioning requires the individual who is hearing impaired to split their attention between the graphics and the text; thereby making understanding more difficult and not less. A better approach would be to utilize text annotations right on the screen. These would be located on the screen where the action is taking place or the person is speaking. That way the individual trying to learn from the video would not be have to divide their attention between the bottom of the screen where the Closed Captioning is taking place and the middle of the screen where the action is taking place. The only thing you can be assured of with Closed Captioning is that the student will miss something.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
What the Research on Google's Effects on Memory Means for Educators
If you haven't heard by now, Google has had an effect on memory, in that people don't remember information if they can look it up whenever they want. What does this mean for learning and teaching? It means that doing more for your students is actually doing less. What do I mean by this? It means that when you provide notes and other resources for your students, they don't do it themselves, which means they never learn how. So, do more by doing less. Students won't learn how to take notes if you do it for them.
Why Ron Paul is Wrong
The Misconceptions About the "Free" Markets.
As of late, "free" markets have gotten a lot of press. Mostly, from the libertarians who pronounce its glorious sacredness at every turn. Yet, I have to hear one actually explain how it will work. In fact, if you watch Ron Paul, his answer seems to be that everyone else is ignorant and not him. Well, Mr Paul, as an educator, I find it necessary to correct your misconceptions about the "free" market. You can begin by reading Adam Smith's, The Wealth of Nations. In this well written book, Smith discusses such concepts as self-interest, competition, laziness, and the "Invisible Hand." The Invisible Hand guides the markets to improve productivity and lower prices. However, in order for the Invisible Hand to work properly, two criteria need to be meet. Sellers have to be honest and transparent about their practices and products. Now, Paul thinks honesty and transparency just happen by magic and don't require government intervention. The problem is that we have a cliche based on this lack of honesty and transparency: the snake oil salesman.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Ron Paul Pt. 1 | ||||
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