If Video Is So Great...

31 replies
then why are colleges still relying on books?

More & more, it's.. video, video, video. If video is so great, then my grandkids wouldn't be spending hundreds of dollars on books, even though they've been going to college ON LINE!

Maybe it's time someone got a grip on reality. Video is for fun, the written word is for reality. (teaching)

Ya think maybe?

Pete
#great #video
  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Don't agree, at least not for many online marketing topics. It's not even close when it comes to feedback I get from my coaching students, for example. Virtually all of them say they learn so much better from video than ebook or other written materials.

    John
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    • Profile picture of the author John Hocking
      I think it would be best to provide a product that contains Videos, audios and written worksheets or transcripts.

      Some people learn visually. They would respond better to videos.
      Some people learn audibly. They would love to be able to listen to the lesson on an mp3 player or in the car.

      Some people love to read. They would be able to scan the information at there pace.

      Having all there will make your product seem more like a complete course.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
        Video is for learning, the written word is for people who aren't tired of reading already.



        Personally, I learn by actually watching someone do a lot of the technical stuff.

        Some of us are more visual learners.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lou Diamond
    Hello,
    a good video can lead to more reading, when my kids saw the movie 300 they were so enthralled by it that they went straight to the library to take out a book to find out more about the Spartans.
    I have seen many videos lead into a sales page that lead into a ebook.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Morgan
    Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

    then why are colleges still relying on books?

    More & more, it's.. video, video, video. If video is so great, then my grandkids wouldn't be spending hundreds of dollars on books, even though they've been going to college ON LINE!

    Maybe it's time someone got a grip on reality. Video is for fun, the written word is for reality. (teaching)

    Ya think maybe?

    Pete
    I think it is a matter of time for video to be reliyed by colleges, compared to books, (even 5-10 years) but i aint too sure whether videos will replace books.

    Time will telll
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  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

    Ya think maybe
    No.

    I completely disagree.

    I think you are looking at it all wrong.

    Nobody is saying Video is a fantastic, next generation substitute for the written word. Nobody is saying that, at all.

    But video certainly has it's uses.

    Both can work, the two aren't mutually exclusive.

    Video is "so great"

    But so is the written word!

    Peace

    Jay

    p.s. Having said that. If your Grand kids college started providing video lessons etc... do you think the kids would happily use it?...
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  • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
    My youngest daughter graduated from the University of Iowa
    a couple years ago. She had classes where the instructor appeared
    on video via a large screen TV at the front of the lecture hall.

    Tsnyder
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    • Profile picture of the author Pete Egeler
      Originally Posted by Tsnyder View Post

      My youngest daughter graduated from the University of Iowa
      a couple years ago. She had classes where the instructor appeared
      on video via a large screen TV at the front of the lecture hall.

      Tsnyder
      Mine too, but they STILL had to buy hundreds of dollars worth of book! The lecture part I can understand, and know it goes on, but you STILL have to hit the books.

      I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that everybody & his brother is offering nothing but video. ie: "I've got some important new.. watch this video", "my good friend (ya, right) has a hot new.. watch this video", blah, blah, blah.

      Between the videos, the "my good friend" (whom I've never met, but signed up for his/her affiliate program,) and the rash of new "FREE!" emails that seem to be the new method of getting sign ups for your buddy, I've just about had it.

      Pete

      Kevin,

      I understand the lecture part. But even then, students STILL crack the books 'til the midnight hour! My daughter-in-law, who works for NASA, just completed her Masters online. Still, she spent several hundred (think she said around $600) for the books each quarter.

      Maybe THAT'S what's really pissing me off. The lack of supporting material. Many, many videos lately seem to be new formats that don't allow for pause, rewind, what ever. (At least the initial ones on the sales pages.)
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      • Profile picture of the author Vincent Moore
        Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

        Many, many videos lately seem to be new formats that don't allow for pause, rewind, what ever. (At least the initial ones on the sales pages.)
        You just hit the nail on the head with this statement. I hate sales pages with videos that:

        1) are of unknown length - might be 1 minute or might be 30 minutes
        2) have no controls to fast forward the video or rewind to an interesting part
        3) don't even give you a good idea of what exactly they're trying to sell
        4) give you no idea of the price of the product that they're pitching until you've wasted your time watching the video

        When I hit pages like that, I almost always just leave the page immediately. I would much rather, at least, have the option to view a written sales page.

        This particular tactic has become quite prolific these days and maybe it's working for those who use it but I know it's simply driven me away from those pages and I'm sure that applies to others as well.

        Overall, I think video CAN be a good thing but, like others have said, I would prefer to at least have a written transcript that I can browse through rather than being forced to watch a video. Having the written version makes for more efficient use of my time.

        Vince
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  • Profile picture of the author jonbeebe
    I personally prefer writing because I can skim it, it's hard to do that with video. But you know what, the next guy might not feel the same way.

    My question is, why does one have to be better than the other, or colleges should use this or that? I think there should be the option when it comes to learning, because people just learn differently.

    For the time being though, learning aside and as far as reference goes, I think writing will always be better because it's easier to archive and search.

    Just my two cents.

    Jonathan Beebe
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  • Profile picture of the author Jarrett
    Banned
    I see where you're coming from.. but not sure I would use the 'because colleges still use books.. books must be good' as a way to prove a point..

    Seriously.. half the government agencies still operate on commodore 64's haha
    Doesn't mean they are still good ;P
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Pete,

    Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

    then why are colleges still relying on books?
    Last I heard, colleges were also relying on teachers. That's actual, real, visible teachers.

    And field trips. And group discussions. And practical demos. And thinking.

    Humans learn via a whole range of media. They read, they watch, they listen, they experiment, they play, they discuss, they experience.

    As Jay and others have said upthread, it's not a case of either/or. There's no need for a video vs books battle. Video is just another recently introduced medium that some coaches use as a tool in their teaching. There can be no question that it does help many students.

    Why is that a problem?


    Frank
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    • Profile picture of the author Pete Egeler
      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      Pete,



      Last I heard, colleges were also relying on teachers. That's actual, real, visible teachers.

      And field trips. And group discussions. And practical demos. And thinking.

      Humans learn via a whole range of media. They read, they watch, they listen, they experiment, they play, they discuss, they experience.

      As Jay and others have said upthread, it's not a case of either/or. There's no need for a video vs books battle. Video is just another recently introduced medium that some coaches use as a tool in their teaching. There can be no question that it does help many students.

      Why is that a problem?


      Frank


      Because more & more marketers are NOT offering choices. It's video, or nothing.

      Pete
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
    Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

    then why are colleges still relying on books?

    More & more, it's.. video, video, video. If video is so great, then my grandkids wouldn't be spending hundreds of dollars on books, even though they've been going to college ON LINE!

    Maybe it's time someone got a grip on reality. Video is for fun, the written word is for reality. (teaching)

    Ya think maybe?

    Pete
    Actually, in a college, the books are just the supporting material. The teaching is done by a teacher lecturing (which video emulates without the student having to commute to the lecture).

    Video (in the form of television) has been used to deliver courses for many decades now - by colleges. Many a person living in remote areas has earned their degree in this manner.

    Video only, IMO, is not the best teaching method. Combining video with supporting materials (transcripts, workbooks, etc) is very effective.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
      Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

      Actually, in a college, the books are just the supporting material. The teaching is done by a teacher lecturing (which video emulates without the student having to commute to the lecture).

      Video (in the form of television) has been used to deliver courses for many decades now - by colleges. Many a person living in remote areas has earned their degree in this manner.

      Video only, IMO, is not the best teaching method. Combining video with supporting materials (transcripts, workbooks, etc) is very effective.
      I like your answer
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    • Profile picture of the author jpf239
      All I know is that when I was in college there was no video option, so anyone that likes to learn from video instead of books, more power to you.

      We need to keep books to learn from, they are just grandfathered in and need no electric to get to the contents. Videos are more distracting then a book, you may be looking closely at something that doesn't matter and daydream only to miss the point.

      Jon
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  • Profile picture of the author fredjr1978
    I 100% disagree! The online school that I am taking, I have the choice to cut my costs and buy all my book on a CD or pay extra to have them in text form. Infact, my lil sister just enrolled in college for her first year and she thought it was cool that her text books were ALL on cd so she just had to take her laptop to school.

    The problem is you have some teachers that are using books that have not yet been put into a CD format yet. Give it time and books will be gone and online schooling will be more popular in the next 10 years or sooner!

    So yes, I disagree with you...
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  • Profile picture of the author MalloryMedia
    It depends on what you are trying to learn. I prefer books for general concepts, but videos for a walk-through tutorial.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Jennings
    In general, I think it's easier to learn something you DO by watching it done, and easier to learn stuff to KNOW by reading.

    Juggling
    Puppet Mouth Synchronization
    Fly Fishing
    Magic Tricks
    Tying Your Shoes
    Six-Shooter Quick Draw

    All of those are learned *much* easier by watching a video than by reading descriptions.

    Would you rather have a surgeon operate on you if he/she had only read about how to do the operation versus watched one on video? Probably not. =

    Jay Jennings
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    • Profile picture of the author jpf239
      It's okay to disagree, I'm just pulling to hold on to special things like books, before everything in life becomes a pit or land on a scratched up disk.

      I would very much teach from video and do! I just happen to like the Ole books and that format still, they're a little harder to hack or erase or play other mean tricks with although you could just tear the pages..ha ha.

      The reason we will go away from producing books in the future is practical, because things change, but I was taking an online course where the school sent me a dvd to learn from and also a bunch of books and a test booklet. The test booklet remained untouched because I just logged in to the site and took the test there:rolleyes: The dvd compliments the teaching in the text books.

      So I agree books are on their way out, and that is good for having less paper mills that are helping to destroy the atmosphere, (not that manufacturing electronic stuff isn't also very damaging) but it sure was annoying when I was studying with a 1 hour window before I had to stop and the laptop battery went out..doh, no where to plug in at McDonald's. If that were a book I was studying from...well you know sha!

      Jon
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  • Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

    Maybe it's time someone got a grip on reality. Video is for fun, the written word is for reality. (teaching)

    Ya think maybe?

    Pete
    I disagree.

    For lecturing purposes, books are outdated: they're expensive to print and distribute yet they're less engaging and less attention-grabbing than videos. Books for teaching are old school, and do not be surprised if they're totally replaced in schools for video-lessons in span of one or two generations.
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  • Profile picture of the author BenBrandes
    Some people like video some don't. Personally I like both depending on the situation. Text is good because I can scan, but sometimes things just cant be explained properly using text and a video just works better.

    As for the video sales letters etc where you can't see the length of the videos... yeah I don't like it and a lot of the time I don't bother watching it because I'm not sure how long it will take.

    As for the original statement about why are colleges relying on books?

    In my opinion it's because:

    1. Text has been around for centuries, therefore people have had a long time to create them.
    2. Videos are relatively new and can only be watched on a computer/nowadays mobile phones and mp4 players (which not everyone has)
    3. For online video you need to have internet and have a decent speed to watch it properly. Plus a heck of alot of space on your hardrive.

    Interesting to see what will happen in the future though - who knows, maybe they will start to rely on videos - everyone has different learning styles.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    The superiority of video should lead the admin to change the
    board into a video instead of a text forum.

    All posts and responses will be in video format.

    But nobody gave a video response in this thread, even those
    who argue for video over text. I wonder why?

    -Ray Edwards
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

      The superiority of video should lead the admin to change the
      board into a video instead of a text forum.

      All posts and responses will be in video format.

      But nobody gave a video response in this thread, even those
      who argue for video over text. I wonder why?

      -Ray Edwards
      Here's is a great video about how to write:

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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    I prefer video to learn while I am working on several things at once. If I am reading only to learn, 100% of my focus needs to be on the written material. Not so with video/audio.
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    • Profile picture of the author DavidO
      In a lot of ways I agree with Pete, the OP. Sure, the truth is that video and print both have their place and personal preference has a lot to do with it too.

      But the video trend in IM is just too much and too fast. By this I mean reliance on video without the print option. Some of you seem to have no idea how slow and limited learning by video is.

      I can read material 10 to 20 times faster than video can reveal it and comprehend it better too. I can also re-read where and what I want to. And I can easily skip back and forth in print. You could almost say it's 3-dimensional.

      Video, on the other hand, is one-dimensional. You're stuck on a fixed timeline and it can be so slowwww!

      Of course, video has its place. It's especially good where visualization is needed. It can also be entertaining (which is where it's most suitable). But it's so limiting in scope.

      I have no problem with people who want to learn by video. But I get really irritated by all the tutorials nowadays that come only in video and not print. I probably have 24 hours of video on my hard drive that came with courses that I've never bothered to watch. It's too slow and too boring. I could read the whole lot in a half hour and enjoy it a lot more!
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        then why are colleges still relying on books?
        The real question is why aren't textbooks downloadable products?

        Simple - there's a lot of money to be made at several levels in the textbook publishing arena.

        Allowing textbooks to be purchased as downloads would enable making corrections quickly to a new textbook, save significant money for students, be environmentally friendly (paper)....but the profit would be less.

        Wouldn't it be logical to buy a kindle to read your high school or college textbooks rather than purchase physical products and lug them around with you all day?

        Logical, yes - profitable, not so much.

        kay
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        • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
          Pete,

          Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

          Because more & more marketers are NOT offering choices. It's video, or nothing.
          Well, yeah. And if you'd made that point in your OP, you wouldn't have had so many dissenting responses.

          Instead, you said this:

          Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

          Video is for fun, the written word is for reality. (teaching)
          That's a bit different.


          Frank
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