I knew someone who took a video course in College. The class was American History. They claimed to have found it to be very dull, as the course mainly consisted of the professor discussing the text book. Since there was no chance of any organic discussion, the course wasn’t as interesting as it might have been in a traditional classroom. Also, the urge to skip through the videos was very high.
Learning on your own is becoming very mainstream right now. It allows people the time and convenience to learn new things and improve themselves. You can find information on almost any topic and become a semi-expert with effort. Just make sure it’s something you actually care about and is the best way to learn for your particular needs.
This blog article is a branch out to life-optimizing readers like yourself that were kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I’m still working on my interview skills (and some of these were done via email/not-in-person!), but I do promise good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which doesn’t happen often).
Topic of Interest: Learning Through Video
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
R: Give an example of learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: I mainly learned how to play guitar off of old videos back in the 80’s. Today, with access to YouTube, a lot more is possible. I recently learned how to repair my iPod by watching a video.
R: How do you think a better understanding of learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: I think that if more people were open to learning about video courses it could enhance their careers. There are lots of different courses that can are tailored to one’s interest. The courses are convent and offer a solution for anyone who wants to continue working full time.
R: Give an example of how learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video has helped you professionally or personally.
I: I took an e course on swallowing disorders. I used this course to further my pursuit of becoming a specialist. This course provided a knowledge base for oral feeding disorders.
R: Describe at least one way you think learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: Critical to effective learning is to understand the competency and potential bias of the instructor and the person sponsoring the course. This is true with respect to any course, but can be of critical importance in a video course setting. Almost anyone can produce a video course, and it can be difficult for a user to identify a bias, or indeed to discern whether the course has a bias. For example, a person who is looking to learn about tax preparation might receive wrong information if they relied solely on videos produced by the various tax protestor groups to learn about tax return preparation. Such videos would not serve a person looking to enhance their standing with the main stream tax profession.
R: Give an example of how learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: It has caused me trouble because it is not hands-on enough for me. I am in a class right now that is 90% video courses and quite frankly I am very impatient in this class. I would much rather things be taught to me hands on or at least explained to me. A video course is not able to answer my questions if it doesn’t go over it.
R: How do you think learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Learning through video can provide specialized information about whatever given profession the student is in. Videos can save money on hiring teachers who may not even relay the message as well as a well thought out video can. Also you may provide an educator alongside the video giving for the most clarification and potential for learning the information.
R: Give an example of how learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: A ways learning through video courses could be useful at work is if the company does not have the man power or budget to afford hands on training. This is hands down the best way to train someone if they cannot show you the ropes in person. A video course is much more interesting and easier to pay attention to than a textbook or hand out. Video courses aren’t the best course of action in my opinion but are still very viable.
R: How do you think learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could help you at home? Why is that?
I: I believe that learning through video courses would benefit me by allowing me to improve my knowledge in areas that I would otherwise not have time to study. Having the convenience of a video course allows me to study and learn when I have time and am able to. I am also not constrained by the schedules of other people.
R: Give an example of how learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Learning through videos is in my opinion the most efficient way next to having someone teach you in person. With video, you can compare your work with the one in the video as you progress to make sure you are on the right track and doing it correctly. It is also very convenient that you can learn at your own pace at home rather than committing to having to go somewhere.
R: How do you think learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: I learn best when I am not under any stress. Certainly being in my home, on my own couch, would be the least stressful and more comfortable. I also have back problems, so taking a class in person, and having to sit in classroom chairs, would actually be painful. I would also be less embarrassed to watch something about at home, alone. I could also watch the video any time I wished.
R: Give an example of how learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: An e course could be useful for personal relationships because one could take a course on how to influence people and improve friendships. This would help to improve relationships one has,
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video.
I: I would be interested in learning about programming. It could be a course on various programming languages. I think this would be helpful and interesting for anyone who wants to learn programming.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about learning through video courses/DVD/Blur-ray/other video.
I: Check YouTube for instructional videos. Make sure you read through some of the comments to get an idea of what the video is about. Don’t pay attention to the circle jerk comments. Watch more than one video from more than one uploader, some may be biased.
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How was that for a nice little journey into this topic? I hope you enjoyed this interview and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life. Yes, homework is never seen as a nice word, but it’s useful – give yourself an action to use at least 1 thing from this article to help change your life.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?