kitchen table math, the sequel: books vs 'visuals'

Sunday, April 22, 2012

books vs 'visuals'

Just found this comment by an AP history teacher:
Videos (DVDs, films, whatever) are overrated. A full-length movie had better be virtual time travel to be worth the time showing it. Bits and pieces are okay. I used a lot of stuff off of YouTube - there are excerpts from everything there.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are appallingly jaded when it comes to visuals, and, to be honest, they're so used to watching stuff, that they don't actually pay attention any more. If you show something, you're going to have to explain it much more than you think. What does haunt them is in the books. I always showed a Japan class some propaganda films with heavy atrocities - didn't faze them a bit - and then had them read "Hiroshima" - and they had nightmares from it.
off-topic: While I was in Illinois, Blogger completely reworked the post window.

I don't like it.

At least, not so far.

3 comments:

palisadesk said...

Re the new post window, at least at the bottom right (in tiny letters) it asks for feedback.

Give it to them!

The comment window was changed some weeks ago and I hate it. When you use the "preview" feature it breaks up formatting of the comment and it is impossible to read (This is with Safari. Haven't tried Chrome or Firefox). I found the old window, where the previewed comment displayed against a yellow background, much more user friendly.

I can't recall exactly what the previous post window (for KTM) looked like.

Catherine Johnson said...

The new post window has all the ancillary commands off to the side, hidden inside a bar you have to click on to open. Then, when I choose one category, the bar snaps closed, so I have to re-locate it and re-click on it to open again. Eventually I'll do that without thinking, but right now I have to re-remember what the icon for Categories is, and then click on it. Once I've reached automaticity on the icon, I'll still have to click on it.

The re-design has added a step.

Catherine Johnson said...

I subliminally noticed the new Comments window -- should have liminally noticed it & figured worse was to come.

What they really need to do is put "Edit" commands on all the posts, so I don't have to track things down via the "Post" command if I want to make revisions & copy edits.

Which I always do want to do.