Reinventing History

By On 15/11/2009 · 8 Comments

As I was studying history for the whole damn day I find it hard to concentrate and memorize certain important facts from my history textbook. It’s just too boring and old unless they are able to spice it up with vivid visual and striking audio that are able to capture the reader eyes in just moments I’m sure it would be a big hit in any school.

If I have a choice to choose which part of history I will certainly choose the European history, US history, age of Renaissance, the age of enlightenment, world war 1, world war 2, and Vietnam war. These are certainly more exciting history than any Islamic migration and Malaysia history.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNGnyKyDl4]

Why can’t the government make history into exciting documentaries? For starter “History Channel” or “PBS” done a hell of a job for presenting history in video format. I always like to tune into history channel to get my daily dose of history when new documentary arises or I will just torrent them. Speaking of which I’m currently downloading “The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance” from PBS.

When history is presented in a visual and audio way our brains actually absorbs about 70% than plain reading. This is why current educational system fail because they are not able to adapt to the latest technology as a mean of distributing knowledge in a fun way. Come on! This is not the 60′s, 70′s nor 90′s anymore we need to change into a technological society if we even think to become a first country.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFKfXiCbLw]

I just don’t get the school rules and the teachers where they are still imposing that student cannot bring any electronics to school (Cellphone, camera, laptop, pager, iPod) since most of today’s student can be label as digital learner why do so many teachers still refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices? Although I can see few use the internet to teach but it weight next to none in where I’m currently residing.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Tagged with: •
 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Reddit Facebook Twitter Delicious
  • http://hashihime.blogspot.com/ hashi

    I think the basic problem is that good audio-visual production and distribution costs much more than making a good book. And the best English-language audio-visual people gravitate to the US and British markets, which are the largest and most profitable — at least until the Indian market catches up. It just isn’t easy or cheap to make those great PBS and History Channel shows.

    And providing enough computers, etc., for every student is expensive, compared to books.

    Moreover, it seems to me that video is an inefficient way of communicating information. I can pick up much more from reading for an hour than from watching a show for an hour. The video is in fact more sequential than the book, to me, even if it leaves more of an impression. I think reading on the Internet may be the most efficient. I’d see using video to get oriented and then Internet to gain deeper levels of knowledge.

    As for personal electronics in class, I feel your pain. But from a teacher’s point of view, how the heck is class going to work if everyone is watching/listening to/communicating on their own appliances and not paying attention in class?

    But all that having been said, it’s even worse than your second vid-clip says, since the figures given were all from 6-10 years ago.

    To me, it all means that the industrial “classroom” model is the problem, and learning should be more distributed, taken in small groups or individually, and more integrated with normal adult life. But I don’t see that anyone has come up with a complete new model that works — yet.

  • http://hashihime.blogspot.com hashi

    I think the basic problem is that good audio-visual production and distribution costs much more than making a good book. And the best English-language audio-visual people gravitate to the US and British markets, which are the largest and most profitable — at least until the Indian market catches up. It just isn’t easy or cheap to make those great PBS and History Channel shows.

    And providing enough computers, etc., for every student is expensive, compared to books.

    Moreover, it seems to me that video is an inefficient way of communicating information. I can pick up much more from reading for an hour than from watching a show for an hour. The video is in fact more sequential than the book, to me, even if it leaves more of an impression. I think reading on the Internet may be the most efficient. I’d see using video to get oriented and then Internet to gain deeper levels of knowledge.

    As for personal electronics in class, I feel your pain. But from a teacher’s point of view, how the heck is class going to work if everyone is watching/listening to/communicating on their own appliances and not paying attention in class?

    But all that having been said, it’s even worse than your second vid-clip says, since the figures given were all from 6-10 years ago.

    To me, it all means that the industrial “classroom” model is the problem, and learning should be more distributed, taken in small groups or individually, and more integrated with normal adult life. But I don’t see that anyone has come up with a complete new model that works — yet.

  • http://www.wolfisjerk.blogspot.com/ wolf

    because the goverment don’t know how to use a digital devices…

  • http://www.wolfisjerk.blogspot.com wolf

    because the goverment don’t know how to use a digital devices…

  • http://shockerz.wordpress.com/ Shockerz

    hahaa!~ That’s a funny one

  • http://shockerz.wordpress.com/ Shockerz

    hahaa!~ That’s a funny one

  • http://shockerz.wordpress.com/ Shockerz

    @ hashi

    The cost maybe high but it’s for the greater good. Don’t you agree? If the video produce is able to attract student at the first place then searching more in depth information for them self on the net or book would not be a problem anymore and the “boring history syndrome” would be solved.

    Thanks to Assassin’s creed and a few good documentaries I found myself where I like to study about the age of Renaissance more than ever.

    I always treat visual and audio as the activator for my history lesson. Once it strike an image down me I will start to find out more about that particular history through the use of books and internet. If I start I will not stop until I get what I’m searching for.

    Computer are largely available at the cheapest price. It’s a dime dozen everywhere. [Google helps!]

    I see that your “From a teacher point of view” is within those student who does not perform well or just another bunch who do not want to go to school. It would be wrong to assume all will be like that and it is consider a fallacy in logic. I for once would not use any electronics to disturb the flow of study. My friend who are in a private school that allow student to bring electronics to school and have no such problem you propose.

    I wonder… why is it worse? Is it not good that they find out earlier?

    Ya, the current educational system is just like molding the student to get into society and did not let the student to exploit their full potential.

    Thanks for the input! :D

  • http://shockerz.wordpress.com/ Shockerz

    @ hashi

    The cost maybe high but it’s for the greater good. Don’t you agree? If the video produce is able to attract student at the first place then searching more in depth information for them self on the net or book would not be a problem anymore and the “boring history syndrome” would be solved.

    Thanks to Assassin’s creed and a few good documentaries I found myself where I like to study about the age of Renaissance more than ever.

    I always treat visual and audio as the activator for my history lesson. Once it strike an image down me I will start to find out more about that particular history through the use of books and internet. If I start I will not stop until I get what I’m searching for.

    Computer are largely available at the cheapest price. It’s a dime dozen everywhere. [Google helps!]

    I see that your “From a teacher point of view” is within those student who does not perform well or just another bunch who do not want to go to school. It would be wrong to assume all will be like that and it is consider a fallacy in logic. I for once would not use any electronics to disturb the flow of study. My friend who are in a private school that allow student to bring electronics to school and have no such problem you propose.

    I wonder… why is it worse? Is it not good that they find out earlier?

    Ya, the current educational system is just like molding the student to get into society and did not let the student to exploit their full potential.

    Thanks for the input! :D

  • Twitter
  • Tumblr