Can online video truly educate, or only inform?
In 2007 Hank relayed the view that video beats books for information, then said this does not always hold. John said in 2010 that the internet informs better than it educates, and in 2023 called Study Hall, which links videos to college credit, brilliant. From 2012 Hank has said educational video can change the world by helping learners and teachers alongside the classroom.
Axis: yes, it educates ... it only informs
Concept: education
Positions by date: 16 records in 16 videos. The position was refined (2007, 2019), never reversed, in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11-01 | first on record | John holds that the internet, so far, is very good at providing information but has proven less good at education, which needs context. | Consider the Lemming 00:01:47 |
| 2019-02-12 | refine | John says these free tools are often less comprehensive than textbooks but more interactive and adaptable to different students, and cost nothing instead of $10 billion a year, much of it paid by underfunded public schools. | Are Textbooks Obsolete? 00:00:58 |
| 2023-01-31 | restate | John calls Hank's newly announced Study Hall, a Complexly, ASU and Google partnership linking educational YouTube videos to college credit, brilliant. | I'm Going Back to College? 00:02:35 |
| 2023-05-02 | restate | As John Chew explained, almost all the construction workers were trained in new skills, partly through classes and partly through educational YouTube videos. | GOOD NEWS 00:02:55 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-10-11 | first on record | Hank relays Seth Godin's view that YouTube video already is a better medium than books for acquiring information, and takes it as a reason to say important things himself. | October 11th National Coming Out Day 00:00:58 |
| 2007-10-15 | refine | Hank qualifies his claim that video blogs can transmit ideas better than books: not always, as Harry Potter would be a horrible video blog. → refers to October 11th National Coming Out Day | Oct 15th: Happy 16th Birthday B20 00:02:23 |
| 2012-10-19 | restate | Hank argues educational online video is a different value proposition from entertainment and thinks it has the power to change the world; nothing excites him more than revolutionizing how and what we teach. | Revolutionizing Education...With Weirdos 00:00:58 |
| 2014-10-17 | restate | Hank thinks more SciShow is better for the world because society needs more scientific literacy, and SciShow does that fairly well compared with TV science. | MY FACE ON A BUS 00:02:32 |
| 2020-04-03 | restate | Hank says the goal of these channels isn't to replace the classroom, which can't be replaced, but to help learners and teachers. | 11 Little Tips for Better Video Chat (For Teachers...and Everybody Else) 00:00:27 |
| 2022-06-10 | restate | Hank says Crash Course is on YouTube because students and teachers already are; instead of selling to school districts and forcing it on teachers, it lets them choose, so it is used only when found useful. | My Embarrassing Dermatology Story 00:01:56 |
| 2023-01-27 | restate | Hank says the goal is not to replace college with YouTube videos but to look closely at the barriers and lower the ones they can. | An Announcement 3 Years in the Making 00:03:24 |
| 2024-05-31 | restate | Hank says the good Crash Course has done in the world is bonkers and the work, thought and care put into it are off the charts. | The People I Hate Most in the World 00:00:29 |
| 2024-08-26 | restate | Hank says almost anyone can make a YouTube video about anything, true or not; Complexly answers what a network that vets and fact-checks free content to help teachers and students would look like. | Welcome to the Learn-a-Thon 00:00:00 |
| 2025-05-23 | restate | Hank says this free-video model is extremely valuable only because people consider whether they can help, and viewers watching have done that work. | I Can’t Believe How Few People it Takes. 00:04:23 |
| 2025-11-21 | restate | Hank says he watches many science communicators on YouTube and learns both their subjects and their techniques. | I Wasn't Always Like This!! 00:03:40 |
| 2026-02-04 | restate | Hank says Complexly answers this with educational content of high standards that still competes for attention, and is well positioned to do more. | We Just Sold Our Company for $0 00:03:05 |