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by justifier 3684 days ago
> When teaching mathematics, the traditional method of lecturing in front of a blackboard is still hard to improve upon, despite all the advances in modern technology.

i completely disagree on a multitude of fronts

what is meant by 'traditional'? my understanding of plato's academia was it was a forum for discussion stead some silent note taking mass attempting to keep pace with an informer whose information is variant based on how they slept and whether they ate recently

current academic lectures need to go away

i'd rather see professors make succinct learning material, a la well edited video lectures andor notes, and offer them to students as suggested material and have a weekly meeting where the material is discussed

also, technology has always informed mathematics and trying to deny that in lieu of, what i assume is, some personal distaste for contemporary technology and its uses seems disingenuous

when i research mathematics i sometimes take time away with a pencil and paper, but usually only to find new directions to lead an idea; in the vast majority of my work i collaborate with a computer

i like using many mediums for expression, but if i were forced to choose one over the other i would definitely choose the computer

i can always do what i do on paper with a computer, the opposite would leave me severely wanting

1 comments

Most post secondary math, especially proof-oriented abstract math- analysis, topology, abstract algebra, probability and measure- all the kind of stuff that Tao probably teaches- really cannot be visualized with modern technology and relies more on pen-on-paper/chalk-on-board walkthroughs. In that context, Tao is spot on that modern tech is of little use in exposition.
how does that logic follow

i feel fairly confident that anything you do on a chalk board i can do on a computer, unless you can offer an example of what you mean by 'cannot be visualized with modern technology '

also, my comment spoke directly of what i think you are referring to in using the word 'exposition'.. perhaps you meant 'extempore'?

why does the academic system think, assume, require andor expect their professors to be good public communicators?

The interactivity and dynamicism of the chalkboard can't really be reproduced in ppt or pdf. Go look at some MSRI videos for example: http://www.msri.org/workshops
i shutter to think that someone assumes if i say i use a computer to collaborate on mathematics research they think i mean with either powerpoint or pdfs?!?

'interactivity and dynamicism of the chalkboard' reads like laughably obstinate bias

http://acko.net/blog/mathbox2/ is a great example of what interactivity and dynamicism really can be

https://hn.algolia.com/?query=acko.net&sort=byPopularity&pre...

your msri videos are perfect examples of what i think is wrong with academia

one person standing in front of a group of silent onlookers making incomprehensible scribbles on a medium that the onlookers are unable to interact with or permute

then to take that presentation and put it online raw and unedited

i picked a random video: https://www.msri.org/workshops/705/schedules/20915 ; feel free to watch its 51 minutes or skip around.. i challenge anyone to go jump straight to minute 9 and read what is written there, i have worse handwriting than this professor and i know you would be unable to read this comment if i were required to write it by hand

how much of the video is actionable information?

how much time is the viewer just sitting, silently, waiting for the professor to finish writing words just spoken? what benefit is there for me to watch someone as they write?

http://www.3blue1brown.com/ is a great example of well edited content

i'd rather professors make edited versions of their intended presentations, give them to students, and then this lecture hall could be filled with conversation and imagination stead the sound of chalk being dragged across slate