Google Video Goes to School
The University of California at Berkeley is using Google Video to deliver college courses free of charge, according to Reuters. The university has placed over 250 hours of video online for the public. They're also the first institution to have their own branded page. If you're an education institution, would you rather put your video on YouTube or Google? Hmm. p.s. I really shouldn't bring this up, but it's interesting to note that Harvard and Princeton are having a pissing contest over which school is the social policy leader. First Harvard ends its early admission program, then Princeton. Schools like University of Virginia (great English program) have followed suit, and schools like Cornell (very chilly) are debating the issue. Now when it comes to preening your academic peacock feathers, promoting online video isn't exactly as stylish (or powerful) as changing early admission policies. But. Won't it be interesting if universities start choosing sides in the online video wars? Google has a head start with its reputation among scholars... |
Comments (3)
I'm a senior at Cal and think this is the first step in a democratic education system. Thanks googlers for making this happen. I would lobe to be an integral part of this program. If you need advice from a wise 8th year senior at Cal, please email me. Tom Osseck saberkeley@hotmail.com
Posted by Tom Osseck | September 27, 2006 10:35 PM
Cal has had webcasts of their courses available online for some time. These include archived versions of each course. Unfortunately, and this is why it's great that Google has stepped up, they are in RealVideo format, of very low quality, and are served off of a slow connection. If a college is smart it will jump on this bandwagon now. If I were a college president looking to get my school international attention I would spend the two million to put all my courses on Google Video. When people from India to Arizona can all watch your courses and your professors all under the banner of your school ... what do you think will happen to application rates? Information wants to be free, this is only the tip of an exceptionally promising ice-berg. -Ian
Posted by Ian Danforth | September 28, 2006 12:23 AM
Any knowledge, except of one kind, can be communicated across minds, like wine in glasses. Obviously, there is nothing special about so called knowledge, and is essentially skin deep. Yes, it takes enormous effort to create knowledge, but distributing available knowledge is simple, thanks to google and then net. Unfortunately, the cost of education seems to show otherwise. In near future, there may only be virtual schools, enabling us more of self study, and exams. The only knowledge that no body can give to another is the knowledge of self. Who am I? What's my personal address? How did I happen to be where I am?
Posted by Ranjit Kumar | September 28, 2006 6:58 PM