So here’s a professor recording and selling his lectures online for $2.50 a pop. Also interesting is all of the comments by the slashdotters. The biggest discussion centers around whether they should be free or not, if the professor has the right to charge for the lectures. The best part of the discussion (in a humorous way) is the link found in one of the comments. Give it a listen to all the way through.
So, how does this apply to our class discussions? Simple, this is one case point where technology is affecting teaching. Is it ‘fair’ to have to pay for a lecture you missed or would like to hear again? One commentor gave an analogy that going to a class is like going to a play. You pay for a class which entitles you to a class session at a particular time in a particular place. The same with buying a ticket to the theater. You wouldn’t expect to get to see the video taped version of the play just because you paid for a ticket to see it live.
Anyhow, interesting stuff about technology and teaching going on all around us.