Ask YC: Self Teach Videos | Hacker News Reader

Ask YC: Self Teach Videos

5 pointsbrentr6 comments

I'm going back to college to pursue undergraduate degrees in mathematics and computer science. I have been thinking about ways to alleviate my costs as I am currently relying solely on student loans and help for my father. The following is what I have come up with, and I am seeking the opinions of this community.

I have noticed that while there is some quality instructional videos on YouTube and places like MIT's website, I still think there is a lack of good quality educational videos. I would like to create a series of lecture videos with a textbook or two written by me and create a means of donating money to offset some of my expenses. In addition to that, if I have any money left over I would create a scholarship for math and computer science studies at Bowling Green State University. Do you think this is a viable plan? Could something like this be turned into a non-profit where more than just math and computer science lectures are posted?

I really like the idea of self teaching educational videos. If anything, you'd be making a great contribution to society for those who can't seem to get an education for financial, etc. reasons.

It's a viable but very work intensive plan. Writing your own textbook seems like a pretty big bottleneck. In my opinion, don't waste your time writing your own textbook at first, just go straight off of an existing textbook to make your videos. Math, science, bio is math, science, bio. I don't think you'd run into any trouble unless you start copying unique problem strategies. As far as a means of donation, I think a project like this would be so highly praised that many humanitarian/university/etc. organizations would be more than willing to help fund you.

As for covering your costs, you could create your own textbooks, but not the usual type. I'd really like textbooks that are more concise and cut the crap. Just give me the damn formulas, how they work, and why we use them. Then a section of practice problems. I don't want to read about how neat it is to graph a 3d image of the shape of a cowbell using trig functions. If you could make that type of textbook, I'd buy it. Also, you always could create white label versions of your product and sell them to institutions and universities for the hosting of their own videos/podcasts for their student body.

It's an ambitious but awesome plan.

I thought the exact same thing you thought about the textbook, and I thought I would do it sort of like a professor does--start out with a set of notes that evolve into a textbook over time.

I agree with the "cut the crap" out of textbooks. I think modern textbooks spend a lot of pages showing fluff. When I look at historical books, like Hardy's A Course on Pure Mathematics, I am amazed at how concise yet rigorous they are compared with today's textbooks.

Schaum's Outlines are usually a good source of cheap (~$15) "cut the crap" textbook alternatives. Brief explanations, then many worked problems, then more problems with answers elsewhere.

I'm not so sure Schaum's is that great. I want to "cut the crap" but replace it with a deeper study of whatever the student is studying.

I really dislike when a mathematics textbook states something like "The proof is too complicated and therefore not included." Let me be the judge of that. At least indicate where I may find a proof of a theorem if it's not included in the text.

I also believe that logic and proofs should be taught much earlier in the curriculum than at present, and I don't consider the simple geometric proofs learned in high school to be a firm basis on which to start. Under my plan, something like Rudin should be what is taught as a last math class in high school. Some may say that is too ambitious. I don't think so.

That's what I am trying to do with my web app (www.ezlearnz.com), although I'm not limiting the site to instructional videos, but also text, images, and interactive widgets.

Let me get this straight: you are about to start as an undergrad, and you are thinking about writing textbooks?

Holy hubris, Batman!

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