Quiet! I’m Cramming for Finals—By Watching Someone Else Study
As the school year was ending, many students were watching videos of others students hitting the books.
Jamie Lee’s video opens with her (medical student) sitting at her desk, working on a computer and writing in a notebook. In the eighth minute, she pulls her hair up into a ponytail. At 11:20, she adjusts her glasses. She says nothing. She doesn’t leave her seat. She never looks at the camera. This 53 minutes of footage (This is an active link. Click it if you think I am making this Foolishness up) has been watched almost 500,000 times!
In a tidy corner of the internet, a diligent class of students film themselves studying and posts the videos online. They solve problem sets, revise worksheets, color-code notes and make flashcards—inviting viewers to “study” with them.
Some of the videos last a few minutes and include voice-over narration. Others can last hours with only ambient sound. A 2.5-hour study session (Another active link) by Jamie Lee has been watched 877,000 times. In this one she spends most of her time highlighting in a textbook. Her New York-based online channel, called TheStriveToFit, (Last active link) has 278,000 subscribers, who receive updates when she posts something new. (She publishes a new video Every Saturday at Noon.)
What the heck is going on? College students go to college to learn something. What are they learning by watching other students learning?
What’s next?...
Ø Watching paint dry?
Ø Watching grass grow?
Ø Watching other people sleep?
Well one thing I know for certain. We will never ever sit around and watch people lie to us!
Oops! I forgot about CSPAN.
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
