Re: Video Review?

[Bob LaMontagne <rlamont@POSTOFFICE.PROVIDENCE.EDU>]

Fran Poodry wrote:

> As advertised in Discover magazine, the Scientific American Book Club is
> offering a 4-tape video set from the Standard Deviants for $5.99 (plus S&H) as
> long as you agree to buy three more books from them over two years.  The tapes
> include The Standard Deviants Physics 1 & 2 (VHS, 2 tapes, 3.5 hrs) and The
> Standard Deviants Calculus 1 & 2 (VHS, 2 tapes, 3.75 hrs).  The URL is
> www.scciambookclub.com.
> Can anyone offer a review as to the instructional value of these videos?
> Thanks
> -Fran Poodry

I cannot think of enough bad things to say about those videos. I was sent a copy
of one as a "gift" when I ordered some equipment for our department. Basically,
they are a collection of song, dance, and comedy skits about physics. Somehow the
people who made them think that if they include some physics terms in some very
lame comedy sketches, they're somehow getting students interested in physics. The
total focus is on words, nothing is explained, nothing is demonstrated.

Imagine the following - pick up a legal book (Black's Law for instance) - randomly
choose 50 legal terms from the book - then make fun of those words in a comedy
skit - that's Standard Deviants.

I would not waste my time or money on them. I would certainly not show the tapes
to students. They already have a preconception of physicists as being eccentric
and "out of it". These videos only serve to reinforce that notion.

Bob at PC