Posting recorded lectures online can lead some students to be lazy, inattentive in class

Through the rising popularity of online colleges, online tutoring and Sparknotes, the Internet has become a primary educational tool in a modern student's life. As part of this movement, some teachers are embracing the idea of online help, and post videos of their lectures on their websites.

Although recorded lectures help students who are sick, miss one part of the notes or need a second look at the lectures, it also encourages laziness and breeds student complacency.

With an online lecture such as those being used in some science classes, the teacher takes one of the lectures of the day, records them with the students’ questions included and uploads the lecture online as a screen share of a PowerPoint with audio. For tired, sleepy or inattentive students, it can be a perfect tool to catch up.

Recorded lectures are useful when they’re used properly, but too often, students don’t use them the right way. 

Online lectures, while convenient, are not foolproof. For instance, what if the Internet at home times out? A student will start regretting taking a nap or not paying attention during class.  

Another drawback of recorded lectures is that students don’t have the chance to ask questions to clarify concepts like they do when they are in the classroom. Either they will have to ask friends and peers, or they will go on with the lesson, confused on the part they missed. 

Logically speaking, listening and taking notes in class is the best way to understand material. Gazing back at the notes that should have been jotted down during the class can quickly kick the brain into gear and help students understand the tough concepts. 

With posted lectures, students have the capability to not pay attention in class, encouraging laziness. However, if teachers were to only have lectures online, they could use class time for activities and labs reflecting upon the lesson. This method is commonly called flip teaching.

 Flip teaching has potential because work is actually assigned and students are able to go at their own pace. However, re-posted online lectures are basically encouraging students to zone out in class and simply rely on going home to learn the lesson. 

An alternative method that could be used is uploading different lectures from what was taught in class that cover the same concept. For example, AP Biology teacher Cheryl Lenz assigns students Bozemanbiology video notes for homework. The videos cover the same topics as discussed in class but are not identical to the teacher’s lectures, thus providing students a good supplemental resource while still discouraging laziness in class. 

Technology is a great tool. But it needs to be use in a way that doesn’t lead to students simply having another reason to be lazy. What’s important is learning to use it in the right way.