Of A Physics Professor and An Online Phenomenon
Another intriguing read from the education staff at The New York Times, this time about MIT physics professor Walter H.G. Lewin, who at age 71 has developed an almost cult-like following for the lectures he videos and makes available online, to anyone.
From writer Sara Rimer's article:
"Professor Lewin delivers his lectures with the panache of Julia Child bringing French cooking to amateurs and the zany theatricality of YouTube’s greatest hits. He is part of a new generation of academic stars who hold forth in cyberspace on their college Web sites and even, without charge, on iTunes U, which went up in May on Apple’s iTunes Store.
In his lectures at ocw.mit.edu, Professor Lewin beats a student with cat fur to demonstrate electrostatics. Wearing shorts, sandals with socks and a pith helmet — nerd safari garb — he fires a cannon loaded with a golf ball at a stuffed monkey wearing a bulletproof vest to demonstrate the trajectories of objects in free fall.
He rides a fire-extinguisher-propelled tricycle across his classroom to show how a rocket lifts off."
If you've got time, check out the whole story. It's a great read.