Print      |       Back
------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Educational Series

We are producing a series of online educational videos.  We have just begun, and are offering these programs free of charge.  We are currently developing programs to help people to use computers, from beginning to advanced.  When this has been completed, we will develop a series for homeschoolers, and later, move to an online medical school, to be used in conjunction with assistantships.

In analyzing the root causes of social dysfunction, we have traced the solution to methods of education. It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  But a moving picture accompanied by auditory words may be worth 100,000 words.

If we examine the history of human development over millions of years, we have evolved to learn through sights and sounds.  The printed word is a very recent development. One can read well, yet learn poorly by reading.  This may well be an innate property of the brain, as opposed to a fault in education.

With our advances in technology, we can put a 30 volume set of encyclopedias on a single CD ROM. But we need to go further. If we are to make a quantum leap in education, we must put training programs in audio-visual format on compressed media.

We have the capability now. We can put an entire medical-school curriculum in an engaging audio-visual format that is easily downloadable, on a few CD ROMs. This can be supplemented by hands-on assistantships in ones local area.  

The implications are enormous.  If we can greatly accelerate the assimilation of factual information, then we will have much more time and energy for creative work. If we are to solve the problems of disease, environmental pollution, education, energy, and fair government, we will need to expand our capacity for invention.  

Many of the educational systems in place today are so laborious, inefficient and cumbersome, that they interfere with the mind’s creative capacity. Furthermore, on a global scale, they are inaccessible to most people. We can quickly turn that around. 

A Place To Start
One of the most obvious deficiencies, as we look around us, is the ability to learn how to handle computers. That is where we have chosen to start. By the time you read this, we will have a downloadable series of programs on computer management, troubleshooting and operation. We will cover the most commonly used computer programs such as Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and FrontPage. 

Homeschooling
Homeschooling is now growing at the rate of 15% a year, and students following traditional learning pathways have fallen behind. Home schooled children, on the average, outperform other students in many ways. There is an extremely large number of parents who would like to homeschool their children, but are prevented from doing so because of lack of time. There is a host of written material and other resources, but it is frequently costly and ineffective.

The logical next step is to provide homeschoolers with free, enjoyable, audio-visual instructional media. We anticipate that an entire K through 12 series can be placed on a few CD ROM disks, and we intend to accomplish this task. 

We will shortly have an initial series on our site for download. Initially, we will provide instructions for making your own videos and anticipate that people all over the world will be able to add to our efforts. This site will act as a point of exchange. The only hardware requirement is a fast modern computer which is currently selling for about $500.

We are sponsoring the John Gatto golden apple award for teaching excellence. There is a whole series of plaques for people of all walks of life who are making an outstanding contribution to education, and this will receive wide publicity. We are currently accepting nominations for this honor. Please contact us if you have people that you believe should be recognized.

Healthcare
We have a severe problem with health care delivery.  Although there has been an enormous struggle to discover a solution, answers have not been found, largely because people have been looking in the wrong places.  

If we reexamined the antiquated educational requirements currently needed to practice medicine, we could have a plentiful supply of creative, compassionate, and reasonably priced physicians.  PPO's, socialized medicine, rationing treatment, or legalistic approaches have not worked because they have not addressed the fundamental obstacle.  We have gone in circles with these kinds of proposals and made virtually no progress.

Once the root cause of the current medical system's ineffectiveness is thoroughly examined, the outlook for the future becomes extremely favorable.  The real issue is not money, but rather our mindset.  Since our society appears to be stymied, it follows that some fundamental assumptions about the way our systems are organized must be questioned.  We tend to hold to certain beliefs very rigidly, and dismiss new ideas that contradict them impulsively. 

Most pre-medical education is irrelevant.  The M.D. degree requires twelve years of higher education, most of which has little value to the future practicing physician.  In many schools, the educational pattern is memorize, pass the test, and forget.  The pressures encountered by medical students are mentally damaging, and waste many valuable years.  By the time the doctor graduates, he has forgotten most of what he has learned. 
 
Traditional institutional education is rigid and non-creative, directed toward learning information that is mostly irrelevant and of little practical value.  Replacing the current structure with a system that focuses on live patients and allows ample time for the student to devise creative solutions via internet information resources, technical support, and a worldwide communication network would greatly improve the quality of healthcare.

Patient Centered Learning
The solution is to permit alternatives to rigid institutions, utilize free internet programs, and have medical students assist practicing physicians by assisting practicing physicians in taking patient histories.  These students would offer valuable, free services to doctors.  At the same time, they would have a vivid learning experience by spending several hours each day interacting with actual patients.  Today, in order to become a doctor, one has to go to a medical school, which is a four-year program costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to one survey, for every dollar that the medical student pays, there are four dollars that come from other sources of funding.  Most people don't realize that 90% or more of the M.D. faculty members are volunteers.  They aren't paid.  This is incredible to contemplate.  The real heart, the essence, of medical school is provided free of charge.  It is the institution itself - the rigidity - that is so expensive.

A Free Medical School Accessible to All
We intend to produce an audio-visual medical school within the near future to integrate with the above plan, and are currently interviewing prospective faculty members.  Our digital tape, editing and duplication facility is in place. 

Medical School Curriculum

• Biochemistry
• Cell and Neurobiology
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies
• Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
• Pathology
• Physiology and Biophysics
• Preventive Medicine
• Primary Care Physician Assistant
• Biochemistry Seminar
• Introductory Molecular Biology
• Cellular and Molecular Basis of Animal Development
• Cell and Neurobiology (CNB)
• Gross Human Anatomy
• Microscopic Anatomy
• Pharmacology
• Neuroanatomy
• Cell and Neurobiology Seminar
• Approaches to Teaching and Research in Cell and Neurobiology
• Laboratory Techniques
• Current Topics in Animal Development
• Issues in Prevention and Cessation of Drug Abuse
• Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MICB)
• Health Behavior Research Methods
• Culture, Lifestyle, and Health
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies
• Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
• Introduction to Research Apprenticeship
• Health Behavior Statistical Methods
• Drug Intervention Program Design and Evaluation
• AIDS in Society
• Behavior and Education Strategies for Nutrition and Fitness
• Health Promotion in the Work Place
• Chronic Disease Epidemiology
• Clinical Medicine
• Molecular Genetics
• Holistic Healthcare
• Alternative Healthcare
• Functional Medicine
• Introduction to Immunology
• Molecular and Cellular Immunology
• Current Topics in Immunology
• Animal Virology
• Microbial Pathogenesis
• Recent Advances in Microbiology

• Pathology

• General Pathology

• Methods in Experimental Pathology

• Frontiers of Pathology

• Cell Cycle Regulation

• Directed Research

• Physiology and Biophysics

• Preventive Medicine
• Principles of Biostatistics
• Principles of Epidemiology
• Statistical Problem Solving
• Research Methods in Cancer Epidemiology
• Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies
• Introduction to Human Nutrition
• Design of Clinical Studies
• Practicum In Health Behavior
• Communications in Public Health
• The Epidemiology of Infectious Disease and Injury
• Program Design and Evaluation
• Environmental and Occupational Health: An Epidemiological Approach
• Biological Basis of Disease
• Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition
• Multivariate Analysis
• Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
• Homeopathy
• Naturopathy
• Medical Ethics
• Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment
• Healthcare Reform
• Statistical Methods in Human Genetics
• Applied Logistic Regression
• Directed Field Research in Health Behavior
• Public Health Practicum
• Social Networks Analysis
• Environmental Health in The Community
• Health Behavior Research Methods
• Primary Care Physician Assistant
• Behavioral Sciences II
• Clinical Skills II
• Topics in Medicine II

Tips For Making Teaching Videos

● Keep it simple. Don't use music, transitions, or special effects. Only use slides if they are essential to the presentation or if you have no other video to show at the time.

● If you are using HyperCam to show how a computer program works, set the frame rate at one frame per second, unless there is a compelling justification for more. More frames per second makes the file size too large for downloading.

● The format should be one of short clips about 2 to four minutes long for quicker download and also to allow the student to select the topic of interest.

● The audio and video should be crystal clear. Play test the files for yourself before sending them out. Email us if you need assistance.

● An exception to the above is to capture your video in 256 colors unless there is a compelling reason not to. If we receive a file in millions of colors, and then reduce it to 256 colors, the product will be of poorer quality than if the file were captured in 256 colors to begin with.

● Before you write your outline, master your subject.  Don't guess.

● The video capture resolution should be 640 x480 - no higher.  If you have problems doing this, please contact technical support.

● Don't gloss over critical points.  Nothing is more frustrating than having a teacher explain something like a computer program, and then fail to clearly explain where to put a mouse pointer in order to perform an operation.

● The clips will usually be organized on our web site in an outline with three levels: 1) The main subject, such as the name of the computer program, 2) Subheadings; and 3) Clip titles.

  ● Begin by dividing your subject into segments that conform to the above outline. Each clip should have a title, and should be focused on a very narrow segment of information.

● Assume no prior knowledge of the subject unless you or someone else has covered the subject previously. Imagine that you are talking to a ten-year-old student.

  ● Explain your subject completely. Leave nothing to the imagination. If you can't do that in less than four minutes, divide your topic further.

  ● Give us feedback. Tell us how we can make this easier for you and give you a greater incentive to participate.