Post: #1

This post is a short one. I'm just looking to find some opinions on whether you guys consider audiobooks to help with learning. Any tips or suggestions would be great.

Post: #2

It depends on the person.
Some people can't listen to them.
I recently listened to a 10+ hour book and wrote a paper along with a company presentation.

I was also the person that never took notes in school



Try it.. And see if you can retain the knowledge or not

Post: #3

You get out of them what you put in.

If I'm listening to audio lectures, I stop occasionally and write down some brief notes about the content. When I reach the end I tidy them up and expand a bit.

This gives me pages of notes to look back on and review, and helps to retain the knowledge.

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #4

It also depends on what you're trying to learn. Short answer: it depends.

Post: #5

I definitely can't. Way too passive. My mind even wanders when I'm watching video tutorials because most people speak too slowly. And I might be 'ADD' or just plain retarded.

I find video tutorials and classes sped up to 1.5x with captions, especially if the subjects are not overly complex, to be AWESOME. They keep me at attention because the material is being presented fast enough that I remain engaged.

Although thinking about it, the subject really plays a role. I listen to podcasts and radio from time to time, and I do get something from them. But straight up learning complicated shit... nah.

Post: #6

I need space to write as I read--I tried listening to an audiobook by Neil DeGrasse Tyson right after I got PRK (corrective vision surgery) and had a lot of thoughts and questions I couldn't record as I listened. I tried writing some of them down but I was high on percocet (that might've also been a contributing factor) and it wound up looking like I wrote it with my mouth like that chick from Million Dollar Baby.

I've taken some classes on Coursera and even then I'll download the transcripts to the lectures and read them later.

I really prefer reading a real book.

Post: #7

Confucius said:

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Thats the rule of thumb for me.

Post: #8

^^^^^^^^^^
Kvothe, now that one I side with 100 percent!

Post: #9

I did Audiobooks for a while in the car, until I discovered the world of Podcasting, which I think is better. Try podcasts at first, Audiobooks (esp learning ones) really tie you down with details that are hard to remember.

Post: #10

Drazen, how does podcast differ from an audiobook? Both involve information being relayed in audio form, right?

Post: #11

Are audiobooks conducive to learning?

Of course...why wouldn't they be? It's like listening to the radio, only you control the content.

Are you asking if they are better than books in printed form? I get the feeling that this is the real question you're looking for.

Post: #12

Audio lessons are conducive to learning. I'm learning Spanish right now on Pimsleur audio as I drive around in my car.

Don't see what audiobooks wouldn't be. Same principle.

Post: #13

(03-24-2015 06:44 PM)Moma Wrote:  Drazen, how does podcast differ from an audiobook? Both involve information being relayed in audio form, right?

Think about a pulp adventure book that you could plow through in a couple of hours. If that's turned into an unabridged audiobook it will run for much longer as they read every single word that's on the page. The boring bits get as much time as the important sections.

The audio version of the first Harry Potter runs for 8.5 hours, I could read the book cover-to-cover in about half that time.

Non-fiction audiobooks are also often read 'flat', where podcasters treat it more like the radio and have a bit of personality.

Audio lectures and podcasts generally work a lot better because they're native to the medium.

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #14

Possibly. But I find that in order to get as much as possible from them, you have to pay attention and not be doing something else. If you're distracted by music or lifting weights or whatever then it has a tendency to go in one ear and out the other.

Post: #15

I find myself wanting to like audiot books but I don't comprehend as well as if I'm actually reading. firstly I find most of the narrrators to be annoying or distracting with their voices. Secondly, I just don't comprehend if I'm not forced to stay engaged by reading it myself.

That said they do have their place. I do do a lot of reading but when it comes to listening something in the car, there I can make use of wasted time and evenn if I don't comprehend as well as if I'd actually read it, if it comes down to not reading something at all or lisening to it I'd like to listen to it.

Post: #16

Everyone learns differently but the breakdown for me goes like this:

Books are good for things you want to know on a deep level since it's easy to go over things twice, flip back for a refresher, highlight, etc.

Audiobooks are good for things you don't need to be really deep in something. You could read a Tom Clancy novel faster than you could listen to it but you can't read it while you make dinner or walk the dog. You might find a lot of non-fiction things interesting but you can't be an expert on everything so don't try to read it all. The Teaching Company has a lot of great lectures (not audiobooks but close enough) on a variety of topics but if you were going for a degree in any of their subjects those lectures probably would be too elementary for you.

Podcasts are good for sports, pop histories, sports, commentary, sports, and other things you like but could easily skip.

The latter two are also great for commutes. Riding the subway to work isn't a good environment for getting far with Aristotle so it's not like you'd be getting a lot of deep study out of that time anyway.

Most likely if you're having trouble getting starting on audiobooks it's because you're trying to use them for something you really should be reading instead.

Post: #17

(03-24-2015 06:44 PM)Moma Wrote:  Drazen, how does podcast differ from an audiobook? Both involve information being relayed in audio form, right?

Podcasts are a lot less formal. when one writes, they have to write in full sentences and paragraphs, pay attention to grammar, flow of the words, etc. In the better podcasts, people just talk. There's a huge difference in hearing someone speak from notes or from the heart versus someone just reading words off a page.

Post: #18

Podcasts and audiobooks I have trouble listening to. I zone out and start day dreaming. I prefer books, but I still zone out on those sometimes too.