Just a few quick comments on Head First Data Analysis. I've recently purchased the book for a Healthcare Data Analytics class that I am taking. I've read the introduction and first chapter. In the introduction I read about why the book was formatted with all the graphics. You are attempting to engage my brain. All the pictures and various arrows and graphics as supposed to engage me. I find the opposite is true. The pages to me appear cluttered. All the various objects scattered around the page are distratcing. I have to process each one and then think how they relate to the information or points being detailed. I feel like I am reading a kid's book. All the pictures, to me, take my concentration away from the point of the page. It is a struggle for me to try and read every little blurb. The meat on each page is minimal and usually a challenge to find. All the various fonts, colors, arrows, pictures etc etc are just superfluous information and do not enchance my leanrning at all. I have to use my brain to process all the nonsensical information and thus have less brain energy left to actually proccess the important stuff.
Also, I disagree with your "conversational" approach is better than lecture approach. Most of what I have learned in my life has been through quality lectures and well written text books. I still recall that information. When I teach, I keep things simple. There needs to be some formality. If it's conversational, to me, it's just casual conversation and thus not worthy of taking up brain space. I can tell my brain to focus on and learn from plain text quite well.
This book could be trimmed down to about a third of it's size by eliminating all the nonsensical pictures, arrows, and graphics. When I create ppt presentations I find that bold headers and bullets get the information across just fine. In fact I am frequently complemented on my ppt design. Colors and graphics can be used to an advantage, but thee comes a point when it's overload. This book is overload. I am not looking forward having to work through the Cat in a Hat approach to Data Analysis.
Edited by Super CAC, 04 February 2014 - 02:16 PM.
