# Has there ever been any "cool/hip" educational pieces of media that actually worked on you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2017, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625 "2017-10-12T08:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/1 "2017-10-12T08:26:38Z")
You know how educators or other professional groups are trying to make learning fun, so they attempt to “update” things to cater to the newest generation. Not just the basic idea of making learning fun (which have succeeded in various ways by making edutainment games like Oregon Trail or SimCity) but rather attempts that involve specifically including current pop culture or trends. What inspired me to make this topic was learning the YouTube series “Epic Rap Battles of History” made censored versions of their original videos so they could be shown in class-rooms. I can’t imagine being in a classroom nowadays and seeing one of those videos and not cringing at the attempt, like how they had MacGruff the Crime Dog rap in videos I watched back in my youth and even when I was 10 I knew that was incredibly lame. I also remember as a kid they tried to make educational comic books under the idea that kids like comic books so if you put Anti-Drug messages or Historical Figures in them kids would enjoy them, not understanding that kids read comic books because they were exciting not because they just like the medium. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/2 "2017-10-12T09:03:56Z")
[Schoolhouse Rock!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!) “Conjunction junction, what’s your function…” ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/3 "2017-10-12T09:30:15Z")
Some of the ERB episodes are amazing, however. Thomas Jefferson vs. Frederick Douglass is a personal favorite, as is the Western vs. Eastern Philosophers - I love how the squads end up quibbling with each other at the end! I can see how some of them could be used as supplementary material to try to get a point or two across. And to back up **galen ubal** , I’m from the generation Schoolhouse Rock was aimed at, and it certainly worked on me. Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/4 "2017-10-12T10:01:32Z")
**TED Talks** seem to have built a business model around it. I don’t get it, but there it is. Love Schoolhouse Rock!! I have gotten started on a number of topics I have been curious about via graphic novel books. **The Cartoon History of the Universe** by Larry Gopnik, for example, is frickin’ _brilliant_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/5 "2017-10-12T10:04:01Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [Schoolhouse Rock!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!) > > “Conjunction junction, what’s your function…” Came in to post that. Like, I can still recite the Preamble, but only in tune. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/6 "2017-10-12T10:07:40Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [Schoolhouse Rock!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!) > > “Conjunction junction, what’s your function…” Exactly what sprang to my mind when I read the thread title. “I’m just a Bill, yes I’m only a Bill, and I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill…” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/7 "2017-10-12T10:45:44Z")
Yep, I think Schoolhouse Rock is the big flashing neon sign of an answer here. I have all the **Cartoon History of the Universe/Modern World** books (by Larry **Gonick** ) but read them as an adult. However, my daughter was heavily influenced by the children’s videos by **They Might Be Giants** - they had a series of video podcasts (I refuse to call them “vodcasts”) using material from their **Here Come the A-B-Cs** and **Here Come the 1-2-3s** CD/DVDs, and their excellent **Here Comes Science** DVD resulted in her deciding to be a palaeontologist at age 3, an aspiration she continues to maintain six years later. Very highly recommended. Sesame Street also did (and possibly still do) an excellent series of short video podcasts as well, for the parent on the go. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/8 "2017-10-12T10:51:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I have all the **Cartoon History of the Universe/Modern World** books (by Larry **Gonick** ) but read them as an adult. :smack: Gonick. Argh. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/9 "2017-10-12T12:19:13Z")
Oh god - how could I have forgotten [Horrible Histories](http://horrible-histories.co.uk/savage-shows-and-tv)? The books are good but the television show is phenomenal. I don’t know how available they are outside the UK but they are both very funny and very informative. ETA: Since the OP mentioned rap battles, [here’s a Horrible Histories video featuring King Charles II holding forth in a distinctly recognizable style](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA5abHKvUBQ) (and I’m pretty sure they shot that at Hampton Court Palace). It’s not all song parodies, mind you, but this seemed to fit the thread. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/10 "2017-10-12T13:24:12Z")
I don’t know how hip it was, even at the time, but _[You Are There](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_There_(series))_ stoked my interest in history. It showed historical events as they would have been covered by TV news. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/11 "2017-10-12T13:43:01Z")
Well, I can honestly say that I haven’t [copied a floppy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up863eQKGUI) in quite a few years, so it must have worked. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/12 "2017-10-12T15:32:28Z")
He signed you, Bill, now you’re a law! OH, YEAH! [Bart and Lisa weigh in:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8gt-EEpelY) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/13 "2017-10-12T16:12:49Z")
For what it’s worth, my son just started college this year and liked the Epic Rap Battles series while in high school. Granted, he saw the straight versions and not a bowdlerized classroom version but the concept worked for him. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/14 "2017-10-12T19:05:36Z")
I introduced _Bill Nye the Science Guy_ to my kid when he was younger. I thought it was pretty a good series. Educational, entertaining and not condescending. I would recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/15 "2017-10-12T19:45:11Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **TED Talks** seem to have built a business model around it. I don’t get it, but there it is. > > Love Schoolhouse Rock!! > > I have gotten started on a number of topics I have been curious about via graphic novel books. **The Cartoon History of the Universe** by Larry Gopnik, for example, is frickin’ _brilliant_. Smug hipsters glibly raving about banalities seems the antithesis of cool. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/16 "2017-10-12T19:46:01Z")
Not mentioned: **Beakman’s World**. It kinda went down in history as a **Bill Nye The Science Guy** wannabe, but it’s good stuff even in retrospect. [Beakman even cameo’d in a recent Captain Disillusion video](https://youtu.be/sT_bTnkwLuE). And on that note, Captain Disillusion, too. Also, the **Carmen Sandiego** franchise is pretty hep, sometimes, particularly [**Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego**](https://youtu.be/HKNwBwPx53g), however all the cool is concentrated on Carmen herself and she isn’t the focal point. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/17 "2017-10-12T20:58:34Z")
[Why Man Creates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONVZ8AH4yKc) wasn’t labeled “educational” but it certainly fits the bill. A graphic designer and I once showed it to the 20-somethings in our office and it suitably impressed them. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/18 "2017-10-12T21:05:57Z")
[Crash Course](https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse) started as an extra-scholastic youtube channel and has developed into a bit of an educational materials empire. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/19 "2017-10-12T21:32:32Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Smug hipsters glibly raving about banalities seems the antithesis of cool. Are you posing in a Power Stance™ when you say that? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625/20 "2017-10-12T21:48:20Z")
Another vote for **Schoolhouse Rock**. I remember a film I saw at least twice back in school called **Hemo, the Magnificent** ; part of series of films made by Bell Laboratories back in the '50s. Don’t know if it was ever cool/hip, but I definitely remember it years later. I wouldn’t have recognized the name back then, but it was directed by Frank Capra. I also remember the **Life Science Library** book series. My uncle had the full set and I thought they were fascinating (well, a few volumes more than others). I happened to see him when he was planning to get rid of them, so he gave them to me. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > I introduced _Bill Nye the Science Guy_ to my kid when he was younger. I thought it was pretty a good series. Educational, entertaining and not condescending. > > I would recommend it. Nye got his start (pretty much) on a local Seattle show called _Almost Live_. He did Science Guy stuff, and other characters like a superhero who fought crime while racewalking. Considering how far he has come, it’s interesting to see some of the [early evolution](https://youtu.be/W9QwCVBENHM) of the character. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-any-cool-hip-educational-pieces-of-media-that-actually-worked-on-you/798625.md?page=2)