How useful lectures are?

Molly Worthen offers a nice defence of the value of lectures in the NYT. Yet I have two problems with it: a. I am not totally convinced that this is a humanities vs "hard" science. Yes, lectures makes more sense in humanities but the lack of attention is a problem everywhere. b. What she never really demonstrate is that students are actually paying attention in the lecture. Moreover, as this useful set of videos show, the problem is that great students will truly benefit from lectures but many others accustomed to surface learning will not. c. Presenting lectures vs gadgets as a trade off does not make much sense. There is obviously space for lectures in the classroom but there is also room for all kinds of activities that may or may not involve computers.