YouTube

Just like any emerging technology tool, YouTube’s value is not a given it depends on how the teacher uses the video content to support and advance learning. 

Taking a class of students down to the computer lab to watch a few catchy videos has no more learning benefit than turning a class of students onto the Internet for a half hour of random surfing. The power of YouTube only is activated when the teacher has a clear idea of how a specific video clip can be used to introduce a concept or theme, instigate a discussion, or serve as a writing prompt.

To help you learn about the ins and outs of using YouTube in the classroom, Edutopia’s Chris O’Neal has written, A Teacher’s Tour of YouTube. In that article, he not only points teachers to some of the educational gems found on YouTube; he also reminds readers that the ease with which we can access those videos can make the site risky for students, since the videos and accompanying comments and discussions are unfiltered and un-moderated. The article confirms the need for teachers to be vigilant about being mediators between YouTube videos and students.

In the reader comments accompanying the O’Neal article, teachers share their favorite YouTube sites as well as thoughts about how those sites can be used in the classroom.