YouTube has been around for several years, but it is only now becoming a staple in the classroom.
Personally, I like using YouTube in my French classroom as it opens up another learning perspective to the students. My mother, also a French teacher, also loves to use it – actually, I think I am even the one who introduced her to it a couple years ago!
Using media such as YouTube in the classroom opens up so many doors for teachers and students, especially in foreign language classrooms. However, as with everything, there could be obstacles. The school might not have Internet access or if they do, YouTube could be a blocked website. A lot of teachers who work in a school that has blocked YouTube believe that the school is taking away a valuable learning opportunity from the students, and I agree. Of course YouTube has “inappropriate content” that could be easily accessible to students, but don’t all websites? And at what cost? Isn’t the slight chance that students may see something slightly inappropriate worth giving them such a valuable learning opportunity?
Apart from all the content it provides, I think using YouTube in the classroom can help the teacher better connect with the students. In high school, most students already love YouTube, so the teacher is showing them that he or she also can love something that the students love. Furthermore, this modality can provide opportunities for the students to share with the teacher videos they find interesting (pertaining to the class, of course).
I have used YouTube in the classroom for pronunciation. This is a very useful aspect of YouTube because there is nothing like having native French speakers say words in French and having the students repeat it. That is as authentic as it can get without actually going to France!
Of course Twitter and Facebook are similar to YouTube in some senses. But YouTube is the only modality that incorporates sight and visual to create one extremely useful tool. There are so many resources, an endless amount, and new ones being posted every day. Studies show that students are more engaged in video-based content which can help every single student engage and partake in discussions together. I am not saying that YouTube videos should take over the classroom, but a video here and there would be a great way to supplement any lesson.
As with all modalities, there are things to be considered. The teacher must always review any video he or she decides to use as to not offend any race or religion. The teacher can also try to find videos that would relate to all students and not only a specific group. It is for this reason that a general pronunciation video would work well in a language class, as it is only targeted to students who are learning French.
Furthermore, the teacher must be able to control the classroom discussion and not allow the students to get distracted by seeing “suggestions” on YouTube, as I often do when I am on my own. However, the “suggestions” section on YouTube can be a huge asset to the teacher on his or own free time, as it can cause the teacher to branch off into videos that they never knew even existed, yet are so useful for the task at hand. Used correctly, YouTube could be a great way to enhance a lesson and help even the most disengaged students become a part of the classroom.
PS: You can always download YouTube videos to save them offline, if for any reason the YouTube site is inaccessible at school!
YouTube has absolutely evolved from the era of cat videos and personal vlogs. I just went to observe a class at my old high school where the teacher threw a YouTube video up on the projector – from someone I subscribe to no less (CrashCourse by the vlogbrothers). There is a plethora of educational videos out on YouTube either being made my private groups like the vlogbrothers or even more established brands like the Discovery, History and NatGeo channels. Not to mention the easy access to native materials for a foreign language class (potentially with subtitles available in L1/L2). I can easily see a future classroom where short videos like those take the place of some textbook reading assignments.
It’s true that this is still something that needs to be approached with care – both in terms of the videos the teacher selects and in terms of preparing students to deal with the dangers of the internet (just take a look at any video’s comment section).
Your post definitely had my brain turning for ways that Youtube could be used in language classrooms. While the books have (often dated/awkward) dialogues, Youtube really brings these conversations to life! I definitely agree with your point that using a tool that students are familiar with helps you build a connection with your students. I could also see Youtube being useful by providing pop culture refrences (say through movies ) students in their L1 that they are familiar with and having them experience them in an L2 as a teaching tool. It also really helps accommodate for different learning styles by providing visuals.
Thanks for your insight and tips!