Youtube is a great entertainment tool and learning tool as well. Everyone can create their own channel, share their videos, and comment on others’. I personally follow some youtubers and some channels to learn English and somethings I can never be exposed to. There are tons of videos in different topics, ranging from entertainment, politics,to education, you name it.
We all know good videos c
an facilitate learning and make learning interesting. You can use videos to deepen students’ understanding, or help visual learners.Videos are always good for explaining theories behind the phenomenon, like why leaves turn yellow in the Fall, since pictures and sounds make the explanation interesting and simple. Videos can be used to generate students’ ideas. In the first grader’ classroom, students are working on writing how-to books(something they know how to do). My CT shew students a video clip of how to make paper airplanes to teach students something new, so they have more to write about. To foster students’ critical thinking ability and build on their ELA writing classes, they can watch different youtubers expressing their ideas on one topic, check comments and write their own ideas.
Teacher can create their own channels, record class lessons and post them online so they students can watch it to enhance their understanding of knowledge they learned. It is also helpful for kids who miss classes since they can check videos to catch up. If they have any questions, they can leave comments and teacher can answer their questions later.
In addition, instead of always handing in hard copy homework, teachers can ask students to record a video about things they are learning to make the assignments diverse and interesting. They can also give students links of videos for students to check as assignments.
The downside of using Youtube videos is that the information on Youtube is not assorted and can be dangerous. Teachers need to teach students media literacy to differentiate different videos and make sure they are critical enough to distinguish different videos and get videos suitable to them. Also, since the videos are super diverse, students are easily distracted by some videos about games, TV dramas and so on. When they log into Youtube, we can not guarantee they are watch what they are asked to instead of watching they want to, which can be a waste of time. So the students need to have strong self-discipline skills and good time management skills to get work done.
I really appreciate how you chose YouTube as an effective learning tool. In my own education experience, I have been required to post a YouTube video of a presentation on a private YouTube challenge. These private YouTube channels aid any teachers or administrators worried about student privacy. The private link s only available to the poster and teacher so students won’t need to worry that the whole Internet can see them. I think this would be a good way to have more timid students complete oral presentations. I also liked you point about teachers posting lessons. This could be useful for students who missed class to catch up, or for those who need to self-check for understanding.
I also chose to write about YouTube for the media critique however I so much enjoyed reading your perspectives of the learning tool. As you mention, YouTube is very appealing to visual learners. With such variation in learning styles among a large number of students, videos can be very helpful for some. Also, videos can provide so many new insights for students in which they can form a reaction and their own opinion based on material presented. Today during a lesson in my student teaching placement, I found that students were most engaged in class activities when I presented YouTube clips to them & in the discussions that followed. In general I think videos are fun. The format of information breaks up the traditional classroom lecture feel and can allow students to take in important information in alternate yet exciting ways. With a millions of videos on YouTube the learning opportunities are endless!
I like your idea about posting recorded lessons on Youtube. Sometimes students who want to go over the lessons after class may not have a channel to do so, especially for those who do not have good note-taking skills. My concern is that if teachers would like to post their lessons. Teachers may concern that students would not pay enough attention in class, because they know that they can still make up for it after class on Youtube.