Well, here it is...my first official blog into the Internet universe.
I've tried to link up with some of the sights mentions in the module but had difficulty in getting any help in them. The video link was removed so I couldn't even watch that. Since I don't have the text books for the class I will make an observation about something that I could use as educational technology. Keep in mind that I would be using this in a Social Studies or History class. This may sound so simple but it's amazing how it could be used in the classroom-You Tube. The sight itself is very common and I don't know anyone who is computer savy that doesn't know of it. But is also has many things on it that would be useful in the classroom. There are documentaries on there, historical events, and just as important, current events. I will address the usefulness of each of these.
In a history class, other media could be very useful is demonstrating a point and documentaries are an important piece to this. Without having to set up a TV or DVD I can access different portions of documentaries in a shorter amount of time than before and be able to show them with possibly differing options about a topic. Since you can set up an account on YouTube, you can also set certain video clips into a favorites category making them easier to locate and play. Also, since they are available on the Internet, students can access the same videos at a later date as a study aid.
There are also historical events on YouTube. If I wanted to show clips from the Kennedy Assassination or the first moon landing I can can access the original footage used when these events took place. An additional benefit of this is being able to bring the raw emotion of the event as it happened without it being filtered through a documentary. Watching the raw footage of, for example, the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11 would have much more of an impact than watching it through a director's eye in a film.
With that in mind, using YouTube to discuss current events would also be extremely useful. It is not uncommon for big events to be online within minutes of it happening. Being able to access thing information and being able to discuss the various points of view on a topic could help create open discussion in the classroom and an excellent learning opportunity.
I hope you have enjoyed this trip into YouTube and look forward to hearing your views.
Michael O'Brien
Your ideas for using YouTube are great...I can't believe how many clips you can access on YouTube. I think for clips this would be a great solution, and much better than trying to find and cue up a DVD, and certainly a lot of clip-type footage wouldn't be found on DVD anyway. Perfect for History classes! And great for English classes (like I teach)...my students used YouTube clips a lot during presentations on their drama units. They were able to show clips from the actual plays, and that was particularly useful for more modern plays that do not have movie versions. We had issues, though, with viewing the clips in class. I didn't have anything to show them on, so we all had to gather around someone's laptop. I'm assuming if one had a more modern television or a Smartboard you could hook a laptop up to that, or just email the clips to students before class. If you have time, it would be great to get links to some YouTube videos you found that could be used in your classes!
ReplyDeleteYouTube is indeed a powerful tool for instructional purposes. I used many of the tutorials for learning software programs. Your ideas are definitely excellent ways to incorporate YouTube into teaching. The issue now is to see if the school district blocks YouTube access. I know many teachers are frustrated without access to YouTube for the no-YouTube policy. You may also want to look into TeacherTube which is supposed to have better filters to include age-appropriate materials.
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