YouTube is a great resource for the classroom. You can search for so many different topics. SchoolTube is a great site, which has similar ideals but also focusses specifically on students and teachers. Another similar resource is TeacherTube. With the same idea as YouTube, the site provides many different search results for school topics - but this time they are specifically built for use by teachers and students. The site also includes Docs, Audio, Photos, Blogs etc and is a wonderful resource for teachers to keep in mind when planning lessons and searching for content to fill their lessons and teach the learners in an engaging way.
At the moment my Mentor Teacher is taking some upper primary students through Microsoft Publisher. This is a great tool used to create many different documents including resumes, certificates and cards. The class is using Publisher to create a brochure and this is why I chose the second YouTube video which introduces the program and shows how to complete some functions when
creating a brochure.
I would use this video to guide students through the introductory phase of Publisher. Students would be able to be guided both visually and verbally by this video and as the video can be paused, I would be able to stop the video to check student understanding and allow the students to ask questions and try out the tasks demonstrated in the video.
These are some reasons why I would use YouTube, SchoolTube and TeacherTube clips in my teaching.
With so many different topics and points of view projected in the videos it is possible to find almost anything using these sites. It is important for students to feel as though their work relates to real world, authentic situations (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). If the videos they watch are created by someone else, about the very same topic, they may be able to make more of a connection by watching the video.
"Studies show that the more senses we can involve in the learning process the better we can get learning to 'stick' and by bringing in video we add visuals and music and sound effects along with the information and its better for the learning" (Mrs Schurg, 2009).
Sensory Stimulation Theory is based on the premise that effective learning happens when senses are stimulated. Our five senses are Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste. With video broadcasting using audio and visual stimulants, the sight and hearing senses are stimulated.
It is important to teach the students what they need to know in a way that they will remember, understand and apply the information. Learners in our classrooms are being exposed to these types of technologies every day from elsewhere, and loving it. Why not use this to our advantage? It is necessary to engage the learners, and if they are already engaging in this technology why not use it in the classroom?
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) suggest that students engaging with others, in a collaborative setting on a project based task with an authentic focus are more likely to learn effectively. So according to these authors, if using a tool which so many people use to complete a task or problem that is publicly available on the site the students might be able to learn effectively. The students may not even realise they are learning...which is even better!
YouTube, SchoolTube and TeacherTube are great for classroom teachers and students.
Regards,
Toni
References:
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory. Retrieved from A framework for technology-based teaching and learning: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Schurg, M. (2008). 10 Reasons for Using YouTube Videos in Your Classroom. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r1SRJCViUY
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