Tools and Technology: YouTube
At this point, with most of my video edited and a final concept coming into focus, it is important to find a way to share the content that I've made. My reactionary response to sharing is through YouTube but I wanted to make sure that it was appropriate and applicable to my overall vision. While YouTube is the most popular video sharing website, it is not the only one. Facebook, myspace, and Flickr are popular websites as well but their application varies as more of a personal archive for videos. Another considered choice was Vimeo, a popular video sharing site as well, but when it came down to it's current identity as an "indie" sharing site and the uploading restrictions, YouTube came out on top. YouTube, which was "launched in May 2005...allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos... it also provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small" (Youtube, 2015). The reach and identity as the "go to video source" further solidified my reasons for choosing this site as the platform to share my video.
Inherently, I understand the educational value of YouTube, but there is some necessity in choosing a site that is at least accepted as such within the educational status quo. I was half surprised to learn about the common perceptions that public education has about YouTube. In addition to being blocked in China, a known limiter of freedoms, YouTube is also blocked in a large number of public schools. The fear that many have with YouTube is that it is unfiltered and the large number of videos "non educational" value can distract students when using the resource. According to the Association of American Educators blogger Alix, people may think of YouTube as a "storehouse for time-wasting videos and tutorials" (2012). Another unchecked aspect of the site that worries educators is the comments section, which can often be harsh, inappropriate and abusive.
As troublesome as it is, there are progressive educators that see the value in the site. Amid changes in YouTube (most likely as a result of being bought by Google), the site is becoming rebranded. "Since December [2011], Google, YouTube's parent company, has been developing a portal that lets schools filter content for teachers and students...offer[ing] schools the ability to pluck only the videos they want, free from controversial comments--all while blocking the general site content" (2012). In the comment section of that same article said that "The students in our rural, geographically isolated school have huge gaps in experiences, knowledge of the world and access to enrichment. The poverty of language and socio-economics affects their ability to comprehend core subjects" (Green, 2012). Donna Green goes on to say that YouTube offers the ability to take "virtual field trips, stunning visuals, 'you are there' experiences and instant access to global events that directly support the reading curriculum" (Green, 2012).
YouTube has value in explaining things that are seemingly inexplicable as discussed by Mr. Mike Perkins, who teaches at Columbia College. "in his discussion of tarditive dyskinesia, a complex neurological disorder...he found it very difficult...to verbally explain the range of complicated symptoms that patients experience" (Mohideen, 2010). Perkins routinely relies on YouTube to help explain this and as he puts it in the Missourian, "You can stand up there and try to explain something all you want, but a picture is really worth a thousand words, or much more than that" (2010). YouTube's value also extends to learning foreign language where the videos "feature native Spanish speakers speaking the language in real-life situations" (2010). College professor Dawn Heston also uses YouTube videos "as a tool to assess her students' proficiency with the language...in their next exam, her students will watch videos in Spanish then upload to Youtube videos of her students discussing the videos in Spanish with their partners" (2010).
The blocking of YouTube in schools is doing a disservice rather than offering protection. By blocking YouTube, "we are eliminating another possible educational tool from our toolbelt. The ability to easily share school projects is lost at school. Additionally, there are videos on Youtube that potentially could be used in an educational setting" (2010). At a time when everything is assessed by a cost analysis basis, utilizing a tool that is free should not be shunned. Just like every other resource, it should be filtered and vetted prior to use in a classroom.
My use of Youtube is based on the the accessibility and familiarity that it offers. I also enjoy the suggestions that it provides and hopefully students learning will not just stop with my video but continue to grow organically. YouTube is a valid forum for presenting my ideas and in the same way it can help me get new ideas and improve my craft.
About YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/
Mohideen, A. (2010, January 18). YouTube: The Next Major Teaching Tool? Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.centerdigitaled.com/policy/YouTube-The-Next-Major-Teaching-Tool-.html
YouTube as a Teaching Tool. (2012, March 12). Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/blog/681-youtube-as-a-teaching-tool
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