Introduction
This Module required students to research the pros and cons of YouTube in Education. Students were specifically asked to examine their findings and create a VLOG (video blog) as a way of responding to the topic. The assignment was challenging because it forced me to bury my preconceived notions about YouTube in the classroom and instead focus on what the research demonstrates. Shockingly enough, I have come to see YouTube in a much more positive light thanks to the information that I located while completed this module.
The other aspect that this module focused on was including closed captioning in videos. This was my first experience with adding closed captioning in a video that I produced. To be completely honest, I did not even realize that YouTube had a closed captioning option before this assignment. I decided to use their automatic transcript tool and found that it provided a fairly accurate transcript of my narration. I did have to take an hour or so to fix the errors and adjust the timing; however, the time was well spent because it will provide another avenue for students who need this kind of support.
The Pros
1. It helps teachers provide instruction to students. Lessons can be centered around YouTube or it can be used to enhance existing instructional methods. It can also provide a way of communicating assignment instructions for student who need more support or who are absent.
2. YouTube, and videos in general, increase student engagement. Most students are familiar with YouTube and they feel comfortable with the setting.
3. YouTube provides a free and simple way to display student work for the public. This means that parents and other community members can see what our students are doing in class.
4. Teachers can use YouTube to extend the learning process beyond the classroom and the school schedule. One possibility is the flipped model concept where students watch instruction at home and complete the work in class with teacher guidance. The other option might be to create instructional videos for students who want to increase their pace of learning and move forward in the course content.
5. YouTube helps our students develop 21st Century skills like communication, video-editing, and personal reflection. These are critical skills that our students need to learn if they want to be successful in college and career.
The Cons
1. The most obvious con with YouTube is that it holds the potential for students to access inappropriate or non-educational topics. These can often lead students to miss class for discipline reasons.
2. Unfortunately, there are thousands of videos on YouTube that include inaccurate information. These can lead students to develop bad habits.
3. Youtube is full of advertisements. This is the unfortunate reality of life in a corporate world. They have to build the infrastructure to maintain the site and have found advertising to be a great source of revenue.
4. This is a public site and students need to be very careful to protect their identity from individuals who might prey on those who do not take the steps to ensure their own safety. This goes for students of all ages.
5. Youtube drains our wireless capacity because it requires a great deal of bandwidth. This is not the fault of YouTube, but it is a constant issue that we have to struggle with when using the site.
Closing Thoughts
I have come to see YouTube as a viable option for providing instruction to students. There are always going to be issues that educators and students have to deal with regardless the technology used in class; however, there are very simple steps that can be taken to minimize the negative impacts associated with those hazards. I look forward to building a more complete library of educational videos within YouTube because the process is simple and the students have easy access to the material.
Richard Jones: EdTech Portfolio 