Using videos in the classrooms has changed a great deal from when I first started teaching. I used to have a few go to movies I would show in the classroom with questions and answers to guide students. Eventually I moved towards more of a reading/viewing log, but still stuck with the same videos. Now that we have one-to-one technology and YouTube, it really expands the way that videos are used in the classroom. I remember when we were banning students from using YouTube, now it has become an integral part of some teacher’s curriculum! In fact, many students come to us having used videos in ways that teachers have not. Students have created their own how to videos, or game reviews, or lego skits and are very comfortable in that arena.
The thought of getting in front of a video and sharing it on YouTube is definitely uncomfortable for me. I have used iMovie as a teaching tool and quick time to teach a short lesson so far. In that boring Vialogue video we viewed with the annoying music, one of the main points is that many educators are still doing things similar to the 1950’s, and as Dewey points out not adjusting to their world. Today we have young kids who are YouTube sensations and many more that strive to be. We must dive into that world and get used to their landscape.
Having a YouTube channel and creating playlists is a good way to get your feet wet and help you to organize. I do use YouTube but am chaotic and unorganized, so this assignment really got me thinking about how I can use my YouTube channel to really enhance my curriculum, connect to student interest and make the lesson more visually engaging. I also realize that creating your own content takes time. The librarian I found, who has created several YouTube videos on the research process, evidently has taking a great deal of time to create her playlists. I have created a similar one for certification and it wasn’t easy. I must have recorded the same one ten times.
Finally, as Ken Kay points out in the original reading, we need to encourage students to collaborate and contribute. Having a channel that students create in the classroom is the next real step towards achieving 21 Century skills. On these classroom channels students can work together creating outcomes on standards with their very own YouTube videos that can then be shared with students in their own classrooms as well as students on other teams.
Interesting point that we have moved from banning YouTube to using it daily. It hasn't changed; we have. I believe we are catching on to the fact that culture has a great influence on our work and as you say we need to "dive into that world" and make it work with and for us. Scott McLeod has been blogging about this at his Dangerously Irrelevant blog for a number of years. That's a good one to follow.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, amid wrestling with new standards, new grading systems, more high stakes testing and other critical influences, we need to find a way to not only be relevant but to convince our students of the necessity of looking beyond where they are today to peek at where they are going. No mean feat.