You tube is a very good tool for learning and teaching.
You tube is one of the most common tools used is classrooms. By using You tube one can provide supplementary information for classrooms. You tube helps teachers to bring the lessons to life, rather than traditional reading and listening. Also, by using YouTube, an instructor can create a more engaging and context-rich classrooms environment. Doing so, creates a more comfortable setting and encourages students to pay attention.
According to R. Mullen and L. Wedwick (2008), you tube is an easily accessible and effective tool for classroom instruction. Others however, caution that using media like YouTube are subject to certain rules and regulations that teachers must consider. (R. Talab & R. Butler, 2007)
Many school s are restricted in using you tube in classrooms. Do you think that using YouTube in classrooms has advantages/disadvantages? Please explain.
Talab, R. S. and R. P. Butler (2007). shared electronic spaces in the classroom: copyright, privacy, and guidelines. TechTrends. 51(1): pgs. 12-15.
Mullen, R. and L. Wedwick (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: getting started in the classroom with youtube, digital stories, and blogs. Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 82(2-), pgs. 66-69.
YouTube is an excellent tool for learning. Like you said, however, it must be used with some degree of caution in a school setting. YouTube is rich with easily accessible resoruces relevant to language learning or, for that matter, any learning. Unfortunately, it is also rich with easily accessible rubbish, much of which would not be appropriate in the classroom venue. There are some possible alternatives, like TeacherTube.com that are filtered for innappropriate material that can be used as alternatives. Of the two ways that YouTube can be used (i.e. as a venue to watch or as a forum to express), the best, to me, is its application as a forum to express. A wise teacher once told me that of all the things that teenagers like to talk about, nothing is more interestingt to them than themselves. Although it seems immoral to encourage teenagers to be self-centered and self-motivated...it also seems self-defeating to do anything but since it will likely be blocked out by the hormonal wall of angst-ridden resistance. But I digress :) because engaging students to be active participants is, in fact, not immoral, it is effective. YouTube is a great way for students to showcase their talent through activities that engage them in language and/or conent. It also great for them to get feedback, to monitor their viewership (the more hits, the more popular they will feel), and to encourage participation.
ReplyDeleteYou tube is a wonderful tool for teaching and provides an excellent service for educators to use for specific content information. I've seen many educators in all subject areas playing youtube videos that illustrate information in ways that really help students understand the material.
ReplyDeleteOn the down side, if you use videos too much, students actually do lose interest and stop watching. I highly recommend that you use videos with question sheets that focus the student's attention on the information. Any time I use videos in class, I am acutely aware that students think this is nap time, so I have been known to even write out lines of the dialogue to get students to fill in the blanks with specific vocabulary in order to make sure they are listening.
As an ESL instructor, I find that having specific dialogue examples to illustrate anything from grammar to social interactions can definitely support lesson plans. As just a consumer, I especially like the fact that videos can earn cash!
I love youtube! It is a great feature for language learning and a great supplement if you have the ability to use it in classrooms. I taught EFL students and it was great for the science or history units to find cartoons or discovery channel clips and watch them in English.
ReplyDeleteThere are also channels that have English grammar lessons with can be quite useful for the students!
In many ways, it is a great way to make the occasional class more entertaining. We had to do a story unit on Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, and youtube was a great resource to find a simple cartoon for them to watch the story. Sometimes being able to visualize the second language is quite helpful!
It is also brilliant in other settings not just for language teaching as well. My mother is a music teacher, and often uses youtube in class for many different musical aspects.
Again, as with all technology, we must consider that youtube has disadvantages as well. Teachers need to spend time reviewing the content beforehand so as to make sure it is appropriate for the learners. Also, if they are not engaged with it, learners can easily switch off and almost become lazy because they are watching something.
Perhaps do an activity with output after they sit and watch a youtube video. See what their responses are!
Agree with the above comments. YouTube can be a great way to incorporate activities into class, as long as those activities are structured and have a specific language goal. In fact, I just designed a task for ESL 5013 around a clip on Youtube! It's a great resource for cultural elements too. Where else could you find a Korean music video, a clip from a Russian TV program and a Bollywood performance?
ReplyDeleteYouTube is a tool many teachers use in the classroom. Professors often show YouTube videos to students when covering a particular topic which is very difficult, to verbally explain. Yet, other teachers use YouTube as a teaching tool because you can stand up there and try to explain something all you want, but the visuals and demonstrations that the videos can project can go a long way. YouTube can also be a valuable resource for instructors who teach foreign language. There are YouTube videos which feature native Spanish speakers speaking the language in real-life situations providing a realistic foreign language experience. In addition to showing videos in the classroom, teachers can utilize YouTube as a tool to assess students’ proficiency of a language. Students can watch videos in a certain language and then and then answer questions pertaining to the conversation on the video.
ReplyDeleteYouTube is a great educational tool because it provides students with the ability to easily share school projects. Additionally, there are videos on YouTube that could be used from a television program, an expert discussing a specific topic, or maybe just some movie footage of a place you are teaching about.
A teacher could spend time searching through the Web and not find the necessary content to show students, and then can turn to YouTube as a supplementary teaching aid.
I too find that YouTube can be a wonderful resource, but I sometimes am a bit uneasy with possible material I would like to show. On the one hand, there are some clips, usually from films, that do a wonderful job of portraying a particular concept I am trying to relate to students, but they are from a film and have clearly been uploaded in violation of copyright. This brings to mind the tension in different interpretations of copyright (public good vs. private good) discussed a few weeks back.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, as @Terri suggests, YouTube can also be a terrific resource for on the ground language in use situations and can provide clips of students' L1 that can enhance the teaching of heritage languages or support bi- and multi-literacy.
And I agree with the comments made regarding the need to hold students accountable for the content, especially if using YouTube to support listening practice. As with all listening activities, language learners need to be given guidance on what to listen for through specific and structured listening activities.
I heard many teachers used videos from the Youtube as the supplementary information for language teaching. The advantages include the following aspects. First of all, it is very convenient to find the videos from the website and teachers can play it in class. Secondly, people all over the world can post to express their ideas and their cultural differences. Learners with various backgrounds may learn how to respect cultural differences and teachers also have chances to lead students to discuss their opinions about treating cultures that they are not familiar with rather than teaching students to focus on the linguistic forms about the target language.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the disadvantages about using Youtube in learning and teaching, the first one is that the length of each clip is limited. If teachers try to play a movie in class, they need to play two or more clips which might be annoying. Also, the information from the Youtube is mainly concerned with listening rather than the other three main domain abilities. Anyway, teachers need to select the appropriate clips as the information for the Youtube. It would be a good material for group discussion. Students must be interested in this kind of class activities.
I believe using YouTube is a great tool for the classroom. But, just as you said, there are certain things to look out for when using YouTube in the classroom. Also, I know that some schools are not allowed to use YouTube in the schools because of content that you can find there. But, if your school is not restricted, there are many very useful videos that can be a supplement to your lesson. Also, you can get the students more involved by having them create their own YouTube account. Then they can upload videos and interact with other's videos too. Assignments and activities can be uploaded in video format, especially if you are working with ELLs. There are many fun activities to get ELLs involved in to help them with their English. They can put interviews and plays on video and critique each other. So many students will love that.
ReplyDeleteBut also, when using YouTube, the students have access to so many other videos. The teacher needs to monitor all the activity that is going on so that the students do not view inappropriate videos.
With all technology, there are both pros and cons, you just have to be careful.
I think it all depends on how the teacher incorporates Youtube in the lesson plan. Whether YouTube is only used to give students input that won’t turn into intake (you never know…) or if YouTube can be used as a supplement to illustrate a point that the teacher has difficulties explaining or students have problem comprehending, the results of using YouTube varies and so does the advantages/disadvantages. Advantages includes: class can be more interesting and help students become more focused on the content, having extra examples for the students, etc. Disadvantages could include: the speed of the speech in the video may be too fast or seem unclear to the students, lagging (play too slow) of the video, low video clip quality or there is not a clear goal of what the video clip is for. The teacher should be very careful when selecting clips from YouTube, not only should it be educative but also relevant to the topic in hand.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you @Angie, that it really depends on how the teacher is integrating YouTube into the classroom. It's obvious that if you use it too much, students will lose interest and not find it as meaningful. I also agree with a lot of you on the fact that teachers needs to carefully screen videos. This goes into teach prep time and can be quite time consuming, but there are so many benefits to providing visual for second language learners, so I believe it's worth it if you take the time to do so.
ReplyDeleteI've been using YouTube in my classroom for a few years now. My district allows us to access it, but of course monitors our use. For the most part, I use it when we are reading non-fiction texts, because so many new vocabulary words pop up in their books. I usually have my laptop or iPad next to me ready to go if they need more clarification on a certain type of animal they are reading about. Since they are still relatively young learners (first graders), the short video clips are extremely engaging for them and the visual helps to reinforce the language acquisition. Again, I don't use this everyday, I mainly use it as a supplemental tool when I know my learners are struggling with vocabulary.
Also, I can't help but mention the possibilities that YouTube has for creating video blogs, or vlogs. I can see this to be a free, easy, and effective way for language teachers to have their students create weekly vlogs and upload them to YouTube. You can easily then watch your classmates vlogs as well. I think that if used correctly, YouTube is a powerful teaching and learning tool.
Youtube is great! I mean as a life long learner I am constantly on youtube looking for answers. It is a great resource that I use in my classroom almost everyday. Videos provide the learner with experience and background knowledge that cannot always be provided with direct instruction. As a teacher you must be aware of the risks. Always watch every video before you show it in the classroom setting.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the ideas for incorporating it into the classroom listed above. I know that technology engages students and what better way can you get students to get creative and demonstrate their knowledge of a concept then by having them make a video about it! I love the idea, thanks a lot!
YouTube for the purpose of students expressing themselves in the target language sounds like it would be an effective learning activity. I agree with @Mr. T about the idea of a self-story being motivating and a way to harness that illusive attention of young learners.
ReplyDeleteI also saw that in the journal by Mullen and Wedwick there is mention of ‘digital stories’ as another classroom strategy of a similar kind. I am thinking along the lines of self-stories that would be interesting both for presenting and listening activities. I wonder too, if making short personal stories either using YouTube or digital stories could also be a feasible/motivating activity for adult learners.
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ReplyDeleteOn YouTube there is an awesome group call ExpertVillage. I love it. Basically 'experts' in particular languages or skills do a short lesson. You can learn a lot form it. Especially if you just want to get your footz wet.
ReplyDelete@Prof. Sauro,
ReplyDeleteIf something is useful for educational purposes and is freely available online, what are the implications for using it in the classroom? Couldn't something that is not protected for private use, still be protected for public, non-profit and educational use?
I use you tube regularly in my class to show short clips of music, movies, t.v. shows or etc. It's a *relatively* quick and easy way to add media and interest to your lesson. I have vaguely wondered about the legality of it all..but usually the clips are so short...I feel that I'm safe because I'm just taking a sample. It's also free..which is great. I've used it to demonstrate scenarios for cultural learning, to expose my students to popular culture, to view something historical (like documentary clip) and also for language practice through listening and discussion. Definitely I agree that you need to preview the clip prior to showing it to the class!
ReplyDeleteSomething I haven't done, but could be cool, is having student create a product to post to you tube; i've never explored this idea or concept but I think it could be great. I think it would be motivating for one thing...for multiple ages and ability levels. Also, Dr. Sauro, I think you mentioned how you can get other language groups out on the web by having students post in a language other than English.
Your Tube is a supplement.It has some entertainment and educational value. But I don't see too much of Your Tube in my classes right now. So I think it is nice to have something for change, for discussion and probably for home assessment. But school is the place for teaching and learning. Right Your Tube in right time is great, but it has to be just 5% of lesson plan. To let the teacher have a sip of coffee and take a breath for the next step in class activity.
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