Thing # 4 Videohosting

I am not terribly comfortable with Youtube. To me, 90% of it is junk, with maybe 10% worthwhile. I realize this is not the politically correct viewpoint. Seems like our kids spend a lot of their time playing with and getting bombarded by junk and if Youtube is not used correctly, it’s just more of the same. Which of course, brings us into the sphere of where we are supposed to be: supervising and teaching the kids the correct way to use such resources and keeping them from slipping off the path into the junk domain. The temptations are great. So are the challenges of keeping the whole Youtube thing closely monitored.

I do see great possibilities for teachers who are uploading. I also see tremendous needs, such as

Who oversees the appropriateness of the content?
Who oversees factual content?
How can duplicated efforts be controlled?

I like the idea of sharing and looking at student work even better.

1. It lets the student feel “published”
2. It showcases creativity
3. It encourages students to take pride in their work knowing that it might be seen on a global scale
4. It makes the ISD look like it is producing 21st century learners.

If we can get past the negative connotations of Youtube as something other than where people upload their trash, it can serve as a real educational tool. We’re going to have to work hard to keep it from resembling twittering and other tools where most of the content is completely banal.