There’s a lot more to YouTube than videos of cats chasing squirrels. What a great resource for teaching and learning! Whether you want to watch videos, share videos, or curate videos that others have created, YouTube makes it easy!
If you want to move past just searching and viewing videos, consider creating your own channel. It’s easy to do. Then you can develop playlists of videos that you create and/or playlists of videos that others have created. Use the videos in class or provide them as a resource for students or the world. As YouTuber Tyler Tarver says, “Make playlists for those you want to help.”
Here are a few YouTube channels that you might want to explore:
- Stuff of Life – interviews by Preston Jones
- Crash Course – playlists of short informative videos, most disciplines
- Tarver Academy – math and more
- Video Sparknotes – literature
- Khan Academy – various topics
With all of the tools available today, creating video content is something anyone can do. Students enjoy seeing their instructors in videos, and not only can these videos provide some review or extra help for students, they can also help deepen connections with the instructor. Video is ideal for capturing a special event or conversation to share with others. No need to worry about necessarily keeping videos short either – if it is engaging, people will watch.
A couple important things to consider when using YouTube. As a consumer, it’s important to review a video all the way through before posting in Blackboard or using in class to make sure it’s what you really want to share. On the flipside – as a producer, if you post a video to YouTube, you have three choices – private, unlisted, or public. Private videos aren’t available to anyone else. Unlisted videos aren’t available in searches, but they can be seen by others. If someone knows your channel, they can view an unlisted video. Public videos are available in searches and for anyone to see.
Catalyst 