You tube, I Tube, We all Cheer for You Tube: You Tube in 21st Century Education

As you can see from my previous postings, I am loving You Tube at the moment! I have never thought of You Tube from an educational perspective, hell when I was at school watching a video meant some old extremely boring documentary from the 60s that was dull, outdated and featured an indistinct American voice droning on in the background!

The future of education is however well and truly here! Kids LOVE You Tube! (given, they are usually looking up considerably less useful and informative things than what we will be showing them in class but still...). There are so many informative and relevant video's on this site (and others: see Teacher Tube)... and they're entertaining to boot! They can be used to introduce topics, present varying perspectives and can add a knew dimension to understanding.

Videos can be used in the classroom to present, introduce or develop topics more efficiently that a 'chalk n talk method'. They can also help to ensure that the information you are presenting appeals to visual as well as auditory learners (Gardner, 1975). Catering for the various learning styles in your class will mean lessons are more engaging and knowledge is more successfully attained and retained by your students, according to the Learning Pyramid.

But alas, I have restricted my comments to You Tube when in fact worthwhile videos can be accessed via many sites on the Internet. Under the scope of video's, we could also look at the various simulations and animations available for use in the classroom. These can often be used to present concepts that can sometimes be difficult to explain. As our lecturer, Scott Aldred (2010) has explained, they can offer "virtual experiences where the real thing is too expensive or difficult to provide for the students" and also have the flexibility of being accessible outside of the classroom. The simulated dissection at this site is particularly relevant to my science teaching areas and could be offered for students who were unable to attend a practical class, or for those who wish to revisit the learning at a later date. It may also be useful in situations where resources are limited.

Whilst this form of learning offers some opportunity for interaction, it will never be quite as engaging, interactive and memorable as actually having a student participate in an activity. It does however provide flexibility where time and resource limitations may be hurdles in implementing certain learning experiences.

The Explore Learning Site also provides some valuable tools for presenting concepts, specifically in maths and science, that have traditionally been difficult for students to grasp. The simulations in this site are called Gizmos and provide students with the opportunity to interact in order to discover what would happen when they change variables within the simulation.

Essentially, including video's and simulations within learning experiences can help to make learning student-centred and interactive and also appeals to various learning styles to support diversity within the classroom.

References

Gardner, H. (1975). Multiple Intelligences.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www.howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Responsible Kids Network. (n.d.). The Learning Pyramid.
Retrieved 8 March 2010 from http://www.responsible-kids.net/learningpyramid.html