YouTube

This week I collaborated with a range of other university students, particularly "BLMers" and e-learning students, to create a YouTube clip/video about YouTube. Kingsley and I considered how visual media could be used in a classroom with a focus on YouTube.
Some of our recordings wouldn't convert to the format we needed them to be in and neither of us had video editing software so we had to have a back up plan and improvise a little when we put it all together using a Microsoft Powerpoint. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't except any file that Powerpoints can be saved as or converted to, so while we learnt a lot from our project I can't share it with you.
I can (or should be able to) however, share a brief part of unedited video from our evaluation, as seen below:




As seen above, Kingsley and I can see merit in YouTube as an educational tool. However, it is blocked from student access by Queensland Education and therefore its practical applications in the classroom are restricted.
Some uses for YouTube in an educational context without allowing students direct access from their student accounts include:
+ Showing a clip to the whole class as a hook
+ Showing a clip to the whole class then discussing
+ Embedding YouTube into presentations (eg. PowerPoint)
+ Setting specific URL as homework/revision for students to view at their leisure
It is extremely important to understand safe, legal and ethical practises when using YouTube as an educational tool. I believe that all clips should be viewed by the learning manager before being shown to the learners. YouTube is an online data base of clips, but videos exist outside of YouTube as well. I think having learners create video presentations is a great way to get learners enthusiastic about a topic and enable them to feel empowered by the ITC. This would allow them to benefit from a multi-media tool without exposing them to some of the risks that exist through YouTube. Teachers have to understand privacy laws and seek permission if they wish to share such videos with the wider community and understand that videos (or pictures) should not be shot using privately owned cameras without prior permission. They should also be stored on EQ owned property in accordance with law.