It’s the middle of summer, and yet I’m already thinking about getting back in the classroom and ways to make my teaching practice better – maybe with technology? How about YouTube?, but its so hot, I’m also thinking about hitting the water park to cool off. So, today I’m going to use a summer theme to explore 5 tips and ideas for safely using YouTube in the classroom and home learning environments!
But first, the big question: To tube or not to tube?
Tubes are not just for riding down gently flowing streams, taking in some beautiful natural scenery as you sip a cold beverage or taking a breather as you glide lazily along the local waterpark’s lazy river. But maybe you’re not close enough to either the natural or man made version of this lovely river, and besides we’re in a school classroom or doing homework anyway, right? Yes, we are, so no real tubes, and forgive the bad pun, but we can YouTube along the internet and have many elements of the relaxing and fun experiences and many others with our students through this rich media platform. But, is it safe? Will parents be outraged? Will our children be exposed to unwelcome content? Well, just like you’d take some precautions on. A real tube ride, you can do the same with YouTube and safely bring this awesome tech tool into your classrooms and homes to create richer learning experiences.
Here are some ways to make educational “tubing” safe, effective, and fun:
1. Get there fast!
Don’t waste time and get frustrated stuck in traffic getting there. You’d use your GPS to get to the river or water park fast and easy. Nobody likes sitting in traffic to get somewhere, and similarly, students and parents will be befuddled trying to type in the long string of letter and symbols to access that awesome learning video you’d like them to watch at home, and then report back on during class. So, make it easy – create a QR code for super easy access that parents or kids can scan and have instant access. Check out this great link from Data Driven Labs for easy instructions on how to create a QR code. That automatically opens a YouTube video, if you con’t already know how: How to create a YouTube QR code
2. Bring towels and snacks.
You’re going to need to dry off and the kids are going to be hungry, so be prepared and have a framework defined before the kids jump online. Don’t let the kids just randomly surf away, even through that network of select channels you’ve created to weed out the proverbial poop. Make sure you follow up on what students and your kids have been watching. Create interactive experiences, let them teach you what they’ve learned on their video adventures. (Reissman, H., 2017)
3. Remember to apply sunscreen….
…..but make sure it’s the easy clear spray that dries super quick. It’s hot out there, and we shouldn’t go out without protection, but nobody wants to sit through a goopy white mess that doesn’t dry. So make sure students are prepared for the content they’re seeing, in another words choose age-appropriate material for them to view. Establishing and communicating clear rules for use and guidance on appropriate subjects and channels to use is like that smooth fast-drying spray, nobody really minds and it keeps everyone safe.
4. Watch out for poop in the pool.
Gross, right? Totally, but it happens at every water park, they even have codes to alert staff that they need to pick up a deposit. Well, there’s poop on YouTube too, but you can watch out for it and steer clear, here’s how: Create a set of trusted channels (Burns, M., 2016), such as Khan Academy, Smithsonian, Museum of Natural History, PBS,TedEd(ClassTechTips.com, 2016) etc. that students can search within – no more poop!
5. Splash a little!
Why? Because its fun! Build in some time for kids to explore their own interests, so they know they will have some freedom after their work is done. This removes a lot of the temptation for kids to get distracted while working online. (Reissman, H., 2017)
References
Burns, Monica (May 3. 2016) Harnessing the Power of YouTube in the Classroom edutopia.com Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/harnessing-power-youtube-in-classroom-monica-burns. Edwards, Chris (May 24, 2018) How to make a QR code automatically open a video DataDrivenLabs.com Retrieved from https://datadrivenlabs.io/blog/qr-code-open-video-mobile/. Johnson, A. M., Jacovina, M. E., Russell, D. E., & Soto, C. M. (2016). Challenges and solutions when using technologies in the classroom. In S. A. Crossley & D. S. McNamara (Eds.) Adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction (pp. 13-29) Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577147.pdf
ClassTechTips.com (April 18, 2016) 10 Favorite Educational YouTube Channels Retrieved from https://classtechtips.com/2016/04/18/youtube-channels-for-educators/
Reissman , Hailey (September 17, 2017) 7 smart ways to use technology in classrooms Tedx Retrieved from https://ideas.ted.com/7-smart-ways-to-use-technology-in-classrooms/