Accessing free online educational videos
Like many other people I find myself aimlessly watching videos on YouTube now and then. I knew that YouTube was the source of thousands of videos some educational and some definitely not. After listening to Matt and Simon’s presentation and hearing about others experience with YouTube I discovered that many people are sceptical about using YouTube in the classroom. I’m sure some people would wonder why this is as YouTube offers a wide variety of videos that are free and easily accessible. The reason it is not often used in classrooms is that anyone can post a video. Teachers are aware that if they send students to look at videos on YouTube they could come across inappropriate videos for their age. From my experience the best way to use YouTube is by the teacher selecting appropriate videos for students to watch. I think that using YouTube is a great way to cater for a variety of different learning styles in your classroom and also to the keep the students interested.
Teachers.tv is a free-to-air television channel in the UK aimed at people working in education. It is a great resource for many teachers. This site covers a range of topics including a weekly half-hour news program, documentaries on the educational issues, and guidance on topics such as behaviour management. They have also incorporated podcasts onto their site.
Finally we learnt about Keepvid. Keepvid makes downloading a video from YouTube or Teachers.tv that little bit easier. This is an internet site that downloads your video for you. Overall I think this was a great presentation and the boys have definitely set the benchmark high for the rest of us.