Sunday, August 9, 2009

YouTube

In 2006 Google bought a new and immediately popular video hosting and sharing service call YouTube for approximately 1.6 billion dollars, even though the service was not yet earning a profit (Karch, M. 2009). Obviously Google could see the potential for such a service which proved to be an instant hit from its early conception.

YouTube videos can be watched from the host site, http://www.youtube.com/ or they can be viewed from locations such as: Blogs, and Webs sites, where the videos have been embedded. To successfully watch a YouTube video, a program call Adobe Flash must be installed, however this is a standard format supported by most browsers (Karch, M. 2009). Very few Digital Immigrants are informed that the new generation of Digital Natives can also source and watch YouTube form mobile devices such as mobile phones, Nintendo DS, ipods, and even Nintendo Wii game systems. This access allows a technology driven generation to obtain random access and fast receipt of information (Prensky, 2001).

There is great potential for YouTube to play a positive role in education (Karimi, 2009). Video's coupled with good teaching pedagogy can strengthen a subjects' curriculum and provoke interest, participation, deeper thinking, and engagement. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), suggest that by being engaged in the process of learning, students are intrinsically motivated to learn.

The following YouTube video Give Me Five - A Song About Healthy Eating was used during a unit pertaining to healthy eating for a year two cohort. The video was used to introduce the concepts of attitudes and perceptions, in particular comfort and order (Marzano et al 1997). Students were encouraged to participate in physical movement to a small routine through the duration of the clip. This strategy was used as an interval half way into a long lesson to regain focus and recharge.

The second video Fruit Glorious Fruit was used as an engagement tool at the beginning of the lesson and to provide an introduction the topics to be learnt. Both YouTube video's proved to be successful and were embraced by the students.

Although these video's were downloaded as engagement and classroom comfort and order tools, YouTube provided a new dimension to the delivery of the lesson and allowed a glimpse of where the future of teaching and learning lie.

Bye for now,

Kellie






Fruit Glorious Fruit




References
Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B., (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M., (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from:
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Karimi, S., (2009). The Value of E-Learning with YouTube: Video Sharing for Education. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/pop_print.shtml?ontent_type=article&content_type_id=65889

Karch, M., (2009). YouTube explained - Overview of the Google Video Sharing Tool Retrieved August 13, 2009, from:
http://google.about.com/od/moreaboutgoogleaps/p/youtubeprofile.htm?p=1

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., Moffett, C., Paynter, D., Pollock, J., & Whisler, J. (1997). Dimensions of learning teachers manual. Colorado, USA: Mid-continent Regional Education Laboratory.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Kellie,
    Wow, I found the 'Fruit glorious fruit' video really engaging, I still can't get it out of my head. YouTube is such a fantastic teaching tool I feel like I have been missing out on so many opportunities just through my lack of knowledge and confidence with ICT's and new technologies. 'Fruit glorious fruit....'
    Until next time.
    Regards,
    Nari

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Kellie,

    I just love those clips and yes, they worked a treat in the classroom. Instant engagement! Perhaps the students thought we were little 'loopy' but they could not take their eyes of the IWB.

    YouTube has so much to offer and i believe that more and more exiting opportunities will open up to us, as we enter our teaching careers.

    Chat soon,
    Kerri.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kerri and Nari,

    I really enjoyed doing these lessons with you Kerri and will never forget the many times where you indulged in lots of laughter over those video's.

    These video's always put a smile on may face too.

    Kellie

    ReplyDelete