YouTube. Just like anything else, it has its good and bad qualities. This cultural movement is interesting. The community that has been created in undeniable. I love that people have this expressive outlet to vent, share, and create. My student teacher last year found some great videos on YouTube and used them as part of her classroom activities; that's something that I have never tried before. She used videos of the 1920's when she taught The Great Gatsby to help students see the time period.
Of course, the "bad" thing about YouTube is that you don't know what your going to find or to what students might be exposed. There are things on YouTube that are inappropriate for students (especially in a school setting). Like anything else that is user generated, students need to be aware that the content may not be wholly accurate and/or authentic. When need to teach students to be aware of this flaw and be cautious.
I already have one of Taylor Mali poems (the one about proofreading) linked to my Moodle site for my advanced writing course. It's not only entertaining, but it relates to my curriculum. I need to add more links and require students to view and respond to blogs, videos, etc. Right now, I just have them out there for them to see if they choose. It might also be interesting to have student publish projects on YouTube. I wonder about the copyright issues involved. I also worry about students who don't have access to the technology needed to make videos.
YouTube is restricted for students at my school. I can pull it up on my "teacher" computer. It's my understanding that students were in the library pulling up "inappropriate" content on YouTube and that resulted in blocking student access.
I actually watched An Anthopological Introduction to YouTube. I have to agree that it was interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking. I recently heard someone say that with Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, we may see the demise of the news media as we know it. Hmmm... that's an interesting thought.
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