The day YouTube was unblocked in my county was one of the happiest days of my teaching career. For my Music classes, there are so many YouTube videos of interesting performances, unique instruments, music games, and other educational materials that is it almost mind-boggling. In fact, I keep a running list of "Cool Videos" on my classroom website for my students to check out at home.
I often incorporate YouTube clips in my teaching. Sometimes I will start at the "Music Links" page on my class website as a launching point, and also as a mini advertisement for my website. Other times, however, I use Zamzar to download a video file version of my favorite YouTube videos, which can have its benefits over viewing videos on the Web. First, it is a safeguard against unexpected network connectivity issues. Second, it lets me show the video without the risk of showing inappropriate comments or links to inappropriate "related" videos.
In a previous blog post, I discussed the benefits of classroom podcasting. Likewise, I think there could be many uses for and benefits of posting video of my students' in-class performances on YouTube. I have taken videos of my students with the intention of posting them to YouTube and embedding them in my class blog. However, there are a few obstacles that make video production a little more difficult than podcasting. For example, not every student in our school has a signed publicity release. For students who do not have this signed release, I will sometimes ask them to be my "production assistant" and help with various off-camera tasks. Second, I do not have the necessary equipment to make quality videos. I sometimes use my iPhone camera to record videos, but without a tripod or external microphone, these videos sometimes turn out with very poor quality. As of now, I have not posted any in-class videos of my students to the Web.
Our assignment this week was to find videos that relate to our teaching content and/or professional learning interests, videos that teach "how to" do something, and videos that are just fun, nostalgic or interesting to you. What is funny is that I watch videos in all three of these categories on a daily basis. I have been known to engage in a seemingly endless cycle of linking to "related videos" and finding interesting and entertaining materials for hours on end. The video below is one that I shared with my students when I was introducing the concept of singing in a round, which I found after one such period of YouTube surfing.
I often incorporate YouTube clips in my teaching. Sometimes I will start at the "Music Links" page on my class website as a launching point, and also as a mini advertisement for my website. Other times, however, I use Zamzar to download a video file version of my favorite YouTube videos, which can have its benefits over viewing videos on the Web. First, it is a safeguard against unexpected network connectivity issues. Second, it lets me show the video without the risk of showing inappropriate comments or links to inappropriate "related" videos.
In a previous blog post, I discussed the benefits of classroom podcasting. Likewise, I think there could be many uses for and benefits of posting video of my students' in-class performances on YouTube. I have taken videos of my students with the intention of posting them to YouTube and embedding them in my class blog. However, there are a few obstacles that make video production a little more difficult than podcasting. For example, not every student in our school has a signed publicity release. For students who do not have this signed release, I will sometimes ask them to be my "production assistant" and help with various off-camera tasks. Second, I do not have the necessary equipment to make quality videos. I sometimes use my iPhone camera to record videos, but without a tripod or external microphone, these videos sometimes turn out with very poor quality. As of now, I have not posted any in-class videos of my students to the Web.
Our assignment this week was to find videos that relate to our teaching content and/or professional learning interests, videos that teach "how to" do something, and videos that are just fun, nostalgic or interesting to you. What is funny is that I watch videos in all three of these categories on a daily basis. I have been known to engage in a seemingly endless cycle of linking to "related videos" and finding interesting and entertaining materials for hours on end. The video below is one that I shared with my students when I was introducing the concept of singing in a round, which I found after one such period of YouTube surfing.
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