In our classrooms,
conventional teaching tools have changed
dramatically. We have seen our schools
go from blackboards to whiteboards,
and thick textbooks to electronic handhelds
making current and up to date information
immediately available at the fingertips
of our students. One of the recent technologies
growing in use is YouTube,
the popular video sharing web site where
a multitude of videos can be uploaded
and shared with the world. Most people
initially associate YouTube
as an uncomplicated and suitable way
to view music, videos, and music clips
to name a few examples, but educators
are now discovering YouTube
as an expedient, resourceful, and flexible
tool in our classrooms.
YouTube
in Our Classroom
YouTube
can provide visuals for our students
that we may not be able to present in
other ways . Integrating a YouTube
video about any physical skill can assist
in a student's understanding and comprehension
of the skill. It can also improve a
student's memory as visual images have
been proven to improve recall. The video
also has the capability of helping students
understand complex ideas better. Right
brain and left brain theory also supports
the value of the visual - visuals speed
listener comprehension.
As educators,
we are aware that our students learn
better and retain more when instruction
is presented in more than one format.
Research has indicated that we remember
twenty percent of what we hear, but
more than fifty percent of what we see
and hear. Furthermore, we remember about
seventy percent of what we see, hear,
and actually do. It makes sense then
to include YouTube in our Physical
Education classes.
YouTube
Primer
YouTube
is similar to Wikipedia
in that it's made up of content that
is user uploaded. This means that a
majority of its content may not be consistent,
supportable, or suitable. You may work
in a school district that has decided
to prevent the use of YouTube,
citing inappropriate content as the
primary reason. There are paid solutions
to dealing with this problem, but there
are several free websites that provide
an alternative as well.
YouTube:
Safety Mode - this is a new feature
on YouTube that allows users
to filter inappropriate words from
comments and doesn't allow inappropriate
videos to be played.
Vusafe
- another site that provides a way
to create a safe environment for your
students to watch videos.
ViewPure
- allows the user to remove comments
and ads from YouTube video.
It is also important when searching
on YouTube to limit searches
to respected sources. Most respected
sources have specific channels on YouTube
where their content is collected. A
simple search on YouTube, entering
the name of the source (i.e. PBS), will
bring up that source's exclusive content.
When dealing with any video that may
be used in a classroom setting it is
wise to check the content first. Not
all sites are safe, including YouTube,
even when using a filter system.
YouTube Alternatives
What if YouTube is blocked
in your school system, and you believe
in its value as an educational tool
that supports your instruction and your
students' learning? You could spend
a tremendous amount of time searching
to find video subject matter that is
valid, clear cut, impartial, and suitable.
The below websites may point you in
the right direction to narrow searches
specific to content needed.
School
Tube - an excellent and safe place
for students and teachers to share
and view video. A search on this site
elicited 4907 video clips.
WatchKnow
- this site has 1000's of videos for
students in multiple subjects. Physical
and Health Education has a library
of 638 videos broken down in subcategories
of Health Education, Exercise Instruction,
Sports and Games, and Sport Legends.
Neo
K-12 - this site is 100% safe
and has an array of educational tools
to choose from such as quizzes, presentations,
and more. A quick search on this site
using sport as a keyword brought up
videos that could be used when teaching
individual sport skills.
Teacher
Tube - an excellent site for educators
to find videos, Word documents, PDFs,
PowerPoints, and photos. A simple
search using Physical
Education brought up over ten
pages of video links.
Clip
Blast - a huge collection of videos
on this site, but I would recommend
using this site in a filtered environment.
A quick search using Physical Education
as a search terms elicited 2,133 clips.
Other sites that may have similar
clips are listed which helps to verify
credibility and appropriateness.
Extras
If you are fortunate enough to be able
to use YouTube in your classroom
setting, there are editing tools that
allow you to crop, add soundtrack, annotate,
and enter time cues. Below are a couple
of sites with tools to be able to edit
YouTube videos.
YouTube:
Video Editor - allows you to upload
a video and then perform the editing
you want to perform on the uploaded
video.
Tube
Chop - user friendly that allows
YouTube editing possibilities.
VideoANT
- allows you to watch YouTube
videos and then add annotation to
it as it plays.
Conclusion
Technology is here to stay. It is our
challenge as teachers to find the best
uses for our students. NASPE and Polar
recently sponsored a video
competition (#2)
for university students asking how technology
can make Physical Education exciting.
The opportunities abound, YouTube
being one those, so, start YouTubing!
Introduction
