Hey everybody, I am sorry that I could not be there today.  So, David suggested that I write something up to help you with Youtube in the classroom. 

 

Let's start with my favorite Youtube videos and channels just so that you can get a sense is what is possible and what can be done.

My favorite Youtube video is by the music group They Might Be Giants.  If their name sounds familiar, it is because they did the theme song from the television show Malcolm in the Middle: You're Not the Boss of Me Now.  A few years ago, they came out with an entire album that was science themed. 

 

They Might Be Giants Youtube Channel: particlemen  http://www.youtube.com/user/particlemen?blend=2&ob=4

TMBG: Meet the Elements http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy0m7jnyv6U

 

They Might Be Giants have many more videos that are science themed, including "Why does the sun really shine."

I also like the Richard Dawkins channel http://www.youtube.com/user/richarddawkinsdotnet

I really like this video about the difference between SaddleBack and Dome Tortoises for teaching students how to write a compare and contrast paragraph.  

For screen captures, I use CamStudio portable from http://portableapps.com because it is free (open source) and as a portableapp, it can run off any USB device.  However, you can also have IT install it on your office or classroom computers; it is on my office computer on Central campus as well at the Beloit Center. 

 

Playlists allow you to set up groups of videos that people can then see. 

 

 

Accessibility is an obvious issue with videos.  However, I am not a big fan of close captioning videos because of the split attention effect.  Close captioning requires a student to split their attention between the graphic and the text, therefore, making it more difficult to learn, not less.  Annotations are a better choice because they allow you to pause and present text directly on the screen where needed for the greatest effect.