YouTube
YouTube has proven to be an invaluable resource for this project. Last
semester I discovered how to utilize the playlist feature to organize
student videos by class, and they were then able to watch their
classmates’ videos and leave comments for extra credit. I instructed
them to be respectful, write in complete, correct sentences (a
departure from the norm when it comes to YouTube comments!) and leave
constructive feedback, commenting on both the strengths and weaknesses
of their peers’ work. It was also obvious that many students were
sharing their videos with others because after only a view days many of
the videos had close to 100 views.
There are other sites where videos can be uploaded, but I prefer
YouTube because I can organize the videos all in one place on my
channel, and it’s a site that my students are usually already familiar
with. I also use YouTube as a springboard for copyright discussions,
and YouTube’s internal site has many valuable resources and tips for
following copyright guidelines as well as tutorials on video
production. It’s overall a great teaching tool when used to this end.
I really like the idea that although there is plenty of mindless
silliness on YouTube, there is also a forum there for learning and
sharing student work.
For anyone who is interested in using multimedia projects in this way,
I encourage you to check out my YouTube channel * where you
can see videos I have made about the project and the playlists of
student videos. The YouTube channel* can be a
great resource and starting point for organizing your own multimedia
projects. >>