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When students actively participate in dialogues with their peers, they will share opinions, jot down notes, talk about what interests/surprises them in the video, and ask questions. As mentioned earlier, this reciprocal dialogue motivates students to brainstorm, question, and challenge, which encourages students to apply these techniques while writing their papers. The initial ideas these students gather from the conversation motivate them to learn more about the subject of sleep. They may be eager to know the structure of the brain, patterns of human sleeping, reasons for sleep deprivation, consequences of sleep deprivation, and possible ways to solve sleep-related problems. As a conversation starter, the YouTube clip does not answer many of these questions in detail. It may not even address some of the issues students intend to explore. It, however, invites students to read extensively on the subject. College students are a busy group, many of whom take a few courses a semester while working part-time. They may feel reluctant to read the chapter assigned unless they see a direct association with what they write. The conversations in class help them identify their areas of interest, giving them a clearer idea of which articles of the chapter need careful reading. As discussed above, the incorporation of the YouTube video, if used appropriately, can encourage reading. Through assisting students to interact with the screen and other class participants, YouTube potentially accomplishes the following tasks: Once these tasks are accomplished, students are prepared for the next stage – writing. To enable students to use invention as a truly social act, instructors must remain alert to opportunities for students to write to effect social change at any level, helping them to find what Richard Ohmann (1976) has called “a middle ground . . . between passing English 101 and saving mankind: the students’ uses of their literacy for social or personal ends in society” (p. 146). As Scholes (1989) says, “writers must consume in order to produce and readers must produce in order to consume,” confirming the close correlation between reading and writing (p. 90). Such correlation can foster positive learning among students, explaining why YouTube is an effective tool to assist prewriting. Stimulating Mind,
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Many have addressed the close association between reading and writing. Marrow (1997) argues that “the act of reading itself will not improve this student’s writing abilities unless connections between reading and writing are made explicit” (p. 455). Once students understand the rationale of writing, they show readiness to read assigned articles and even do additional research to locate useful sources; therefore, watching the video encourages active and purposeful reading. Once they read additional sources, they become better-informed, which prepares them to have good references and to write more effectively. As Bazerman (1980) indicated, “[a]s they try to reconcile what they read with what they already think, students begin to explore their assumptions and frameworks of thoughts” (p. 659). Similarly, Marrow (1997) contended, “reading and writing are, quite simply, different, albeit complementary, ways of knowing the world. By reading, we enter into a social conversation that enables us to shape our own thoughts and give voice to our own readings of the world through writing” (p. 460). Through the use of YouTube, a conversational model for the interplay of reading and writing has been formed.