Thing 21

The first video is from YouTube. I absolutely love this video! I think that it speaks volumes to students and members of this generation. I am such a fan of motivational quotes, videos, pictures...anything really. I think that bringing in outside elements into your classroom is really helpful in teaching other important things such as citizenship, values, and morals.

The next two videos are from TeacherTube, which I didn't even know existed. Bullying is something that I am very passionate about. I liked the third video because I thought that every student could identify with some part of the song. The other video I liked because it is full of motivational and inspirational quotes that students can enjoy.

I couldn't download a video from Vixy, Zamzar, or KeepVid. I do not have a computer at home that is functioning right now so I was using the computer at the school in which I work. We are prevented from downloading any software onto the computers.

I love using videos within the classroom to aid in teaching content. I think that they are very easy to use and don't require a lot of technical knowledge or time. However, at the school in which I teach YouTube is blocked. Students cannot access it, only teachers can. So, I guess that it is good that we can override the content filter but students do not have direct access. In a way I enjoy this because I know which materials students can use. YouTube does have some videos that are not school appropriate and I am sure that students would find them if they had full access to the site. I use online videos mostly for supplemental material. I find videos that further discuss themes within novels or provide some background information about the time or setting of a story. Students usually like to watch video clips. Actually, I just used one last week to show an example of a Greek creation myth. I also like using them because I feel like it breaks up the content a bit and often leads to further class discussions. I will continue to use this technology within my teaching.