Although my use of youtube video was not related to my current research or teaching, I have learned a great deal through this course about properly uploading and editing materials which can be used as educational resources. I have also been exposed to a large number of sites which provide multiple multi-media sources which can be used to augment or supplement a lesson plan and evoke student interest.
My posted youtube video was from a trip to Taipei and provided my first experience in uploading multimedia content to the web. The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOcsfGz4Sc. Although I have added very few features to the video, there are many possibilities available to uploaders of videos, including tags, location, annotations, soundtracks, and commenting. Through the process of uploading my video I also found that there were literally dozens of videos the same as mine, and of better quality. This goes to show what Dr. Yuen means when he says "if there is something better available, why not use it; but if there is nothing available, you can make it yourself."
What I have learned
This is one of they key values that I have learned: that if you cannot find what you need, it is very easy to make good quality multimedia materials which are matched to your teaching needs. Using youtube was far easier than I imagined, although waiting for the upload does require some time. The features and options which are available to uploaders are equally impressive. As an educator, it is well worth spending some time to add the important features, such as balloons, comments, subtitles, or other details to the youtube video, in order to meet your teaching objectives. The freedom provided to producers of multimedia content is vast and increasing with each generation. It is a good time to take advantage of these options and produce quality materials for our students and for others internationally who may download our content.
How is youtube important to my field
It goes without saying that multimedia and engaging materials are vital for young learners. By providing new, interesting, attention-sustaining learning activities, our children are able to engage, gain learning motivation, and learn content with greater ease than through traditional lecture methods. By having a wide array of quality materials to supplement our lessons, we are truly providing learners with the best environment for challenging their thinking, growing their imagination, and fostering creative and critical thinking. Thus, the use of youtube and other user-generated media dramatically enlarges the quantity of materials which are available to early childhood instructors. The ease with which youtube videos can be generated is also encouraging for teachers to create their own content to be shared with others. Youtube's ease of use, rapid downloading, and vast array of features has almost certainly changed the curriculum design landscape and provided opportunities for multi-media in the classroom that is more specific and tailored to our students' needs.
Future for teaching and learning
For older learners, it is not difficult to imagine that they will be able to generate their own content, based on their own interests and using their own technology (such as the ubiquitous cellphone camera). Projects which encourage learners to express themselves in various formats will certainly take advantage of the ease with with youtube videos can be produced. In fact, young contributors on youtube seem to outnumber contributors of older generations. For very young learners, generating video content may be realistic, but anonymity and consent rights must always be considered. More relevant, it seems, is the use of youtube in the classroom as a source of supplemental information and colorful elaboration of lesson content.
No comments:
Post a Comment