Week Twelve - Teachthought and Youtube Classrooms
Terry Heick's Teachthought column at the end of March addressed the reach and success that youtube has, as an exemplar for educators and their classrooms.
He identifies and elaborates on 10 factors of the websites success. Each is summarized here, but the most fruitful to me are highlighted.
1. Passive Consumption on Youtube means all materials are easily accessed and linked to similar content. In the classroom, Heick recommends that "critical input experiences" are equally learner-centered, content-focused, and easy to access.
2. Active Selection on Youtube means viewers can respond and annotate videos. For teachers, "voice and choice" let students interact with their content.
3. Assisted Discovery on Youtube comes in the form of suggested videos, and Heick thinks teachers can structure content along lines of theme or interest, rather than (or to augment) unit- or standards-oriented segments of learning.
4. Interdependence refers to Youtube's integration with twitter, Facebook, and other electronic media outlets. Heick asserts that schools should also coordinate integrated units - across disciplines and/or grade-levels. This is his richest idea and most apt comparison of his list.
5. Diversity refers to Youtube's universal user base and content range. For teachers, blending contemporary, current event, and pop content with unexpected traditional educational content can increase student interest and comfort.
6. Brevity refers to the familiar sense that short videos are more likely to be viewed than feature-length offerings. Teachers can and should use this reality to develop mini-projects and mini-lessons.
7. Selective Social Interaction defines Youtube's variable transparency and/or anonymity. Students should be taught about the range and significance of publishing as a self-, communal-, or professionally-directed enterprise.
8. Non-Traditional content on YouTube lets viewers explore esoterica to the fullest extent of their interest, and beyond. Teaching students to delve as deeply as they like into content, even when the growth potential within the experience isn't readily apparent, could lead to great student interest on more intentional content from the teacher.
9. Humor is a clear strength of Youtube, and teachers should show students more traditional content and modes that are more humorous.
10. Cultural Hyperbole is Heick's terms for extreme opportunities beyond normal consideration, especially beyond the usual purview of coursework and school. Cultures beyond the mainstream, and content that isn't clearly related to traditional notions of learning, can be access points for student learning and engagement in processes that a well-structured course can subtly turn into 21st century skill-building.
As usual, Mr. Heick's ideas outpace his organizational interest, but he does note a range of Youtube's strengths and offer some interesting hypothetical applications translated to the classroom setting.
He identifies and elaborates on 10 factors of the websites success. Each is summarized here, but the most fruitful to me are highlighted.
1. Passive Consumption on Youtube means all materials are easily accessed and linked to similar content. In the classroom, Heick recommends that "critical input experiences" are equally learner-centered, content-focused, and easy to access.
2. Active Selection on Youtube means viewers can respond and annotate videos. For teachers, "voice and choice" let students interact with their content.
3. Assisted Discovery on Youtube comes in the form of suggested videos, and Heick thinks teachers can structure content along lines of theme or interest, rather than (or to augment) unit- or standards-oriented segments of learning.
4. Interdependence refers to Youtube's integration with twitter, Facebook, and other electronic media outlets. Heick asserts that schools should also coordinate integrated units - across disciplines and/or grade-levels. This is his richest idea and most apt comparison of his list.
5. Diversity refers to Youtube's universal user base and content range. For teachers, blending contemporary, current event, and pop content with unexpected traditional educational content can increase student interest and comfort.
6. Brevity refers to the familiar sense that short videos are more likely to be viewed than feature-length offerings. Teachers can and should use this reality to develop mini-projects and mini-lessons.
7. Selective Social Interaction defines Youtube's variable transparency and/or anonymity. Students should be taught about the range and significance of publishing as a self-, communal-, or professionally-directed enterprise.
8. Non-Traditional content on YouTube lets viewers explore esoterica to the fullest extent of their interest, and beyond. Teaching students to delve as deeply as they like into content, even when the growth potential within the experience isn't readily apparent, could lead to great student interest on more intentional content from the teacher.
9. Humor is a clear strength of Youtube, and teachers should show students more traditional content and modes that are more humorous.
10. Cultural Hyperbole is Heick's terms for extreme opportunities beyond normal consideration, especially beyond the usual purview of coursework and school. Cultures beyond the mainstream, and content that isn't clearly related to traditional notions of learning, can be access points for student learning and engagement in processes that a well-structured course can subtly turn into 21st century skill-building.
As usual, Mr. Heick's ideas outpace his organizational interest, but he does note a range of Youtube's strengths and offer some interesting hypothetical applications translated to the classroom setting.
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