BP3_2010011_Web2.0Tool1_YouTube

The Go2Web2.0 site has an abundant amount of Web 2.0 tools. I spent a large amount of time searching though the website for a Web 2.0 tool that would catch my eye and spark a creative idea. I found myself taking a break and looking at videos on YouTube. That’s when it struck me that YouTube is the perfect Web 2.0 tool to discuss in this blog. I am a subscriber to at least three YouTube channels. A YouTube channel is a channel in which one person creates multiple videos that are stored on this one channel. I am a subscriber to fashion and makeup channels. Why not create a channel for my dance students to create their own videos about dance?

These two pictures are Screen Shots I took of two YouTube Channels.

There is a very popular show that appeals to 2 to 8 graders called iCarly. In this show a teen creates her own shows that she posts to a YouTube Channel called iCarly. Kids are drawn to this show because iCarly has her own show, which she creates herself. Kids love to have something they can call their own. It makes them feel more involved in their learning and it makes them feel very accomplished.

Retrieved January 11, 2010, from: http://www.icarly.com/

Assignments?????

I would create a YouTube channel for my students to upload videos on. We would create these videos in the classroom. I could divide students into groups and have them focus on one topic in each unit. For example, in a modern dance history unit each group of students could create a video on a modern dance pioneer. I would be able to cover a lot more choreographers in a short amount of time. In a typical modern history unit a teacher can usually only cover up to 5 choreographers, but with this assignment I could cover up to 10 or even more. I would edit the videos and upload them to our YouTube channel. We could then watch these videos in class, the students can watch them at home if they have computer access, and they will get to show their parents what they have been learning. There are so many choreographers and different aspects of dance that we would never have to create a video twice. We would be creating a dance archive of videos. Other dance teachers could subscribe and use our channel as well.

This could be done in a math, science, reading, or social studies class. The possibilities are endless. YouTube is a very familiar site. I think a lot of people view YouTube as a site to view funny videos, but it is far more than that.