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Hi my name is Niki Parkin and today I'm going to talk to you about the pros and cons of
using YouTube videos in educational settings. Specifically within the classroom. A lot of
times when this conversation of using videos comes up, whether it's with parents or teachers
who are talking together, they find that there are some very controversial opinions. Those
who oppose it and those who definitely think it should not be used in the classroom. Having
this in mind, I've constructed a list of pros and cons that will help us get a better idea
of the concerns of those around us for YouTube in the classroom. The pros include, for YouTube,
that videos are a great way to reach students. I've seen this firsthand, visual content can
enhance lessons and learning, especially for auditory or visual learners. It's also used
as a great attention getter, to start a unit, or to segway to another topic. Um, additionally
to wrap up a unit. Another pro that could be has been found, is that there is access
to many videos that have great educational content and messages. And a lot of time there
is access to things that students normally would not be able to see. For example, a student
in Idaho could take a tour of the Eiffel Tower and learn about the history of the the building.
Um, YouTube for schools has been created by Google recently and within this, schools can
now limit access to selected content. For example, blocking comments that are uh unavailable
now for students to see as well as linking only to other educational videos that are
related to the topic that you've been searching. Another pro that has been found for YouTube
videos is that they are free. These are educational materials that can be used within classrooms
and there is no cost to the teacher or no cost to the school district. Which is great
when all those small budgets out there are really making people pinch their pennies.
The other side includes a list of cons that I've heard numerous parents' voice as as
their concerns. First and foremost is the fact that it is a public site and there are
inappropriate videos. This has definitely been observed. Um, another problem that has
been seen or has been a concern is that there are racy or offensive comments below the videos.
Uh, the thing that we had mentioned earlier though was that the YouTube for Schools now
has kind of taken that out of play however there is still the concern there for parents.
Because it is a public site, another concern is inaccurate content. Uh, we don't want to
be teaching our students the wrong thing here. That is why teachers should also make sure
that they view it, and preview the content before showing it to their students. Um, the
last con that I have here is that some good videos may be blocked with this new tool that
they've created uh, due to mislabeling, possibly preventing students from actually seeing an
educational video that could potentially be great. So as we can see there is a great list
of pros and cons to using YouTube in the classroom. Through acknowledging this list of pros and
cons and acknowledging those opinions, it's easy to see why YouTube is such a controversial
subject. Um, the good thing is that Google is trying to rectify the situation in allowing
schools to safely access YouTube for their students and their teachers. And this hopefully
is eliminating a lot of the concern. Not only for the school districts but also for the
federal regulations of Child Privacy, as well as eliminating the concerns for parents. Hopefully
this will alleviate some of the opposing opinions and the teachers that really want to use these
tools will be able to have access within their classrooms. I hope that you take this into
into consideration when you are thinking whether or not to include YouTube in your own classroom
and overall, I hope that you can see that those teachers who have felt that they have
been beneficial deserve the right to put YouTube videos in their classroom. Thank you for listening.