dalebasler.com » web2.0 http://www.dalebasler.com education.collaboration.design.technology Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:09:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Eight reasons to keep YouTube out of schools http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-keep-youtube-out-of-schools/ http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-keep-youtube-out-of-schools/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:25:21 +0000 Dale Basler http://www.dalebasler.com/?p=138 noyoutube.jpgFrequently, I hear teachers yearn for access to YouTube in their classroom. Yet, I question if this really is a good idea. Below are eight things we need to worry about if YouTube is allowed in the classroom:

  1. copyright infringement: it’s so easy to get videos that were posted to YouTube illegally. You can’t expect students to do their own work when you showed them a pirated video yesterday. However, I am afraid that the temptation will be too great for many teachers.
  2. students waste time: YouTube is the ultimate playground for procrastinators. Students can waste class period after class period wandering through videos.
  3. teachers waste time: like we’re any better- have you even been emailed that “must-see” video? Now imagine this stuff streaming into you classroom.
  4. sucks up bandwidth: with everyone in the school browsing through video after video, network speeds at you school will come to a crawl.
  5. inappropriate material: everything from pointless to tasteless- much of YouTube is not appropriate for school
  6. here today, gone tomorrow: not all the videos on YouTube stick around forever- you might send students off on a wild goose chase that leads them to videos that you weren’t expecting
  7. spam and scam: spammers and scammers are posting video all over YouTube to entice people to click over to a website that may contain viruses, malware or worse
  8. lies, lies and more lies: 9/11 conspiracies, miracle water, the real truth about the Holocaust- anyone can make a high quality and convincing video for YouTube that can fill your students’ heads with lies

So given all the good that YouTube can offer, how do we deal with the obstacles listed above?

]]> http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-keep-youtube-out-of-schools/feed/ 3 Eight reasons to use YouTube in school http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-use-youtube-in-school/ http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-use-youtube-in-school/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:58:41 +0000 Dale Basler http://www.dalebasler.com/?p=164 youtube1.jpgNot a week goes by without one of my colleagues asking me how to show a YouTube video in class. Because of it’s history of inappropriate content, ranging from pointless to tasteless, YouTube has been blocked in schools across the nation. However, the same content filters that are supposed to be blocking the bad sites are preventing “…teachers from accessing cutting-edge widgets and digital materials that have enormous potential for expanding learning.” [1]

I think it’s time for schools to take another look at YouTube’s use in the classroom.  Here are a few reasons why we should let YouTube into our schools:

  1. viewing is easy: there are a lot of video sharing websites out there, but YouTube makes the experience simple and seamless
  2. uploading is easy: posting videos to YouTube is incredibly easy, no need to worry about file formats and frame rates
  3. great content: sure there are dogs on skateboards but YouTube also hosts an impressive amount of top-notch material
  4. it’s become mainstream: From Barack Obama’s weekly addresses to videos from Britian’s Royal Family- everyone is using YouTube
  5. inspires creativity: as the the premiere site for user generated video, YouTube demonstrates the creativity that the world has to offer
  6. learn from feedback: learning doesn’t just stop after a video is posted, a steady stream of comments on your video can provide more opportunities to learn
  7. gives people a voice: tools like YouTube, “…make it easier than ever for people to make a difference and become civically engaged” [2]
  8. the real problem still exists: blocking YouTube doesn’t stop inappropriate video from being circulated in school via cellphones, email or other video sharing web sites
]]> http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/12/eight-reasons-to-use-youtube-in-school/feed/ 3 Use a Wiki to create a collaborative study guide http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/05/use-a-wiki-to-create-a-collaborative-study-guide/ http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/05/use-a-wiki-to-create-a-collaborative-study-guide/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 18:09:19 +0000 Dale Basler http://www.dalebasler.com/?p=213 Final exams are next week so that means many of my students are anxious about reviewing the semester. In the past, I’ve given students a packet that outlined the learning objectives for the past semester. From the students’ perspective, this is quite the passive experience.

This year I’m trying something different. I created a rough outline that students can add to, update and modify online. It is essentially a ‘Wikipedia’ for my semester review.

Review via Wiki

I’m using the wiki that our school’s SharePoint service provides; it allows me to track what changes are being made and who’s making them. It also let’s me see which students are actually looking at the study guide.

However, you don’t need SharePoint to do this. Here are two other places you can get started with your own wiki.

]]> http://www.dalebasler.com/2008/05/use-a-wiki-to-create-a-collaborative-study-guide/feed/ 1 10 most hated words on the web http://www.dalebasler.com/2007/06/10-most-hated-words-on-the-web/ http://www.dalebasler.com/2007/06/10-most-hated-words-on-the-web/#comments Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:04:48 +0000 Dale Basler http://www.dalebasler.com/?p=48 Now this just makes me laugh.

“UK pollsters YouGov have just completed a survey on the web’s most-hated words” [link]

Here they are:

  • folksonomy
  • Blogosphere
  • Blog
  • Netiquette
  • Blook
  • Webinar
  • Vlog
  • Social Networking
  • Cookie
  • Wiki

Oh, who cares- let’s see who can string’em all into one sentence.

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