What do you like or dislike about YouTube? Did you find videos that would be useful for teaching and learning? Is YouTube restricted in your building?
YouTube is like anything else that allows creative expression. Many will use the tool to educate, inspire, and motive others. They will create videos that cause people to laugh, cry, hope, and think in new ways. Some videos may fill us with awe or dread. In many ways, though, the videos that people produce have real value. Of course, with that being said, others will use this same tool for breaking down social norms and values. They will use it to challenge authority and to convince others of the instability of our future. Is this wrong? Not in our country that values the freedom to express our opinions freely because once you try to draw a line in the sand you begin a neverending argument about what is appropriate and what is not. What is creative and what is just plain trash? What is artistic expression and what is a haphazard comment on an idea? It is this freedom, though, that has allowed the posting of many videos on YouTube that adults deem inappropriate for younger viewers and has caused many schools to ban this site as it is in our building. I think banning of sites disallows teachers the opportunity to teach students real internet safety and how to make good choices about what they decide to listen to and watch online.
About Me
- A. Spohn
- I am currently teaching kindergarten at Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Michigan!
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Very interesting take on this: "banning of sites disallows teachers the opportunity to teach students real internet safety and how to make good choices about what they decide to listen to and watch online"
ReplyDeleteWell, students are only "blocked" at school and parents don't always have the time to look over their shoulders when they're at home, so who's going to teach them how to use sites safely?
ReplyDeleteI agree that banning YouTube doesn't teach kids anything and that we are missing out on the opportunity to teach really important information. Can you talk to your technology administrator and have access from only your desk computer? This is what I was able to do. But it does mean I have to download things ahead of time and doesn't allow for spontaneity, which is better than nothing!
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