Post 3: YouTube

YouTube is a very popular video website. Many people probably think it is just a site for entertainment. However, there are many educational reasons to use YouTube. For example, students can view historical videos, such as presidential inaugurations. For older students, YouTube can be used to view lectures at various universities or from various events. Specific searches can be done in the education channel on YouTube, which is shown here. YouTube is a place where teachers can share things they have been working on so others can use their ideas or videos. There are simple educational videos for younger grades, such as "Ocean Animals," shown here. It is a series of ocean animals with a short assignment at the end to look up information about one of the animals. Another great idea is having students get involved in the process of making videos that can be posted on YouTube. They can research about a topic and put the information together in the form of a video. Students really enjoy videos being brought into their school time. It can get them more interested in topics and create excitement to learn. There are truly many ways that YouTube can be incorporated into the classroom. (picture: screenshot by Brandi Mantz; video: YouTube by littlemir)

Post 2: Computers in the Classroom

Computers have become a very important part of education recently. Having computers in classrooms is very helpful for both teachers and students. They can be even more beneficial when each child has their own laptop to use. Students can have the opportunity to look up information they do not know or understand. Students could also respond to polls given by the teacher. This is a very quick and easy way to get survey results, and it is fun for the students to see work. Another way computers can be helpful in the classroom is if students do not like asking questions in class. By using something such as a backchannel, students could post questions anonymously, which would encourage students who are embarrassed or afraid to ask questions aloud. Having computers at school for every student provides many great opportunities for everyone in the classroom. For more information on the computers in in the classroom, read the article Laptop Computers in the K-12 Classroom. (image:flickr.com by vorburger)