Before I dive into YouTube and why I think it's the absolute best, an update on what I have been planning and researching for my Major Project this term:
Covering.... 1) YouTube: My continued commitment to posting my course lectures (can't post much else... maybe someday the computer science student projects?) This article covers my goals, how much time I spend during the week doing "YouTube stuff" 2) TikTok (this one is going TERRIBLY haha... there's a link to a test TikTok I made... it got about 300 views in a day, and now it's dead. It's not educational at all): Update --> So my Drama Teacher friend doesn't actually use TikTok (I misunderstood her)--she cited draconian Divisional Policies as the culprit--but she is willing to chat with me about how she used Vine when it was a thing, and I think this is very similar to TikTok, so I AM going to interview her on that and post it. 3) Twitter/Instagram: I've lined up an interview with a colleague of mine who uses Twitter in his English class to great effect. I'll discuss my own usage of it as well, and how I've been developing my own use of it 4) Wakelet: How I've begun using it for presentations, and getting students to use it to summarize their own learning. Remember... my personal journey is not to develop resources for others (well, my YouTube really is for my students who like to review their notes)... and I guess the Wakelets might be for public consumption... I'm just trying to chip away at the iceberg of things that I wish I was, which is why this project is such a great thing for me to develop personally... I feel like I have so far to go and I've been at it for so long already.... To learn, students need to DO SOMETHING. World Class Lectures For FREE
I mean, come on, where else would you be able to get world class lectures without actually attending the university or lecture in person? That's right, on YouTube :)
YouTube is a strange place where you can learn anything. I keep saying it's the best thing since sliced bread. For a motivated learner, I really do believe you can find almost anything you want to learn for free on YouTube. Draw back? Quality isn't always great, but for a lot of mainstream subjects, it's amazing given that it's also FREE. A smattering of amazing educational channels follows for your own use:
TERMS OF SERVICE OVERVIEW
Yeah, it's bleak. But that seems to be the case for just about anything useful on the internet. You want great services for free? Well, prepare for sketchy internet practices. I'm actually a big fan of things like Wikipedia (which have been shown to be better or just as good as the "name brand" guys), and if we have to pay for it, I think that is fair. I think it should be free to those who cannot afford it. As far as YouTube goes, it gets a D from Terms of Service--Didn't Read. So, for student use, you'll have to check with your divisional policies. For example, in my division, YouTube is blocked for students (crazy, it should be open!), but with special permission, I was allowed to get students to post to YouTube and use it in my classroom.
How I Have Been Using YouTube
Two major ways:
1) To post my own lectures. My goal this semester continues to be (a holdover from #eci831) to upload every lesson. This means I am now doing this for 3 courses: Grade 10 computer science, Grade 11 Calculus, and Grade 12 Calculus. It doesn't sound like much, but this takes me about 20-30 minutes five times a week... this time involves editing videos, creating them, and uploading them. It takes a surprisingly long time... but I am happy to say that compared to how I felt about it last year, it is actually starting to become a HABIT to do this stuff... small victory! That was my major roadblock before! FUTURE/ONGOING GOALS: -The lessons are typically around the 35 minute mark. That's long! I'd like to develop quick 5 minute topic overviews... like "how to _______" videos for those who need quick refreshers. I'd start this with math videos. -In January I had 57 subscribers. Now I have 101. I'd like to have 150 by the end of April! -Continue uploading videos until I have every course covered. -Post links to my blank notes in the description of each video so people can download them. This involves uploading the PDFs (which I have to create!) to my Dropbox. 2) I use YouTube as a way for students to show their learning. This is self explanatory. Idid this last semester with my Grade 11/12 computer science class and it was great! I hope to continue doing this! Goals are hard!!FINAL THOUGHTS
The last thing I'd leave you with is a video I've posted before (in eci831 I think)... it's one of my favourite videos. It's from Derek Muller, who I think is a bit of an inspirational figure for me anyways... I enjoy his YouTube channel... he has spent a bit of time working for Bill Nye, and did his PhD thesis in physics education.
It doesn't matter what happens around the learner... we are not limited by what experiences we can give to students... no technology is inheritably superior to any other... researchers spent so much time researching whether one technology was more effective than another, that they failed to investigate exactly how to use the technology to promote meaningful thought processes. So the question really is, what kind of experiences promote the kind of thinking that is required for learning?
Alright, well, that's it for an update. I've been spending a lot of my energy on YouTube... and I've been doing a lot of research for Twitter, and for TikTok. Hopefully I'll have those interviews done in the next week or two (my Robotics Club has been keeping me mad busy though!!)
Stay curious friends, Matteo
8 Comments
Melinda
2/21/2020 11:26:58 am
Hi Matteo,
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Matteo Di Muro
2/24/2020 03:31:43 pm
Heeey Melinda :) nice to see you "staying curious" haha! Thanks for reading.
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Nancy Smith
2/23/2020 01:02:45 pm
Hi Matteo
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Matteo Di Muro
2/24/2020 03:34:16 pm
Thanks Nancy for the kind words and encouragement. It takes quite a while to turn those chores into habits... and at times I fail and relapse (or genuinely get too busy and then I get anxious about how many posts I have to do in order to catch up).
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Dean Vendramin
2/23/2020 06:32:07 pm
That https://tosdr.org/ site is very interesting to see what class the social media you are using is at. I agree that it is super hard to to create that magical 5 minute video that captures what you need for the lesson taught. One thing I thought of doing but it would take some time is to put them all in ed puzzle and then you could put markers to get to the point you want need (even know who watched them). I really like your style of blog with many musings haha and rabbit holes to go down (such as your robotic club which is awesome). Keep up the great work.
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Matteo Di Muro
2/24/2020 03:37:29 pm
Opps I posted a new comment instead of replying to this one! I'll just copy and paste
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Matteo Di Muro
2/24/2020 03:36:38 pm
Thanks Dean. The Ed puzzle is a great idea... could be something to look at. Lol I've debated just hiring (aka bribing with extra grades?) haha a student to go through the videos and do something like that, even posting the times in teh description so people could just click on those to find a specific topic or something would be a start. I'm starting to understand how people who are actually successful at social media turn it into a full time job.
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I agree with everyone with saying that uploading your lessons onto YouTube is a great idea. Although longer than wanted, I know I'd appreciate it as a student and a parent to be able to help my child, especially with the content that you teach! This may also lead you in the direction of a flipped classroom eventually, if that is something you are interested in attempting in the future. Thanks for sharing how YouTube can "revolutionize education"!
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AuthorMy name is Matteo Di Muro, the original Prairie Boy, and I've been teaching since I was 14. I currently teach mathematics and computer science in Brandon. I try to keep on learning things, and I'm getting onboard with sharing with others, hence this site! Archives
March 2020
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