BP11_2009103_Web2.0_Tools_Teachertube

http://www.teachertube.com

My action research project is to provide parents and students with resources via a class website. One of the things that I’m hoping will be most useful to my students is the “quiz tip” videos that I’ve created for them. This videos give tips on notes, fingerings, rhythms, and other things that I will be looking for when I grade their playing quizzes.

These videos are all posted in albums on the website I created in iWeb. But, for some reason, they are not always accessible. I’m not sure what the bug is, but it’s frustrating for both me and my students.

I didn’t really know what to do, but when one of my critical friends mentioned that she was having a similar issue, I thought that maybe setting up a Youtube channel with the videos would give students an alternative way of accessing them when they can’t, for any reason, get to the ones on my website.

But the problem with Youtube is the problem with a lot of things on the Internet. There’s no way to control what else students will see, and I worry a little bit that the “Recommended videos” won’t be appropriate.

Then I remembered hearing people talk about Teachertube. Teachertube has all the same features of Youtube, in a safer, educationally geared environment. Instead of using Youtube, I am going to create a channel on Teachertube, post all videos that are on my website there as well, and link to it from my website.

Teachertube even has a number of advantages over Youtube. In experimenting with it, I learned that videos are reviewed by the Teachertube staff before they actually appear on the site. Also, there is no limit to file length. It contains a number of tutorials for teachers on how to use software and/or Web 2.0 tools. You can even upload support files to attach educational activities, assessments, lesson plans, notes, and other file formats to your video. (O’Neal, 2007).

I will also be using Teachertube to upload other videos that I might not post on my website, but that I want to show in class. Since I create most of these videos on my personal computer, and it’s a pain to disconnect the projector from my classroom computer and connect it to my Mac, this seems like a really efficient way of showing short videos in class. (I am SO lucky to have a projector mounted on my ceiling—I know!)

I’m looking forward to exploring Teachertube for other uses, as well. It’s cool that it features pictures and documents in addition to videos. I’m sure there are a lot of sources already on this site that I can use in my classroom.

© Teachertube (http://www.teachertube.com)

References:

O’Neal, C. (2007). Teachertube: a Youtube for educators. Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-tube

Teachertube. (2009). Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com