You Too-be can be a part of this community!

This week I truly made TeacherTube and YouTube a part of my repertoire. I spent a Saturday morning watching YouTube videos and eating waffles with my husband, created a TeacherTube account, joined a TeacherTube discussion forum, and introduced a group of colleagues to TeacherTube for use as a professional development tool and as an instructional tool. My colleagues were impressed and overwhelmed by the possibilities, and my husband is just plain impressed at what my coursework entails and at his wife’s capabilities. In fact, my husband, who owns every gaming system available and ‘needs’ to update his computer annually to keep up with the technology believes that every teacher should have access to this university course. And he also mentioned something very interesting about his own internet use. He announced that he "hasn’t used the full capabilities of the internet for over eight years." I was struck that my exploration and excitement of Web 2.0 led this techno-saavy individual to realize that the World Wide Web has advanced since the days when one required knowledge of code to create a website, and that he was interested in being a part of the collaborative online communities that now exist.


My epiphanies this week have not been about the function of YouTube or TeacherTube specifically, but about Web 2.0 as a whole. I have a much greater understanding of the collaborative nature of Web 2.0. Until now I have only appreciated the Internet for two purposes: 1)social contact (three e-mail accounts, and a Facebook account), and 2) as a source for information (we taught ourselves to drywall our kitchen reno online). Now I understand, and am beginning to participate in, the more collaborative nature of information exchange on Web 2.0. There is a powerful sense of ownership and belonging as one ventures into online sharing and publishing, and also an overwhelming sense of responsibility to ensure that my little pieces of the world wide web are updated, accurate, interesting and worthy of all those who may read/view/hear them. The personal and engaging nature of video media is what brought this to life for me, so I owe it to the familiar videostreaming sites YouTube and TeacherTube to reflect upon my experiences and thoughts as a teacher.


In all experiences using TeacherTube and YouTube with my students in the past few weeks, I have acted as researcher and presenter. I have searched at home for appropriate and engaging material for my students, and have presented to the whole class as the intermediary. (It is worth noting here that YouTube is blocked from our District server, so we unable to access the material at school and would need to download and save items of interest to students.) My initial thought while searching from home was of the enormous opportunity to collaborate with other educators online. It was fascinating to see how other teachers have used video/media with their students, and to hear about projects they have done with their classes. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ideas for teaching on TeacherTube, either explicit or implied in their uploads.
As with other videostreaming opportunities, TeacherTube and YouTube bring the outside world into the classroom or home. Access to ideas, representations and experiences of others’ that might not otherwise be possible (due to distance, access to experts or other teachers, cost, etc). My students were intrigued to see several videos, and found one video on math in the real world very interesting (unable to locate name of video). However, some of the amateur videos the students found silly or boring – those which seemed to be posted by an adult and looked and sounded like typical classroom lectures/explanations.
What did intrigue the students was the possibility of uploading their own videos (or a video of their teacher making a fool of herself), and contributing to this online community. I was fascinated by the sense of ownership and power my students felt. It had only occurred to me that I could consume these videos, not create them. As Digital Natives, they got the message (and were ready to respond) well before I did.

This is what is unique about Teacher Tube, You Tube, and Web 2.0 in its entirety. After this week I feel I better understand Tim Berners-Lee intent for the Internet in 1989 (Richardson, 2009). Berners-Lee wanted to create "a collaborative medium, a place where we [could] all meet and read and write." The give and take nature of this media is what sustains it, and draws users to it. It almost creates a living, breathing, changing system. Yet, in being an open and somewhat unstructured environment, there are some negative implications for teachers and students.
At the risk of sounding like a repetitive PC error message, a concern about the technology arises in similar ways as with Flickr and other photosharing sites explored last week. First, is the concern about what students will find on these sites. While TeacherTube is user-monitored for appropriate material, students’ ages, and a multitude of definitions of what is appropriate mean that not all material on this site is appropriate for all students. Although a large part of our work with students must be educating them on suitable searches, in a community such as TeacherTube and, in particular, YouTube, we must be aware of the inappropriate material that does exist. In working with my students at this time, I am comfortable searching for material in advance, and sharing links with my students, or playing the videos as a whole-class viewing activity (perhaps not so different from the old ways of filmstrips selected from the school library). Other videostreaming sources, such as UnitedStreaming, offer material which is pre-screened for quality and topics (including direct links to the curriculum) and may provide equally excellent videos for simply ‘consuming’ video as a medium in the classroom.


In order to distinguish Web 2.0 services such as YouTube from United Streaming, one must take advantage of the social and collective aspects of these sites and contribute to the Web 2.0. I am eager to find authentic ways for my students to share their videos, but at this time, I will need to restrict their projects to Readers’ Theatre or Digital Storytelling-type projects where the students are unidentifiable. The Freedom of Information and Privacy Act and the level of concern from parents is limiting at this time. The other alternative would be for me to post material (who wouldn’t want to emulate ‘Mrs Burk’s Perimeter Rap’ on Teacher Tube?), but I am very hesitant to do so. I don’t have the confidence, material or desire to post a video of myself to Teacher Tube. While I believe whole-heartedly in collaboration in schools, even internationally (I spent a summer working with teachers in Kenya), I’m not sure of the efficacy or need to share with the world on Teacher Tube. A few honest questions:
-Must one believe their idea has been perfected before sharing it with others? Alternatively, what comments must one be prepared to hear if posting on YouTube or TeacherTube?
-Can we really get a complete picture of a class project or activity from a 4-minute post on TeacherTube (TeacherTube - More Than Just A Mvule Tree Book Project)
-How does the value of the material change when a teacher uses a video to springboard or inspire a learning project, versus replacing a real life experience with a video?


The uniqueness of YouTube and Teacher Tube are evident when one joins a group/discussion forum, comments on a video, or uploads their own material. My own journey with this media has not led me far down this path yet. I must challenge myself to continue exploring the possibilities with videosharing, and must continue to seek out authentic and meaningful ways that set these tools apart from the video shelves in our school library. Mike Welsh, in his June 2008 address to the Library of Congress, quotes Stephen Weiswasser of ABC "You aren’t going to turn passive consumers into active trollers on the internet." Well, I have been a consumer, and I’m changing. I’m discovering "new forms of expression, community and identity" in this course, and it is exciting and overwhelming (Michael Wesch, 2008). While Mike Wesch reminds us that we can’t predict where this will go, let it be written here first that I will seek out a project for my students to share a video online. My students deserve to experience the excitement and motivation when others view their work online and comment on their ideas, as I am discovering on this journey.