On Monday this week, the video streaming site known as YouTube announced that there were plans to spend £15.4 million (Which is $20million) on educational videos. A considerate chuck of this money is planned to go to independent creators as well as corporate new sites and online firms that are specialised on learning. This investment will go to help YouTube channels such as Hank and John Green's Crash Course along with TED-ed. This is great news for viewers like me. I love Crash Course and TED-ed talks. I watch them for fun in my free time and sometimes don't realise that I'm learning things by doing so. Especially, I think investment is important when the focus is on science.
But, YouTube has always been used by people from self-learning. Anything from playing musical instruments, writing maths formula to looking at examples of exam answers. I guess it also helps that YouTube is linked to Google. So a simple search could lead to users watching a 10 minute long video on that thing. In the past year, YouTube's Education videos had a spike in interest. The video site followed this by setting up YouTube's Learning Initiative in July. This had dedicated engineering team for the educational features. Now, the site have opened applications for this initiative.
Dr Macro Gillies, a senior lecturer in computing, (On the Wired Website article) stated that students use this site already. The channels are huge on the site and we should be encouraging steps to improve the site's quality on educational content. However, he is right that the videos can only offer one way of learning. So are still no match for actual learning in a classroom. But, I believe is YouTube videos are already popular with the students. It show be incorporated into the lessons. Rather than the students watching them by themselves. Maybe engage with them. Ask what they've done in their free time. Make yourself free to questions which come from educational videos that don't stick to the curriculum.
Sadly, the algorithm for YouTube at the moment is wired to watch time. Not on the content that you are watching. They also have an autoplay feature which constantly plays the next video regardless on whether it was wanted. This can be a problem for schools. Especially with teachers who are not aware of technology. I certainly remember lessons in high school, college and university where the person taking the teaching didn't know about putting the video full-screen, stopping the autoplay feature or how to put the volume on. It really detached me from learning as a student and I was one of the curious children. No wonder some of my friends became switch off and troublesome.
Maybe with some high-up help with learning technology or having a STEM ambassador like myself going into schools - these type of lessons could be run effectively.
Professor Rose Luckin (On this Wired Website article) stated that this leap by YouTube is going to lead them into a difficult area. YouTube could be seen as doing something charitable. But, viewers might have to understand the ethics behind the move. YouTube might have to guarantee to parents and concerned people that no harm will come from this.
YouTube is releasing this initiative amongst large objections about hoaxes, conspiracy theories and inappropriate content on the website. But, I'm of the opinion that YouTube as a company can't stop all of this content on the website. They can try to fit the problem and YouTube is trying. By linking Wikipedia pages to their videos on the topic. But, a problem like this needs loads of resources. Maybe by just steering the children and schools away by the education initiative it could boost the videos of good merit. Therefore, hiding the dodgy side.
NAHT - the school teachers Union, an organisation which represents head teachers from most schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, welcome YouTube's proposal. From the article on Wired, I read that they wanted YouTube to monitor the videos carefully. Only by doing that will teachers feel comfortable using the platform.
While I understand the concerns with teachers and schools, I can see the potential in YouTube for education. I'll put some channels below that defiantly use science principals and teach about history, Science, geography along with theories in Films.
YouTube Channels
Link
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-education-funding
But, YouTube has always been used by people from self-learning. Anything from playing musical instruments, writing maths formula to looking at examples of exam answers. I guess it also helps that YouTube is linked to Google. So a simple search could lead to users watching a 10 minute long video on that thing. In the past year, YouTube's Education videos had a spike in interest. The video site followed this by setting up YouTube's Learning Initiative in July. This had dedicated engineering team for the educational features. Now, the site have opened applications for this initiative.
Dr Macro Gillies, a senior lecturer in computing, (On the Wired Website article) stated that students use this site already. The channels are huge on the site and we should be encouraging steps to improve the site's quality on educational content. However, he is right that the videos can only offer one way of learning. So are still no match for actual learning in a classroom. But, I believe is YouTube videos are already popular with the students. It show be incorporated into the lessons. Rather than the students watching them by themselves. Maybe engage with them. Ask what they've done in their free time. Make yourself free to questions which come from educational videos that don't stick to the curriculum.
Sadly, the algorithm for YouTube at the moment is wired to watch time. Not on the content that you are watching. They also have an autoplay feature which constantly plays the next video regardless on whether it was wanted. This can be a problem for schools. Especially with teachers who are not aware of technology. I certainly remember lessons in high school, college and university where the person taking the teaching didn't know about putting the video full-screen, stopping the autoplay feature or how to put the volume on. It really detached me from learning as a student and I was one of the curious children. No wonder some of my friends became switch off and troublesome.
Maybe with some high-up help with learning technology or having a STEM ambassador like myself going into schools - these type of lessons could be run effectively.
Professor Rose Luckin (On this Wired Website article) stated that this leap by YouTube is going to lead them into a difficult area. YouTube could be seen as doing something charitable. But, viewers might have to understand the ethics behind the move. YouTube might have to guarantee to parents and concerned people that no harm will come from this.
YouTube is releasing this initiative amongst large objections about hoaxes, conspiracy theories and inappropriate content on the website. But, I'm of the opinion that YouTube as a company can't stop all of this content on the website. They can try to fit the problem and YouTube is trying. By linking Wikipedia pages to their videos on the topic. But, a problem like this needs loads of resources. Maybe by just steering the children and schools away by the education initiative it could boost the videos of good merit. Therefore, hiding the dodgy side.
NAHT - the school teachers Union, an organisation which represents head teachers from most schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, welcome YouTube's proposal. From the article on Wired, I read that they wanted YouTube to monitor the videos carefully. Only by doing that will teachers feel comfortable using the platform.
While I understand the concerns with teachers and schools, I can see the potential in YouTube for education. I'll put some channels below that defiantly use science principals and teach about history, Science, geography along with theories in Films.
YouTube Channels
- Hank and John Green's Crash Course
- SciShow
- Computerphile
- Numberphile
- Kurzgesagt
- TED-ed Talks
- TED.Education
- Exam Solutions
- Life Noggin
- Vsauce
- Khan Academy: Medicine
Link
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-education-funding
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