Thing 19: YouTube and TeacherTube
SAT Vocabulary Builder (Note: Video would not embed. I could not find the “code” button on dashboard as indicated in directions)
When visiting YouTube, I first typed in the word “Shakespeare,” and several interesting videos appeared. A comical and clever “Who’s on first” sketch seemed to playfully expose Shakespeare’s intriguing language. Also, several amateur excerpts appeared from some of his plays. Some very interesting versions of The Tempest, a play we read in 10th grade, appeared as well. These could be used in the classrooms to compare/contrast. Also, students would have fun creating their own versions of the play, and this activity may help them bring the play to life.
I also observed some parts of Disney’s The Sword in the Stone that could be used while teaching T.H. White’s The Once and Future King.
A favorite site on You Tube was the SAT Vocabulary Builder Lesson. A narrator reads the words on the screen and provides a sentence for them as well. Sometimes students really benefit from seeing this on the screen and hearing it from someone else other than their teacher.
TeacherTube provided more variety for teachers. I looked at two “How To” videos for how to solve math equations. One was rather simple and banal while another entitled “Mr. Duey Raps the Fractions” was educational, entertaining, and very useful. It looked like it was professionally created with lots of visual effects.
For fun, I looked up my actress/friend from New York City, Sarah DiMuro, and watched her demo reel and other pieces she debuted in on AMC and The Insider.
Overall, I think students could really benefit from creating their own You Tube videos, especially to review plays or other texts. They also can use it as a supplement when writing process essays.
