You Tube in the Classroom

This past school year, our district decided to unblock You Tube for teacher use. I can’t even express how excited I was about this. There are soooo many wonderful resources on You Tube that can be used in the classroom. While planning, I always take into account that today’s children are growing up in a media driven world. They are constantly stimulated by “iGadgets”, television, video games, the internet, etc. Why not bring that into our teaching?

You Tube is one way to do just that. There are so many fun, educational videos that can be used to keep kids engaged. Okay…I am not saying let You Tube teach your class while you sit behind a desk. NOT AT ALL!!! But, when planning a lesson, check it out and see if you can find something that might “hook” your students at the beginning of a lesson, or find something that will explain a concept in an entertaining way.

For example, when I was teaching money last year, I used this video/song I found as a review at the beginning of my lesson. The kids LOVED it, and they would ask to see it everyday!

I used this one during my geometry unit. I embedded into a Promethean flipchart that I created for the unit  so it would be easy to show at anytime.

My kiddos walked around singing this one FOREVER! They also used the Flipcam to make their own Geometry videos after seeing this.

I also used You Tube as a reward or motivational tool throughout the year. I had a very active class last year so I made sure to take breaks throughout the day for movement. One day, I decided to pull up the ever famous, “Double Dream Hands”, for my students. Oh my gosh…they got out of their seats and started doing a flash mob dance. It was fantastic!!!! This ended up being a reward throughout the year for good behavior. By the end of the year, they knew it by heart…even the words. Hilarious and a great movement activity!

Here it is if you haven’t seen it.

So, the next time you are planning a lesson and you really want to keep your kiddos engaged, check You Tube. Just make sure you watch the videos before showing them to your class! I have to put that disclaimer on it. You never know what could happen in the middle of a video, but overall, this is a great tool to use.