You tube isn't just for Ted talks

 

No, You Tube isn't just for Ted Talks...

As we close another year, and what a year it was ... Time to reflect on a few things.  When you are in summer mode or in the classroom, during the year Youtube can be a true ally in saving you some time and making you grow as well. 

1. Use YouTube in class

      I have used Youtube and Vimeo in class to show students primary sources videos, music clips and to access listening content that is more elevated than what you find in the textbooks. Videos accessible for free that you can curate into your library are available for all levels. 

French 5, for instance has benefitted, especially during the pandemic from watching videos (they loved the

Foufou videos) for instance, I also used videos from Québec and TV5 , to widden their lense. It is very important to make sure your classes are demonstrating diversity and inclusion at all levels. 

French 6 loved to discover French artists and started also watching some of the Learn with Alexa videos (I will explain more in the next section). While the 6 the grae was doing some writing or some notebook organizing they I would play various types of artists, rap, I discovered this year that I am a fan of Belgian music rather then French music. 

With French 8, I used a  variety of videos based on cultural exploration, from newsclips, weather forecast, but most importantly and useful, I used the Un jour une question videos, it has the tri-fecta: current events questions raised by kids, transcripts on their website, and some visual help. 

2. YouTube for homework and supporting students. 

Like many I have used Edpuzzle for assignments and there is a lot to be said about how easy it is for students and teachers to use the videos on there. Sometimes it is just easier to give the direct link to a video to our students. There are great examples of teacher using flipped classrooms. When I find my students can benefit from extended explanations or a different wording I would send them to watch a video or two- I have some go-to accounts that I look up first before anything else. 

- French with Alexa - I know the kids will remember to look her up before anyone else because....Alexa of course. Students can pause and play as they need, they benefit from the English, and as you know during the pandemic, and mask-wearing it was hard for the students to see our mouths and this provided a very good alternative. 

- Podcast Francais facile -another great tool especially for pronunciation - this time all in French 

- Atelier du Français - I like that they put everything in context- you can use their text and transcripts for listening practice and then have the students reflect and listen to the explanation in their own time. 

3. Youtube for PD

Have you attended PD through Zoom this year or the past year?

 It is quite possible that you have had to do this. Have you done YouTube searches for what you need to progress and grow inyour teaching life?

At home, we basically have given up on cable and we have YouTube on the Tv and we use it all the time. I get inspiration for cooking, dog grooming, traveling, and fitness and we youtube a ton before we buy anything for the house, for instance. 

But for school it is about the same. During the pandemic I wanted to try Genially, I used Youtube to teach myself. 

This summer - we are transitioning to Schoology. I used Youtube to familiarize myself with the look and how to use the platform, I looked up 10 tips for Schoology and ended up understanding a lot about the platform very quickly. I also figured that the way it looks "as-is" would not do it for me and my students, 

So I looked up how to 'juj it up' and now my course look so much more Middle School friendly. 

I often look up tips and hacks on Youtube. Sure sometimes I can also be going down a dangerous rabbit hole of videos so tbh I do this at the end of the day when I have to leave at a certain time to not miss my train 

Some CI teachers have channels and are worth looking into if that is what you are looking for. 

I know for most I have stated the obvious in this post but I feel there. has been a real shift in how people have been using youtube in the classroom and we shouldn't be ashamed of it. It is enriching our students's lives and honestly what else would we do on a rainy lunch day if we didn't have access to clean Just Dance !

I will have a couple more posts coming up this summer.  Stay tuned!