youtube and education

This video is about more than just youtube, it's an informal analysis of education today. It makes me think about the time I spend on the computer, doing my homework, reading actual texts for school and searching to find information online. If I think about it, the only textbook I actually use this semester is for math. For biology and writer's craft, I'm much more likely to google any questions I have. This movie highlights impact of technology on study habits and communication.

At the end of the video is a link to the blog Digital Ethnography. I looked through the blog and found a page of youtube stats about the types of videos posted and the people who post them. Then I realized there is an entire youtube project with videos about the project (which is a study of the culture of the digital world on youtube), why we youtube, the history of youtube, the authenticity of youtube, the community of youtube, and the sound of youtube. Basically, if you want to learn about youtube, this is the place to go.

I found the reasons why people youtube intriguing. Some people say they do it because they have no social life, others youtube to escape reality, twelve percent say they are addicted to youtube and sixteen percent want to be famous. There are many more reasons if you follow this link and find out for yourself.

These videos, especially the first one also deal with distraction. In the clips, students write about multitasking and facebooking while watching a lecture. They talk about doing what's relevant to their own life and weeding out the rest of what they are taught. Still, the clips don't condemn the Internet for the distraction it provides. Instead, the filmmaker has realized that the move towards technology based education is an unavoidable and forward step. Education needs to shift with the introduction of new technology to avoid alienating students who would prefer to google over reading a blackboard or would rather go to an online encyclopedia than buy hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks.