YouTube is a popular video sharing website with content primarily produced by its users. Through YouTube, users can upload, share and interact with online videos.
Through UW Google Apps, you can create an account on YouTube to upload your own videos. You can still view videos and share them without an account which makes YouTube useful for sharing videos with others.
Key Features
- Video Hosting - YouTube provides a place to put your video online and a page to share it from.
- Embedding - the YouTube player can be embedded in most web pages (for example, your blog or ePortfolio). This allows the video to be played within the page it is embedded in.
- YouTube Channels/Playlists - lists of videos you've uploaded, liked, or put in groups together. Instructors could utilize this tool to put together a course playlist, for example.
- YouTube EDU - an area of YouTube that focuses on educational videos that can be used in the classroom.
- Privacy - users can set privacy settings on their videos. They have the ability to make the video private, available to those with the link or public.
Limitations
- Currently, users can upload videos up to 15 minutes in length. However, this can easily be extended by requestion permission from YouTube. Instructions on how to do this are available here.
- The file size limit for YouTube is 2GB.
- Although there are privacy features, YouTube is not FERPA compliant. Do not post any sensitive or confidential information on the site (for example, student grades).
Using YouTube in the Classroom
Faculty Uses
- Upload lectures or lessons to YouTube. This provides an easy way for students to access faculty after class hours. Put videos up so students can review concepts or catch up on anything they may have missed.
- Play relevant videos for students during class time, or send the links to view at home. This gives students an opportunity to visualize and connect concepts. It's also a nice break from a long lecture.
- Embed YouTube videos directly in to Powerpoint presentations to illustrate topics more effectively than with just text and images. By embedding the video directly into the slideshow, you can minimize interruptions.
Student Uses
- Use YouTube for projects or presentations. Have students upload a video project to YouTube, so they can play it anywhere with an internet connection.
- Find videos about concepts you just can't grasp. With millions of videos on the site, there's bound to be alternative explanations to help a student out.