T3W1: The effectiveness of You-Tube videos

I realised that this year, I have been turning to Internet resources, especially You-Tube videos to assist me in my teaching of Physics.

Just earlier this week, I was busy hunting for videos on the topic for Electromagnetic Induction, so I can show my students how an AC Generator looks like and how it works. Previously last term, I was searching for the DC Motor and vidoes to show the magnetic effects of a current-carrying conductor. With the You-Tube videos, there is lesser need for teachers to hunt the Laboratory for equipment to set up for a demo during class time. It reduces preparation time and I feel that the lesson is effective as within the short frame of time, more videos can be shown.

However, I feel that for You-Tube videos to be effective during a lesson, a teacher must be prepared with the exact resources before class. There are many resources in You-Tube and sometimes, the challenge is to find one that is the most effective in delivering the intended outcomes. Also, some teachers might experience some problems in playing the video during class time, while connected to the Internet as there could be some lag time. My solution to this is by using a You-Tube Downloader, which allows one to download the video and converts it to a format that Windows can recognise.

Another challenge is to balance the lesson between showing videos and using other forms of resources. Showing videos ONLY could be boring for some students as not all students are visual and audio learners. Hence, the teacher needs to be aware of the other learning needs of the students and one must try to find the appropriate teaching resources that can meet the needs of the different students.

Showing the videos in class alone is not enough. Perhaps, one step further would be to provide the links to the videos to students so that they can access it at their own time while they are revising their work. Another alternative is that these videos can also be uploaded to the school's online learning portals so that students can access it anytime.

Also, in the event of school closure due to H1N1 breakouts, then I feel that You-Tube would be an one form of effective resources for students! :)