Thing #4 - Teacher Tube, You Tube and School Tube

Within recent years there has been an explosion of possibilities for individuals to post and share information - be that through one of the "tubes", wikis, or a blog. Before movies, etc. were only created by "professionals" and personal movies were shown only to family and friends.

For teachers, although they could use different types of media, sometimes what was available did not truly meet their needs. Now, with the opening of these newish sites, teachers can create what they need for their classes. They can film: clips as they travel, an experiment that they wnat the students to do, or even a class that they teach and then it can be uploaded. This allows students to review the material as needed or the teacher to utilize the material during a class. This expands the types of lessons that teachers are able to share in class. They are also able to share the lessons they create with other teachers.

Likewise, by publishig the work on a site that others can access, studentscan review the work at their leisure. If a studet is absent and the teacher has uploaded a video of the lesson, the student can catch up with their work easily. Also, student travel more often with parents, sometimes missing classwork, this allows the student to make that work up easily no matter where they may be.

The flip side of this is that teachers can also, with permission, publish student work. This work can then be used by other teachers, students, and the general public to learn and enjoy them rather than having a limited audience. This gives purpose to the work that students create.

We are moving slowly and inexorably to the ability to share almost anything we create with the general public as well as a more specific group. This is creating an atmosphere of more connectedness sharply juxtaposed against more individuality at the same time. Students and teachers are finding a wider audience and more media that meets more specific needs is widely available.

A final thought. This is allowing us to truly become lifelong learners with ease. Anyone wit a computer and internet access can constantly be finding new information in many creative and interesting presentations. This far surpasses just books or magazines. Many different formats are available. It is a wonderful development.