Thursday, August 7, 2008

My Educational Philosophy

“In Order to Be [You] Must Become”


Should a classroom be a safe place? Should the realm of education remain neutral? It depends, on whose is benefiting from the safety of a neutral classroom: the students or the teachers? As bell hooks points out: classrooms, as a safe place, “usually translates to mean that the professor lectures a group of silent students who only respond when they are called on” (hooks 532). This translation of a safe classroom is not safe at all. It objectifies the student, and I am assuming, relies heavily on the banking system of transferring facts, thus, the students leave the classroom not only victims of objectification but also, they have no real knowledge to show for it. This does not sound like a safe classroom to me. Truthfully, it sounds like a very dangerous classroom.

Yes, I believe a classroom should be safe and neutral, but not for the safety of the teachers and/or the school system. The classroom should be safe and neutral for the students’ evolution—much like a cocoon is a safe place for a caterpillar in transformation. Critical thinking is imperative in the classroom; it provides the students an invaluable tool that will teach them a non-aggressive form of discourse and it will ultimately help transform the students into autonomous human beings. The classroom needs to be given back to the student; we, as educators, need to serve their interests, not the interest of the ruling class that oppresses us as well. The teachers and school system need to embrace controversy and allow the students the right to engage in critical dialogue and practice dealing with the difficult issues themselves in a safe place that supports growth. The students should be shown and encouraged to engage in dialogue addressing issues such as differences in race, gender, sexuality, politics, economics, and anything else that might divide them. When schools claim neutrality as a means to avoid the controversially issues, they are, thus, allowing the issue to remain controversial.

I will have a neutral classroom. However, my neutral classroom will not provide safety from controversial issues. My classroom will provide a neutral playing field, which will embrace controversy and teach students how to harmoniously exist in the space between. This is a necessity, given that in the United States of America the actual physical space that divides a person from the “other” is shrinking—if not completely disappearing—and being replaced by a gray area “of real potential”.

My classroom will be a borderland. A borderland, as defined by Renato Rosaldo's, is a “declaration of interdisciplinary freedom …[a] zone capable of nourishing a rich grid of ‘crisscrossed’, multiple identities, a celebration of ambiguity as the condition of the postmodern self, and is now the space of real potential”(Weber 532). My goal in creating a borderland classroom is to better prepare my students to face the ever-growing necessity for an understanding of the ambiguous existence of truth. So the students can find their personal “space of real potential”.

Although, I plan to support this classroom with multiple pedagogical theories, two of the most import will be Paulo Freire’s “Problem Posing Education” and Augusto Boal’s “Poetics of the Oppressed”. These two theories both stand on a strong Marxist foundation and they both want to kill a “culture of silence”. However, Boal’s Poetics of the Oppressed picks up were Freire’s Problem Posing stops; Theatre of the Oppressed supplies a safe place to physically practice change, not just dream it. As Boal points out: “often when a person is very revolutionary in a public forum he envisages and advocates revolutionary and heroic acts; on the other hand, he often realizes that things are not so easy when he himself has to practice what he suggests” (Boal 139). Freire’s Problem Posing Education gives the students the tool to open their minds to possibilities and teaches them how to speak out, however, he does not give the students a place to practice their “possible utopias”, that is where Boal comes in. With Theatre of the Oppressed, the students get to act out their possible utopias. The only way to truly create a “praxis of the oppressed” is by combining these two theories in a classroom. So, the students will learn to talk the talk (Freire) and walk the walk (Boal), and hopefully engender action!

According to Paulo Freire, the educational field relies too heavily on the dehumanizing banking system of transferring knowledge. Banking is when the teacher, as a depositor, fills the student with facts—devoid of any real understanding. What the student is memorizing is isolated from the world. Therefore, the students are at the complete mercy of the teacher. They can’t extend past what the teacher gives them, nor can they synthesize the facts. However, what the teacher gives to the students isn’t knowledge, because knowledge can’t be transferred. Knowledge must be experienced. Knowledge is engendered through invention, synthesis, deconstruction and reinvention.

This type of “learning” creates a nihilistic attitude on the part of the students because they are led to believe that they are not part of this world, but rather—like the meaningless facts in their heads—there is no purpose to their existence on earth, thus, they adapt. As Freire points out: “the more the oppressed can be led to adapt to the situation, the more easily they can be dominated” (Freire 209)

Freire’s alternative to Banking is Problem Posing Education. “Problem Posing Education is a [form of humanistic pedagogy that poises questions] related to the problems of men in their relationship with the world.... It is a practice of communication…and an act of cognition” (Freire 212). A problem-posing classroom overcomes and destroys the teacher/student dichotomy—it actually seeks to destroy the binary division that allows and supports the reality of the oppressor and the oppressed. Problem Posing Education seeks to reveal truth, “strives for the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality” (Freire 213). It hopes to reveal to the student that they are part of the world, and it is their job to better understand that relationship. Problem Posing Education creates a subject out of the student, thus, makes them a conscious being.

Freire hopes to liberate the students, so they are no longer the “oppressed”. So the students will be the creators of their own “utopias”. However, there is one short coming, his critical pedagogy, Freire asserts: “liberation is praxis: the action and reflection of upon [one’s] world in order to transform it” (Freire 212; emphasis added). I will not doubt the Freire methods teach the student’s how to critically think; he nails the reflection part. However—and it might be due to my novice understanding of Problem Posing Education—it seems that Problem Posing Education only focus’ on how to be envisioners of utopia… not how to take “action” to invent them.

Action is necessary in a borderland classroom. The students must be provided a safe space to practice, or put into action, the wonderful revolutionary thinking they have all ready done with the critical pedagogical techniques of Problem Posing Education. Poetics of the Oppressed creator, Augusto Boal, states: “theatrical forms are without a doubt a rehearsal to a revolution” (Boal 141). Now, although, Poetics of the Oppressed isn’t real action—although it can be—it is just a rehearsal; it still supplies students a forum of physical exploration and a safe place to develop their relationship with the world; to take their utopias outside of the realm of imagination and practices the actual process of action.

Theatre has always been a venue for learning and entertainment. However, “Idealistic Poetics” (Boal 95), which is in the tradition of Aristotle and Hegel, has mostly “taught” the lessons of the ruling class. According to Boal, theatre has traditionally been a place for catharsis, or a way to purify the spectators of what the ruling class deems as undesirable traits. This is done mostly through empathy; the audience finds certain aspects of the protagonist attractive, thus, she is relatable. The spectators then imagine themselves as the protagonist, and vicariously succeed or fail with her. In the case of Tragedy, the protagonist is flawed—like all humans— so she will miss the mark and commit a hamartia (“The fault or error which entails the destruction of the tragic hero” [Hamartia, OED]). Consequentially, when tragic heroes like Antigone, Hamlet, or Juliet die—as a result to their hamartia—part of the spectator dies with the tragic hero because the spectator does not want to share the same fate as the protagonist. Thus, catharsis occurs and the spectators are purified!

This clarification of Idealistic Poetics draws many parallels to banking education. Idealistic Poetics takes the spectator out of the theatrical process—much like banking takes the student out of the learning process. Thus, the spectator accepts their place as only a spectator in the world, not a person capable of action. Most importantly, however, both Idealistic Poetics and Banking Education teach and support oppression, thus supporting the domination of the ruling class.

According to Boal, empathy is the most dangerous weapon theatre, or any other entertainment medians, has in its arsenal. Empathy is dangerous because “the spectator—a real, living person—accepts as life and reality what is presented to him in the works of art as art [;] Esthetic osmosis” (Boal 113). “Esthetic osmosis”, is much like the effect of Bank Education because the spectators (or the student) are objects to the actor’s (or the teacher’s) subject—meaning both students and spectators are unable to see themselves as creators of change. Thus, they are taught to take a passive role in this world.

Poetics of the Oppressed, like Problem Posing Education, takes the person out of the role of a spectator, and puts them into the role of the protagonist. Thus, the once spectator can now find their own way in action. In Boal’s theatre, the audience is no longer expected to sit back and enjoy their vicarious existence while they are oppressed through esthetic osmosis; they are expected to act.

Poetics of the Oppressed was created while Boal was working with Operación Alfabetización Integral (ALFIN). ALFIN was created in 1973 by the revolutionary government in Peru. ALFIN was a literacy program that aimed to improve the literacy of fourteen million citizens—of which only four million were literate to semi literate. ALFIN modeled its campaign off of Freire’s Problem Posing Education. The major difficultly the educators had to face was the vast variety of languages in Peru. For example, “the province of Loreto…verified the existence of 45 different languages in that region (Boal 120). To overcome this, ALFIN employed the use of the visual and performing arts as another means of communication.

Since Boal was dealing with people that knew little to nothing about theatre, he had to create a system of theatre that was unpretentious, while taking the spectator out of his old ascription. Boal engendered a system of four stages that would slowly and progressively transform oppressed spectators into liberated actors. Boal outlines the following stages in more detail on page 126 of his book:

· Stage one: Knowing the body. This stage is a series of physical activities to help participants gain control of their bodies by making them aware of their bodies’ limitations, deformities, and strengths.

· Stage two: Making the body expressive. Stage two is all about learning how to physically express yourself. For example, one activity has the students physically portray animals.

· Stage three: Theatre as a language. This stage presents “theatre as a language that is living and present, not as a finished product displaying images from the past”( Boal 126).

o This stage has three degrees: Simultaneous dramaturgy, Image theatre, and forum theatre

· Stage four: Theatre as a discourse. In this stage the participants are allowed to create whatever scene they desire to portray particular themes or brainstorm and practice certain actions.

Not only do these activities provide students a forum to critically think while using their bodies to simulate action, but I also believe Poetics of the Oppressed is a great way to create a theatrical community because Poetics of the Oppressed combats egocentric thinking. Egocentric thinking makes it impossible for a person to critically think because as Dr. Paul and Dr. Elder point out: egocentric thinkers “instead of using intellectual standards in thinking, they often use self-centered psychological standards to determine what to believe” (Paul 9). Boal’s practices take the pressure off of the individual. Poetics of the Oppressed is a team effort and no one member is more important then any other which causes the death of the ego.

Not only does Boal have workshop games to combat oppression and give theatre back to the oppressed classes, he also created “The Joker” system of theatre. The Joker is a system of theatre that provides rules for the audience to familiarize themselves with to avoid utter confusion—or worse yet rejection—of this ever changing and fluctuating form of social theatre. Thus, the Joker allows the play to assume a vision of the world that more closely resembles the audiences’ view. The Joker functions as a play with drastic alterations that makes the theatre a place of action. The rules of the Joker are as follows:

The Players:

· The “protagonic” is Boal’s compromise with the audiences need for a protagonist. However, the protagonist must resemble reality in all ways. She may never drop character, Boal states that the protagonist approaches her character with the Stanislavski system which demands the actor to portray the truth of her character. The protagonist is the “concrete, photographic reality” (Boal 181). She is, in a sense, the anchor that grounds the play in reality.

· ‘The Joker” is the all-knowing narrator/ translator/ actor that represents the voice of the director/ writer/ or production team. The Joker’s main function is to explain and relate the play to the audience. The Joker has no limits; he can play any character within the play. He even can step in for the protagonist when she must enact something realistic.

· Deuteragomist and Antagonist are the two groups that make up the chorus. The Deuteragomist chorus is all the characters that support the protagonist. The Antagonist chorus is all the characters that are working against the protagonist. Each chorus will have a coryphaeus, or leader. All the roles within the one of the chorus are interchangeable; therefore, their costumes must be simple and symbolic.

The Structure:

  • The Dedication will begin the performance. The production can be dedicated to a person or event. There are no real rules for this; all that matters is that it is there and that it is related to the play.
  • The explanation is a function of the Joker and should be in the form of a lecture. This can be done at anytime, breaking the continuity of the action, when it is necessary to provide the audience further information. The Joker is free to use any materials necessary to assist in the lecture. He may even, redo or rework a scene already preformed to emphasize meaning or show an important alterative. Lastly, the Joker may even bring in a scene from other plays to make comparisons. Basically, the joker can do whatever is needed to not allow the audience to passively watch the action on the stage; the goal is to get them to start critically thinking about what is happening on stage.
  • Interviews are a key function to the Joker system of theatre; they perform two functions: first as a means of explanation, the Joker—much like a sports announcer—interviews a player to reveal their true intention. One key element to the interview is that the other players cannot be on stage, or else it would destroy the reality illusion. Secondly, interviews are used as a means for audience inquiry. The Joker at some point, or multiple points, in the show will take questions form the audience, that they can ask any of the characters to question the character’s motivation and/or reasoning. It is important that the players stay in character; the audience is not questioning the actor, they are questioning the character.
  • The exhortation is the final part of the play. The Joker in verse, prose, or a song offers the audience some advice that will hopefully provoke the audience to take action. The beauty of this is the audience has been actively engaged with the production; they are less likely to blindly except the Joker’s advice. The active audience members will draw their own conclusion, whether it coincides with the Joker is not important but the audience would have considered it at least as a measure to judge their own point of view.
  • The Genre: in the Joker no genre of theatre is off limits, and the play and transition from one genre to the next. All that is important is that the genre is the best choice to support the goal of the scene. Since the play can range from realism, to absurd, to naturalism, to commedia, and end at surrealism, it is important that the Joker—as part of his explanation—clarifies why a particular genre was chosen.

As seen above, the Joker system of theatre is really like a science experiment, a research paper, or a trial preformed on stage. The audience is given a particular perspective—a thesis—in the form of a dedication. The thesis is to support and test with detailed explanation and vigorous questioning on the part of the Joker and the audience, and lastly it is concluded with the exhortation. The audiences like a scientist, reader, or jury is left to make the judgment, no one makes it for them. Yes, the Joker does give the production’s conclusion; however, since the audience has been critically thinking throughout the entire process, if they do accept the production perspective it will not be through esthetic osmosis. The Joker system of theatre—like Problem Posing Education—engages the audience’s in a dialogue to insight curiosity, which leads to production of knowledge, and will hopefully promote action. Either way, however, spectators become active participants in the action—thus, catharsis is avoided—and autonomy is the product.

As an English and Theatre teacher, I strongly believe that by combining these two Critical Pedagogy techniques would be the most effective way to engender a borderland praxis—a praxis of “real possibilities” that demands autonomy, respects diversity, and promotes not only dreaming up the utopia but putting them into action. The synthesis of Problem Posing Education and Poetics of the Oppressed in a borderland classroom would look something like this:

Aim While reading act III, scene I of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, I will engage the students in critical thinking activities—using Freire’s Problem Posing Education and Boal’s Poetic of the Oppressed—to hopefully allow the students to see Romeo and Juliet in a new and different perspectives. I want students to see how the play relates to their lives and how is doesn’t. However the ultimate goal will be, to use the play as a tool to critically portray some aspect of their lives, not the other way around.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge

· The student will gain a better understanding of

o Romeo and Juliet and Elizabethan times

o Critical Thinking using guided worksheets

o How to use theatre as tool for social change

o Different Theatre Genres

o How to except and compromise with other perspectives

o Augusto Boal’s Poetics of the Oppressed

o Paulo Freire’s Problem Posing Education

Skills

· Students will enhance their writing skills with journals, a formal paper, and playwriting

· Students will enhance their performance skills with lots of rehearsal and a formal performance.

· Students will enhance their reading and interpreting skills by reading and questioning Romeo and Juliet

· Students will enhance their ability to work in groups with formal and informal group work.

· Students will be practicing their critical thinking skills with

o A formal guide in the form of a worksheet. Questions Using the Elements of Thought” worksheet—taken from The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking

o Class and group discussion

o Improvisational activities taken from Augusto Boal’s Games for Actors and Non-Actors

Procedure

Day 1

· The lesson will start off by using Boal’s activity: “Photo-romance theatre”,

however, instead of providing the students a scenario from a trashy romance novel, I will provide them with the scenario from III.i.

o I will break the class up into groups: Deuteragonist and Antagonist.

· The Deuteragonist scenario: You just got back from their secret marriage to the daughter/son of their families greatest enemy and you are confronted by your new wife’s/ husbands cousin who wants to fight you. What would you do?

· Antagonist scenario: Last night the son/daughter of your families greatest enemy crashed a party at your uncle’s house, you run into him on the streets. What would you do?

o I will give the students 10-15 minutes to brainstorm and come up with their own solution to the problem then within their groups they will improvise their scenarios, each student will have the opportunity to act out their solution, then as a group they will decide which improvisation is the best solution. They can also come up with a completely new one.

o Both groups will then perform their scenario in front of the class.

· After their performance, much like the Joker would, the students will explain their choice and also allow the audience to interview the character, not the students, to clarify their reasoning further.

o This activity will hopefully, open the dialogue and create curiosity to make the students want to read the actual scene.

· Homework: Now that the students have a personal perspective and various others perspectives. For homework the students will read III.i. After reading, in the form of a journal reflection the students will compare and contrast the resolutions the class came up with and what actually happens. I will also have them start thinking about why there might be difference? How do social standards of Elizabethan times differ from todays, or from your own standards? What questions does this scene raise? How might you need clarification?

Day2

· I will start the day with a discussion about what they thought of the scene, I will then take a step back and let the students discuss, I will not step in unless it is absolutely necessary for the emotional safety of a student.

· After they complete the discussion I will break the students up into troupes of 9 people and tell the students that with their troupes they will be performing this scene in a manner that would reflect a social issue that is important to them. I will go over Boal’s Joker system of theatre so the students understand all aspects of what is expected.

o I will explain to them the importance of the role of The Joker as their voice in the scene, that they would need to write a script for the Joker. The Joker is the one that will explain all the choices you made and will be the link to the audience’s active participation in the scene.

· Homework: I will give them “Questions Using the Elements of Thought” worksheet—taken from The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking as a guide to interpret the play and help them engender their own interpretation. For the next two nights they will work on answering these questions in regard to Romeo and Juliet. These questions will be workshop with their troupe.

Day 3

· Today, I will lead the troupes through various Pedagogy of the Oppressed games to create a community in the troupe and hopefully to work against any egocentric thinking.

· Homework: Work on the “Questions Using the Elements of Thought” worksheet.

Day 4-5

· The students will start to investigate the possible paths they can take their scene down. They will be expected to improvise and brainstorm everyone in the troupe’s idea before deciding on a final perspective to put into production.

Day 6-10

· The students will start preliminary rehearsals; these rehearsals should be very fragmented because it is in these rehearsals that they will be writing the Jokers script. . I will be rotating between the troupes to make sure they are on task and to answer any lingering questions.

Day 11-15

· The student’s script should be pretty much complete—of course there is always room left for change; this time will be only for rehearsal. By day 13 they should be completely memorized. I will be circulating between the troupes to make sure there are no huge holes in their productions.

Day 16-18

· The student will have the whole period to perform. Although scene is short with the added elements of Joker theatre, I believe the student might feel a time constraint. After each performance their will be 15 minutes so the class can discuss the judgment they made after watching the scene.

Day 19

· I will wrap up the activity with a class discussion to asses the knowledge they have obtained from this experience, and we will start think about how they could take what they learned and apply it into their everyday life?

· Homework: They will have 4 days to answer the questions addressed in the discussion in the formal paper, so I can asses the students experience with this activity. Also this will be a tool to see where I need to make any changes.

The fusion of Problem Posing Education and Poetics of the Oppressed is a natural one. Both men, although they used different terminology and work in different mediums, had the same goal: to fight oppression and create autonomy. Freire and Boal both aimed to destroy the apparatus of control that engenders a false binary world, allowing for the dichotomy between the oppressor and the oppressed to exist. This is my goal, as well, in creating a borderland classroom. The combination of Freire’s and Boal’s techniques create a perfect borderland praxis (In a Theatre or English classroom) that provides the students a strong base is Critical Pedagogy and allowing students to practice living in borderlands. Borderlands are where the utopias exist, in exploring and negotiating the ambiguity. I want to help my students cope, balance, and navigate the internal borderlands, the borderlands of our nation, and ultimately the borderlands of the world.

Borderlands, although a place of great possibility, can also be a very scary and dangerous place. As Gloria Anzaldúa points out in her novel, Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza:

la mestiza( a women of mix blood) undergoes a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war…living in more than one culture, we get multiple, often opposing messages. The coming together of two self-consistent but habitually incompatible frames of references cause un choque, a cultural collision” (Anzaldúa 100)

In the United States, “cultural collisions”, whether it is an inner one, or a physical one, are becoming unavoidable. That is why it is important to simulate a borderland experience, to provide the students a “safe place” to learn how to deal with other cultures and opposing truths, and show the students how to harmoniously exist ambiguously between absolutes. Therefore, my job as a teacher is to help the students create a new personal and social awareness. An awareness that can be easily transitioned without borders or judgments, in hopes to create, not a universal truth because that is impossible, but perhaps, a universal compassion.


Works Cited

Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco,

Ca: Aunt Lute Books, 1999.

Boal Augusto. Theatre of the Oppressed. Trans. Charles A. & Maria-Odilia Leal

McBride. New York, NY. Theatre Communications Group, 1985.

“hamartia.The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford

University Press. 30 April 2007 .

hooks, bell. “Embracing Change” Playing with Ideas: Modern and Contemporary

Philosophies of Education, ed by Jaime G.A. Grinberg, Tyson E. Lewis, and Megan Laverty, 527-537. Debuque, Iowa. Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Company, 2007.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harper Collins Publisher, 1978.

--- “Teaching is a Human Act”. Playing with Ideas: Modern and

Contemporary Philosophies of Education, ed by Jaime G.A. Grinberg, Tyson E. Lewis, and Megan Laverty, 527-537. Debuque, Iowa. Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Company, 2007.

Paul, Richard & Linda Elder. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and

Tools. < www.criticalthinking.org >, 2007

Weber, Donald. “Form Limen to Border: A Meditation on the Legacy of Victor Turners

for American Culture Studies”. American Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 3. (Sep., 1995)525-536

Get YouTube in Your Classroom

Created By: Annie Loffredo

"YouTube draws users into the experience of viewing videos and engaging with the content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students’ visual literacy — an important skill in today’s electronic culture." - 7 Things You Should Know About YouTube (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative / September 2006)




Introduction.
As a student, when it comes to giving presentation, I believe in using multiple media sources. YouTube has become one of my favorite web pages to find relevant media, for whatever topic I might be researching at the time. My passion for YouTube will, most definitely, translate into my classroom as an educator.
It is amazing the videos you can find on YouTube: old cartoons,movies, and Television clips; firsthand accounts of war and other unspeakable tragedies; tutorial; and other educational videos. YouTube is a treasure chest of resources for any student engaged in research. Thus, I was utterly amazed and disgusted to find out that in most K-12 schools across the country block YouTube. And to add to my utter dismay, this block was not only a reality for the student but also teacher! YouTube should be made available to students, however, it is unbelievable that school districts can't even trust their teachers! The school districts sensor education professionals the same way they sensor the students. There is no reason that this resource cant not be used by teachers, and by students under the supervision of an education professional.
This site will provide useful links, arguments, and a few alternative cites to help teachers or other persons involve in education to help use and make invaluable resources available in the classroom.





PART I. Articles of Interest



Yes, there are videos on YouTube that could be deemed "inappropriate". But it is shouldn't be about, completely denying our young access because we are scared they will hear a curse word or see a fight. When the truth be known, especially in the secondary classroom: The kids know how to curse, they have most likely seen a naked body, and seen a fight. That is why I believe that it is absolutely atrocious that students are denied this access to YouTube in the classroom. There are so many valuable resources that can be found in the collection of video that YouTube offers and it should be allow; if for nothing else, the teacher. Here are some very persuading articles in favor of using YouTube in the classroom. All these articles investigate both sides of the battlefield but they do ultimately come to the conclusion that with supervision YouTube and other media site are nothing but an asset in the classroom.

Website I: "Youtube in the Classroom." By: Brad Moon
This site is a great first hand account-in the form of a blog-created by Brad Moon. In this entry, Moon comes to terms with his daughter posting her school book report on Youtube. He starts with his concerns about young kids posting video's on the internet, thus, covering the con's. However, he concludes on a more positive note with: "I think I've become the technological equivalent of the parent who won’t let their kids play unsupervised in the fenced back yard at an age when they themselves used to be allowed to wander six blocks to the park as long as they promised to be home before dark."



Actual 4th Grade Book Reports (Maybe Brad Moon's Daughter's class?):





Website II:"The Value of E-Learning with YouTube: Video Sharing for Education: Keeping Students Informed and on the Frontline."

By:Sabah Karimi
Karimi's article explores the various benefits that YouTube and other video sharing sites have, if effectively used in the classroom, whether it be for the teacher to make instructional videos or students creating video projects. However, she does also stress the importance of all video's being teacher approved to make sure the students avoid the dangers found on the internet.



Website III: Using YouTube in the Classroom
By: Brenda Dyck
This is a wonderful blog about how to effectively use YouTube in the classroom. Brenda stresses the importance of the teacher's planning in using YouTube in the classroom. That the teacher can not just bring the kids to the computer and let them surf YouTube, the teacher needs to be apply the video into their lesson plans. Brenda says it best when she states: "The power of YouTube only is activated when the teacher has a clear idea of how a specific video clip can be used to introduce a concept or theme, instigate a discussion, or serve as a writing prompt."



Website IV:YouTube for Education
By: Graeme Daniel
This cite explores the controversy surrounding YouTube. It also provides a lot of links to help teachers use YouTube and YouTube alternatives. One of the most interesting links is EUTube , which is the European Union's webspace on YouTube.

Here is a a sample video of the wonderful education media clips EUTube provides:







Part II. How to use YouTube as an Educator.



Anyone in the educational profession understand the need for flexibility. Teachers have to be ready for everything and adjust quickly to changes within the educational field and, more importantly, the classroom. YouTube provides endless achieves of film, Television clips, and educational video's. Teachers can do the research at home, create a playlist, and use that playlist in the classroom or supply the link for the students to watch video's as homework. Here is what a sample list of playlist on Youtube:



Also with YouTube you can create a playlist that plays directly from your desktop. The custom video player allows teacher to have direct access to the video without having to worry about the various other suggested videos or the profanity that might have been written in the comments below. Teacher can also embed their custom video player directly on their class website for parents and students to watch at home-As seen below. This is a way to limit the video's students watch to only those the teacher suggest. To learn how to embed a custom video player on to your desktop watch the 3rd video: "YouTube Video Playlist Tutorial". The fourth video, shows how to embed a custom video player on a website. The first and second video's are just examples of the copious selection of educational videos that can be found on YouTube




Website V: YouTube in the Classroom!

This article is a sample lesson plan to use in an ELL (English Language Learners) classroom. The most exciting element of this article is that it supplies a link to KeepVid.com. This site allows you to download any YouTube video directly to computer! Meaning you do not need to be connected to the internet to watch the video, this means that teachers can use YouTube in the classroom regardless to the school's internet security setting!


Below is a tutorial video explaining how KeepVid.com works:




Website VI:7 Things You Should Know About YouTube
Back to Top

By: Ecause Learning Initiative

This is a wonderful website that gives an all you need to know background information about YouTube is also provides curriculum based uses for YouTube.

Website VII:Using YouTube for Vocabulary Development
By: Sue Swift

This is another great lesson plan for using YouTube in the classroom. Swift talks about how YouTube can help students improve their diction and vocabulary. This website is just more proof that YouTube is a valuable resource in the classroom.


Part III. Alternative Sources

Surprisingly enough YouTube is not the only video resource online there are others! TeacherTube, Teacher.tv, and Soapbox all of which have videos that could enhance the educational experience in the classroom. All these site are free and the file can be transfered using sites like KeepVid.com to your personal computer, to bet the school security block. I will say that YouTube has the great achieves of video's but when trying to prepare the best lesson possible it is always necessary to explore all your options. Lastly, some of these site, like teacher.tv, also have instructional video for teacher to guide them through new lessons, or lesson they might be struggling with.


Website IX: TeacherTube: A YouTube for Educators.

This is an article about TeacherTube, which is an alternative to YouTube. TeacherTube is strictly educational video. However, like YouTube, a lot of school districts block access to this site. This site has two major disadvantages; first, does not have the abundant amount of video that YouTube has, or the first hand accounts of tragic events: secondly, it runs a lot slower than YouTube. I would recommends download the videos, or at least, pausing them for a few seconds before playing for students

WebsiteX: Top 31 free alternatives to YouTube

This website provides just what the title says 31 free alternatives to YouTube. The author also gives a one paragraph description of each webpage. So even though YouTube has an seemingly endless supply of videos, these 31 alternatives will broaden a teacher's resources.

Website XI: Free Technology for Teachers: 5 Alternatives to YouTube, #5
By: Richard Byrne
This is a Blog about Media websites alternatives to YouTube that are education related. Also when exploring Richard Byrnes blogs there are lots of exciting educational information and other websites. In this blog he talks about Hula.com this is a media resource site created by NBC, FOX, MGM, Sony Pictures, and Warner Brothers. Below the chart is a sample video form Hula.com