This is me babysitting the computer lab in Goldstein after having realized that I cannot do homework, because I am ahead on my homework. This means that the only books I have were for class today, and for Friday's class, we've moved on. Oh well. The problems of being an overachiever. So, I am taking the opportunity to finish a blog post I started last semester about the educational benefits of YouTube.
Yes. You read that correctly. YouTube as education. YouTube as a valuable teaching aid. YouTube making class a heck of a lot more fun. You may be scratching your head in disbelief or you may be laughing at me, but I am dead serious, and I will tell you why.
It began, for me, early last school year. In my class on ancient Roman history (which those of you who read this blog last year might recognize), we discussed the various Roman emperors, including Augustus Caesar. Well, there happens to be a wonderful mini-series about said emperors called I, Claudius. Dr. Sorrentino (my wonderful professor) was able to go on to YouTube and find a wonderful clip from the series which she showed us in class. We got to watch as Augustus walked down a line up of approximately 20 men, asking each of them whether they'd slept with his daughter, eventually asking if anyone in Rome had not had sex with her. It really added to our appreciation of just how screwed up some of these Roman emperors were.
Then, last semester, we were discussing whether TV shows from the 60's truly represented life. Dr. Sorrentino found clips from some of the shows discussed, including I Love Lucy and The Honemooners, which gave those students who were not familiar with these shows a chance to see what they depicted. We then watched clips of movies when we were discussing movies about the Vietnam War.
Just last week, Dr. Black showed us clips of a few Russian movies to illustrate points about Ivan the Terrible. One clip was from some Russian slapstick comedy about an inventor who creates a time machine that sent two guys back in time and brought Ivan the Terrible forward in time. The other one was a little more valid, showing Ivan's coronation from a movie about his reign.
What, might you ask, is the point of professors using YouTube? Personally, I think that it is a wonderful way to help the students to connect with and remember the material. I came back to the dorm and promptly showed the clip of Augustus and the line up of guys to my friends. It also provides a nice change in how class is run. Class is usually based on lecture with discussion mixed in to keep things interesting. YouTube allows professors to break up the routine, to prove to their students that they actually are a part of the 21st century. YouTube is basically a staple of life for many college students, and I think that it helps to make their classes seem a little more relevant.
So, the next time you sigh because of all the random YouTube videos that people you know watch, just remember that somewhere out there, lucky college students are benefiting from all of its wonderful educational attributes. I know I have.
That's all, folks!
Brenna
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