YouTube Finds a Way Off Schools' Banned List - New York Times

Google is working to fine-tune a portal called YouTube for Schools, a modified YouTube site which allows educators to hand-pick the material that is and isn't available to students in their schools.

This is a welcome tool that educators have been waiting for. It is no secret that YouTube is the gateway to millions of valuable, educational videos; however, YouTube is often blocked in schools around the globe due to it's equally large stock of controversial content. In districts where budget cuts can easily widen the gap between the education levels of the wealthy and the otherwise, educators count on YouTube to be available as a free educational resource.

This article addresses in further detail why YouTube for Schools is in important step toward bringing YouTube's resources into a greater population of schools:


YouTube Finds a Way Off Schools' Banned List

Reservations In Spite of Statistics?

Did you know that over 4 billion videos per day are watched on YouTube?

A person can find all sorts of facts about YouTube on the internet. I decided that since I was using Google to do most of (ok, all) my online searching, that I might as well just go straight to YouTube's statistics page. I found some pretty amazing numbers there, and would encourage you to look, specifically at the sections of 'Traffic' and 'Social' and consider why educational institutions would choose not to take advantage of YouTube.

YouTube is not only videos, it is one of the most vast digital communities in the world. We know that digital citizenship is now a crucial life skill for students to learn; why do some schools opt to deny access to the relatively safe training platform that is YouTube?

Respectable Resource?

YouTube, the video website that has swept the world, is an incredibly multifaceted media.  Due to it’s varied nature, and relaxed posting rules, both respectable, and questionable videos can be found on the site.  Some of these videos are blocked to guest viewers, notifying them that they must create an account to verify their age and continue watching the video.  This is a feeble, and easily overcome obstacle.  Signing up for an account is simple, and there is nothing to prevent a person from falsifying their age.  With an account, YouTube is wide open.  Viewers can find thousands of videos containing adult material, both sexual and narcotic in nature. 

On the other side of the coin, there are thousands of educational and instructional videos to be found.  These videos offer assistance to viewers struggling with the quadratic formula or balancing a chemical equation.  If a viewer is interested in learning to quilt, knit or crochet, there is an abundance of helpful videos with step-by-step instructions and detailed images. 

There is also another side to this website - one that I have had some exposure to.  There are many men in the world, who are self-proclaimed handymen.  They don’t need how-to books, they don’t need manuals, and they certainly don’t need the help of any professionals.  These men are capable of almost anything.  That is, until they find themselves halfway through the job without any idea how to repair what they’ve torn apart.  Repairing drywall and plumbing are two areas where this tends to happen.  Wives, turn your husbands towards the computer, for help is near!  There are many videos showing how to repair drywall, how to plumb kitchen sinks, and even how to install sub-panels to circuit boards. 

While there are many pros and cons to YouTube, the accessibility of such an abundance of informative and educational videos is simply too much to pass up.  Discretion needs to be taught to younger viewers, and parents must be aware of the dangers that are present.

Hello, and Welcome!

You have stumbled upon the Media Literacy project that myself and a classmate have created for our Young Adult Literature course.  We have selected the topic of YouTube, and we will be looking at the pros and cons of this video website, why it is so popular and the effect that it has on today's youth.  You will find a few of our thoughts in the posts to follow, and many articles and videos to support our opinions.