Tech Tip Tuesday Edition 26

YouTube is so much more than music videos and clips of animals doing tricks. It contains engaging, informative content at all levels. Below are simple tutorials to harness the power of YouTube to engage and deliver content.

YouTube can be a vast space to explore, so why not guide students to a collection of videos that will directly help them with current content or topics? Playlists are easy to create and can be seamlessly shared with students. Simply sign into YouTube with your district Google Account and begin curating content.

The main reason to use closed captions is to make your content accessible, yet this isn't the only reason. A survey commissioned by Verizon showed that 80% of those using closed captions aren’t deaf or hard of hearing. See the other reasons it can be used:

• As a learning tool to aid in retention and comprehension. Reading triggers different parts of the brain than listening and can help viewers engage more deeply with the content.
• To “hear” what’s going on. 69% of people watch video without sound in public places and 25% do the same in private places.

• To understand speakers with quiet voices and accents. Captions allow viewers to read along with the spoken word, which can clarify hard-to-understand dialogue.

• To aid those who speak English as a second language. Many foreign language learners find it easier to read a new language than to understand the spoken word or even listen in English and read in their native language.

Google Classroom allows you to search and add YouTube videos embedded into an assignment. When students click on the video, it plays inside Google Classroom. This means if you are blocking YouTube open surfing through the use of GoGuardian scene filters, you can still post a video to Google Classroom and students can watch it. This is a great feature to keep kids viewing videos relevant to your course material.

Click the image below to read about how to do everything from creating your own custom YouTube channel, to adding creative effect, to sharing videos that start at a specific time.

The Staff Professional Development Course offerings will now be available on the MSD website for planning purposes. Click on the link to view the full calendar and sign up for courses. Scroll to see all our final offerings for the year.

PD Calendar

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