In online education, it is vital to know of resources that can be used by both educators and learners that include all kinds of multimedia types in order to cover all types of learning preferences. Finding resources is easy but finding useful resources that have been reviewed by people with expertise in the fields of education are another matter. I explored some multimedia resource sites and found some that I feel could be exceptionally useful to educators of all levels.
Utubersity - YouTube is one of the most well-known of media resource sites, but it can be hard to find quality videos there sometimes. However, some people have already recognized this problem and have created sites devoted to helping filter the good, bad, and ugly. Utubersity has done a lot of the legwork in finding educational videos from YouTube and organizing them in ease-to-find categories. They have videos and lectures for practically every educational topic one could imagine. I compared searches on this site and YouTube to see how much work this resource saves by doing the filtering and quality control for me, and I was rather impressed. On Utubersity I could find what I wanted within seconds, and I had the benefit of knowing it had already been peer reviewed and checked for accuracy. When I ran the same search on just YouTube, I had to wade through pages of opinionated and often inaccurate information before finding something I would consider trustworthy. I learned that sites devoted to helping with educational resources could alleviate a lot of the stress that finding valid resources can sometimes cause.
Classroom Aid – This site is devoted to digital learning in all of its forms. They have resources for videos, audio, games, game-building, and the list just goes on. This site even includes free mini-courses in learning how to build interactive learning environments. Their selection of materials is impressive and broken down into easy to find and understand categories. This site has information about studies done regarding digital education and best practices as well as motivational stories and looks at future tech in relation to the digital education settings.
Concerns about incorporating resources
Incorporating new information or resources can always be a bit scary for an educator, especially someone newer to the practical end of teaching. Finding resources that will be updated as needed, maintained, and accessible are always a factor with online resources. Think of it as going to the library but the book you need was checked out and never returned, the same hurdles would have to be jumped. This is why it is vital for educators to go over the resources they are giving students to make sure any links work, that the information is still relevant, and to understand any steps needed to accessing the resource so they can help students that may struggle. Anytime technology is incorporated into learning, even online learning, the educator needs to keep in mind the technological level of understanding their students may or may not possess. Part of using these resources can also include needing to find the resources to teach the skills required to use them. Conrad and Donaldson (2011, p. 93) point out, “To be effective, the activity must have value outside of the learning setting and should build skills that can be used beyond the life of the course.” This piece of advice can include needing to help students learn basic platform operations like inserting pictures, or how to choose a specific timeframe from a video instead of the whole video. In today’s digital world these “basics” can mean the difference between authentic and useful online education and simply traditional education that is placed online.
References
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi Heather
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and especially agree with you about resources being updated. Through the many resources that I researched during this assignment,it was exasperating to get excited about one that I thought was interesting only to find that it was not there. So, yes it is mandatory that instructors research their recommendations before assigning or suggesting them to students.
Also, I relate to the frustration of YouTube. It is a daunting task to have to go through so many videos just to find something that you can use for whatever it is that you need. I like your choice of Utubersity. For researchers, instructors and even students it is so good when the complexity of searching is minimized and the information is easily accessible.
Heather
ReplyDeleteYouTube seems to be having a lot of problems these days. I am sure it is a bit better with the educational portion of their site. I too am looking at using some videos for my own site, so I will definitely take a look at utubersity. Instructors and Teachers are often pressed for time. Rather than making their own video, they now can have access to a wealth of videos that in some way can assist or become an adjunct to their teaching. This is definitely a great find
David Velasco
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ReplyDeleteWeek 4
ReplyDeleteReesa Blakes
Hi Heather
Your post was good reading and informational. Yutube can be problematic with their videos. I will explore Utubersity good educational resource videos can be hard to find sometimes. I am technology broken but working hard to improve on and further my understanding of technology. True incorporating new resources can be challenging. It is important for Instructors to know how to navigate thru digital technology. Instructions written and understandable, easy to follow and convey a transition to selection of materials. This benefits the Instructor and implements the engaging of the online class environment.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI have never explored Utubersity, but it seems to be a great resource. I am going to check it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.