CAN YOU SPEAK YOU TUBE? DO YOU WANT TO?

Image Source: Own image made with Bitstrips at http://www.bitstripsforschools.com

My grandmother said it, my parents said it - hey, I even say it! 
" ...The most important skill you need in life is to read (and write of course)." 
However, I have just read an article by Marc Prensky (2010) that disturbingly (for me) suggests that reading and writing is not the main communicative tool in society and that it may even be replaced by other media, such as audio and video. He asserts that learning to read and learning to write is difficult and that despite our efforts as educators, not everyone is successful. The advantage of video and audio is that anyone can do it and it seems that increasingly, everyone is doing it. Prensky is primarily referring to the uptake of You Tube, as a short video medium, and how its phenomenal growth has impacted on the way that we communicate ideas and information around the world.

You Tube is my 'go-to' place for 'how tos' (That's how I learnt how to re-thread the cord on my new whipper snipper). It's always my first port of call for a video to add to a lesson on a new concept or for a snippet of something historical. It rescues me when I just can't quite remember what that tune sounded like and it provides me with a great space to upload videos of student work and give them access to them. 

When I interviewed Dude 11 (13 September 2014), I discovered that YouTube was the place where he chose to spend 30 minutes a day viewing popular clips, seeking information on how to play video games and generally learning about things that interest him. He prefers to do this to watching television. My daughter, aged 17, uses You Tube to listen freely to music and follow musical wannabes, who have used You Tube to gain fame and recognition (Well, hopefully). She also said that You Tube was a place where she could escape on her own and be entertained, amused and informed in short bursts of time, leaving behind the pressures of school work and friendship woes!

My daughter, Dude 11 and I are not alone in terms of our passion for You Tube. According to Alex Carloss (2014), the head of You Tube Originals, more than 1 billion viewers visit You Tube each month. Yes, that right, more than 1 billion every month! Additionally, the amount of time spent viewing each day increases by 50 percent each year. Why are we so drawn to You Tube? Rizzo (2008) cites the work of Tom Gunning who likens the popularity of You Tube to the attraction of the early cinema. Rizzo says it is exhibitionist, addresses the audience directly, it shocks, thrills, solicits attention, entertains and informs. The acts of display and the pleasure of the spectacle are highly effective. Rizzo points out that You Tube has the added appeal of being immediate, always available, viewable on many platforms and offering an extensive variety of material. The aim of uploading video is to attract attention and this becomes interactive for viewers who can post comments and respond through video posts as well. 

No doubt we are LOVING it! But is it the NEW way to communicate? Is it making reading and writing obsolete? I think there is a place for reading, writing AND 'you tubing' and we're not ready to substitute the basics just yet. However, Prensky (2010) suggests that the scale of You Tube is so great that we can't ignore it and that as an educational tool it has enormous benefits for imparting and creating information in more engaging and interactive ways for our students. The immediacy of content means that students are connected to information that is current and relevant. Prensky (2010) adds that to deny students access to You Tube at school would be denying them their future. Of course this provides a dilemma for educators as access to inappropriate content is a real concern. Teacher selection of content is paramount, especially for primary students. Providing  them with access to the videos without the need to search themselves, is one way to address this issue. 

Hang on a minute!
Perhaps I should have uploaded a video to You Tube for this post and embedded it here on this page!!

BUT FOR NOW …

I can't get my head around the notion of watching and listening to a story on a series of short video clips INSTEAD of curling up with a good book (Print version or e-reader). What an abhorrent thought!

References

Carloss, A. (2014) Investing in Creativity. You Tube Official Blog: http://youtube-global.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/investing-in-creativity.html

Dude 11. (2014) Meet Dude 11. Konnect to Kids Blog: http://konnecttokids.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/meet-dude-11.html

Prensky, M. (2010),"Why You Tube matters. Why it is so important, why we should all be using it, and why blocking it blocks our kids'
education", On the Horizon, Vol. 18 Iss 2 pp. 124 - 131

Rizzo, T. (2008), You Tube; the New Cinema of Attractions. Scan Journal (5) 1 Online at http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/print.php?journal_id=109&j_id=13