SchoolTube

===SchoolTube is one of my favorite web 2.0s that my middle-school students enjoy regularly. Just as the name suggests, SchoolTube is similar to YouTube.com, because it allows users to share videos. However, educators do not need to worry about censoring inappropriate content for their students, because SchoolTube content is carefully approved by education associations for grades K-12. In fact, since it's launch in 2006, SchoolTube has become the fastest growing teacher moderated video sharing site.===

[[image:teacher2.gif width="330" height="329"]]
===I believe SchoolTube could be a valuable resource for teachers across a variety of subjects. For students who are thinking about careers in television, theater, journalism, or online media, making a video for SchoolTube can be added to their educational portfolio. However, students do not need to make a video to enjoy SchoolTube. Teachers may assign students to find a video on a particular subject on SchoolTube and then have students present their findings to the class. These videos may be a refreshing change of pace for students.===

===At the middle school where I work, we use SchoolTube to post a broadcast show by students with our weekly announcements. For example, here is a broadcast from our students: []. This gives students real broadcast journalism experience. It also keeps parents informed in a fun and interesting way. I plan on using SchoolTube in my future classroom to give students more flexibility and creativity in their assignments. In my high-school English class, students can make movies based on books we read in class or record themselves reading their own writing. SchoolTube allows assignments to come to life and be shared. This Web 2.0 is another example of shaping our students to become global citizens.===

===Another example that is not from my school, but I enjoyed, is the following: [] Students quizzed their teachers and fellow students about presidential trivia. The video is funny and educational. I believe when we combine entertainment with learning, then the information is more likely to stay in a student's long-term memory. The process of learning is the key to retaining information, so learning may be applied in the future. Schooltube is an excellent tool that allows students to actively engage with learning.===

by Kristin Brake, 2011. image courtesy of ClipArt, []