Technology Tool 9: TeacherTube

About:
     TeacherTube is a website geared toward educational videos and audio.  Similar to the popular site YouTube, this website allows other teachers and students to upload their learning resources to the  website for others to use.  Some resources are meant to be shown in the classroom, while others are meant as resources for teachers to learn how to better teach on certain topics.
     It is a collaborative community for teachers as producers and consumers, although I am weary about this website for student use for a few reasons:

1. There is a large amount of ads on the site.
2. Similar to YouTube, you can never be sure what the students may stumble upon.
3. If students upload their own work, it can be seen by anyone, and their personal security could be compromised.

     Below is a photo of a search for preschool appropriate videos.  There are hundreds of resources, so it can be taxing to sort through them without having a definitive topic you are searching for.  The website claims to monitor for offensive comments and commercials, but the amount of ads on the website is a lot, and it can be disruptive to see them all over the site.  I would also be nervous about allowing my students to search for their own videos on this website, due to the uncertainty of the types of ads that may pop up.

How This Tool Aligns to UDL Principles:

• It provides multiple means of engagement by optimizing relevance, value, and authenticity by reinforcing the topic being taught with a video resource.
• It provides multiple means of representation by illustrating through multiple media and by guiding information processing, visualization, and manipulation.
• It provides multiple means of action and expression by using multiple media for communication.  This website offers audio, video, and images as tools for learning.

Implementation:
   This website is an amazing resource for finding videos that you can show in the classroom.  They are mostly created by other teachers, so you can be sure that most videos have excellent content.  I would use this website in my classroom by showing videos previously screened as a supplement to my teaching.  Showing videos is always a great way for me to engage my class and for them to see a different perspective on the topic we are learning about.  Combining audio and visuals is a great way to address different types of learners.