EdTech Tools

In the not so distant future the notion that schools should block social media will become difficult to defend. Before that happens schools will have to reimagine their mission in the lives of young learners, the communities they serve, and the extraordinary possibilities of networked media and networked literacy.

Via Nik Peachey

You Tube has just launched YouTube for schools which schools can sign up to using their School Google account.

 

The service will allow schools to access content from  YouTube Edu that can can be futher filtered by "adminstrators."  This is designed to facilitate "safe viewing" and I am sure it will be welcomed by many schools worldwide.

 

Whilst welcoming YouTube's proactive engagement with education; I also  have some  reservations about this service / You Tube Edu does not host the only good educational content available on YouTube I think it focuses too heavily on 'subjects' and grades rather than the interconnectedness of knowledge.  Also the feature to restrict videos to within an institution seems contrary to the open nature of the Internet.

 

On a positive note it will perhaps enable those schools where YouTube has been foolishly 'banned' to benefit from the wonderful video ecosystem that is YouTube.

Via theo kuechel