In the last weeks we learned how to filter information in the web, exploit its potential saving time and energy. It was very interesting and useful but using YouTube is great and makes a lot of fun! I must admit this has been the best e-tivity so far.
I knew that you can find really everything in YouTube and as soon as I had the change to visit this site I was very curious to look around. This time I got pleasantly lost because I saw many funny and weird videos! Youtube is user friendly as users can watch any video and grade it, while registered users have the possibility to upload as many videos as they want.
YouTube shelves its videos in broad categories; this means you have to know what you're looking for if you want to find something eye-catching. Tags, as usual, are fundamental as they function as filters and help finding what you really want to see.
There are videos for every taste: some are really hilarious, some nasty, some sweet, some serious and professionally competent. However, this tool should be carefully used and controlled especially after some recent facts happened in schools. YouTube and sites like it are said to encourage bullying among teenagers, who film fights or similar acts with their phones, upload videos to the net and are imitated by other teenagers.
This is surely a negative consequence of this exponentially growing website. There should be maybe more control to the quality of uploaded videos. In fact, according to Forbes, "YouTube is slowly cultivating a more mature fan base thanks to its vast archives of some 8 million video clips, with 65,000 additions daily". (from http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/28/youtube-internet-video-tech-media_cz_cs_0928tubesidebar.html)
As far as language learning is concerned I think it is possible to find many useful videos. I found, for example, a series of videos teaching the basics of German, a sort of survival course. It was elementary, simple but pleasing. The teacher was serious and kept repeating sentences more than once first in English, then in German. Nevertheless, there were courses for many other languages, for example Chinese, Japanese and so on.
The world is getting smaller, technology "invades" every field of our life, different cultures meet (and clash, sometimes) easily. There are new ways to communicate and to learn and nowadays we are given many tools and resources to learn everything online. Learning a language as autodidact, for example, is much easier than in the past.
On the other hand, for those who learn a language in the traditional way, there are web pages, radio, online TV, online magazines, computer programs and now even YouTube as support to their learning. The matter consists basically in finding efficient resources that really help you learn.
However, when your skills are rather advanced you can test your listening comprehension skills on YouTube, for free! YouTube is useful for many other things, too. For example in order to show how to do practical things, as Sarah did to show to us how del.icio.us worked. Or else, it might be useful for people who want to upload videos for relatives or friends that live far away.
A very positive aspect to point out is that you understand immediately how YouTube works, it's easy, funny, quick and free! In the future you might have to purchase if you want to use it, as it is so successful, but until it is free I think YouTube is a very good tool. It is fun (and personally I think that enjoying learning a language helps a lot) and learning is "visual". Moreover you can listen to a portion of a video over and over again until you get the sense of it.
I knew that you can find really everything in YouTube and as soon as I had the change to visit this site I was very curious to look around. This time I got pleasantly lost because I saw many funny and weird videos! Youtube is user friendly as users can watch any video and grade it, while registered users have the possibility to upload as many videos as they want.
YouTube shelves its videos in broad categories; this means you have to know what you're looking for if you want to find something eye-catching. Tags, as usual, are fundamental as they function as filters and help finding what you really want to see.
There are videos for every taste: some are really hilarious, some nasty, some sweet, some serious and professionally competent. However, this tool should be carefully used and controlled especially after some recent facts happened in schools. YouTube and sites like it are said to encourage bullying among teenagers, who film fights or similar acts with their phones, upload videos to the net and are imitated by other teenagers.
This is surely a negative consequence of this exponentially growing website. There should be maybe more control to the quality of uploaded videos. In fact, according to Forbes, "YouTube is slowly cultivating a more mature fan base thanks to its vast archives of some 8 million video clips, with 65,000 additions daily". (from http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/28/youtube-internet-video-tech-media_cz_cs_0928tubesidebar.html)
As far as language learning is concerned I think it is possible to find many useful videos. I found, for example, a series of videos teaching the basics of German, a sort of survival course. It was elementary, simple but pleasing. The teacher was serious and kept repeating sentences more than once first in English, then in German. Nevertheless, there were courses for many other languages, for example Chinese, Japanese and so on.
The world is getting smaller, technology "invades" every field of our life, different cultures meet (and clash, sometimes) easily. There are new ways to communicate and to learn and nowadays we are given many tools and resources to learn everything online. Learning a language as autodidact, for example, is much easier than in the past.
On the other hand, for those who learn a language in the traditional way, there are web pages, radio, online TV, online magazines, computer programs and now even YouTube as support to their learning. The matter consists basically in finding efficient resources that really help you learn.
However, when your skills are rather advanced you can test your listening comprehension skills on YouTube, for free! YouTube is useful for many other things, too. For example in order to show how to do practical things, as Sarah did to show to us how del.icio.us worked. Or else, it might be useful for people who want to upload videos for relatives or friends that live far away.
A very positive aspect to point out is that you understand immediately how YouTube works, it's easy, funny, quick and free! In the future you might have to purchase if you want to use it, as it is so successful, but until it is free I think YouTube is a very good tool. It is fun (and personally I think that enjoying learning a language helps a lot) and learning is "visual". Moreover you can listen to a portion of a video over and over again until you get the sense of it.
9 comments:
dear Elena,
I completely agree with your explanation of You Tube. As you wrote, it is such a useful site for language learning because it provides a lot of lingustic materials. I did like the fact that you underline the importance of a visual element for a better learning. Moreover this site is funny and dangerous as well. I also cited those videos about schools and I think that they'll become a real problem if someone doesn't do any effort to stop them.
Finally I'd say that you did a good job!
I also like the videos you chose!
Hughs
Ali
Dear Elena,
I agree with you about YouTube, but not completely. I know that it offers some materials for language learning, but I think it can be more useful for who - like us - already knows a language and wants to improve her skills listening to real spoken language.
Cheers,
tina
Dear Martina,I agree with you when you say youtube it better for advanced learners, but I think also that beginners can improve their skills. Thanks for your comment, Elena
Daear Elena,
as usual your ideas are very clear! However, even though you're right when you say that YouTube has very positive aspects, I think that- as Martina has written you- this tool is more useful for people who already know the language rather than for beginners. It is easy to get lost in the infinite variety of material offered and it is very difficult to choose among it.
Erica
PS:
I like the video you chose (maybe because I like Robbie Williams, too?!)
Dera Erica, thanks for your comment, too. Maybe what I wrote wasn't as clear as I thought.
I think that YouTube is a further tool to exploit in order to improve comprehension skills. T
he web offers many different tools and people who start now learning a language has more possibilities to improve their skills. Of course it is much easier for advanced learners, but if you were a beginner, wouldn't enjoy watching youtube videos and at least trying to understand them?
Dear Elena,
your post on YouTube couldn't have been more complete nor effective! You wrote all there is to say about it.
I completely agree with you when you say that this has been the best e-tivity so far! In my opinion YouTube is really great because you can improve your listening skills in a foreign language enjoying yourself!
Dear Elena,
what can I add to what's already been said about your post? You touched all the important aspects of YouTube: the possibility of learning, having fun and knowing different cultures better at the same time, but also the problems which may arise with young kids watching certain videos. Good job!
Love,
Viola
Ciao Ele!!! I read your post about YouTube and I agree with you not only when you write that this activity has been the best but also when you explain what YouTube is! This was my first time in YouTube and Found this tool fantastic, therefore, as you say there should be much more controlled videos in order to avoid unpleasant surprise. We know that in Padua there have been a lot of problems in a number of schools where students put online bad videos...I think this is also a serious social problem that has to be solved together with a code of conduct in the blogosphere.
....Then, I really like the pics you put in your blog!! I wish I were you! I miss Rome!!!
Tania
Hi Elena!
You are completely right: YouTube is great and I really enjoyed exploring this tool! I think exploiting different tools in language learning makes it more enjoyable and entertaing and as you pointed out, the visual element makes things easier.
See you soon,
Susanne
Post a Comment