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Less Physics Mo Problems

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Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs.  In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year.  Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home.  I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...
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I YouTube too

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A reflection question in Kasey Bell’s new book Shake Up Learning asks,

How has technology changed your personal life? Professional life?

Bell, Kasey. Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic (Kindle Locations 462-463). Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

When I think about all of the different tech tools I have used in the classroom, there are quite a few. I would say that the greatest tools for students to wield are tools for creations. From my perspective, though, my greatest technology tools to help students learn are ones that allow them to experience phenomena. This could be through videos or simulations. They have revolutionized the ability to explore by seeing and doing. The one tool that has found a place in both my classroom and my home lives is YouTube. I know it may be super obvious, but the more I think about it, the more amazing YouTube is.
I have lived through the age of films, filmstrips, video tapes, and even laserdiscs in the classroom. I think about the old days where I would be watching a video in class and the teacher would pause to make a comment or worse try to talk over the video itself. Just thinking about watching a 30 minute filmstrip for that 1 nugget of information makes my eyes heavy already. We now have the ability to choose and play discrete clips that met exactly what we hope to discuss without the fast forwarding and rewinding (or tracking adjustments).
While YouTube could be seen as a simple substitution of one video format for another, I think it is more than that. The use of YouTube doesn’t just allow us to save time in loading media or cuing up clips. Think about all the different ways we can share these clips. We can send links via email or social media or embed in Slides, Forms, LMS, and websites. So, it’s not simply a matter of saving time, it increases access to the content.
The ability to curate videos in playlists is also a powerful way to organize videos. Playlists are not simply a ways to keep them for yourself.  They are a great way to share out a collection of related videos with students.
Yes, students can go to YouTube to find flipped lessons to teach them content. Personally, I don’t want the video to be the primary teaching tool. It’s the launching point. A great video leaves us amazed with more questions than answers.  It can show us things we CAN’T see within the 4 walls of the classroom. It can expand or compress time. It can take us to outer space or inner space.
YouTube gives us access to videos that simply don’t exist on physical media. These videos could be created by amateurs or professionals. I am always amazed by how many students already subscribe to different channels on YouTube. I would recommend not simply searching for individual videos on YouTube but creators of content. These short shows remind me of the weekly “made for school” news broadcasts we’d watch to get our taste of current events in the classroom. Rather than simply flipping instruction, these videos provide. They can give us experiences that give us empathy for others or show us the world through someone else's eyes or from another creature’s point of view.
So how do I use YouTube in my life outside of school? We don’t have cable at home so we rely on streaming content to our TV. It would be impossible for me to truly catalogue all of my favorites, but here are a few that span all of my personal and professional interests:



What are your favorites for the classroom or personal enjoyment that I should be subscribing to? Please let me know!!
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