TeacherTube

YouTube vs TeacherTube

I have been thinking seriously lately about my use of YouTube for uploading and sharing student's videos. Since we only shared one video properly on our blog last year in my class at Mapua School the use of YouTube was a non-issue.

This year, however, as I can see my students making lots of mini videos to share and showcase their learning and reflections on learning I have been having a closer think. In most schools overseas YouTube is blocked, and indeed it also is in many New Zealand schools.

My first alternative to YouTube was investigating Google Video. But then Google went and bought out YouTube! So Google Video is now filled with the same random and often bizarre and crazy things that YouTube has on it!

Today I tried an alternative that I've been quietly finding out about since its launch on March 6th 2007. This is TeacherTube.

It also is completely free and allows you to upload your video and get the code to embed it on your website/blog etc just like YouTube (see my test below). The benefits are that if students click on the TeacherTube logo they are taken to a much safer site. TeacherTube's aim is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos.... a much safer forum.

I found TeacherTube easy to sign up to, easy to upload to and it plays just as nicely in your blog as YouTube does. I will definetly be using this as an alternative in the future... a great find and a growing community that we need to support.

FOR teachers, BY teachers... got to love it!