You too can get feedback from youtube

I often look at youtube for how-to videos. I learned how to change a bike tire, braise chicken and fold a fitted sheet in a manner that would make Martha Stewart proud. These videos are great, but today I witnessed a whole new way of learning on youtube. Youtube can be interactive.

This morning logged on to youtube to see how I can improve my crawl stroke technique. I saw the typical how-to swim videos, which I found helpful. Then I noticed something that I never saw before .… video responses. People posted their own swim videos and other people offered them suggestions.

This would never have happened without the Internet. Ten years ago you could have bought a how-to swim DVD, and learned how to improve your stroke, but you would have no means of soliciting feedback from thousands of strangers.

I am amazed at the power of web 2.0. (Not amazed enough to post a video of me in a bathing suit.) But where else can people communicate with people they’ve never met and get individualized feedback?

I thought about how someone could use this idea in his/her classroom. Students are more likely to listen to feedback from their peers or anonymous people than their teachers. Then I was thinking that Bill Endslow is already doing this in his classroom with his monologue project. Without the Internet, there would be no easy way for his class to collaborate with a drama class in Florida. It’s great to see teachers from our cohort leading the way.