Twenty-First Century Learning Skills


Learn 2.0 teaches internet skills using a variety of popular and useful Web 2.0 tools. Learning to use these tools online helps you to navigate the internet and develop the skills you need to succeed in today's classroom or workplace.

This blog is based on the work of Helene Blowers. Her 23 Things has been used and adapted by hundreds of libraries, schools, businesses and non-profits. Thank you Helene for changing the world!


Lesson 11: YouTube

YouTube is an online video hosting website that also acts as a search engine for videos.  As a YouTube user, you can search for and watch other people's videos, upload your own videos, or even embed videos in your blog for people to watch on your personal webpage.

Visit http://www.youtube.com/ and browse through the top videos on the homepage.  Try typing the name of your favorite singer or TV show in the search bar to see what videos come up.  You could find anything from 1970s TV commercials, to children's programs, to educational material and more on YouTube. 


Photo courtesy of TopGold at Flickr.com.


YouTube is like any other search engine; there are a lot of good results, but some useless ones, as well!  Take a few minutes to explore YouTube and see for yourself what the site has to offer.



YouTube Activity

Create a YouTube account.  You will use your GMail email address and password to create your own YouTube account, allowing you to bookmark your favorite videos, leave comments, and rate video clips.

  1. In the top right corner of the homepage, click "Create Account."
  2. Fill in the requested information and visit your GMail account to confirm your YouTube registration.
  3. Once you are registered and signed in to YouTube, use the YouTube search box to find a video about setting personal goals.
  4. Watch a few of the videos in the results list and choose a Favorite.  To bookmark it as a Favorite, click the "Add to" button just below the video and select "Favorites."  (See the picture below if you cannot find the "Add to" button.)  Now, each time you visit YouTube, you can easily find this video in your Favorites. 



Copy and paste the web address of your goal-setting video into an email to adult.learning@gmail.com and let us know you have completed Activity 11.

Congratulations!  You have learned how to use YouTube to find and favorite videos.  In the next lesson, you will learn to embed a video in your blog. Click on the form at the bottom of the page and fill it out to enter the monthly draw. Click Home to go back to the homepage and move on to Activity 12.

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