As Jordyn Flows

[This is my response to Mr. Franek’s blog, which features a series of questions pertaining to the recent YouTube craze: Should schools block YouTube or not? Does it have any academic appeal? As I explore this innovative wesbite, I noticed potentially positive and negative effects that YouTube could have on Penn Charter as well as on other environments].  

I have accessed YouTube before, but I must admit that prior to this post I did not know much about this website other then that it was entertaining. YouTube was established in 2005 and since then has enabled any internet user to submit their own videos; watch other’s submitted videos, and comment on them. Essentially, this innovative site allows individuals to, “become the broadcasters of tomorrow.” Videos are organized according to categories which range from Pets and Animals to Comedy. In addition, clips are also organized according to popularity. America is not the only nation that can access YouTube, other countries can as well. This would explain why one can watch films in Chinese and German.

As a newcomer to this website, I can see why some faculty members think YouTube has little academic appeal. But YouTube represents the high tech entertainment and communication that people just cannot get enough of. Like any homepage or blog, YouTube is an advocate for electronic self-expression. For this reason I think banning YouTube is useless unless it has been an issue at Penn Charter. To my knowledge there have not been any incidents when a faculty member has asked a student to stop using this website because they are watching a film that is inappropriate, ‘prurient,’ and not Quaker esq. Perhaps I am wrong since I am not behind-the-scenes, but from what I know I believe YouTube is harmless.

Incorporating YouTube into Penn Charter’s Upper School curriculum seems like a good idea. For example, a teacher wants to show a YouTube clip on World War 2 to provoke discussion. Similar to showing a scene from a DVD, videos from YouTube could just be as effective. In many ways YouTube has many purposes; it can stimulate a class and make people hysterically laugh until they can no longer breathe.

However, I do think YouTube should be banned from the Middle and Lower Schools. I realized that YouTube is a little too mature for this age group. During Winter Break I saw my younger siblings and cousins watching a silly harmless film from YouTube. As they sat there giggling I wondered, what if my six year old cousin accidentally clicked on an inappropriate film? What if he then decided to share this video with his friend and the cycle continued? Therefore, I believe some kind of policy for YouTube should exist for younger children. Assuming that Upper School students are mature enough to use YouTube then we should all sit back, relax, and enjoy.