SchoolTube
With YouTube spring boarding into everyday mainstream consciousness, its educational equivalent, SchoolTube, is gaining popularity across the country. SchoolTube, although no business affiliation with its video sharing inspiration and namesake, offers essentially the same platform as YouTube, save for the original’s inherently public nature. While YouTube is for anybody and everybody, allowing almost all videos that don’t infringe upon people’s personal rights or copyright laws, SchoolTube is designed specifically for students, parents, teachers and administrators. First launched in 2006, the website is now the leader in moderated video sharing, proudly sticking to its three pronged appeal of being “safe, fun and free.”Students can upload teacher approved content whether its schoolwork, events or activities to show off to their friends and family from any computer. Academics, athletics or any other school related content is welcome on SchoolTube, providing a forum for students across the country to show their school spirit and pride in a safe and fun environment. SchoolTube is also a budding resource for teachers as they can have instant access to the classroom tips and techniques of fellow educators with just a click of the mouse. It allows for further integration of technology into the classroom, providing a resource for relevant and appropriate streaming video content without the common risks associated with purely public video sharing websites. Principals and headmasters also find plenty of use for SchoolTube content through school websites and welcome videos, in addition to enhancing communication between faculty and staff. It can also serve as a thinkspace or idea showcase between principles across the country, collaborating to share effective policies and winning strategies. Parents will also certainly enjoy being able to see their children in an active school environment without actually having to make additional trips to campus. SchoolTube allows for even busy parents to stay more involve with their kids’ school life and boast about a child’s achievements with the video to prove it.