I am a self-proclaimed member of the “social media” generation; I use social media every day of my life. I use it to stay connected with my friends across the country, to decide where to eat, to choose what books I want to read or TV shows I want to watch, and pretty much everything else in between. As a member of this social media generation, I love YouTube, especially educational YouTube channels. But, I’ll be the first to admit that about 90% (maybe even 95%) of the things posted on YouTube are pure trash. Because any one can record a video and post it to YouTube, the site has become an eclectic mix of media and often valuable content gets lost under a pile of pointless video blogs, trashy music videos, and other useless sometimes viral videos.
But underneath all of this, there are some really great and educational videos on YouTube that are actually worth watching that can be used as a great supplemental educational tool. I have picked four Youtube “channels” that are worth subscribing to today!
Crash Course
It is impossible for me to downplay my love of John Green. Honestly, the man is a genius. If you don’t know who John Green is, he is an eccentric mix of a author (he writes amazing young adult books (Looking For Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns), and an internet geek. He is quick-witted, informed, and most of all intelligent. In an attempt to make the population a little more informed, John created the series “Crash Course” which includes short videos on a wide array of topics that typically follow the high school curriculum. John has done series of videos on World History, Literature, Chemistry, US History, Ecology, and Biology. The videos are a mix of factual information and amazing illustrations all wrapped together with John’s quirky sense of humor.
Sci Show
Just when you thought John Green couldn’t get any cooler, he does. John has a brother named Hank who is just as quick-witted, informed, and intelligent as John. While John tends to be someone who is more focused on the liberal arts, Hank is the math and science guy in the family. Hank hosts a channel called Sci Show, which answers all types of unique but fascinating questions such as, “Why do we laugh? What is the biggest organism on the planet,” and so on. Unlike John’s crash course videos which tend to follow the set curriculum, Hank’s are more interest-based, but nonetheless attention-grabbing.
If you want even more of John and Hank, they have a joint channel called Vlog Brothers. The topics discussed range from the recent Syria crisis (A 5 Minute Explanation of the Syria Crisis) to videos from John on the Fault in Our Stars Movie Set (based on one of his amazing books). The basic concept of the channel is that the two brothers communicate to “each other” (along with over a million subscribers) and talk about anything that interests them. Okay, I’m done raving about the Green brothers; I promise.
Minute Physics and Minute Earth
Unlike John and Hank’s channels, I had never heard of Minute Physics or Minute Earth until I started doing the research for this blog. Minute Physics was created by Henry Reich, who just really loved physics and wanted to share his knowledge with the internet world. Since creating Minute Physics, his online presence has grown and he has a number of channels, some in English, and some in Spanish. His videos are all hand drawn while he discusses a topic in a voice over. They are engaging, and crammed with information. As someone who always hated science, especially physics, I find myself completely engaged with Minute Physics and Minute Earth videos.
Khan Academy
Besides Ted, Khan Academy is probably the most notable collection of educational videos on the internet. Created by Salman Khan in 2006, Khan Academy has now grown to include over 4,500 online videos on pretty much every academic topic imaginable. Khan originally created the videos when tutoring his cousins long-distance. He knew he was on to something when his cousins told him that they preferred watching videos of him to meeting with him face-to-face. Khan Academy videos break down topics into simple and understandable terms. For students who are struggling to understand any particular area (especially math), Khan Academy is a no-brainer!