OliviaWriter
In addition to entertainment videos, YouTube contains a large amount of educational content in a variety of formats and on a variety of topics.
What is the advantage of the YouTube platform for learning?
It is well suited for acquiring new knowledge with the help of gadgets. To cook an interesting dish, fix a washing machine, paint a picture as a gift, or do professional makeup, sometimes it is enough to watch a few thematic videos on your smartphone.
YouTube, like many social networks, promotes dialogue. You can always discuss the material you watch in the comments, ask for advice or express an idea.
The platform promotes microlearning and makes it more accessible. Complicated moments in a lesson can be mastered gradually, returning to the material at any convenient time, consuming information at a comfortable speed and in small "portions. In addition, lessons are often presented in game form, easy to remember.
You can find content on almost any topic. Interestingly, some even prefer educational videos to traditional education: for example, a married couple from the United States took their children out of public school and decided to teach them using documentaries on Netflix and videos on YouTube. In another recent case study in the UK, a seven-year-old girl in Preston, Lancashire, saved her mother's life via a YouTube educational video. When the woman suddenly had a seizure, the child was able to bring her to her senses and perform CPR.
In addition, there are now curious new trends on YouTube that stimulate learning in one way or another. Some students, for example, have started posting videos of themselves exercising. Remarkably, on these videos, which are garnering millions of views, there may be little more than repetition, taking notes, and reading. All of this can go on for hours. What are these videos made for? The answer is simple: isolation and loneliness while studying for exams or doing homework late at night are to blame. These videos are created for anyone who wants to feel social, but also not distracted from their studies, and for those who lack motivation.
Another notable trend is the increased use of YouTube opportunities by universities, which thus kill two "birds with one stone": increase their visibility and attract students, as well as distribute accessible and high-quality educational content. Traditional educational institutions have brought their target audience to YouTube, which is where they spend most of their time. In addition, in attracting talented students, universities are helped (not always intentionally) by so-called "Influencers" - bloggers who talk on their channels about life, activities and events of the institution where they study. For example, a video by blogger Jack Edwards about the pros and cons of life at Durham University garnered 162,000 views. At the same time, interest in St. Cuthbert College (part of Durham University) has risen significantly, with the director calling it "the Jack Edwards effect." This is another potential opportunity for university branding, and some universities have already begun attracting youth influencers to raise the profile of their institution.