YouTube/Low-bridge videos

The merit behind the use of what Daniel Anderson refers to as "low-bridge approaches to multimedia" is ultimately decided based not on the result of these projects but the intentions. It only makes sense for education and classrooms to change along with technology. Whenever a new technology comes along which is affordable and accessible there will be those who immediately want to integrate it into every facet of society and those who deny its benefits.

We've seen this already when we read Walter Ong and Plato's "Phaedrus." Utilizing Youtube and other similar things in the classroom falls into a long list of progress in technology that has offered a sort of cultural and social revolution, as Michael Wesch shows in his video "An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube." The effects this had on society is undeniable, but its application in the classroom is at best controversial.

In his article "The Low Bridge to High Benefits" Daniel Anderson investigates the potential for Youtube as a teaching aid. "Could it be that low-bridge new media technologies provide the right mix of challenge and ease of use for instructors and students to develop a sense of control, creativity, and flow? The entry-level nature of low-bridge technologies ameliorates difficulties that can shut down flow, but the challenge of composing with unfamiliar forms opens pathways
to creativity and motivation." (44)

The point he makes in this paragraph is an interesting one which seems to draw its evidence from the social effects of Youtube. It is something almost everyone of my generation knows about, many of whom already utilize it. It only makes sense to take something which is an active part of both the cultural and social lives of students and use it stimulate learning. If you think about the difference between student made films and student made Powerpoint presentations really isn't very much.

However, with videos there is a definite aspect of disorganization. With the film project for this class I found that the need for organization was incredibly important: if one element is out of place the rest comes crashing down very easily. Unlike with writing a paper or preparing a project where you have a limited number of easily anticipated obstacles (developing a thesis, finding sources, collecting research, etc) videos provide a myriad of obstacles, many of which are unpredictable and new.

In any situation where technology plays a pivotal role there is the potential for disaster, whether it be user-created or inherent to the technology. Video assignments tend to be viewed as fun and easy in comparison to essays, so the expectations are that it's something which can be improvised without much thought. What I found is that our group utilized a number of traditional approaches to make this system more familiar: outlines, scripts, etc.

In her article "Why Not (to) Teach on Youtube," Alexandra Juhasz describes her experience teaching a class through Youtube.

"Of the many surprises and challenges of this class, it was most dumbfounding for me to find
how resistant my students were to the loss of discipline, authority, and structure in the classroom. They hated the amount of process this course demanded; disliked that I wouldn’t just
tell them stuff; were reluctant to do course work in a new format in which they lacked training;
and generally wanted me to take control so that they could attend to other things and more
clearly understand what they needed to do to satisfy me."

Our group faced a similar situation, where the familiarity and predictability of writing papers was more appealing compared to the amount of effort and energy it takes to make a movie. In the end I think both Juhasz and Anderson make valid points, but the technology and its application are both still in their infancy. If video assignments begin to become a normal aspect of education and are used often enough for students and instructors to become familiar and comfortable with them, they could become helpful educations tools. If anthing, the failure of Juhasz's class is due to students simply not being used to the medium. As with any new technology, the more it is used the more people become familiar with it resulting in useful applications.