College and Web 2.0 – Professors Take on YouTube
Once littered mostly with cute videos of kittens, amateur skateboard tricks and other fluff, it seems YouTube is now finally making its way into the world of academia. 
Just last month I told you where to find UC Berkeley lectures on YouTube. Since then, several other prominent colleges have joined the
YouTube ranks, allowing professors to share their lectures with people around the world. Now you can also check out YouTube broadcasts from USC (here), Vanderbilt (here), and MIT (here).
What does this mean for you?
It means that Web 2.0, the “new generation” of interaction on the internet, seems to be growing “smarter.” The term Web 2.0 refers to a new phase of web communication, in which websites are focused more on users communicating with each other (instead of just reading a site and moving on). With all this great content becoming available online, you and your student can get a feel for what college is like for students across the country!
Better yet, YouTube isn’t the only place you can find professors and other “thinkers” on the web! Click over to Big Think, a video site that lets “big thinkers” share their thoughts on everything from politics to art to the metaphysical. Lots of universities also have videos available on iTunes, in the section entitled “iTunesU.” For more homework help style videos, don’t forget about TeacherTube, a great resource for high-school and even younger students on the web.
I leave you with this fantastic video of pianist Craig Niles, from Vanderbilt’s new YouTube library. Click here to take a look (and a listen). Enjoy!
All the best,
Deborah Fox
Deborah Fox is the founder of Fox College Funding, a nationwide company that helps families find creative ways to reduce their college costs.
photo: computer mouse by woodsy
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